Don Sheldon
Famous Alaskan bush pilot died January 26. 1975.
He didn't need to walk in the steps of his father in law, Bob Reeve.
He made fresh tracks as he proved each time he landed on Denali.
Cancer claimed him finally but boy, what a legacy he left behind.
4 comments:
He must have been an adopted son? There is no doubt, Reeve's was a pioneer in Aalska aviation. Even when I flew on occasion onboard Reeve Aleutian Airways, they had nothng but "great" pilots. Being in charge of the crash station at Adak International Airport, I saw them come in, land and take off again when the Navy aircraft were prohibited from flying. One documented story occured during this time frame when the Captain on the base closed the airport. Reeves came in and wanted landing clearance and the tower would not grant it since the skipper had closed the field. A few minutes later, the Reeve pilot came back on the radio and asked if they would turn on the runway lights, the tower repeated back that the runway was closed and they would have to divert back to Cold Bay or go onto Shimia. The Reeve pilot radioed back, I don't need the lights to land, I am on the groud and can't find the terminal. True story!
This is the second time that I have had to correct you in a week! You need to double check your research. Don Sheldon never landed on Denali! However, he did land a lot of planes on Mt. McKinley:)
i was trying to be politically
correct knowing the sensitivities
of alaskans
If you are concerned about being sensitive, then you should have called it Mt. McKinely, the majority of "real" Alaskan's prefer the name on a state poll of 2,186 territotial Alaskans or pre-statehood residents preferred the name McKinley 81.8%. I am one of those, the name is Mt. McKinley!
I thought you all wre bummed that it was named for a do nothing president from Ohio(which lacks mountains for which to name people)
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