About Us
Above Alaska Aviation started out as a FAR Part 61 Flight School and a Part 135 Operation located in Talkeetna, Alaska. We have been flying in Alaska since 1998 and started building aircraft not long after that. In 2015, we decided to focus our operation on aircraft maintenance. We sold the flight school and air taxi, relocated to Birch Creek Landing (51AK) and built a new aircraft maintenance facility. Most of the Above Alaska Aviation team are pilots as well as aircraft mechanics, but these days we do all of our flying for fun!
Drew Haag, CFI, A&P, IA, Owner
Drew grew up in Northern Idaho and has lived and flown in Florida, Idaho, Oregon, and Arizona. He started flying in 1995 and continued his career by flying skydivers. He moved to Alaska in 1998 to start a career in Aviation. He worked as a mechanic for NAC while earning his A&P at the University of Anchorage Alaska in 2001. He later went on to work for K2 Aviation and Aurora Air Repair. In 2004 he earned his IA and started Above Alaska Aviation. He lead the development of two subdivisions, one of which is a fly-in airpark community at Birch Creek Landing, where Above Alaska Aviation is located today.
Sarah Russell, Manager
Sarah grew up traveling and living all throughout the United States and Europe. She moved to Alaska in 2005 and fell in love with the rugged beauty and vast wilderness it has to offer. She settled down in the small town of Talkeetna because of the strong aviation history, community, and just the overall beauty of the Alaska Range. She is a private pilot and the manager of Above Alaska Aviation. When she’s not working or flying, she enjoys playing and flying with her three kids in the wilds of Alaska!
J.J. Saatzer, Mechanic's Helper
J.J. is a long time Talkeetna resident, transplanted from Minnesota. He is our 'go to' guy for any unusual jobs we have around the shop! He loves fishing and spending time outdoors with his daughter. He is also an avid 'fat tire bike' competitor and has placed in several races around Alaska.