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Updated · NPR · May 27Alaska Pilot Jon King Flies South Naknek Children to School for 40 Years
10 articles · Updated · NPR · May 27
- South Naknek children have reached school by airplane instead of bus, with pilot Jon King making the trip almost every school day for four decades.
- The flights reflect the realities of rural Alaska, where a conventional school-bus route is not the practical way to get students to class.
- King’s long-running role has made the plane a routine part of daily school life in the village, turning an unusual commute into a local institution.
Is the flying school bus a story of Alaskan grit, or a symptom of a failing system? As climate change erodes Alaska, can local innovation secure a future for its remote communities? Can temporary state funding save these schools from new federal budget proposals and rising climate costs?