"Jorgy" Jorgensen is a legendary Alaska Native bush pilot, but his life is much more than a great flying story. He was raised by his Inupiat Eskimo mother and his Norwegian gold-miner father in a tiny mining camp in interior Alaska. After his father's death during the Depression, when Jorgy was only seven, they lived a subsistence lifestyle: Jorgy worked in the gold mines, ran a trap line, and mushed dogs. He served in Muktuk Marston's Alaska Territorial Guard and was a sergeant by the age of 17. After Pearl Harbor, he became Sig Wien's fire potter and gas boy, and learned to fly. He operated a dragline in the summers, he was a boxing champion, and he desegregated Nome's movie theater. His flying career was equally varied: he flew all across Alaska, carrying passengers and cargo. He delivered scientific equipment and supplies to the T-3 ice island, fresh fish to and from King Salmon, moved reindeer from Hagemeister Island; he flew in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, Canada. He flew from 1943 to 2001, logging more than 35,000 hours of flight time, with only one--minor--accident. Telling his extraordinary life story in spare, no-fuss fashion, this book allows a vivid glimpse into a tulmultuous and exciting period in aviation from the point of view of one of Alaska's early Native bush pilots.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
[T]his book should be required reading for every school kid in Alaska. It is an absolutely fantastic Alaskan book. --Ted Spencer, Alaska Historical Aviation Institute
Jorgy is an Alaska aviation legend in his own time. He was one of the finest pilots that I have had the privilege to fly with and he helped mold many of the now-great Alaska pilots. --Merrill wien, pilot and son of Noel Wien
[A] must read, a very important addition to the annals of Alaskana. With Jorgy's remarkable memory, and the invisible but masterful hand of Jean Lester, they have captured a time and place that must never be forgotten. This book...gives the images and feelings of flying Alaska that come from hundreds of hours in the cockpit.... Jorgy tells it like it was and in many ways, still is. --Don G. Porter, charter pilot, author
Jorgy is an Alaska aviation legend in his own time. He was one of the finest pilots that I have had the privilege to fly with and he helped mold many of the now-great Alaska pilots. --Merrill wien, pilot and son of Noel Wien
[A] must read, a very important addition to the annals of Alaskana. With Jorgy's remarkable memory, and the invisible but masterful hand of Jean Lester, they have captured a time and place that must never be forgotten. This book...gives the images and feelings of flying Alaska that come from hundreds of hours in the cockpit.... Jorgy tells it like it was and in many ways, still is. --Don G. Porter, charter pilot, author
About the Author
Jean Lester, a painter and writer, brings her talent to bear for capturing the voices of her subjects in this book, vividly relaying Jorgy Jorgensen's wry and laconic tales of his life in the northern air. A dedicated believer in working with the past to bring it into the future, Lester has been praised for her unique oral history books about notable Alaskans, in which she presents their life stories, told in their own words.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jorgy, An Oral History, transcribed!,
This review is from: Jorgy: the life of Native Alaskan bush pilot and airline captain Holger "Jorgy" Jorgensen (Paperback)
Jorgy is an unembellished look at Alaskan Aviation through the eyes and actual words of Holger Jorgensen, one of Alaska's most respected pilots. It takes the reader through the ending days of the Nome Gold Rush to the coming of the jet age. If you are an aviation enthusiast, a history buff, or you'd just like to meet an amazing Alaskan Eskimo Pilot who touched many, many lives, this is a must for you!
Jean Lester's book is a wonderful transcription of Holger Jorgensen's oral history. The stories are mostly unedited, kind of random, and the reader gets the distinct feeling that he is sitting with Holger Jorgensen, by his warm fireplace, looking at his photo album and hearing his stories. Jorgy traces his rough beginning in the gold mines to the left seat of jets and turboprops, flying all over the world. Don't expect him to pull punches or mince words. That wouldn't be Holger. For example: suffering macular degeneration late in his life, he talks of flying blind (in more ways than one) on his last flight, a tale that would curl the hair of an FAA inspector. Good thing there's a statute of limitations! Jorgy's life story follows the coming of age of commercial aviation in America's flyingest state, Alaska. Holger Jorgensen's leadership and mentoring changed Alaskan aviation and the lives of those he touched for the better, and forever. I heartily recommend this excellent book. Mike Meiser Anchorage, AK
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As educational as it is entertaining.,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jorgy: the life of Native Alaskan bush pilot and airline captain Holger "Jorgy" Jorgensen (Paperback)
Just because one only has an eighth grade education doesn't mean one can't make something of oneself. "Jorgy: The Life of Native Alaskan Bush Pilot and Airline Captain Holger Jorgy Jorgensen" tells of Jorgy's adventures flying over the skies of every continent in the world (except South America and Antarctica) as a runner of equipment for science, among other duties. A straight no nonsense account of a life in the skies, "Jorgy" is as educational as it is entertaining.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Deserving Tribute,
By Cascade (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jorgy: the life of Native Alaskan bush pilot and airline captain Holger "Jorgy" Jorgensen (Paperback)
If you are interested in learning about a unique portion of aviation history and more about one of the great pilots to come from the villages of Alaska, then this is your book. A must read on all aviation bookshelves.
I was fortunate to be able to fly with Jorgy, or Chief, as he was known around the company at Interior Airways. Jorgy, was not only a great pilot, he was a calm and cool person under pressure, and infused with a great sense of humor. He was also always willing to give a leg up to us struggling neophyte pilots. Jorgy was ever willing to put you in the left seat and let you gain confidence in a demanding world of flying the Bush with a four engine Hercules full of bulk fuel landing on a one way runway on some mountain top or a short ice strip. He has fought his own battles and like all things in his life, all were accomplished with an unsurpassed level of dignity. A great read. Highly recommended. Also check out Author Jean Lester's other books. She has done a great job on Jorgy... Captain Terry Reece Author of Flying North South East and West Flying North South East and West: Arctic to the Sahara
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