The Best Episodes of Flying Wild Alaska
Last Updated: Feb 6, 2019
Meet the unconventional Tweto family that rules Alaska's most dangerous skies. Operating their family-run airline, Era Alaska, they battle unforgiving Alaskan weather and terrain to transport life's necessities to one of the most remote and extreme regions of America. With no freeway system for hundreds of miles, Era Alaska is the lifeline for the isolated rural inhabitants of the Bering Sea coastline. From champion snow dogs bound for the Iditarod to medicine for sick children to groceries for miners working on an operation on the North Slope, the goods that the intrepid pilots ship on any given day are crucial to everyday life.
#1 - Breakup
Season 2 - Episode 9
Era Alaska provides aid to a village devastated by heavy flooding. Two pilots get lost in a sea of fog off the Russian coast while trying to deliver desperately needed ammunition. In Anchorage, Jim's prized Cessna 180 goes up in smoke.
8.63
#2 - Guts and Glory
Season 2 - Episode 7
A group of world-renowned rock climbers arrive in Unalakleet and Jim must fly them deep into the remote Brooks Range.
8.43
#3 - Every Dog Has Its Day
Season 2 - Episode 5
The Iditarod dog sled race brings big business to Era Alaska. Ferno, Ayla and Ariel Tweto run with the reindeer in Anchorage. A pilot battles malfunctioning trim control over the frozen Norton Sound and a tsunami warning threatens the entire West coast.
8.39
#4 - One Flying Family
Season 2 - Episode 13
Era Alaska ferries fire crews to combat wildfires across the state; Ariel flies solo for the first time; Ponts navigates a deadly pass on his first training flight.
8.38
#5 - Prop, Drop & Ball
Season 2 - Episode 11
Two pilots carry propane to a secluded fishing lodge; Luke wrestles with failing equipment over the tundra; Ponts challenges Ariel to execute a perfect landing.
8.37
#6 - Cakes on a Plane
Season 2 - Episode 10
Ponts' old skate crew arrives to build a skate park for local kids on Unk's newly paved roads. Ariel takes to the skies in a new plane with dangerous results and lead Pilot Erik Snuggerud battles heavy turbulence with a very special delivery.
8.34
#7 - Top of the World
Season 2 - Episode 8
Jim searches for a group of missing mountain climbers lost somewhere in Alaska's Brooks Range.
8.29
#8 - Return to Diomede
Season 3 - Episode 4
The epic Iditarod dog sled race begins in Anchorage. Pilot Doug Stewart tests his limits while landing on a runway that is melting into the ocean. Pilot John Kapsner races to locate two snow-machiners that are lost overnight deep in the Alaskan Bush.
8.17
#9 - Into the Wind
Season 3 - Episode 7
Jim makes an impossible landing in Unk. Pilot Sarah Fraher battles strong headwinds while attempting to deliver 2,000 pounds of fuel to the research station. Pilot Ben Pederson braves 50 mph winds to retrieve an elusive priest for Easter service.
8.12
#10 - End of an Era
Season 3 - Episode 8
In the series finale, after 30 years of running Era Alaska, Jim Tweto sets his eye on a new path. Doug loses all avionics while flying over the North Slope. Ariel comes face to face with the FAA in the last step of getting her pilot's license.
8.12
#11 - Greenhorn Ben
Season 1 - Episode 6
Pilot Yuri Ivanoff trains in Bethel; Jim tries to do a river landing in Unalakleet.
8.11
#12 - Indian Summer
Season 1 - Episode 4
Unseasonably warm weather sends Jim up to the Brooks Range to look for potential landing strips. Ferno and Ariel prepare an Eskimo feast for returning pilot John Ponts and the week ends with an icy plunge into the Unalakleet River.
8.11
#13 - Tundra Taxis
Season 1 - Episode 5
In Bethel, construction crews race to finish ERA's newest hanger before the unforgiving winter snows arrive. But when Jim flies in to inspect the progress, he is far from happy. In Unalakleet, fierce crosswinds blow John Ponts' tiny 207 all over the sky.
8.09
#14 - Blizzard BBQ
Season 2 - Episode 6
A late winter storm threatens to shut down Era Alaska's operations. Ben encounters dangerous icing conditions on his way to St. Michael. Lead pilot, Erik, resorts to drastic measures to get desperately needed medicine to a snowed in village.
8.06
#15 - Tomorrow Island
Season 2 - Episode 2
Two pilots push their limits to land vital vaccines two miles from Russia on Alaska's most treacherous runway. In Unalakleet, Ariel Tweto takes to the skies once again and proves that she still has a lot to learn.
8.04
#16 - Arctic Winds
Season 2 - Episode 1
John Ponts fights heavy turbulence and angry passengers on a flight through the Nulato Hills. Jim and Ferno's leave the terminal in the hands of the pilots and Sarah's flight to rescue a villager lost in a storm turns into a battle for her own survival.
8.04
#17 - Life or Death
Season 1 - Episode 2
Pilot Luke Hickerson transports dangerous chemicals to Atqasuk; Jim makes arrangements for the transportation of the first casualty of winter.
7.97
#18 - Blow It Up
Season 1 - Episode 3
In a dangerous mission, pilot Doug Doherty flies along Russian airspace to transport volatile explosives to the island of St Lawrence. In Unk, Ben slams into a large bird mid-flight.
7.97
#19 - Radio Silence
Season 3 - Episode 6
In the skies above western Alaska, Ariel disappears from radio contact, putting emergency services on high alert. Over the remote village of Hooper Bay, pilot Erik Snuggerud battles to touch down on a dangerously narrow runway.
7.94
#20 - New Wings Over Alaska
Season 2 - Episode 12
Ariel looks for seagull eggs; Erik has a rough flight over a notorious runaway; Sarah takes her first flight in a 208.
7.94
#21 - Era Alaska Rises Again
Season 2 - Episode 4
After two months of darkness, the villages of Western Alaska are desperate for fresh supplies. Jim attempts a risky landing on a frozen river and Luke has problems getting his plane in the air. A pilot flies to the Russian border to deliver vaccines.
7.82
#22 - Trick or Tweto
Season 1 - Episode 9
Halloween in Alaska brings vicious crosswinds that wreak havoc on Era's small planes. Ariel hopes to learn the family business in Unk, but a power blackout tests her abilities when she takes over as station manager.
7.82
#23 - Zero Cabin Pressure
Season 3 - Episode 3
Alaska's harshest winter in years wreaks havoc on Era's fleet. Sarah Fraher's aircraft door opens mid-flight. Doug's brakes freeze on an icy runway while carrying explosive chemicals. Jim attempts a risky landing atop the frozen Anvik River.
7.75
#24 - Money Pit
Season 3 - Episode 5
In Bethel, pilot Erik Snuggerud is plagued by mechanical issues. On Alaska's North Slope, pilots Doug Stewart and John Rende battle to keep their plane from careening off an icy runway. In Unalakleet, Ariel receives a surprise visitor.
7.73
#25 - Money in the Sky
Season 2 - Episode 3
Two pilots attempt to deliver a specialty drill through a sea of fog. Luke brings the first ever ATM to Wainwright, along with a planeload of cash. Erik races to deliver passengers and critical supplies before a spring storm shuts him down.
7.72