Description
On the Beam is a liberally illustrated (many Alaska station photos not seen before) memoir of the lives of two families in The Territory serving in primitive air communications capacities with the newly formed Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) – which in 1958 became the FAA. Not only was the CAA critical to aviation technology in the barren reaches of Alaska, the communication network was used by not only U.S. military operatives, but was an important logistical adjunct to the massive Lend Lease aircraft transfer to the Soviets during the war (some 9000 airplanes came through the Alaska network in the war years).
On the Beam pages pay tribute to CAA Chief Pilot and bush veteran in the Territory, Jack Jefford. In one chapter , “In Flight” there’s a harrowing account of a singular flight that Jefford described in his biography, “ Winging It,” one Anchorage to Seattle transit aboard the CAA’s flagship, the “King Chris” DC-3 (first DC-3 in the Territory). There are many other aviation adventures and exploits in this title, too.
