Alaska's Skyboys : Cowboy Pilots and the Myth of the Last Frontier by Katherine Johnson Ringsmuth ebook MOBI, DJV, PDF
9780295995083 English 0295995084 Aviation catapulted Alaska into the modern age, bringing the most technologically advanced planes and equipment of the time to the region and placed Alaska at the center of Cold War stage as the first defense against the Soviet Union -- and as a "sky bridge" to connect the US with Asia. Yet Alaska's aviation contributions were downplayed in order to perpetuate the standard Western tropes that celebrate the "cowboy spirit" and the taming of wilderness, resulting in an Alaskan image problem that persists to this day: most still think of the state as hopelessly stuck in time and in need of taming., This fascinating account of the development of aviation in Alaska examines the daring missions of pilots who initially opened up the territory for military positioning and later for trade and tourism. Early Alaskan military and bush pilots navigated some of the highest and most rugged terrain on earth, taking off and landing on glaciers, mudflats, and active volcanoes. Although they were consistently portrayed by industry leaders and lawmakers alike as cowboysand their planes compared to settlers' covered wagonsthe reality was that aviation catapulted Alaska onto a modern, global sta≥ the federal government subsidized aviation's growth in the territory as part of the Cold War defense against the Soviet Union. Through personal stories, industry publications, and news accounts, historian Katherine Johnson Ringsmuth uncovers the ways that Alaska's aviation growth was downplayed in order to perpetuate the myth of the cowboy spirit and the desire to tame what many considered to be the last frontier.
9780295995083 English 0295995084 Aviation catapulted Alaska into the modern age, bringing the most technologically advanced planes and equipment of the time to the region and placed Alaska at the center of Cold War stage as the first defense against the Soviet Union -- and as a "sky bridge" to connect the US with Asia. Yet Alaska's aviation contributions were downplayed in order to perpetuate the standard Western tropes that celebrate the "cowboy spirit" and the taming of wilderness, resulting in an Alaskan image problem that persists to this day: most still think of the state as hopelessly stuck in time and in need of taming., This fascinating account of the development of aviation in Alaska examines the daring missions of pilots who initially opened up the territory for military positioning and later for trade and tourism. Early Alaskan military and bush pilots navigated some of the highest and most rugged terrain on earth, taking off and landing on glaciers, mudflats, and active volcanoes. Although they were consistently portrayed by industry leaders and lawmakers alike as cowboysand their planes compared to settlers' covered wagonsthe reality was that aviation catapulted Alaska onto a modern, global sta≥ the federal government subsidized aviation's growth in the territory as part of the Cold War defense against the Soviet Union. Through personal stories, industry publications, and news accounts, historian Katherine Johnson Ringsmuth uncovers the ways that Alaska's aviation growth was downplayed in order to perpetuate the myth of the cowboy spirit and the desire to tame what many considered to be the last frontier.