Happy New Year from Ultima Thule

Meet Alpha, one of three Piper PA-18 Super Cubs at Ultima Thule’s Alaska lodge.

A Piper Super Cub, Paul likes to say, is the “closest thing to a pair of wings you can strap on.”

But Alpha’s special. This hotrodd red plane has been stripped down to a lean flying weight around a thousand pounds. And while all Super Cubs are renowned for their ability to take off and land in short distances, Alpha has been fitted with wide-rimmed, balloon-like bush wheels that make it possible to land and take off on rough terrain in the deep Alaska wilderness.

“All cubs are good,” says Paul. “Some are just better.”

The moment you climb into this zippy 2-seater you can feel it: Alpha wants to be in the sky. Alpha eats sky.

Alaska contains some of the largest protected wilderness on earth, but most travelers never get past overcrowded Denali or at best McCarthy. The Wrangell Mountains are notoriously dangerous and difficult to navigate on foot, even in summer. The Chitina is a braided river, a network of intertwined currents and sandbars miles across. In most places, hikers can’t ford it on foot.

“But in these Super Cubs,” says Paul, “we can land you in incedible places. Fly up a mountain valley, put down on a sandbar at the edge of the forest and guide you on a hike that literally no one has ever done before.”

Alpha and all the pilots of Ultima Thule Lodge look forward to taking you on a flight safari adventure you will never forget!

Happy New Year, and a joyous 2014!

2014 Reservations Info

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF "BEYOND". You'll see Alpha at home in the wilderness along with the rest of the Ultima Thule Fleet. "Flying: The Key to the Wrangells."