See an Alaskan bush pilot display a short field takeoff and landing from a grass runway along the banks of the Chena River. Bush pilots and planes played a vital role in the pioneering of Alaska, succeeding the riverboats in Alaskan transportation history. Because of Alaska's vast remote areas, service by airplane was (and remains) essential to the timely delivery of necessary supplies. When bush planes first entered the country, sternwheelers ruled the transportation business. It didn't take long for the bush plane to prove its utility and send the riverboats into retirement.