Your Crew

Mountain Flying Service is owned and operated by Paul and Amy Swanstrom.

The St. Elias mountains have changed our lives and I look forward to sharing some of our favorite spots and amazing sights with you.

Welcome to Glacier Bay and Mountain Flying Service. This site is for all travelers to Haines and Skagway that want to experience a World Class Glacier Flight, and for climbers that want access into the local Chilkat mountains, Mt Fairweather and the St. Elias range. We have been flying into these mountains since 1992 and have been guiding on these rivers since 1987. I am the pioneering pilot and company to offer more in depth flights, going further across Glacier Bay National Park and also incorporating a remote landing option. I love it. Our flights are designed to be informative, giving you a sense of how the landscape is formed, its human history as well as information about the wildlife that inhabit the land.

Our charter flight options include hydraulic wheel ski plane landings through mid summer. For the duration of the summer, we equip the aircraft with tundra tires for visits to remote back country locations, ideal for wildlife photography and fishing. Paul the Pilot maintains all necessary permits with the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management allowing personal discretion for remote visits. For your comfort, our airplane is equipped with stereo headsets for quiet conversation, enhancing your experience with your personal guide and pilot into the rugged mountain terrain.

ENJOY THE HIGH-WING VIEW.

For your peace of mind you will be flying in a New Bush Hawk-XP aircraft, maintained to the highest standards. The windows, which are 4-5 times larger than any other bush plane, give us an uninterrupted view of the mountains, glaciers and wildlife.

EXPERIENCE REMOTE LANDINGS.

We feel the best flights are the ones which allow a little extra time for a remote landing. The adventure of setting foot on a glacier or on the pristine beach at the foot of Mount Fairweather is guaranteed to be the highlight of your Alaskan experience.

WEATHER

A few insights into the weather on the day of your flight. Try not judge the weather on what you see by yourself. Please come in or call us because we fly everyday and have first hand knowledge of where it is good and what we are likely to be able to see. We never have disappointed passengers. Keep an open mind. Even if it is really cloudy and a bit of rain in the air when you are on the ground in Haines or Skagway it may not be that way in Glacier Bay. Ask us. If you are in town for several days we will look ahead and try to pick the best day for you. If you are in town just for the day it is always worth an hour flight. On the lower weather days we get closer to the glacier ice and see more wildlife.

The Mountain Flying Service Office
Our Plane

Welcome to the Bush Hawk XP with "windows so big that you can see Russia on a clear day."

The Bush Hawk XP is plane is made in Canada and is the most rugged Bush plane built today. The Bush Hawk-XP is built from the ground up for the kind of flying we do here in Alaska. Features include Large panoramic windows for the best viewing, (windows that are 4-5 times bigger than any Cessna) Single piece wings so strong that they do not require Lift struts that get in the way of passenger viewing, ample doors for entry and exit.

Our Clients Words

"The three of us (Ed, Les and myself) want to thank you for the highlight of our long weekend in Skagway. Our Sunday trip to the coast beyond Mt. Fairweather and the search for wildlife was truly a great adventure. Paul's knowledge and skill were invaluable."

~ Paul Williams

Scotts Valley, CA

"I couldn't believe how many times I found myself saying 'wow.' I was stunned by all the beautiful sights and I live less than 15 miles from the area."

~ Zachary Sheldon

Haines, Alaska

Did you know?

Speed & Movement: Healthy glaciers move a few inches to about 3 feet per day. Certain glaciers surge periodically at 10-100 times their normal rate, while stagnant glaciers do not move at all. The change in position of the glaciers terminus is not the same as its speed, because melting and calving there work against the glacier's travel. A retreating glacier can be still moving down hill.