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THIS MONTH'S BOOK REVIEW
AUGUST 2003
MERCY PILOT - THE JOE CROSSON STORY
From time to time, a truly brilliant book comes to our review desk from one of the publishers. So many books escape the notice of our readers, perhaps because the writer is an unknown, or because the subject is too rarified, or because the book doesn't have enough full page glossy pictures to warrant shelf space at the big chain big stores.
Coming from author Dirk Tordoff, Mercy Pilot - the Joe Crosson Story is just such a book. The publisher is a specialty house, Epicenter Press, which focuses on "Alaska Book Adventures" and offers about a half dozen books on flying in the far north.
The cover of Mercy Pilot promises, "This is a wonderful story about one of the world's aviation pioneers, a courageous and skilled pilot, an Alaska hero." And the book delivers on that promise, right from page one.
As pilots, we all know just what it takes to fly the stunning and dangerous landscape of Alaska. This book takes us back to the 1920s and 1930s, long before modern GPS navigation, reliable airplanes, and satellite weather. It chronicles the life of Joe Crosson, an Alaskan bush pilot pioneer and his pilot sister, Marvel, who flew in competitions against the likes of Amelia Earhart, Vera Walker, and "Pancho" Barnes, and his wife, Lillian Osborne.
The book takes you across the then uncharted Brooks Range, riding with Joe when he became the first pilot to land on a glacier, sails you down to Antarctica, flies you across the Siberian winter, and even takes you along on his flight to retrieve the bodies of Wiley Post and Will Rogers, Jr. Along the way, you'll fly with Joe in his Fokker F.III, Super Swallow, Waco 9, Sikorsky S-43 Flying Boat, Republic Seabee and Lockheed Vega.
Simply a brilliant book and well worth the read!
Book Review by: Thomas Van Hare
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