SCENIC FLIGHTS
1. Bonners Ferry North and Selkirks, 1. hr: This flight takes us north along the western slopes of the Purcell Mountains over the Smith, Dawson & Brush Lakes. We then turn westerly and cross the Kootenai River valley above the lush hops fields and beautiful oxbows of the River. We continue climbing up into the Selkirk Mountains which abound with high mountain lakes tucked into graceful cirque basins scoured out by long past glaciers. The flight continues in a southerly direction winding through the rugged Selkirks, past Roman Nose, the Pack River and then loops around Chimney Rock where you’ll see some breathtakingly sharp knife ridges. This loop also provides a good view of Priest lake to the west.. The flight concludes with a pass alongside Schweitzer Ski area and returns to the airport over Lake McArthur and Naples.
2. Bonners Ferry South, Selkirks & Scotchmans, 1 hr.: This flight misses some of the northernmost mountains in the Selkirks but takes us over the Kootenai Waterfowl Reserve and up Myrtle Creek into the beautiful Selkirk Mountains. We turn southerly passing Roman Nose, the Pack River, numerous high mountain lakes tucked into glacially scoured cirque basins and then loop around Chimney Rock with its stunning knife ridges. This loop also provides a good view of Priest lake to the west. We cross the valley north of Sandpoint near Schweitzer Ski area and get a good view of the North end of Lake Pend Oreille enroute to the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness area. We head north through the beautiful craggy peaks of the Scotchmans, passing Bull Lake to the east of us and descending through the historic mining area of Boulder Cr. Finally we return to Bonners Ferry through the Kootenai River valley.
3. The Grand Tour, Mountains and more Mountains: 1.6 hr., more or less (priced on actual time flown). We depart in an easterly direction passing the Moyie Bridge, the Boulder Cr. mining area and climb over Troy Mt. into the north end of the Cabinet Mtn. Wilderness area. The flight continues in a southerly direction winding through the beautiful, craggy peaks and over the many spectacular lakes and even some actual glaciers to the southern end of the cabinets. We then return to the west via the Clark Fork River valley near Noxon Mt. We maintain our altitude, about 7500 ft, while flying along the Clark Fork valley and once past the Bull River turn north into the Scotchman Peaks. This portion of the flight is much the same as the return leg of flight # 2 described above.
4. The Grand Tour, Mountains and Castles: 1.7 hr., more or less ( priced on actual time flown). If you love spectacular high mountain terrain as well as seeing beautiful homes, this flight is for you! The first 2/3 of this flight is the same as flight #3 above, we fly up the Kootenai River valley, climb over Troy Mt., wind through the Cabinet Mountains and return along the Clark Fork River. The primary difference is we will descend to a lower altitude and continue along the Clark Fork R. to Hope, Idaho, and the beautiful Lake Pend Oreille. We will tour the north shores of the lake shores which are lined with some amazing homes, several of which are actually designed like the castles of old! The final leg will take us north through the SelleValley past Lake McArthur and Naples into Bonners Ferry.
5. Mountains, Castles and Lakes: 1.6 hr., more or less (priced on actual time flown). This flight includes the same first leg as flight #2 above. We climb into the Selirks via Myrtle Cr. for a great view of the craggy peaks, glaciated valleys and high mountain lakes of the southern portion of the Selkirks. We will see Priest Lake off to the west but then we’ll descend and follow the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille. As noted above there are many beautiful homes and even some castles along the lake shore. But that’s not all. Often there will be many colorful sailboats on the lake, some interesting work boats, we may even see a submarine from the US Navy base located on the lake. Near the southern tip of the lake, cliffs rise several thousand feet from the water which provide a home for a herd of mountain goats – yes, that’s right, mountain goats. The final leg will take us north through the Selle Valley past Lake McArthur and Naples into Bonners Ferry. This flight requires personal flotation devices be worn (provided by Northern Air) due to the time spent over water.
Rates and Other Important Information:
Scenic flights are typically flown in our Cessna 172 which costs $150/hr for up to 3 passengers. Flights 1 and 2 above take an hour and will cost $150 unless the passengers request the pilot to fly off the normal route. Deviations to the flight are very acceptable and commonly done but can result in additional charges that will be pro-rated to the tenth of an hour.
Flights 3, 4, & 5 all have estimated times shown and will be charged based on actual time flown, pro-rated to the tenth of an hour.
The Cessna 172 can carry up to 3 passengers depending upon weight. The combined weight of all the passengers, including clothes, purses and cameras cannot exceed 605 lb. Please be prepared to provide your combined weight when making the appointment as this will greatly assist the dispatcher to prepare for the flight.
We are looking forward to flying with you. Give us a call to make an appointment:
Northern Air, 208-267-4359.
