Taki lodge excursion vs. the 5 glacier seaplane exploration vs Deadliest catch tour

[wolfie11]

49 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

I'm actually seriously thinking of taking the plunge on the taku lodge excursion. The misty fjords with island wings looks beautiful but i don't know that i'm comfortable with such a small plane. It looks like a toy. They do have a really good safety record which helps but i just don't know i'd feel comfortable. I suppose i could look into another provider but don't know that they'd be as reputable

Not as good a safety record as you think.  According to the NTSB, there have been seven air tour crashes in Ketchikan since 2007, leaving 31 people dead over the 14-year span while seriously injuring 13 others.

[latebuyer]

I don't think island wings specifically has been in any crashes. I would still think its these smaller planes that are getting into crashes though.

[wolfie11]

3 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I don't think island wings specifically has been in any crashes. I would still think its these smaller planes that are getting into crashes though.

I think Island Wings is among the safest operators in Ketchikan.

[latebuyer]

I agree its a reputable operator.

[lobsternight]

From what I've seen on past trips to Juneau the aircraft fleet seems to be well maintained.  The turbo single otter floatplane is a wonderful workhorse of this region, very iconic.  Really part of the flavor of this whole excursion.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, lobsternight said:

From what I've seen on past trips to Juneau the aircraft fleet seems to be well maintained.  The turbo single otter floatplane is a wonderful workhorse of this region, very iconic.  Really part of the flavor of this whole excursion.

I think most of the crashes have happened when the weather has quickly turned bad, not due to equipment failure.