Customer Reviews

Wager with the Wind: The Don Sheldon Story

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The true story of Don Sheldon, one of Alaska's great bush pilots. You will fly with Don as he rescues people stranded in the bush, lands on glaciers on the flanks of Mount McKinley, lands on rapids in a float plane to rescue military personnel and yes the occasional crash landing. You also learn about some of the mountain climbing expeditions and geographic surveys which Don flew support for. The descriptions of the land, the people and wildlife of Alaska are fantastic. You will come away feeling you have been there. A great story not just about aviation but about how one man made his dream of living on a frontier come true

I must have stumbled into this book 20 years ago, and loved it, recommended it and gave it as gifts. I had a in-active pilots license then. I purchased a plane and started flying again, 10 years ago. I re-read it, loved it , recommended it and gave it as gifts. Because of this "bush" flying, I changed planes and started doing this type of "off-airport" flying. My wife ( flying is not her bag) read it this spring and suggested that we fly our little two seater to Talkeena from Ohio, and make a three week vacation there. We just got back, and I've ordered 6 more books for gifts. We got to meet Don's wife and grand daughter, and landed and camped beside his old Aeronca sedan that he used in the famous river canyon rescue. Read this book, it might change your life.

I have personally visited Talkeetna(the town of Don Sheldon's home) during my tenure on the US Army's High Altitude Rescue Team(79-82) as well as the places described in the book, including the landing sights on Mt. McKinley where Mr. Sheldon conducted his various climbing operations. The book is an insight to what a bush pilot had to endure in order to accomplish the flights in the harsh Alaskan environment. There are several examples of humorous incidents such as the rather large lady Mr. Sheldon rescued as well as the horrific crashes he miraculously survived. Mr. Sheldon help pave the way for other bush pilots through his common-sense approach to flying, while at the same time having an extremely high respect for the Alaskan wilderness. Mr. Grenier done an excellent job in exposing the aviation legend for which the skill of all bush pilots are measured. This book also looks inside Mr. Sheldon's personal life with his wife and children, as well as the personal relationships he had with his fellow pilots, the Alaskan climbing community, the US Government and his friends. His compassion for life and his commitment to his family elevated him to an icon status as a symbol of what Alaska was all about during his life. I have read this book more than a dozen times because it is an example of what a person should strive to accomplish in the short period of time that each of us have on this earth. I will again read this book with the same amazment I had the first time I opened the cover.

I have always treasured this book and other stories about Don Sheldon's adventures in the Alaskan interior. Don came to Talkeetna shortly after my Dad moved there, and they became great friends. I remember stories about Don's flying that Dad would tell me, from the time I was a small boy, so when he gave me a copy of the book it was like I was reliving adventures that had first-hand knowledge of. The book is great, and portrays a true pioneer of Alaskan aviation.

Cal

My one regret is that I didn't read this book before my wife and I visited Talkeetna last September. I spent 13 months, in the late 50's, stationed at a U.S. Air Force AC&W installation out of Fairbanks, and I have faint memories of the harsh Alaska elements which Don Sheldon had to pit his skills against on a routine basis. The author, James Greiner does a magnificant job of packing one illustrious episode after another of the exploits and accomplishments of what surely is one of of the most remarkable aviators this country has known. Don Sheldon epitomized the skills and dedication of a bush pilot and a humanitarian. His uncanny ability to "cheat death" repeatedly, illustrates total mastery and understanding of the limits of his aircraft, and his intimate familiarity with the terrain over which he flew. Utter disregard for his own safety in a number of instances where he placed the well being or survival of complete strangers, above his own, is vivid testimony to both his piloting skills and his humanitarian heart.

Reviewing pictures that we'd taken in Talkeetna (A beautiful little town of friendly residents off the "beaten path.") revealed glimpses of the main street runway and the Talkeetna Air Service hangers that Mr Sheldon built and used. Had I read the book prior to our visit in Talkeetna, I would have made a special effort to learn more from local residents about this fascinating man.

This is truly a "must read" book for aviators or anyone who has an interest in one of the more intriquing occupations in Alaska. My wife and I will return to Talkeetna for a visit next year and I hope to learn more about this man and his exploits. Don Sheldon is a legend, and James Greiner does an exceptional job of making that point!!

I was steered to this book through contacts with several alumni of the former Williamsport Technical Institute(predecessor of my employer, Pennsylvania College of Technology), where Don Sheldon received his airframe and powerplant license. The only appropriate word to describe his exploits is "amazing." It seems as if every time he stepped into his airplane, he stepped into the jaws of death, and it's hard to believe that he died (in 1975) from an illness, not a crash. Don Sheldon's courage and dedication should serve as examples to us all. A must-read for anyone who likes adventure.

To Aviators, this story portrays the outstanding performance of a pilot, who understood the limits of himself, and his airplane. This story was often about the upper limits of both, man and, machine, in terrain, ever changing weather, and landing sites, on and around a mountain where most of us would fear to tread. To non-aviators, it is a picture into the understanding of a pilot, whose passion for flying went beyond the boundless freedom of going anywhere, at most anytime, but to a commitment, of using, and improving, his talents, often at risk to his life, in the quest to save the lives of others. What piece of mind to the Adventurers in that territory of Alaska, to know if help was needed, Don Sheldon would put forth his best to come to their aid.

I am proud to say I knew Don Sheldon, and even spent 20,000 hours in sharing his Alaska wilderness flying experiences. Many times, Don Sheldon and I would cross paths somewhere "out there," and each time I had to remark again that, in spite of his rough and specialized lifestyle, and his knife-edge flying challenges, he was nonetheless a gentleman through and through.

When finally he went west at the ravages of a powerful cancer, I flew to Talkeetna, where I executed an inside loop in my little yellow Super Cub over the gravesite party. It was a "goodbye" that I had never expected to make.

To any who appreciates true heroism, the real Alaska, or edge-of-the-seat flying of any sort, I heartedly recommend this marvelous book. It is the standard against which all other such volumes must be measued.

why they never made this story into a movie is beyond me. Don sheldon was one of the greatest and most daring bush pilots in history. I actually flew with him and it was very exciting! The man was beyond brave in his rescues of people too. This book is clearly written and tells the man's story quite well. He had a wager with the wind and now his story is carried on the wind and in the hearts of aviation lovers everywhere. This is a good read with lots of details , I read one review where the guy cited a error , which may be but most of these people are now no longer with us sadly, so it's a moot point. we need heroes like Don SHeldon and hopefully someday they will make a good movie out of this incredible true story. Rip don s.

A great read about a true life story of a mountain, a man and courage....can not believe Hollywood has not made a movie about Sheldon and his Alaska adventures both in the air and on the ground.....