About K Bay Bear Viewing in Homer, Alaska

Alaska Bear Adventures with K Bay Air

Tour group viewing grizzly bears in Alaska

About Us

Michael Hughes

Pilot & Bear Viewing Guide

I have lived and worked in Alaska for more than 20 years. Most of my experience as a pilot has been "bush" flying- landing on gravel bars, ridge tops, tundra and beaches. My safety record is excellent and I take great care to maintain it. As the owner and operator of my aircraft I pay meticulous detail to maintenance and safety. I also carry every communication device possible, including a satellite phone and a SPOT tracker. I safely transport hundreds of clients every season between Homer and Katmai/Lake Clark coast to see the bears. I look forward to including you in that experience. I have worked as a professional guide in Alaska during the last 10 years and am licensed with the National Park Service as a bear viewing guide. I have 6 years experience guiding around the brown bears in Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks (more than 2400 hours with the bears). I am passionate about the bears and their environment and was mentored by one of the most experienced (16+ years) brown bear viewing guides in Alaska. I love learning about the bears and sharing that knowledge with my clients. From May to September each season all I do is fly and guide for your Bear Viewing and Photography trips. Join me and I'll share Alaska her Bears and and her beauty with you.

Jack Lowry

Pilot & Bear Viewing Guide

Jack has flow aircraft for the last 30 years. and has safely accrued over 10,000 hours of flight experience. He was trained by the military to fly fighter jets. Jack trained as a Bear Guide with Michael for more than 300 hours before he "soloed". His guiding style is very fun, some might say plays "wise guy" to Michaels "serious" straight man. He skis like a mainiac and you will find him on the slopes in Utah during the winter while the bears are sleeping.

Elena & Dee Hughes

Reservations, Scheduling & Support

Dee and Elena are the mother/daughter team that takes care of the reservations, marketing and customer service for us. You will speak with one of them when you call or visit our office.

Dee has been an Alaskan and pilot for 30 years, and a nurse for 15 years. She is currently training as a commercial pilot and bear guide. You might meet her on the phone, at the office, or out with the bears on your trip. In her "spare time" she works on writing her PhD dissertation for Johns Hopkins University.

Elena was born and raised in Alaska and had a sled dog team as a child. She is now a sophomore at Central Washington University (CWU). She is studying Anthropology and Biology. She is beginning flight training this summer to become a private pilot and will start the Aviation program at CWU in the fall. She loves flying, and hanging out with the bears. During the winter months you will talk to her on the phone. In the summer you will find her in our office on the Homer Spit with her companion “Charlie”. Charlie is her very large, and very friendly dog, who looks a lot like a bear cub.

Aircraft

Cessna 206

We will fly to the Katmai/Lake Clark coast in one of our two Cessna 206's. The workhorse of Alaskan aviation, these aircraft are ideally suited to our type of flying. They are ultra-reliable, very forgiving and have a superb safety record. These particular aircraft have many STOL modifications to allow them to perform in the wilderness environment with the broadest safety margin possible. They are relatively roomy and comfortable for a single engine airplane. There are five passenger seats.