In the Shadow of Eagles: From Barnstormer to Alaska Bush Pilot: A Flyer's Story

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. (Apr.)