Glen Eaton with the Aeronca Sedan in 1998

The new Bush Hawk in 2001

Glen Eaton started Kingfisher Aviation in 1998, operating a 1947 Aeronca Sedan floatplane for Zachar Bay Lodge on Kodiak Island. The company originally was created because of new regulations imposed by the FAA for lodge-operated aircraft to become air taxis. The first few years of operations were mainly for lodge operations with the Aeronca, but we slowly outgrew the reliable, old sedan. In 2001 the purchase of a new Bush Hawk spurred Kingfisher Aviation into more air taxi work. After a single season of operating the new Bush Hawk, we put our order in for another Bush Hawk delivery in 2004.

Glen’s younger brother, Kyle, started flying for the Lodge in 2002 with the Aeronca. After retiring the Aeronca in 2003, Kingfisher Air, Inc. was created and was a partnership between Glen & Kyle. Our focus was to create an air taxi in Kodiak that focused on providing excellent, safe and educational bear viewing tours for our clients utilizing the best equipment available. The purchase of Highline Air in the fall of 2003 helped to secure an attractive base of operations, office and hangar on the Lily Lake floatplane base in Kodiak. We took delivery of our second new Bush Hawk in May of 2004, and have been making an impression on our clients ever since.

Story behind the name

Kingfisher Aviation’s name is derived from the belted kingfisher. During one summer at Zachar Bay Lodge, a belted kingfisher flew into one of the large glass pane windows, and knocked itself out. Glen nursed the bird back to health over the course of several days and released it back into the wild. The next morning when checking on the floatplane, there was the belted kingfisher sitting atop of the tail of the Aeronca Sedan. After seeing the kingfisher on the tail, it was decided that the company would be called Kingfisher.