REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING A VOLUNTEER IDITAROD PILOT

Pilot Qualifications

 1: Private Pilot License to carry Cargo with 3rd class Medical

 2: Commercial to carry passengers with 1st or 2nd class medical

 3: Minimum 1000 hours total time

 4: Minimum 500 hours Alaska time

 5: Minimum 100 hours Winter Flying time in past two years

 6: Minimum 100 hours Total Ski time.

PILOT JOB DESCRIPTION

You must be ready, willing and able to haul dropped dogs, dog food, race personnel, and any other cargo directed by the Chief Pilot or his designee. You need to plan on at least one week flying time for the Iditarod to justify the cost of insurance for your airplane. It is preferable the time is on concurrent days.

Do not fly anyone other than Iditarod officials and Iditarod race volunteers.  If in doubt, check with the Chief Pilot (John Noris) or Assistant Chief Pilots (Joe Pendergrass, Bert Hansen, or Reagan Russey), Race Manager/Marshal Mark Nordman or the Director of Logistics Andy Willis. You were chosen to become an Iditarod pilot from several qualified applicants due to your outstanding qualifications, and on the recommendations of other Iditarod pilots. You are a member of a group of pilots who have volunteered to fly under very demanding conditions and in hostile environments. The weather is often far from optimum, so  flying experience in cold weather conditions is necessary. (Pilot prepared and airplane prepared).

CONDUCT

Iditarod pilots are expected to conduct themselves in such a manner always to provide the best image possible.  The media has become increasingly interested in the Iditarod Pilots through the years, as has the public. To this end, as a group, we must not be controversial. To young people everywhere and in most villages, a pilot is a special person.  It is imperative, therefore, that all pilots present themselves in the best possible light by conducting themselves as a professional. 

When speaking with members of the press or other media, be polite, alert and friendly.  They will invariably have questions concerning the race.  Please confine your comments to matters regarding flying, directing those concerning other aspects of the race to the Race Manager/Marshal Mark Nordman.

During the entire Iditarod pilot operation, drinking of alcoholic beverages should be done in moderation and with discretion.  The Iditarod Trail Committee has added the requirement that there will be no drinking of alcoholic beverages at least ten (10) hours before a flight.  This requirement exceeds the FAA requirement by two hours but is considered important due to the dangerous nature of flying the Iditarod.

You are expected to attend all pre-race meetings.  Pilot meetings will be kept to a minimum and will contain input necessary to the welfare of pilots, passengers and the race.  At these meetings, knowledgeable guests will conduct seminars which pertain directly to our flying operations.  Therefore, if you cannot attend a particular meeting, call the Chief Pilot when you know that your attendance will be impossible and arrange for another pilot in the group to secure the information for you.  

*Be sure to bring your personal phone cards on the trail this year. Due to excessive costs and misuse of checkpoint phones, ITC will not be able to absorb this cost. The phone communication at checkpoints will be for the head veterinarian, Race Manager/Marshal and race judges only. Most checkpoints have private phones that may be used for personal phone calls either collect or with phone cards. 

IDITAROD TRAIL COMMITTEE CODE OF CONDUCT

The ITC reserves the right to remove any person from the trail when the situation warrants.  This includes, but is not limited to: 

1.  Conduct embarrassing to the ITC.

2.  Inability to get along with the villagers or personnel.

3.  Excessive drinking.

4.  Selling, trading or using illegal drugs or taking alcohol into a "dry" village.

5.  Unsafe flying practices.

 FAA and IAF

  FAA personnel can be expected at any place on the trail, especially at the hubs where they will be checking papers and looking for infractions of FAA regulations.  There should be FAA personnel at the pilot meeting before the race to answer questions about their expectations. We strongly encourage all Iditarod pilots to become involved in the FAA Pace program. This would require a  meeting with you and your airplane before flying with a Pace examiner. If you have questions regarding the Pace Program, please contact one of the Chief Pilots and the program will be explained to you.

MUSHER’S PERSONAL GEAR

Pilots will haul musher's personal gear according to the following rules:

1.  One regulation dog food bag.  Weight not to exceed 30 pounds

2.  Mushers name must be legibly marked on the bag with a permanent marking pen.

3.  Located near the following checkpoints: 

                          Finger Lake 

  Rainy Pass

                          Rohn

                          Ophir

No dog food or gear of any kind will be hauled for mushers unless you are directed to do so by the Race Manager/Marshal through the Chief Pilot or designee.

MUSHER ASSISTANCE BY IAF PILOTS

Absolutely no assistance will be given to any musher unless it is an emergency.  The most obvious emergencies are as follows:

  1. A musher is hurt or ill enough to require transportation to a place where medical assistance can be procured.

  2. A musher loses his/her dog team and can’t find them.

  3. A pilot sees a dog team without sled or musher, or a dog sled with the team still in harness but without it’s musher.

 If  in doubt about assistance, if time allows and it is possible, communicate with either the Race Manager/Marshal or Race Judges.  Usually their whereabouts can be determined through the Chief pilot or pilot coordinator.

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