Alaska — The 49th state is a great place to take flight

PALMER, Alaska — My airplane splashed into the water and floated for a minute.

Then the pilot revved the Piper Cub's engine, and we skimmed across the Alaskan lake and took off again.

I'd thought being stuffed into a 2-person floatplane would trigger claustrophobia. I was going for this ride so I could say I'd done it. I strapped on my life vest, buckled my seatbelt, put on the headphones so I could talk to my pilot, and took a deep breath.

But as soon as we started gliding across the lake for takeoff, my neuroses slipped away, overwhelmed by pure delight. What a ride! What a view!

A landscape of pine forest and small lakes, glimmering in the summer sun, spread out below us. I had a fantastic view from both sides. We hopped from lake to lake, skimming the surface and taking off again.

I couldn't stop grinning if I tried.

(An etiquette note: Boaters and swimmers have the right-of-way in the water. Buzzing them to make them get out of the way would be "very bad form," as my pilot, Dale Olsen, put it.)

A small plane is a very Alaskan way to see the state. Small dirt airstrips punctuate the landscape of the south-central Matanuska-Susitna Valley — carved out of the forest or worn into the moraines at the foot of the glaciers. And for a plane on floats, every little lake (and there are plenty) is a potential landing spot in summer; a plane outfitted with skis can land on frozen lakes and on rivers in the winter, not to mention glaciers at any time of year.

With a huge, wild state and relatively few good roads (there are only about 50 miles of what we would recognize as an interstate), Alaskans and visitors find small planes useful for getting around, not to mention getting an eyeful of miles upon miles of wild beauty.

In fact, about 90 percent of Alaska cannot be reached by road, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. So per capita, Alaska has six times as many pilots as the rest of the United States, and 16 times as many aircraft.

Dozens of flying services operate in Alaska for tourists and non-pilot residents. Package trips are available for all sorts of fun: glacier landings, bear watching, flight-seeing, fishing, hunting, camping, and custom trips are available as well in this aviation-friendly state. Flights are always subject to change depending on the weather. Defer to your pilot's judgment.