First Trip to Alaska

After returning from my tour of duty overseas, I was assigned to Gore Field, Montana. While there, in the spring and early summer of 1945, I delivered twelve P-63 King Cobras, purchased by Russia, to Fairbanks. Alaska. Following is a story of the first trip:  Note the Red Star of Russia on planes in photo.

The P-63 King Cobra had the maximum fuel load; consisting of two full wing tanks, a full external belly tank and two full external wing tanks.... I pulled out on to the runway, lined up with the white center line; pushed the throttle full forward and roared down the runway..... 100 knots,110, 120.... I tried very gently to ease the King Cobra’s nose wheel up; it didn’t want to come. At 130 knots, I was eating up the runway very fast --- the nose wheel finally lifted --- and I was airborne. Gear up, flaps up, climbing, but just barely, low and straining to clear the trees. What a thrill! I got my breath back with a little more altitude. I flew on past Calgary; then followed the Alaskan Highway — sometimes just a few feet above the roadway. But when I entered mountains, I climbed as high as I safely could without putting on the oxygen mask; just to marvel at the beauty of the Rockies from Whitehorse to Dawson Creek. Every trip was the same; undescribable — beautiful raw nature.