Not if it was fl;ying low enough, but they fly high because it's more fuel efficient, somehow.
The higher you fly the less atmospheric drag there is on the airplane.
But most small private airplanes are un-pressurized, and thus limited to short 30min bursts at 12,500 feet. And 10,000 feet for the rest of the flight.
They generally will cruise at around 8500 feet, only increasing due to hills/mountains.
I doubt he was on a jet plane as those are ludicrously expensive for a private pilot to own ($7,000,000+), not to mention fuel is also very expensive. (expensive because of the quantity used)
A SuperCub can run you several hundred thousand dollars, and a turbo otter can be several million.
Planes are expensive.
Since he allowed him to take control of the plane, I am fairly certain the pilot owned the airplane, if he didn't it would be a great way to lose his job.
I've known a few bush pilots to do this with people they know before.
I am pretty jealous, I've flown in quite a few bush planes before and they are a lot of fun!