During March 1979, Dennis was on a mission to change careers. While working on his private license, he began school to get his A&P certificates. That summer, he started working at a seaplane base near Seattle as a dockhand, later transitioning to sheet metal work rebuilding DeHavilland Beavers. He earned his Commercial, Instrument, CFI, and CFII on floats. Teaching on floats for two years qualified Dennis for an air taxi job in Kodiak, Alaska. From there to Anchorage, flying off Lake Hood. Early in 1984, he went to work for an all-cargo airline in Alaska, starting out as a flight engineer, advancing to captain in three years. He flew and instructed at the company for over 28 years, operating DC-6, Boeing 727, and Boeing 737 aircraft. Missions included flying a floatplane in the bush, a large plane to an unimproved remote runway, military radar sites around Alaska, and an international airport. Safety came first, everything else afterwards.
