After World War I, bush pilots, taking advantage of the glut of surplus warplanes and service-trained pilots, flew over unmapped terrain without radios or weather reports. They were tough and independent . . . and a lifeline to the outside for miners, trappers, missionaries, and others far from civilization. They flew in the Outback, in New Guinea; they flew north to the frozen wilderness, south to Latin America. And during World War II at bases in places such as Nome, Alaska, they were the only fliers skilled enough to land when the ceiling was less than two hundred feet and the visibility was less than a quarter of a mile.

Here are the stories of aviators such as Harold Gillam, one of Alaska’s first bush pilots. Gillam and fellow bush pilot Ben Eielson were the first men to cross the Arctic Ocean by air. But the flying was treacherous, often claiming the pilots in a deadly crash. Nevertheless, these dedicated pilots persevered, driven by the needs of others and their own insatiable passion for flying.

Filled with photographs of the pilots and the planes, “The Bush Pilots,” part of The Epic of Flight series, tells the stories of these brave pilots and their daring exploits. Readers interested in the achievements of early aviators and the evolution of aviation will find much to appreciate here.

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