Have You Heard Of The Alaska Milk Run?
Have you ever heard of the Alaska Milk Run? The name is historic, harkening back to the 1930s when bush pilots flew essential goods to the far-flung mining camps, outposts, and settlements across Alaska. One of those early bush pilots was Linious “Mac” McGee, who, in 1932, proudly painted the name McGee Airways on his three-passenger Stinson SM-8A and took off into the wilderness to buy furs and transport mail and goods. Let’s take a look at the history of the Milk Run, Linious McGee, and how the route has evolved to today.
What Is a Milk Run?
A milk run is simply a supply run. Today, we might call it a grocery run or running errands, but the term “milk run” gets its name from when milkmen used to drive around delivering milk and dairy products to residential homes and collecting the empty bottles. The modern Alaska Airlines Milk Run does the same thing. During the legs of the flight, the airliners drop off supplies, food, and medicine and pick up items that need to be delivered to other locations. This helps ensure that the communities in Alaska have the essential supplies that they need to survive on a daily basis.
Today’s Alaska Milk Run Got Its Start with Some Adventurous Bush Pilots
Suppose you’ve ever dreamed of being a bush pilot in Alaska. In that case, it’s probably because you heard the old bush pilot stories of rugged, fearless men flying rickety old aircraft into the depths of the wilderness through storms that would make a hurricane seem tame. Those early, brave bush pilots were named Ben Eielson, Noel Wien, Joe Crosson, Harold Gillam, and Russ Merrill, and they are considered the first bush pilots of Alaska.
These seat-of-your-pants aviators weren’t afraid to fly into remote regions or crash their planes on snow-covered fields and hills in order to deliver supplies and conduct mapping duties. They flew mail, medicine, and critical supplies to the state’s most remote outposts and mining camps. They also performed search, recovery, and rescue missions. These were the first “Milk Run” pilots before the route was officially known as the Alaska Milk Run.
Ben Eielson
Ben Eielson is known as the “Father of Aviation” in Alaska. His bravery and fame are well-known throughout Alaska and the aviation community. He traveled to Alaska in 1922, and he’s known for piloting the first flight over the Arctic Ocean and creating the first airmail route over Alaska.
Noel Wien
Noel Wien is known for founding Wien Alaskan Airways in 1927 and providing the first scheduled air service in the state. He was born in 1899 and died in 1977. He started flying in Alaska in 1924 as a pilot for Jimmy Rodebaugh and his Alaska Aerial Transportation Company.
By 1927, Noel had his own company, Wien Alaskan Airways, based out of Nome, Alaska, and it was Wien Alaska Airlines that created the first air routes responsible for connecting communities across the state.
Joe Crossen
Joe Crossen was recruited to Alaska in 1926 by the Fairbanks Airplane Corporation, and Joe quickly made a name for himself with his amazing flying skills and reliability. He flew many essential and critical humanitarian flights. One of his more famous flights was to some villages on the Arctic Coast. The area was experiencing a diphtheria epidemic, and Joe delivered the critical medicine. In addition to his humanitarian efforts, he was the first pilot to land on Mount McKinley.
Harold Gilliam
Harold Gilliam became famous for his IFR skills. Alaskan pilots, at the time, had three phrases for the weather, including Pam Am Weather, Alaskan Weather, and Gilliam Weather. Pan Am weather was clear. Alaskan weather referred to the conditions that the Alaskan pilots flew in regularly, and Gilliam weather referred to severe weather that only Harold Gilliam would fly in. He was considered an excellent severe weather pilot, and because of that, he regularly flew supplies to the remote mining camps. However, by 1938, he’d taken a job flying for Pan Am.
Rus Merrill
Rus Merrill flew flights in Alaska in the 1920s and was famous for his humanitarian flights. For example, he flew to Ninilchik, which is roughly 180 miles from Anchorage, to pick up a schoolteacher who had been shot. On his trip back to Anchorage, he ran out of daylight and had to land at the airfield at night.
Unfortunately, due to the dark conditions, he couldn’t see the field. Once the residents realized it was too dark for him to land, they lit bonfires and turned on their vehicles’ headlights. Once Rus could see the field, he executed the first night landing at Aviation Field, which would later be named Merrill Field in honor of Russ Merrill. He disappeared on September 16, 1929, while flying machinery to Sleetmute and Bethel, AK.
Linious “Mac” McGee and His Stinson SM-8A Bush Plane
Linious “Mac” McGee was also one of Alaska’s first bush pilots. In 1931, he purchased a three-seat Stinson SM-8A Bush Plane with his partner, Harvey “Barney” Barnhill, who was legendary for his drinking, as well as his flying.
The Stinson SM-8A was a four-seat, high-wing monoplane. The airplane was typically powered by a single, 225 hp Lycoming R-680 and had an empty weight of 2,250 pounds. This airplane was unique for the time because it had an enclosed cockpit. The plane also had a 500-mile range and a 14,000-foot service ceiling.
Of course, in Alaska in the 1930s, you didn’t just buy an airplane and wait for it to be delivered to the nearest large airport by a ferry pilot. McGee and Barnhill’s Stinson SM-8A was put on a steamship in pieces. Once it arrived in Valdez, Barnhill and McGee had to assemble the airplane before they could fly it to Anchorage and start their business, Barnhill and McGee Airways.
However, the small airline didn’t transport much beyond the furs for McGee’s fur-buying business until early 1932, when they started to expand. By mid-1932, the partners began taking out ads in the local newspaper for both McGee’s fur buying business and Barnhill and McGee Airways, which was now offering flights between Anchorage and Bristol Bay.
In late spring of 1932, the partners purchased a second airplane before dissolving their partnership. Barnhill went on to fly the new airplane while McGee kept the old Stinson. The division of airplanes worked until the Alaskan winter. That’s when Barnhill decided to sell the new plane back to McGee. McGee then went on to start McGee Airways.
In 1934, McGee Airways obtained the first airmail contract to provide mail services to Bristol Bay. However, Linious “Mac” McGee didn’t fly the route. Instead, he hired Roy Dickson, who flew the route until 1935.
In that same year, business began to decrease. Anchorage had three airlines that were all competing for the same runs, and there wasn’t enough cargo or people to keep all the airlines afloat. McGee decided to get out of the business and start mining. Over the years, he’d purchased several mining claims, and he was ready to see what they had to offer. He sold McGee Airways to Star Air Service for $50,000, and in order to ensure he got paid, the contract stipulated that if payment was late, he’d return to manage the airline until he received his money. The company paid, and McGee went on to mine his claims.
By 1936, Star Airlines was the biggest airline in Alaska, with 22 airplanes and an annual revenue of 190,000 dollars, which is roughly equivalent to about 4.5 million dollars today. However, despite their success, the company made frequent management changes, and McGee returned to the business twice before buying it back in 1937. However, he didn’t keep the airline for long. He found new investors to buy the business and went back to mining for several more years before retiring. He lived to be 91 years old.
The investors who purchased Star Air Lines kept the name until 1942, when it was renamed Alaska Star Airlines. However, that name was only around for two years, and by 1944, it was known as Alaska Airlines, which is still in operation today and still flying the Milk Run.
Alaska Airlines Milk Run
Alaska Airlines’ claim to fame is flying the Alaska Milk Run, and that route is still flown today. In fact, the Alaska Milk Run is still responsible for keeping the remote communities of Alaska supplied and connected.
Up until 2017, the airline flew five Boeing 737-400 Combis, which were designed to carry passengers and cargo at the same time. However, the last Milk Run using a Boeing 737-400 Combi landed in Seattle on October 18, 2017, after completing its last trek.
Today, the Milk Run is flown via separate jetliners for passengers and cargo. The Milk Run fleet now includes 737-700s, 737-800s, and 737-900ER jets, with freighters carrying the cargo and passenger liners carrying the people. This separation of people and cargo means that Alaska Airlines has increased its capacity per flight, and passengers have access to more in-flight amenities, like larger overhead bins and in-flight entertainment systems.
The reason the cargo freighters are needed is that very few Alaskan cities have roads leading to the outside world. Instead, travelers and cargo must arrive and depart via air or sea. For instance, did you know that Juneau, the state capital, cannot be reached by road? The reason is simple. There are vast icefields and steep mountains that make building a road to Juneau impractical. Additional cities that have no road access include Sitka, Nome, and Bethel.
This means that many communities must still rely on air and ship services to supply them with the items they need on a daily basis. Alaska Airlines’ fleet of freighters carries items like livestock, medicine, machinery, vehicles, groceries, clothing, household goods, building materials, and mail and packages.
What Are the Milk Run Flights?
Alaska Airlines has Milk Run flights that fly northbound from Seattle to Anchorage and southbound from Anchorage to Seattle.
Northbound Routes
If you’re looking to board a flight on the Milk Run from Seattle, you’ll want to choose Alaska Flight 61, 65, or 67. Flight 61 flies from Seattle to Juneau (JNU), Yakutat (YAK), and Cordova (CKU) before finally landing in Anchorage (ANC).
Flight 65 departs from Seattle (SEA) and flies to Ketchikan (KTN), Wrangell (WRG), Petersburg (PSG), and Juneau (JNU) before finally landing in Anchorage (ANC).
Lastly, Flight 67 departs from Seattle (SEA) and flies to Ketchikan (KTN), Sitka (SIT), Juneau (JNU), and Anchorage (ANC).
Southbound Routes
If you’re looking to fly south to Seattle from Anchorage, you’ll want to take Flight 62, 64, or 67. Flight 62 departs from Anchorage (ANC) and flies to Juneau (JNU), Sitka (SIT), and Ketchikan (KTN) before finally landing in Seattle (SEA).
Flight 64 also departs from Anchorage (ANC) and flies to Juneau (JNU), Petersburg (PSG), Wrangell (WRG), and Ketchikan (KTN) before finally landing in Seattle (SEA).
Lastly, Alaska Flight 66 departs Anchorage (ANC) and flies to Cordova (CKU), Yakutat (YAK), and Juneau (JNU) before landing in Seattle (SEA).
How to Book a Milk Run Flight
In order to fly the Milk Run, you’ll most likely need to book each flight separately with Alaska Airlines. For example, trying to find Flight 61, 64, or 67 when booking Seattle to Anchorage is nearly impossible. However, if you list your departing airport as Seattle and your arriving airport as Juneau, Flight 61 is much easier to find. Then, you simply move down the route, looking for your preferred flight number.
If you’re looking for an interesting aviation experience where you can view amazing scenery and visit many coastal Alaskan towns, booking some Milk Run flights may just be the right vacation for you.
