Donald Sheldon

Donald "Don" Edward Sheldon (November 21, 1921 – January 26, 1975) was a famous Alaskan bush pilot who pioneered the technique of glacier landings in and around Mt. McKinley^[1] (Denali) throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Don was born in Mt. Morrison, Colorado and grew up in Wyoming. At age 17 he journeyed to Alaska to seek work and adventure.

Although he was already a pilot, Don served in World War II as a gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress crew over Europe. There he flew 26 missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and four other Air Medals.

From his base in Talkeetna, Alaska, he operated Talkeetna Air Service, which ferried climbers, hunters, fishermen, and others to places inaccessible to ground transportation. Over the years, he assisted in numerous rescue operations, both civilian and military, and was awarded an Alaska Certificate of Achievement for his help. His planes, which included Piper Super Cubs, Cessna 180s and Aeronca Sedans^[2] were equipped with an assortment of landing gear, including skis, floats and large, soft rubber wheels.

References

Notes

1. ^ Mason 2002, p. 32
2. ^ Greiner,James. "Rescue From Devil’s Canyon". http://www.alaskamagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82&Itemid=36. Retrieved 2008-07-12. 

Bibliography

• Greiner, James. (1974). Wager With The Wind: The Don Sheldon Story. New York: St. Martin's Press. [ISBN 0-312-85337-8]
• Mason, Mort (2002). Flying the Alaska Wild. Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 0896585891.

Persondata
Name	Sheldon, Donald
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 21, 1921
Place of birth
Date of death	January 26, 1975
Place of death