Classic stick and rudder flying is ubiquitous in Alaska, the state with the largest per capita population of licensed pilots in the United States. For many visitors arriving in Katmai National Park in the Alaskan peninsula, a seaplane is the preferred method of travel — there are no roads connecting the park with nearest town of King Salmon. Brown bears are a common sight on the very banks where this DeHavilland Beaver is parked. As I photographed this plane, my travel companions kept watch on the nearby forest behind me.