March 2, 2008 Ellen Evak Paneok, the first Native woman bush pilot, passed away. At age 16 Paneok used $1500 from the Native Corporation to learn to fly. During her career she flew more than 15,000 hours in the Alaskan bush, ferrying everything from dynamite to live wolverines to emergency medical patients. She was featured in the Smithsonian’s Women And Flight exhibit.