"Having accrued nearly twenty-four thousand hours of experience as a commercial pilot, author Gerry Bruder shares the highlights (and darkest moments) of his career. From abrupt engine failure while airborne, to ferrying a diverse array of passengers, to surviving flights in dangerous weather conditions, is a tell-it-like-it-is inside story of aviation life. Highly recommended." -James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review-The Aviation Shelf


What is it about Alaska that can make a young journalist from the East Coast abandon his career and become a bush pilot? Bruder's fascinating first-person account answers that question and lets the reader share his experiences as he becomes seasoned as a seaplane pilot flying the rugged terrain of Western Washington, British Columbia, and Southeast Alaska.

The life of a bush pilot in southeast Alaska is filled with the exhilaration of having unique access to one of our last great spans of wilderness, balanced with physical discomfort, extremely long hours, and heart-pounding danger. Gerry Bruder gave up a promising journalism career to pursue his passion for flying. This true-life adventure provides readers with a fascinating firsthand account of the highs and lows of a modern bush pilot.