What Temsco Helicopters does

TEMSCO Helicopters Inc. is a privately held, family-owned helicopter tour and charter operator headquartered in Ketchikan, Alaska, founded in 1958 by Alaska aviation pioneer Ken Eichner. The company operates from five Alaska bases — Ketchikan (headquarters), Juneau, Skagway, Denali, and Petersburg — running seasonal (May–September) tourism flights and year-round charter/contract operations. Its fleet spans light helicopters (MD-500D, Airbus AS350 B2/B3 / H125, Airbus H130) for sightseeing and heavier platforms (Bell-212, Bell-214B1) for external-load charter work.

The company sells eight distinct helicopter tour products priced between $175 and $699 per person, including glacier landings on the Juneau Icefield and Mendenhall, dog sledding demonstrations by helicopter at Denver and Mendenhall glaciers, heli-hiking in Denali, and a land-based dog sledding summer camp. Tour revenue is captured through direct-to-consumer channels — the company website via FareHarbor booking embeds, phone/email, and on-site dock representatives at cruise ship ports in Skagway and Juneau. Charter and contract revenue comes from federal/state government agencies (USFS via OAS-carded pilots, Alaska State Troopers, Juneau Mountain Rescue, SEADOGS for SAR) and commercial/industrial customers in mining, logging, firefighting, powerline construction, and aerial survey.

TEMSCO operates under FAA Part 135 (30+ years) and Part 133, holds a Forest Service Special Use Permit for the Tongass National Forest, is a member of the Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS), and maintains an FAA-certified repair station with manufacturer service center ratings for Bell and MD Helicopters. Multi-generational ownership is evidenced by founder Ken Eichner's grandson, Eric Eichner, serving as Chief Pilot. The company has 51–100 employees and is privately held with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Temsco Helicopters

Legal name

TEMSCO Helicopters Inc.

Website

https://temscoair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

TEMSCO Helicopters Inc. is a family-owned Alaska helicopter operator founded in 1958, selling glacier sightseeing tours, dog sledding expeditions, and government/industrial charter services from five bases across Southeast and Interior Alaska.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Helicopter Tour and Charter Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219)

akta.pro primary industry

Helicopter Sightseeing & Scenic Tours (TLAFACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

On-Demand Helicopter Charter (Private/Corporate) (TLAFACAB), Helicopter Crew Change & Offshore Passenger Transfers (Oil & Gas / Wind) (TLAFACAH), Helicopter Resort & Remote Destination Transfers (TLAFACAF)

Keywords

• Helicopter tours
• Helicopter charters
• Glacier sightseeing
• Adventure tourism
• Aviation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ketchikan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tour Tickets: Per-person tour pricing for helicopter sightseeing excursions including glacier landings, dog sledding experiences, and hiking tours. Prices range from $175 to $699 per person depending on tour type and duration.
2. Charter Services: Custom helicopter charter flights for various purposes including crew transport, cargo, photography, search and rescue support, firefighting, mining support, and powerline construction. Year-round operations across Alaska.
3. Weight Surcharges: Additional fees charged to passengers weighing 250+ lbs for extra space allocation. Surcharges of $100-$150 depending on tour location.
4. Dog Sled Summer Camp: Ground-based dog sledding experience at summer camp facility without helicopter component, offered as standalone activity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TEMSCO Helicopters operates helicopter sightseeing tours and charter services across Alaska from bases in Juneau, Skagway, Denali, Ketchikan, and Petersburg. The core offering consists of eight distinct helicopter tour products (glacier landings, dog sledding excursions, alpine hikes, and a land-based dog sled summer camp) priced per person from $175 to $699, plus a year-round helicopter charter business covering precision long-line, firefighting, mining support, search and rescue, crew transport, and aerial survey work. All operations are conducted under FAA Part 135 / Part 133 standards, TOPS voluntary safety governance, and a USDA Forest Service Special Use Permit in the Tongass National Forest.

Product overview

TEMSCO Helicopters operates as a helicopter tour and charter company offering glacier helicopter tours, dog sledding experiences, and charter services across Alaska from bases in Juneau, Skagway, Denali, Ketchikan, and Petersburg. The tour portfolio centers on eight distinct helicopter excursion products (five flightseeing/landing tours, two combined helicopter-dog sled tours, and one land-based dog sled summer camp) plus an extensive helicopter charter service line. The company also participates in the Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS), a voluntary safety governance program that exceeds FAA Part 135 standards. All tours are conducted under USDA Forest Service Special Use Permits in the Tongass National Forest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mendenhall Glacier and Guided Walk by Helicopter Juneau helicopter tour flying over the Tongass Rainforest and Mendenhall Glacier, landing for a 20-25 minute guided walk on the glacier exploring melt-water pools, glacial silt, and ice formations. Targeted at cruise passengers and individual travelers visiting Juneau. Priced from $409 per person for approximately 2 hours 15 minutes total.
• Dog Sledding on Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter Juneau helicopter tour that flies guests to Mendenhall Glacier for an authentic Alaskan husky dog sledding ride of about 20-25 minutes, with time at camp and interactions with sled dog puppies. Targeted at cruise passengers and family travelers. Priced from $699 per person for approximately 2 hours 45 minutes total.
• Pilot's Choice Helicopter Tour Juneau helicopter tour offering approximately 50 minutes of flight time and two separate glacier landings of about 15 minutes each across the 36 named glaciers of the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Icefield, with the pilot choosing landing sites. Targeted at travelers who want an extended pilot-led icefield experience. Priced from $579 per person.
• Dog Sled Summer Camp Land-based Juneau excursion (no helicopter component) featuring a 1.5-mile wheeled-cart dog sled ride, an Iditarod Outpost replica, and puppy interactions at the summer sled dog training camp. Targeted at cruise passengers and families wanting a dog sledding experience without flight time. Priced from $175 per person for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Glacier Discovery by Helicopter Skagway helicopter tour featuring 40 minutes of flight over the Chilkat, Ferebee, or Meade Glaciers with a 40-minute guided walking tour on the glacier surface. Targeted at Skagway cruise passengers. Priced from $439 per person for approximately 2 hours total.
• Glacier Dogsledding Demonstration by Helicopter Skagway helicopter tour landing on Denver Glacier for an Iditarod dog sledding demonstration, musher storytelling, sled dog meet-and-greet, and puppy interactions. Targeted at cruise passengers and dog-sledding enthusiasts. Priced from $599 per person for approximately 2 hours total.
• Denali Glacier Landing by Helicopter Denali helicopter tour landing on Yanert Glacier with about 50 minutes of flight time and 15-20 minutes on-glacier exploration, with wildlife viewing opportunities for caribou, moose, bear, and Dall sheep. Targeted at Denali-area visitors. Priced from $619 per person for approximately 2 hours 15 minutes total.
• Denali Hike by Helicopter Denali active tour combining a 15-minute helicopter flight with a 3-3.5 hour guided alpine hike above the treeline outside Denali National Park, with views of Denali, Mt. Deborah, and surrounding ridgelines. Targeted at active travelers. Priced from $499 per person for approximately 4 hours 30 minutes total.
• Tundra Express by Helicopter Short Denali helicopter tour featuring a 15-minute flight over the Alaska Range with a 15-20 minute alpine tundra landing for exploration and wildlife viewing; guests are provided NEOS brand glacier boots. Targeted at Denali-area visitors seeking a shorter excursion. Priced from $279 per person for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes total.
• Helicopter Charter Services Year-round helicopter charter service covering precision long-line/external load operations, logging support, mineral exploration, fire control and helitack, forestry, animal survey and tagging, government contracting, powerline construction, crew transport, aerial survey, photography, expedition support, and search and rescue. Targeted at government agencies (USFS, Alaska State Troopers, Juneau Mountain Rescue, SEADOGS) and commercial/industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minimum tour pilot qualifications: 1,000 hours PIC helicopter time and 100 hours flying terrain where pilot will work
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996TOPS is an operator-led safety organization founded in 1996 by Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters and Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. TEMSCO is a member operator committed to safety standards exceeding FAA Part 135 requirements with annual independent audits.
• USDA Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEMSCO operates under USDA Forest Service Special Use Permit in the Tongass National Forest. This partnership enables helicopter tour operations in the national forest, providing access to glaciers and wilderness areas for tourism while maintaining environmental compliance.
• FareHarborcoreTechnology or IntegrationFareHarbor provides the embedded booking calendar and reservation management system used on TEMSCO's website for tour bookings.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEMSCO complies with flightseeing and wildlife viewing practices recommended by USFWS for responsible wildlife observation during tours.
• Alaska Travel Industry AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEMSCO complies with ATIA-recommended wildlife viewing practices for helicopter tourism operations.
• Alaska State TrooperscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEMSCO works closely with Alaska State Troopers year-round in search and rescue operations, particularly in the Juneau area.
• SEADOGScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEMSCO collaborates with SEADOGS (Southeast Alaska Dogsled Organization) for search and rescue operations in Southeast Alaska.
• Juneau Mountain RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEMSCO partners with Juneau Mountain Rescue for search and rescue operations, providing helicopter support for rescue missions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters: One of the largest U.S. helicopter sightseeing operators and a founding member of TOPS alongside Blue Hawaiian. Operates Grand Canyon scenic and landing tours with comparable product structure (per-person tour pricing, glacier/canyon landing experiences) and overlapping TOPS safety standards with TEMSCO.
• Blue Hawaiian Helicopters: Co-founded the TOPS safety program in 1996 with Papillon and operates scenic helicopter tours across Hawaii with volcano/landing experiences structurally analogous to TEMSCO's glacier tours. Directly comparable on product mix, target customer (tourists), TOPS membership, and safety/regulatory positioning.
• Maverick Aviation Group (Maverick Helicopters): Operates premium helicopter sightseeing tours in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon with high per-person pricing; similar direct-to-consumer GTM and tourism-driven demand model as TEMSCO, although U.S. Southwest rather than Alaska geography.
• NorthStar Helicopter Tours (NorthStar Trekking): Alaska-based helicopter tour operator offering glacier landings and dog sledding experiences in Southeast Alaska (Juneau area); directly competes for cruise ship passengers on overlapping products and represents TEMSCO's most relevant in-region competitor.
• Alpine Air Alaska: Alaska-based helicopter and fixed-wing operator providing scenic tours, glacier landings, and charter services; directly competes with TEMSCO in Southeast Alaska tourism and shares the regulatory and seasonal operating environment.
• Coastal Helicopters: Juneau-based helicopter operator offering sightseeing tours and charter services; competes with TEMSCO for the same Inside Passage cruise passenger base and operates in the same regulatory and weather environment.

Emerging players

• Above Summit Helicopter Tours: Smaller Alaska helicopter tour operator based in Haines offering glacier landings and scenic flights; competes for a subset of cruise ship tourists in Southeast Alaska and represents a niche/emerging player in TEMSCO's core geography.

Broad incumbents

• PHI Aviation: Large global helicopter services company focused on offshore oil and gas, air medical, and technical services; overlaps with TEMSCO's charter business (mining support, precision long-line, crew transport) but does not compete in Alaska sightseeing tours.
• Bristow Group: Global helicopter services company with significant Alaska operations through the Era Helicopters acquisition; overlaps with TEMSCO's government charter and industrial support work but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a sightseeing specialist.
• CHC Helicopter: Global helicopter services provider serving offshore, SAR, and government markets; comparable to TEMSCO's charter work (especially search and rescue with Alaska State Troopers) but does not compete in tourism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/temscohelicopters
• Instagraminstagram.com/temscohelicopters

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Temsco Helicopters