[dramatic music]
[Narrator] A flight to the edge of tomorrow...
[Narrator] ...struggles to make it through the day.
[Narrator] Mountain winds...
[Narrator] ...batter a bush taxi
on approach to an icy lagoon.
[Narrator] And U.S. Army aviators...
[Narrator] ...go toe-to-toe with the Alaskan winter.
Worst case scenario, we'll see somebody drop.
[helicopter whirring]
[rock music]
[Narrator] Anchorage International Airport,
gateway to America's last frontier.
Absolutely gorgeous. Just amazing.
[Narrator] More than 700 airfields hammered
by freezing temperatures and Arctic snowstorms.
We're racing the clock every day, all day.
[Narrator] It takes a major league team of workers...
That's pretty neat.
You can't pull over to a cloud.
Make sure everything's buckled up.
It could be kind of bumpy.
[Narrator] ...to keep Alaska moving...
[Man] Hang on, hang on, hang on!
[Narrator] ...no matter what.
Ready to go on the most premium flight of your life?
All right, let's boogie.
[Narrator] Nearly a million flights a year...
It's a job you'll never get bored of.
Yeah, it's gnarly down there.
[Narrator] ...in a $4 billion dollar industry.
Shut it down, shut it down.
Oh, man, that's crazy.
At the end of the day, it was a success.
[Narrator] This is Ice Airport Alaska.
[Narrator] At Anchorage International,
every year, 100,000 planes
bring over 5 million passengers
and almost 4 million tons of freight
from around the world.
[winds rumbling and howling eerily]
[Narrator] But, today, hurricane force winds
are hitting Anchorage hard.
This is an unusual situation.
We've got people out on the field
just continuously monitoring.
[Narrator] Operations officer Bob Rieth
is checking runways for damage.
[Bob] It's a big storm.
Amazon over at Kula's had a container get loose
and go blowing out across the taxiway.
I will take snow any day over wind shear.
[Narrator] The wind is gusting up to 132 miles an hour.
I saw at least three or four aircraft flipped.
[Narrator] All departures are grounded.
[Bob] No aircraft even taxiing, nothing.
We immediately closed the runway to all arrivals.
[rock music]
[Narrator] In these conditions, incoming planes have to divert
260 miles north to Fairbanks.
[Comms] It's a very serious problem out here.
[Narrator] And the airport has to be ready
to handle the surge.
Wind is probably one of the most common factors
that happen at Anchorage that diverts aircraft.
[Narrator] It's just past 9:00 am.
Ops 1, we'll contact tower.
[Narrator] And Fairbanks operations officer
Bryan Kohrmann is inspecting the runways.
We've had snow come in, powdery snow.
[Narrator] Snow on the runways is business as usual,
but this is no ordinary snow.
It's very dry.
It covers the ground really quickly.
It can catch us off guard.
If there's been any melting before,
it's going to turn that water into ice
and it can get dangerous really quick.
[rock music]
[Narrator] Keeping the runways open
falls to maintenance foreman Jason Griswold and his team.
This light snow will take to the air
and then it comes right back down
on the runway right behind us.
35 and company going to ground.
[Narrator] Bret Horner leads a three-strong crew
driving 500-horsepower Oshkosh brooms
onto the 2.2-mile-long main runway.
But the clock is ticking.
It only takes them about 20 minutes
between here and Anchorage.
It doesn't give us a lot of time to get the runway ready.
[up-tempo country music]
Fairbanks ground, unit 35 and company.
35 and company like to switch to tower access.
I jump on alpha and we'll just go
to the south end here and then start.
It can be very stressful knowing that the plane
is maybe only 14 or 15 minutes away.
It takes us eight minutes to run up and down this.
[unsettling electronic music]
[Narrator] Failure is not an option.
[Bret] If we don't have the runway ready for them,
the closest airport for 'em to go would be Seattle.
But they're not going to make it.
There's some fuel that's just going to be too low.
It's very critical for us to keep this airport open.
We don't want them to run out of fuel in the air.
[inspirational music]
[Narrator] More than 9,000 Alaskans hold pilot's licenses.
But nearly half of Alaska's commercial pilots
are over 45 years old.
So growing the next generation of bush aviators
is a nonstop job.
- Nice flight control. - Good flight control.
[upbeat country music]
[Narrator] At the lakeside airport of Port Alsworth...
We're looking at 10,000.
You're like over 1,000 pounds light,
- which is really-- - Yeah.
- That's really, really good. - Yeah.
[Narrator] ...Lake Clark Air pilot,
24-year-old Ned Fowler...
I have 75 pounds more stuff.
[Narrator] ...is prepping for the biggest day
of his career so far.
Today, we're going into Chignik Lagoon.
It's probably our most challenging airport.
It's a short airport for the type of aircraft
we're operating in and out of there.
So you've got to be prepared for that.
Also, Chignik means wind, so it's a very windy area.
So first is the bay.
[Narrator] Today's mission is flying passengers and freight
in and out of the airline's trickiest destination,
Chignik Lagoon...
Gonna be a little gnarly going in.
[Narrator] ...in the company's largest aircraft.
Same sort of thing on that whole bearing side, it looks like.
[Glen] Yeah.
[Narrator] Before the airline's founder, Glen Sr., can retire,
Ned has to prove he can take on the route.
[Glen] Today is the day.
We're taking a pilot into an airport
that is probably the graduation airport.
When we have a pilot that we can just send anywhere, anytime,
they would have to be standing by to go do
any of these crazy flights that we're asked to do,
I could send Ned.
So he just wants to make sure that I can go in
and operate in there safely.
And getting that sign off is a next step in my journey,
I guess.
[Narrator] Glen Sr. and Ned don't exactly have
your typical instructor-student relationship.
He happens to be my grandson, which is my privilege
and pleasure to teach today.
The things we need to always be conscious of
when operating into an airport
that has unusual or tricky considerations.
[Narrator] Ned's aviation journey began
with his grandfather more than 10 years ago.
[Ned] I remember my first flight lesson with him.
I think I was 12 or 13.
He's been training me and giving me tips throughout.
So getting a sign off from Glen Sr.
for Chignik Lagoon, it'll be great.
[hip-hop music]
[Narrator] For this mission, Ned's flying
the half-million-dollar Beechcraft BE99.
A thousand-mile range
and 240-mile-an-hour cruising speed
give it the legs to reach 95% of mainland Alaska
within three-and-a-half hours.
[rock music]
Once the passengers, baggage, and groceries are loaded...
[Narrator] ...Ned's challenge can begin.
For takeoff, Ned lowers the BE99's flaps
to generate extra lift,
accelerates to 100 miles an hour,
and climbs at almost 1,000 feet per minute.
[hip-hop music]
[Narrator] The first leg of the flight is 325 miles southwest
from Port Alsworth to Chignik Lake.
From there, it's a 10-mile hop to Chignik Lagoon,
where he has to tackle the landing
that could take his career to the next level.
[Narrator] Clear skies provide spectacular views
of the Seward Peninsula,
a remnant of the Bering Land Bridge
that first carried humans across from Asia.
[Narrator] Ned cruises at an altitude of 12,000 feet,
but 80 minutes into the flight, the statewide weather system
warns of worsening conditions above the Chigniks.
[tense music]
[Narrator] At 10:40 am,
Ned begins his approach to Chignik Lake.
Icy rain batters the Beechcraft.
If it freezes on the wings and control surfaces,
it disrupts the aircraft's aerodynamics,
causing a loss of lift
that could drop it out of the sky.
[Narrator] If Ned can't land here,
he won't even get to begin his final assessment flight.
[Narrator] Winds up to 132 miles an hour
are battering Anchorage.
[Narrator] And Fairbanks is getting ready
for 14 incoming flights on diversion.
It's very critical for us to keep this airport open.
We don't want them to run out of fuel in the air.
[Narrator] Fresh snow is still falling.
[Bret] Got to get it off the runway.
We got diversions coming.
[Narrator] And it's stubborn.
This type of snow is terrible.
You can't turn your blowers on
because it'll blow it up in the air.
It just drops it all over the runway.
It's just a mess.
You can never seem to get it clean enough.
[suspensive music]
[Narrator] It's now 9:27 am.
In less than two minutes,
the first unscheduled arrival is due.
35 and company is off 2-0 right holding short.
[Narrator] So the brooms vacate the airstrip to make room
for the first diverted aircraft.
So we're having Alaska coming in.
[Narrator] Moments later,
the 83-ton, 117-foot-wide 737-900 touches down.
[Narrator] But the next diverted aircraft
is bigger than any of the jets Fairbanks usually serves.
[unsettling music]
We got to keep the runway cleared full width
for that bigger plane that's coming in.
[Narrator] In just seven minutes,
a 212-foot-wide, 294-ton Boeing 777 is due.
When the pressure hits, that's when it makes it interesting.
[Narrator] This giant of the skies
needs the whole width of the runway cleared.
We need to get this runway all the way out to 160 feet.
Bret and the team are doing everything they can.
Travis, you go right.
I'll switch mine to the left.
[Narrator] To move 40 tons of snow on every pass,
team leader Bret needs his team
of three 20-foot-wide brooms to work in formation.
[Bret] Everybody, just grab a line
or just follow me through.
Oh.
Coming at us.
[light suspensive music]
[Narrator] At 9:38 am, the 777 is on final approach.
Got the runway just about all cleaned up.
[Narrator] It lands at 155 miles an hour.
But there are still 12 more diverted aircraft incoming.
[thrilling music]
They just keep stacking up, coming from Anchorage.
They're coming in one right after another.
Can't believe we've gotten so many.
[upbeat rock music]
Got to keep your head on a swivel out here.
[Narrator] By lunchtime, the four-hour surge
is drawing to a close.
Take alpha and split it.
So here's our next diversion for the day.
Should be our last.
[Narrator] When the final diverted aircraft
touches down...
And here we go, we're exiting.
35 and company is exiting.
[Narrator] ...Jason and Bret can call it a day.
Good job today, guys.
Let's go ahead and fuel and park them.
I'll see you back at the barn.
[country rock music]
The team worked out pretty good today.
We got everything all cleaned up pretty good.
Keeping the airport running,
and we'll be back here at 3:00 in the morning.
[suspensive music]
[Narrator] To defend America's northern frontier,
almost 20,000 military personnel
live and work in Alaska.
[gunfire]
The frozen wilderness challenges them
with some of the harshest conditions in North America.
And if they get hurt out here,
the only way to bring them home is by air.
[funk rock music]
[Narrator] Fort Wainwright is the headquarters
for the U.S. Army's 11th Airborne Division,
a.k.a. the Arctic Angels.
This is the base for the airborne rescuers
of Charlie Company 152.
Whether it's isolated, whether it's a battlefield,
whether it's in the middle of Alaska, we will launch.
[Narrator] In peacetime, they're always on call
to execute both civilian and military rescues.
But, today, the unit is prepping
to test its readiness
to perform medevac missions in combat zones.
Just checking for any damages
or anything that looks unusual to the aircraft.
[Narrator] Captain Laura Penley begins pre-flight checks
at 8:17 am.
[Laura] The cold weather takes a beating on the aircraft.
That's why we keep them inside,
and then we pull them out for medevac missions.
[funk rock music]
[Narrator] To complete the test for combat rescue duty,
the team has to fly to an RV point 48 miles away
and conduct a simulated airborne rescue
under battlefield conditions.
There are certain scenarios
where there will be a casualty on the ground
in, say, a wooded area,
and we just cannot land the aircraft.
So what we can do is hoist the medic down,
pick up the patient, hoist them back into the helicopter,
and get that casualty the treatment they need.
[dubstep music]
[Narrator] For medevac missions, the Army uses
the Connecticut-built Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter.
A 316-mile range
and twin 2,000-shaft horsepower engines
give it a 160-mile-an-hour top speed,
making it the perfect combat zone air ambulance.
[rock music]
[Narrator] Pilot for today's test mission
is former Army ground ambulance commander Captain Seth Koester.
I'm a big fan of the Black Hawk.
It's big, it's powerful.
It's a very capable machine.
[Narrator] His co-pilot...
Clock's set and running. My clock's good.
Sure is.
[Narrator] ...is 33-year-old Pennsylvania native
Captain Laura Penley.
It does feel great to be a female in the military
and kind of pave the way.
All caution, warning, advisory lights, looking good.
I definitely feel like I can set an example
for the younger generation of females.
[Narrator] In the cabin,
Crew Chief Sergeant Wyatt Priest
operates the electronic hoist.
[Wyatt] You have your cable out switch right here,
your cable in.
The whole hoist can boom in, and it booms out as well.
That's pretty much how you operate it is with this pendant.
[light thrilling music]
It's a bit of a starter.
[Narrator] Once the medic boards,
the crew of four is ready to fly.
[Narrator] Four 24-foot-long main rotor blades
spin up to 258 revs per minute...
[Narrator] ...providing the lift
to raise the 22,000-pound bird off the ground.
[pulsing music]
[Narrator] The medevac target is 48 miles east.
Platoon leader Captain Jesse Long...
That's that 491.
Like in three, we got you loud and clear.
[Narrator] ...is responsible for assessing
the unit's performance.
Hoist is really the hardest thing that we do,
so we make sure that we train it at every opportunity.
We have to make sure that our crews are proficient
at dealing with weather, winds, high altitude, mountains.
Blowing snow is a big one.
[Narrator] He'll grade hoist skills and teamwork.
[Narrator] But the main enemy for this mission is the clock.
They have just 60 minutes to get the job done.
We typically only pick up urgent patients
that have to be to a next role of care within an hour.
Time is of the essence because there could be
a patient dying on the ground, just waiting,
waiting for someone to come and rescue him.
[Narrator] But as the Black Hawk
reaches open country,
powerful winds gust from the west.
[Seth] With the hoist, we are limited
to 35 knots of wind
because the cable can become uncontrollable.
It could snag on something up here and just cut the cable,
and then that could be deadly for whoever's riding on it.
[Narrator] If the wind keeps building,
this medevac crew won't get the chance to prove
it's ready for combat rescues.
[suspensive music]
[Narrator] 4,000 feet above the remote Seward Peninsula...
[Narrator] ...Ned Fowler is on approach for landing
at Chignik Lake.
[Narrator] This is just the first of two landings
in the assessment flight that will determine
whether Ned can take over the routes permanently
and Glen Sr. can retire from them.
[Narrator] As well as icy rain,
wind speeds are on the rise.
[Narrator] A 28-mile-an-hour crosswind
from the right sends the plane
into sideways flight known as crabbing.
Ned compensates by steering into the wind
and begins his final preparations for landing.
[thrilling music]
[Narrator] At 10:53 am,
he touches down on the 2,800-foot-long dirt strip.
[upbeat music]
[Man 2] It's like gold there.
[Narrator] After a quick, breakage-free
grocery delivery...
- [Man 2] You got it? - Yep.
[Narrator] ...Ned takes on more passengers.
[Ned] There's not many other carriers
who offer direct service to these communities.
There.
[Ned] We're one of the only ones who can do that service.
No problem, Darren. Till next time.
We're good.
[Narrator] And he's ready for his next takeoff.
[suspensive music]
[Narrator] At 11:15 am, he's airborne
and en route for his final destination,
Chignik Lagoon...
[Narrator] ...the trickiest strip
on Lake Clark Air's roster.
[Narrator] Just two minutes after takeoff,
Ned's five miles out.
[Narrator] And, on approach,
the difficulty of the task ahead becomes clear.
[Narrator] The gusts coming off the mountains
are up to 29 miles an hour.
[Narrator] But the only viable approach is right past them.
The descent runs alongside
the windswept bluffs of Rabbit Point.
And the cliffs of Diamond Point
block the pilot's view of the Chignik Lagoon runway.
Then, final approach exposes the aircraft
to potentially destabilizing ocean winds.
[Narrator] Increasing airspeed to 165 miles an hour
stabilizes the BE99.
[Narrator] But now Ned's going too fast
for his final approach.
[Narrator] So he eases off the throttle,
slowing to 110 miles an hour.
[Narrator] And lets the wind take the plane.
[Narrator] Once he's on target, the next big threat
is the icy lake at the end of the runway.
[music swelling]
[Narrator] On touchdown,
Ned reverses the two four-bladed
144-pound propellers
to slow the plane until it's safe to engage
the landing gear brakes.
[pleasant guitar music]
[Narrator] It's a textbook landing.
I'd ride with this kid anywhere.
He did a fabulous job here.
Sweet. All right, sir.
Heading into Anchorage, right?
[Narrator] And more than good enough
to get Grandpa's seal of approval.
We just completed a final checkout
for my eldest grandson,
going into the trickiest airport that we fly into
with the biggest plane we fly.
And I couldn't be more proud of Ned.
He's just done such a fabulous job.
[Ned] Getting a sign-up from Glen Sr.
is an awesome, awesome step in my career
to be able to come in here and have
some challenging experiences on a day-to-day basis.
It's a great day today.
[suspensive music]
[Narrator] 450 feet above the Alaskan tundra...
[Narrator] ...a U.S. Army medevac crew
is 22 minutes into their evaluation mission,
but high winds are complicating the rescue.
With the hoists, we are limited to 35 knots of wind
because the cable can become uncontrollable.
It can snag on something up here and just cut the cable,
and that could be deadly for whoever's riding on it.
[Narrator] Speeds above 35 knots
would end today's exercise
and the crew's chances of qualifying
to carry out rescues in combat zones.
How far out are you guys?
[suspensive music]
[Narrator] While the pilot battles the gusts,
hoist operator Sergeant Priest
preps the medic for his descent.
[Wyatt] So we just hook these up to the cabin floors,
and then we hook this up to your vest.
[Narrator] A single hook in the wrong place
could cause a fatal fall.
[Wyatt] We do our buddy checks, and that just verifies
that I'm secured to the floor, and then he's secured as well.
Get the medic hooked up to the two up right now.
Dustoff 491, Lycan 3, roger. Two minutes out.
[Narrator] To guide them to their casualty,
Captains Koester and Penley
look for a smoke marker at ground level.
[suspensive music]
[Narrator] At 9:12 am, Pilot Seth Koester
brings the chopper into a hover above the target casualty.
They now have just 33 minutes to lower the medic,
hoist him back up with the casualty,
and get back to base.
[Narrator] To maintain a stable hover,
Captain Koester keeps eyes on two fixed points
and rides the wind
with constant adjustment of his controls.
[Narrator] Once the chopper's steady at a height of 60 feet,
Sergeant Priest can begin the hoist operation.
[Wyatt] I'm always just thinking about how I can
put him down on the ground as safe as possible.
[Narrator] But the medic's less than halfway down
when a sudden gust destabilizes the helicopter's hover.
Worst case scenario, they would be cutting the hoist cable.
We'll see somebody drop.
[Man 5] Stand by.
[dramatic music]
[Narrator] Alaska includes more islands
than any other U.S. state.
More than 2,500 dot the surrounding seas.
For the people who live on them,
aviation is a lifeline.
[country rock music]
[Narrator] At Nome Airport, a Pathfinder Aviation crew
is prepping for a mission
to help one small island make it through the winter.
There's a lot of life necessities
that people that can drive to Walmart take for granted.
[Narrator] At 8:15 am, helicopter pilot Zack Ard
starts his day loading up a 1,500-pound cargo
of food and medicines.
The mission today is to fly cargo from our hangar
here in Nome out to the native village of Diomede
on the island of Little Diomede.
Once we get this all loaded up,
we have some medical supplies
that will be taken out to the village today.
If we're delayed due to unflyable, unsafe weather,
then people aren't going to get the supplies they need to live.
[country music]
[Narrator] Little Diomede is a two-mile-long island.
The only village sits at the base
of a 1,500-foot-high cliff
tumbling into the frozen Bering Sea.
The Iñupiat people who live here
have a traditional way of life
based on hunting walrus, whale, fish, and crab.
But now the population of 80
relies on modern necessities to survive.
[upbeat country music]
[Narrator] Little Diomede is the closest point
in the United States to Russia.
Just 2.4 miles of ocean separates the island
from the Russian outpost of Big Diomede.
The neighboring islands are separated
by an international border and the international dateline.
The ice is too thick. Boats can't make it out.
There's no runway for an airplane,
so via helicopter is the only way on and off of the island.
For both people and goods.
[Narrator] To reach the Edge of Tomorrow,
Zack's flying the $2 million Bell 412.
A 2-ton max payload with a 441-mile range
makes it perfect for heavy hauling to isolated locations.
But conditions in the skies above the Bering Sea
pose a constant threat to aircraft.
You can have weather dynamics that shouldn't exist.
You can have fog with 60-knot winds,
severe freezing fog conditions.
It's quite dangerous if the aircraft ices up
and the rotor blades quit producing lift.
[Narrator] Zack uses live feeds from the FAA's weather cameras
to monitor the route
until he sees what looks like a window to fly.
We are looking directly
from mainland Alaska to the west.
It's pointing directly at Diomede,
and that looks really nice now.
[pop rock music]
[Narrator] By 12:43, the skies are clear enough
for Zack and his crew to mount up.
[Automated Voice Message] H-tom system test okay.
[Narrator] Zack throttles up the bird's twin PT6 engines.
[Narrator] The 412 climbs at 1,350 feet per minute.
[ominous music]
[Narrator] But as it clears the airport...
[Narrator] ...ice fog surrounds the chopper...
[Narrator] ...and threatens to drag it down.
[Narrator] Zack has no choice but to abort his mission.
And it could be weeks before Little Diomede
receives its medicines and supplies.
[thrilling music]
[Narrator] Pilot Captain Seth Koester
is working against the clock
to complete a simulated rescue mission.
But in powerful Arctic winds,
he's struggling to hold a hover.
And the team medic is spinning 40 feet above the ground.
Worst case scenario, they would be cutting the hoist cable.
We'll see somebody drop.
[suspensive music]
[Narrator] To stop the wind
from pushing the chopper sideways,
the pilot turns to face it head on.
[Narrator] To pass their combat zone readiness test,
they have to land the medic,
hoist him back up with his patient,
and get back to base.
[Narrator] And they only have 22 minutes left.
[tense music]
[Narrator] Flying debris from the downdraft
could cause injuries to patients on the ground.
So the crew orbit the RV while the medic assesses
the patient and preps them for the hoist.
Test stop 491.
[Narrator] For the extraction,
the Black Hawk has to be brought back into a hover...
[Narrator] ...so Sergeant Priest
can lower the cable.
[tense music]
[Wyatt] The hardest part is when I'm bringing them up.
The worst case scenario would be catching on anything
because then it could possibly snap.
[Narrator] To avoid snagging the line...
[Narrator] ...he adjusts to hoist speed of ascent.
[music swelling]
[Narrator] They're en route to base,
well inside the one-hour deadline.
But the decision on whether this crew
made the grade is up to the supervising captain.
Excellent timing.
And I think if he had actually been injured,
we would have had a very successful recovery.
[Narrator] This medevac crew is combat zone ready.
[rock music]
[Seth] It's incredibly important
to do this training regularly
because you may be familiar with it,
but until you become proficient with it
will you have successful missions
for a real-world patient.
And that's what we're all about for medevac.
[Laura] I never want anybody to get hurt,
but if we have the opportunity to be there
to save a person's life
and it has to be a hoist mission,
we're very comfortable doing it.
[suspensive electronic music]
[Narrator] At Nome Airport,
Pilot Zack Ard has now been waiting
four days for ice fog to clear.
It's quite dangerous if the aircraft ices up
and the rotor blades quit producing lift.
[Narrator] Fifteen hundred pounds of cargo
for the tiny island of Little Diomede...
[Narrator] ...is still piled in the cabin.
If people don't get their medicine,
that can be a very dangerous situation.
[electronic music]
[Narrator] But today...
They're reporting five statute miles of visibility.
I think we're bumping up to six miles now,
so we might get this done today.
[Narrator] ...weather reports
finally show conditions improving.
We can pull the aircraft out and hit the road.
[trip-hop music]
[Narrator] From Nome, the journey to Little Diomede
is a 134-mile flight northwest across the Bering Sea.
[folk country music]
[Narrator] At 9:22 am...
[Narrator] ...the twin 900-shaft horsepower engines
power up to spin the rotors...
[Narrator] ...to 324 RPM for takeoff.
[country rock music]
[Narrator] As the Bell 412 climbs to 1,500 feet...
[Narrator] ...visibility is worse than expected.
[Narrator] The further out to sea Zack flies,
the greater the risk, so he hugs the coastline.
[Narrator] Before he reaches open water
at the end of the Port Clarence Peninsula...
[Narrator] ...the weather breaks.
And Zack grabs the opportunity to head across the frozen ocean
for Little Diomede.
[Narrator] Half an hour later, the island comes into sight.
[tense music]
[Narrator] On final approach to Little Diomede,
Zack hits weather trouble.
[Narrator] High winds blowing around
the island's 1,500-foot-high cliffs
are buffeting the helicopter.
[Narrator] And the only place where it can land safely
is the hard ice helipad.
To avoid missing it, Zack changes course...
[Narrator] ...approaches from the south
to minimize the impact of the wind...
...and land safely.
[upbeat country music]
[Narrator] Villagers gather to collect
their supplies and medicines.
But Zack can't hang around.
To protect the chopper's engine
from seizing up in the freezing temperatures,
he keeps the rotors spinning.
So as soon as his cargo's unloaded...
[Narrator] ...he heads back to Nome.
[inspirational music]
[Zack] Fantastic day.
We're hoping that the weather would clear up,
and it sure did.
And we were able to get the mission complete.
Everybody on Diomede was very happy
to see the helicopter arrive.
[rock music]
♪ MTV ♪