In the Shadow of Eagles
From Barnstormer to Alaska Bush Pilot, A Flyer's Story
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- $29.99
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- $29.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a two-seater airplane in 1934, 18-year-old Billberg fulfilled his boyhood dream of learning to fly. For the remainder of the 1930s he flew around the Midwest as a barnstormer--putting on shows of airborne acrobatics at state fairs. The skills he developed served him well 10 years later, when he moved on to Alaska to become a bush pilot. Recalcitrant engines frequently stalled, propellers died and fires mysteriously ignited, forcing landings in rugged country. Billberg's skill at managing these midair crises makes for dramatic reading, although their sheer volume can numb. He also offers appreciative anecdotes of his adventurous colleagues in Alaska--all of whom seemed cut from the same pioneering cloth. The satisfaction he found in Alaska, serving as a lifeline to residents of isolated villages, is palpable. He departs from his usually matter-of-fact style in describing the romance of 46 years of flying: ``the flash of wings in the sky, the feel of wind against my face, the surge of power from an engine . . . this was my passion.'' For the reader, it is a pleasure flight through a bygone era.
