Nunatak Air is owned and operated by Erik Skye.

I used to be a dedicated sheep hunter, gaining access to the spectacular Wrangell Mountains on foot.  These were grueling experiences in the wild.  Every year I would watch Kirk Ellis (of Ellis Big Game Guides and Devil's Mountain Lodge) fly his powerful little Super Cub effortless through rugged terrain and cover in 15 minutes that which would take me days to traverse on the ground.  Kirk even picked me up after a long hunt one year after I had taken a Dall Sheep, causing my pack weight to increase to about 130 lbs and thus every step to be painful.  (I suppose he was taking pity on me!)  I finally looked up at Kirk one time and exclaimed, “I’m going to do that!”  Additionally, during this time period I had friends heavily involved in aviation, and I flew in the back of a Super Cub often.  I resisted becoming a pilot stating ‘this would end up taking over my life’.  (I was so right about that…)

In 2002, I did ‘do that’, earning my Private Pilot Certificate at the Eielson Air Force Base Aero Club (near Fairbanks).  In 2004 I purchased my first plane (a Cessna 140) and began exploring Alaska and building extensive bush flying experience.  This is when I completely fell in love with aviation and developed an unquenchable thirst and passion for it in the context of living in and exploring Alaska.  I took to aviation like a duck to water, fulfilled by the challenges, independence, and capability that came with it.  Flying is a very multi-faceted endeavor.

I subsequently earned my Instrument Rating in 2007, Commercial Pilot Certificate and Commercial Single Engine Sea (ASES) Rating in 2008, Commercial Multi-Engine (MEL) Rating in 2010, and Flight Instructor Certificate (CFI) with Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) & Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI) Ratings in 2010.  I have also trained with masters such as Jay Baldwin (owner of Alaska's Cub Training Specialists, current airline captain, and former US Air Force F16 and glider pilot/ instructor - who now hires me back for specialty work), Hank Bruckner (owner of Kaimana Aviation in Honolulu, specilizing in aerobatics), and Glen Morthorpe (retired Australian airline captain & USAF Civil Air Patrol Alaska Wing Safety Officer).  I have learned from all who I have flown with, whether they are students, fellow pilots, instructors, or examiners.  Always be in a state of continued learning in your aviation career.  It makes you a safer and better pilot, and it’s one of the things that make aviation so interesting and such an attractive pursuit in life.

I have been an active volunteer in the USAF Civil Air Patrol since 2006 and a mission pilot in the Alaska Wing since 2008.  I am currently authorized to fly the Piper PA-18 Super Cub, Cessna C-172, Cessna C-182, Cessna C-185 Amphibian, Cessna C-206 Amphibian, and de Havilland DHC-2 in support of training and search and rescue activities as assigned by the US Air Force.

I started Nunatak Air in 2008 as a way to share flight adventure and enhance my aviation focus.  I chose to use the term “Nunatak” because it symbolizes massively glaciated and mountainous areas – the places that most inspire and humble me, both in aviation and on a personal level.  I hope you will join me in exploring our beautiful natural world; this Alaska - as passenger or fellow aviator…