Lori MacNichol

Lori MacNichol learned to fly in McCall, Idaho in 1982 because she wanted to get into the most remote fishing spots in the Idaho backcountry. Through her love of fishing, she developed a lasting love of flying and voraciously accumulated as much aviation knowledge as possible. This knowledge grew to include the history of the Idaho backcountry and its early aviators. Her private pilot license led to commercial and flight instructor ratings, and Lori carefully began keeping notes on the essential piloting skills and peculiarities of backcountry flying. While expanding her piloting experiences working as an air taxi pilot, she absorbed invaluable insight into the mountains and canyons from the old-timers in the area. Along the way she added multi-engine and seaplane ratings and is now qualified as an airline transport pilot.

Lori also discovered her true calling in aviation, as an instructor and teacher. She now owns and operates McCall Mountain/Canyon Flying Seminars, a flight school located in McCall, ID. This school provides flight and ground training for advanced pilots to improve the safety of aviation in the Idaho Backcountry. Her students not only get expert flight instruction from Lori and her other experienced instructors (she hand picks backcountry professionals to help with her unique courses); they also learn the history of the airstrips and wilderness. Moreover, they learn to appreciate the role that aviation plays in opening the backcountry to backpackers and sportsmen, as a means of transportation and as an unequalled resource in emergencies such as fires or accidents. She also stresses the importance of flying responsibly so as to minimize the impact on other users of the backcountry.

Lori considers herself extremely lucky to be able to spend every day doing what she loves best.