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

Jim Rearden (Author), Rudy Billberg (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1992

A celebration of the great age of aviation with pioneer flyer Rudy Billberg, whose experiences included air show stunt pilot, bush pilot, and fighting forest fires from the air.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From 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.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Billberg's 46-year flying career began during the 1920s and flourished during the golden age of flight. Always grateful to the pioneers of aviation--the "Eagles"--Billberg began his career in Minnesota with barnstorming, and in Alaska he was a bush pilot, a pilot in the Northway Operations in World War II, and a forest fire drop pilot. His account is full of difficult situations, anxious moments, and close calls brought about by less-than-dependable aircraft, Arctic conditions, and rugged terrain. His narratives of the legendary planes that forged American aviation--Curtiss Robins, Wacos, Travel Airs, Gullwing Stinsons, American Pilgrims, and Boeing Tri-motors--and the pilots who flew them gives us insight into the adventuresome and pioneering spirit that brought these men to Alaska. Appealing for aviation buffs as well as for dreamers.
- William A. McIntyre, New Hampshire Technical Coll. Lib., Nashua
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books (April 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088240413X
• ISBN-13: 978-0882404134
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,645,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A true life adventure that only a few will ever experience, April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Shadow of Eagles: From Barnstormer to Alaska Bush Pilot: A Flyer's Story (Caribou Classic) (Paperback)

Very entertaining story about a man and his desire to go in the opposite direction of the trend and experience his life as he wants to. This is a chance for the rest of us to get a taste of what it must be like to step into a life that our fears would otherwise keep us from ever doing. The courage of men like Rudy Billberg, help humankind to push the envelope of the human experience and continue the pushing for new challenges.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I felt as though I was sitting in the cockpit with Rudy, May 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Shadow of Eagles: From Barnstormer to Alaska Bush Pilot: A Flyer's Story (Paperback)

Rudy Billberg's experiences from from barnstorming to bush piloting as told to Jim Rearden portray a uniquely rich and exciting era of American history. I felt as though I was riding in the cockpit with Rudy buzzing everything from golden wheat fields in the midwest to brave grizzly bears in the Yukon. Bill Rohovit ([e-mail]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intrigue of Flying into the Unknown, April 9, 2006

By 

Grifford E. Hamilton (Grass Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Shadow of Eagles: From Barnstormer to Alaska Bush Pilot: A Flyer's Story (Paperback)

The book is a jewel and must read for all aviation enthusiasts. It also covers a vast rich history of Alaskan wilderness rural life in the middle to late 20th century. Rudy aquaints the reader with many early aviation pioneers and insite to the contributions for the war effort the civilian pilots made during WWII in Alaska.
When starting to read this great true life adventure, prepare yourself for first class entertainment and a view into a segment of interesting recent American History.

Grif Hamilton