Alaskas First Bush Pilots 1923 30

Author : Jim Rearden
Publisher : Graphic Arts Books
ISBN 13 : 0882409328
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.20/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Alaska's First Bush Pilots, 1923-30 written by Jim Rearden and published by Graphic Arts Books. This book was released on 2014-04-04 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book follows the careers of Alaska's pioneering pilots, who, with cranky open-cockpit biplanes, started the great change in Alaska's way of travel. Aviation first arrived at Fairbanks, the trade center of mainland Alaska, from which dog sled trails spider-web to mines, villages, and trap-lines. During winters, goods and people traveled mostly by dog sled. During the summer of 1923 Ben Eielson was the first to fly commercially from Fairbanks, ferrying passengers and light freight with an open cockpit Jenny (JN4) biplane. It was the beginning of the leap from ground travel to the air. Noel Wien was the next. In the summers of 1924-26 he flew open cockpit biplanes from Fairbanks. Starting in 1927, he flew a cabin biplane year-around on scheduled flights in the 579 miles between Fairbanks and Nome. In March, 1929, Wien flew from Alaska to the Elisif, an ice-locked trading schooner in Siberia, to return with a load of valuable furs. In the following November, Ben Eielson repeated this flight to the Nanuk, another ice-bound trading schooner in Siberia. And when he and his mechanic, Earl Borland returned for a second load of Siberian fur, their Hamilton airplane disappeared in a winter snowstorm. This brought on one of the most famous, and difficult aerial searches ever made from and in Alaska. By the 1930s, Alaska's growing aviation industry had revolutionized transportation in the Territory. This volume is a fond look back at the triumphs and tragedies of the pioneering Ben Eielson, Noel Wien, Harold Gillam, Joe Crosson, Ed Young, and others, the great pilots who were the first bush pilots of Alaska.

Author : Jim Rearden
Publisher : Pictorial Histories Publishing Company
ISBN 13 : 9781575101477
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Alaska's First Bush Pilots, 1923-30 written by Jim Rearden and published by Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. This book was released on 2009 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Rob Stapleton with the Alaska Aviation Museum
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1467131830
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Alaska's Bush Pilots written by Rob Stapleton with the Alaska Aviation Museum and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2014 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thrilling ride alongside the daredevil aviators who first braved the unknown of Alaska's wilderness. Bush pilots are known as rough, tough, resourceful people who fly their aircraft into tight spots in the worst of weather. Alaska's bush pilots are all of that and more. Acting as pioneers in a land with 43,000 miles of coastline and North America's largest mountains, Alaska's bush pilots were and are visionaries of a lifestyle of freedom. Flying came late to Alaska but caught on quickly. The first flight was made over a three-day exhibition at Fairbanks, July 3-5, 1913. James Martin first flew that aircraft, owned by him and his wife, Lilly, and investors Arthur Williams and R.S. McDonald. Ever since, Alaskan bush pilots have found that they were calculators of their own fate, flying in fragile aircraft over vast stretches of tundra or through towering mountain passes. This book examines the pioneer aviators and the aircraft types such as the Stearman, Stinson, and Lockheed, many of which were tested and crashed in the far north regions of Alaska.

Author : Katherine Johnson Ringsmuth
Publisher : University of Washington Press
ISBN 13 : 0295806222
Total Pages : 310 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Alaska's Skyboys written by Katherine Johnson Ringsmuth and published by University of Washington Press. This book was released on 2015-10-01 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating account of the development of aviation in Alaska examines the daring missions of pilots who initially opened up the territory for military positioning and later for trade and tourism. Early Alaskan military and bush pilots navigated some of the highest and most rugged terrain on earth, taking off and landing on glaciers, mudflats, and active volcanoes. Although they were consistently portrayed by industry leaders and lawmakers alike as cowboys—and their planes compared to settlers’ covered wagons—the reality was that aviation catapulted Alaska onto a modern, global stage; the federal government subsidized aviation’s growth in the territory as part of the Cold War defense against the Soviet Union. Through personal stories, industry publications, and news accounts, historian Katherine Johnson Ringsmuth uncovers the ways that Alaska’s aviation growth was downplayed in order to perpetuate the myth of the cowboy spirit and the desire to tame what many considered to be the last frontier.

Author : Mort Mason
Publisher : Voyageur Press
ISBN 13 : 1616731419
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.10/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Alaska Bush Pilot Chronicles written by Mort Mason and published by Voyageur Press. This book was released on 2010-11-10 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Readers of Flying the Alaska Wild marveled at Mort Mason’s true tales of braving the elements at the extremes in a Piper Super Cub. But the bush pilot, adventurer, and raconteur was just beginning, and in this book he revisits his most memorable moments of flying by the seat of his pants through blizzards and white-outs, on assignments at times hazardous and sometimes simply whacky, always with a sense of humor and due respect for the limitless wilds of Alaska beneath his wings. The world of a bush pilot really is the final frontier, and for thirty years Mort Mason was there, clocking enough heart-stopping miles to make most life-stories utterly incredible. In The Alaska Bush Pilot Chronicles Mason recounts more of his unlikely adventures in the face of Alaska’s unforgiving weather and terrain. His stories gives readers the rare chance to experience the disappearing thrills and challenges of meeting the American frontier on its own unyielding terms.

Author : Arnold Griese
Publisher : Publication Consultants
ISBN 13 : 1594331359
Total Pages : 403 pages
Book Rating : 4.50/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Bush Pilot written by Arnold Griese and published by Publication Consultants. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Harold Gillam Sr's story is presented with new clarity and balance. Bush Pilot describes a private, introspective man torn between family responsibilities and his unrelenting drive to pursue his goals in aviation. Early Alaska aviation did not rely on the actions of one single pilot but succeeded through the shared strength and will of many. Yet Gillam made significant contributions. The facts and details surrounding Gillam's adventures and some times "edge of the seat" flights keep readers involved from the first page through the controversy overshadowing his final tragic flight. Bush Pilot is an Alaska aviation adventure. Bush Pilot offers thought-provoking insights into Alaska's aviation history, and introduced me to its courageous and colorful pilots and other interesting characters -- many of whom had once been only names in the news during my growing up years here in the Interior. Val Scullion: Alaska grown. Bush Pilot is a well-researched account of an Alaska Pioneer aviator whose natural instincts and high degree of self-confidence help explain his success in off-airport operation and weather and instrument flying. Tom Hetherington: lifelong Alaskan, private pilot, and Alaska aviation history aficionado. In a book appealing to novice and experienced aviation buffs alike, Arnold Griese has brought new light to the life and legend of Harold Gillam. Full of new details about the famed Alaska bush pilot, Bush Pilot serves to demystify the events in Gillam's life while providing an excellent account of the early days in Alaska aviation history. Kenny Williams: a 20,000 hour airline pilot uses his Cessna 172 to reach prime hunting and fishing spots.

Author : Jim Rearden
Publisher : Graphic Arts Books
ISBN 13 : 0882409301
Total Pages : 219 pages
Book Rating : 4.06/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Shadows on the Koyukuk written by Jim Rearden and published by Graphic Arts Books. This book was released on 2014-04-04 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “I owe Alaska. It gave me everything I have.” Says Sidney Huntington, son of an Athapaskan mother and white trader/trapper father. Growing up on the Koyukuk River in Alaska’s harsh Interior, that “everything” spans 78 years of tragedies and adventures. When his mother died suddenly, 5-year-old Huntington protected and cared for his younger brother and sister during two weeks of isolation. Later, as a teenager, he plied the wilderness traplines with his father, nearly freezing to death several times. One spring, he watched an ice-filled breakup flood sweep his family’s cabin and belongings away. These and many other episodes are the compelling background for the story of a man who learned the lessons of a land and culture, lessons that enabled him to prosper as trapper, boat builder, and fisherman. This is more than one man's incredible tale of hardship and success in Alaska. It is also a tribute to the Athapaskan traditions and spiritual beliefs that enabled him and his ancestors to survive. His story, simply told, is a testament to the durability of Alaska's wild lands and to the strength of the people who inhabit them.

Author : Jim Rearden
Publisher : Graphic Arts Books
ISBN 13 : 088240931X
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.13/5 ( download)

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Download or read book In the Shadow of Eagles written by Jim Rearden and published by Graphic Arts Books. This book was released on 2014-04-04 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Shadow of Eagles is a uniquely American saga. Rudy Billberg’s story takes readers through the great age of aviation, from his first airplane ride in Minnesota in 1927 to his bush flying career in Alaska beginning in 1941. One of the authentic aviation pioneers, Billberg writes of his countless adventures and close calls during the decades; stunt flying in Midwestern air shows, flying out of Nome into the frozen Arctic, and more. Filled with history and insight, Billberg’s narrative chronicles the lives of many of his fellow Alaskan pilots, including the great pioneer airmen Joe Crosson, Harold Gillam, Noel Wien and Sam White, and tells of the early flying machines they all flew—Travel Airs, Pilgrims, Fairchilds, Bellancas. Rudy Billberg has given us a great story of his time.

Author : Jim Rearden
Publisher : Graphic Arts Books
ISBN 13 : 0882409352
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Alaska's Wolf Man written by Jim Rearden and published by Graphic Arts Books. This book was released on 2014-04-04 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between 1915 and 1955 adventure-seeking Frank Glaser, a latter-day Far North Mountain Man, trekked across wilderness Alaska on foot, by wolf-dog team, and eventually, by airplane. In his career he was a market hunter, trapper, roadhouse owner, professional dog team musher, and federal predator agent. A naturalist at heart, he learned from personal observation the life secrets of moose, caribou, foxes, wolverines, mountain sheep, grizzly bears, and wolves—especially wolves.

Author : Noel Merrill Wien
Publisher : Graphic Arts Books
ISBN 13 : 1943328412
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.13/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Noel Merrill Wien written by Noel Merrill Wien and published by Graphic Arts Books. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Born into a family of aviators, Merrill Wien was destined to become a pilot. His father, Noel Wien, was one of the first pilots to fly in Alaska and his life was full of firsts, including making the first round-trip flight between Asia and North America in 1929. His mother played a big role in the founding and development of Wien Alaska Airlines, the second-oldest scheduled airline in the United States and territories. One of the most versatile and experienced pilots of his time, Merrill has flown just about every aircraft imaginable from DC-3s to Lockheed 1011s to historic military planes like the cargo C-46 and B-29 bomber to the Hiller UH-12E chopper. Although fundamentally modest by nature, family and friends encouraged Merrill to share his remarkable stories given his accomplishments and experiences with so many famous people and events. His tone is engagingly informal as he recounts crossing paths with such luminaries as Joe Crosson, Howard Hughes, Lowell Thomas Sr. and Lowell Thomas Jr., Sam White, Don Sheldon, Brad Washburn, Wally Schirra, and Bill Anders. He re-creates for readers his firsthand experiences flying top-secret missions for the Air Force, viewing the devastation of the Good Friday Earthquake in Anchorage, and the challenges of starting his own helicopter company, to name just a few. His fascinating narrative is complemented by photographs from his personal archives.