Flying Wild Alaska

Flying Wild Alaska is a documentary television series that aired on Discovery Channel in 2011 and 2012. The show features the Tweto family from Unalakleet, Alaska who run the Alaska airline Era Alaska. They operate the hub operations from Unalakleet. The show also features other segments from their bases in Barrow, Deadhorse, and other places.

Genre: Documentary, Drama, Family, Reality

Cast:Jim Pratt

1Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 1 - Meet the Twetos

January 14, 2011

In the frigid Alaskan town of Unalakleet, the Tweto's and their family-run airline Era Alaska Aviation battle the arctic elements to transport supplies and passengers to some of the most non-accessible spots in North America.

2Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 2 - Life or Death

January 21, 2011

Pilot Luke Hickerson transports dangerous chemicals to Atqasuk; Jim makes arrangements for the transportation of the first casualty of winter.

3Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 3 - Blow It Up

January 28, 2011

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.

4Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 4 - Indian Summer

February 4, 2011

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.

5Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 5 - Tundra Taxis

February 11, 2011

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.

6Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 6 - Greenhorn Ben

February 18, 2011

Pilot Yuri Ivanoff trains in Bethel; Jim tries to do a river landing in Unalakleet.

7Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 7 - Deep Freeze

February 25, 2011

A canine delivery to Iditarod champion Lance Mackey in Fairbanks.

8Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 8 - Bush Brawl

March 4, 2011

A dangerous frozen river landing leaves Jim and Ferno skating on thin ice, while Ariel's flying lessons end in disaster. The biggest snowstorm of the season hits, shutting down all of Western Alaska and leaving several Era pilots up in the air.

9Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 9 - Trick or Tweto

March 11, 2011

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.

10Season 1

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 1 (2011): Episode 10 - Goodbye Sun

March 18, 2011

The approaching winter darkness fuels a mass exodus from Unalakleet. In Barrow, a bootlegger attempts to smuggle in illegal liquor and Luke races to complete a daring rescue before the sun sets for two months straight.

1Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 1 - Arctic Winds

October 28, 2011

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.

2Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 2 - Tomorrow Island

November 4, 2011

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.

3Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 3 - Money in the Sky

November 11, 2011

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.

4Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 4 - Era Alaska Rises Again

November 18, 2011

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.

5Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 5 - Every Dog Has Its Day

November 25, 2011

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.

6Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 6 - Blizzard BBQ

December 2, 2011

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.

7Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 7 - Guts and Glory

December 9, 2011

A group of world-renowned rock climbers arrive in Unalakleet and Jim must fly them deep into the remote Brooks Range.

8Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 8 - Top of the World

December 16, 2011

Jim searches for a group of missing mountain climbers lost somewhere in Alaska's Brooks Range.

9Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 9 - Breakup

December 23, 2011

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.

10Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 10 - Cakes on a Plane

December 30, 2011

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.

11Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 11 - Prop, Drop & Ball

January 6, 2012

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.

12Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 12 - New Wings Over Alaska

January 13, 2012

Ariel looks for seagull eggs; Erik has a rough flight over a notorious runaway; Sarah takes her first flight in a 208.

13Season 2

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 2 (2011): Episode 13 - One Flying Family

January 20, 2012

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.

1Season 3

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 3 (2012): Episode 1 - Running Out of Time

June 8, 2012

Era digs deep to survive a brutal winter. Ariel joins in on a desperate search for her missing friend. Sarah Fraher attempts a difficult landing to aid a pilot stranded mid-runway. Ponts attempts an emergency medical drop over the isolated Kavik camp.

2Season 3

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 3 (2012): Episode 2 - Solar Flare Danger

June 15, 2012

Villagers in Wainright lose their water supply due to the Arctic cold. Solar flares leave Ponts and Ben in harm's way. In Unalakleet, a criminal is on the loose and the Tweto's are on edge.

3Season 3

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 3 (2012): Episode 3 - Zero Cabin Pressure

June 22, 2012

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.

4Season 3

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 3 (2012): Episode 4 - Return to Diomede

June 29, 2012

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.

5Season 3

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 3 (2012): Episode 5 - Money Pit

July 6, 2012

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.

6Season 3

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 3 (2012): Episode 6 - Radio Silence

July 13, 2012

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.

7Season 3

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 3 (2012): Episode 7 - Into the Wind

July 20, 2012

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.

8Season 3

Flying Wild Alaska: Season 3 (2012): Episode 8 - End of an Era

July 27, 2012

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.