'Armchair Daredevil' shares stories

April 17, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Inspired by everything from parachute jumpers and dog mushers to aviation doctors and pilots landing on mountaintops and glaciers, Alaska author Sandi Sumner wrote a book about Alaska's female bush pilots.

Today, at 2 p.m., she's going to share a few of these tales during a slide show at the Palmer Public Library.

Sumner's book, "Women Pilots of Alaska," is the first biographical history of the state's female pilots.

Through the use of 37 different interviews and more than 70 photographs, Sumner relates the stories of adventurous women and the obstacles they overcame to pursue their careers.

The inspiration for the book came in 1997, when Sumner organized an air show in Alaska and discovered that women pilots had never been recognized in Alaska's aviation history.

Covering a time span from 1927 to the present, the stories are filled with adventures that aim to inspire readers with the courage of the pioneer women taking to the skies of the Last Frontier.

Conversation and refreshments will follow the free program, sponsored by Friends of the Palmer Public Library as part of their regular monthly events.

For more information, people may call the Palmer Public Library at 745-4690.

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266, or joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.