Photos: Elite mountain pilots land on Mount McKinley

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Passengers prepare to board a Talkeetna Air Taxi Beaver airplane for a flightseeing tour of Mount McKinley and the peaks and glaciers on the south side of the mountain on Tuesday, July 21, 2015. Talkeetna Air Taxi is based out of Talkeetna, and flies daily tours of the mountain in Denali National Park.

Aviation has been closely associated with Mount McKinley for decades, and the perils of flying there have been considered from the very beginning, when pioneer aviator Joe Crosson made the first landing on the mountain in 1932.

But today, flying in Denali National Park and Preserve and on McKinley is characterized by a sense of collaboration and information sharing that has brought a small group of companies and pilots together. This new era is highlighted by an impressive safety record despite the unpredictable meteorological conditions of the area.

The right to land in the park, and especially on the Mount McKinley, is tightly controlled. Just four companies have National Park Service concessions to land on glaciers in Denali National Park: K2 Aviation, Fly Denali, Sheldon Air Service and Talkeetna Air Taxi. They're responsible for transporting those who climb North America's tallest peak to base camp -- while also providing tourists with flightseeing opportunities that include glacier landings.

The concession system was inaugurated in 1996 following decades of air taxi landings on the mountain. The new system was designed to bridge a gap between National Park Service demands, which were influenced by visitors seeking a "wilderness experience," and the industry's long economic contribution to the area.

READ MORE: Flying McKinley in the 21st Century