Kodiak brothers turn love of flying in air taxi business

The Bush Hawk planes are white with red trim, but that isn't why they are unique.

"There are only about 30 of them in the world, and we have two of them," Kingfisher co-owner Kyle Eaton said.

The planes were built in 2000 and 2004, which also puts them in a league of their own because most floatplanes in Kodiak were manufactured in the early 1980s, Eaton said.

Eaton and his brother, Glen, who also is an owner, are glad to have the planes.

Their clients are also glad, but for different reasons.

"The big windows for the tourists are a big selling point," Kyle said.

Kingfisher Air has been operating in Kodiak on Lilly Lake since 1998, but it didn't move to its current location on Mill Bay Road until 2003. The business started as an air taxi for Zachar Bay Lodge, operated by Kyle and Glen's father on the west side of the island.

Today, Kingfisher Air still flies to the lodge but has added many more destinations to its flight path. It operates regularly from April to November and is on-demand outside that period.

"We used to do air taxi on the side of the lodge business. Now it has turned into air taxi, and the lodge being the side business," Glen said.

Kingfisher Air's main attraction is its bear-viewing tours. They also cater to drop-off hunting trips, scenic flights, remote river fishing and visiting wilderness lodges. Kingfisher also works with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.

So far this season, Kingfisher Air has had clients from all over the world, including visitors from Germany, Japan, Spain and Denmark. The hot spots Kingfisher flies to most often are Frazer Lake and the Katmai Coast.

When tourists book a flight with Kingfisher Air, the Eatons request that they stay in Kodiak for at least three days because of weather.

"The people we get stay in Kodiak longer and are probably spending more money than all the cruise ship people and have a bigger impact for our community," Glen said.

Glen and Kyle do all the flying for Kingfisher.

Glen, 10 years older than Kyle, wanted to become a commercial airline pilot, but after a stint with Peninsula Airways he decided bush piloting was what he wanted to do.

Kyle, after graduating from the University of Idaho, joined the company in 2003. He has created the website kodiakweather.com, which gives aviators a comprehensive guide to the island's weather by setting up webcams across the island.

"He has changed the face of aviation in Kodiak," Glen said.