About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherUniversity of Alaska Press

ISBN-10188996316X

ISBN-139781889963167

eBay Product ID (ePID)11038396295

Product Key Features

Book TitleNoel Wien : Alaska Pioneer Bush Pilot

Number of Pages307 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicAviation / History, Adventurers & Explorers, General

Publication Year1999

IllustratorYes

GenreTransportation, Biography & Autobiography

AuthorIra Harkey

Book SeriesClassic Reprint Ser.

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight19.1 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN99-023720

Table Of ContentIllustrations Foreword Preface Part I 1. Wheels 2. Wings 3. Student 4. Solo 5. Barnstromer 6. Bondage 7. Homecoming 8. Circus 9. Westward 10. Hungry Part II 11. Alaska 12. Anchorage 13. Plucky Airmen 14. Fairbanks 15. Bush 16. Outside 17. Arctic 18. Down Alone 19. Looking 20. Nome Part III 21. Hiatus 1926 22. North Again 23. At the Arthurs' 24. Courtship 25. Moose Ptarmigan 26. Winter 27. Blue Christmas 28. Vanished 29. Rescue 30. Smallpox Part IV 31. Siberia 32. Search 33. Tragedy 34. Into the Thirties 35. Night Race 36. Tri-Motor 37. One-Eyed Pilot with a Limp 38. Our Baby Still 39. Since Index

SynopsisFrom his days as one of Alaska's earliest bush pilots through the years spent developing Wien Air Alaska with his brothers, Noel Wien built up a long list of firsts: he was first to fly commercially from Fairbanks to Nome and from Fairbanks to Seattle, first to fly from Anchorage to Fairbanks, first to fly and land beyond the Arctic Circle, and first to make a round-trip flight between Alaska and Asia. Wien shared a vision to bring commercial aviation to the Far North, and he acted on it. He had 538 hours of barnstorming and aerial circus stunt flying behind him when he arrived in Alaska in 1924. At that time, Alaska's rugged terrain permitted little more than primitive means of communication and transportation. There were no air charts and no radio communication. Navigation depended solely on a pilot's use of natural features of checkpoints, but the innumerable rivers and mountains too easily could look identical. Safe landing sites were scarce. Wien embraced the challenge presented by these obstacles with courage tempered by his native caution - not to mention exceptional talent and a boundless love of flying. Before long, supplies could be taken to settlements previously serviced only by dog sled and sick persons could be transported quickly to hospitals. In this dramatic account of a flying hero, Pulitzer Prize winning author Ira Harkey describes Wien's experiences in an engaging style, and he establishes Wien's place in Alaska history. In the process, Harkey makes a valuable contribution towards an understanding of the Alaska of the recent past and the people who lived there. This commemorative edition marks the 75th anniversary of Noel Wien's arrival in Alaska as well as his pioneering flight between Anchorage and Fairbanks. It includes additional photographs and an informative new foreword by Cole. Noel Wien pursued his vision through decades of wild experiences in an unyielding land. His aviation milestones brought the people of Alaska closer and helped open Alaska to the outside world.

LC Classification NumberTL540.H513H47 1999