Smokejumper to Global Pilot: A True Odyssey


Book Description

Smokejumper to Global Pilot is an excellent description of an incredible string of events that Lee Gossett started when he was a young teenager hanging around the local airport. Learning to fly and licensed by 16, he moved down many paths which included being a smokejumper, a "kicker" for Air America in Southeast Asia, a crop duster in New Zealand, and a pilot for Air America, Continental Air Services, and eventually for the proprietary replacement for Air America. From "can do" operations and "out of the box" thinking to the development and adaption of innovative new technology, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers, not just aircraft aficionados. Simply put this is a guidebook to creating an adventurous life by never letting an opportunity pass you by.




Tools of the Trade


Book Description

Each day, firefighters throughout the country use numerous tools. Without the knowledge of how and when to use these tools. Without the knowledge of how and when to use these tools, they become ineffective and a waste of space on the apparatus. Contents: Introduction Cutting tools Prying tools Striking tools Pole Personal tools Several-in-one tools Tools Maintenance Tool combinations Tool on fire apparatus.




History of Smokejumping


Book Description




Hog's Exit


Book Description

"This book examines the unique personality and reported death of a man who was a pivotal agent in U.S./Hmong history. Friends and family share their memories of Daniels growing up in Montana, cheating death in Laos, and carousing in the bars and brothels of Thailand. First-person accounts from Americans and Hmong, ranchers and refugees, State Department officials and smokejumpers capture both human and historical stories about the life of this dedicated and irreverent individual and offer speculation on the unsettling circumstances of his death. Equally important, Hog's Exit is the first complete account in English to document the drama and beauty of the Hmong funeral process."--Amazon.com.




The Lair of the White Worm


Book Description

In a tale of ancient evil, Bram Stoker creates a world of lurking horrors and bizarre denizens: a demented mesmerist, hellbent on mentally crushing the girl he loves; a gigantic kite raised to rid the land of an unnatural infestation of birds, and which receives strange commands along its string; and all the while, the great white worm slithers below, seeking its next victim...




The Last of NASA's Original Pilot Astronauts


Book Description

Resulting from the authors’ deep research into these two pre-Shuttle astronaut groups, many intriguing and untold stories behind the selection process are revealed in the book. The often extraordinary backgrounds and personal ambitions of these skilled pilots, chosen to continue NASA’s exploration and knowledge of the space frontier, are also examined. In April 1966 NASA selected 19 pilot astronauts whose training was specifically targeted to the Apollo lunar landing missions and the Earth-orbiting Skylab space station. Three years later, following the sudden cancellation of the USAF’s highly classified Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) project, seven military astronauts were also co-opted into NASA’s space program. This book represents the final chapter by the authors in the story of American astronaut selections prior to the era of the Space Shuttle. Through personal interviews and original NASA documentation, readers will also gain a true insight into a remarkable age of space travel as it unfolded in the late 1960s, and the men who flew those historic missions.




Life Advanced: Combo Split A


Book Description

National Geographic Learning brings the world to your classroom with Life, a six-level integrated-skills series featuring content from National Geographic presented through stunning images, text, and video. Learners will strengthen their existing global connections while learning the English skills needed for communication in the 21st century. To encourage a generation of informed decision-makers, Life prepares learners to think critically while teaching the English skills needed communicate effectively. A practical, competency-based syllabus helps learners in their development of grammar, vocabulary, functions, pronunciation and skills through appropriate communicative tasks. Real life lessons model and practice everyday functions, preparing learners to use language in the real world. National Geographic video in each unit allows teachers to bring lessons to life. Information-rich topics and a carefully designed critical thinking syllabus challenges learners to understand texts at a deeper level. Vocabulary is introduced thematically, with additional emphasis on key words and word building in Word focus and Word building sections.




More Or Less Crazy


Book Description

Return to the summer of '73 and adventure through Alaska as a Smokejumper. In an odyssey of movement and beauty we move back and forth across Alaska, jumping fires from Kodiak Island to the shadows of Denali, and in the winds of Isabel Pass. The smokejumpers themselves are a varied lot - several are ex-Air America bad boys recently back from covert CIA operations in Southeast Asia, and in no mood to take orders from anyone. The rest of the crew is made up of transfers and no-rehires from the jump bases in the Lower 48 where strict, top-down, authoritarian management made it hard, if not impossible, for them to fit in. Being stuck on Fort Wainwright in a dark and dreary hangar, surrounded by chain link fences and gravel lots, and under the eye of the Army Military Police is a recipe for disaster with a healthy serving of rebellion, heroism, pranks and humor thrown in. Adventure with these smokejumpers as they ultimately come together in an outrageous testimony to the joy of living life fully and playfully in one of America's last great true-life adventures.




Graton


Book Description

The town of Graton is located in the beautiful and fertile Green Valley, which was first settled in the mid-1800s by pioneer families such as the Sullivans, Gregsons, and Winklers. When the railroad came through the area, realtor James Gray and banker J. H. Brush bought land and created one of the first subdivisions in Sonoma County. They named the streets after themselves and their children, and in 1905, Graton was born. Along with the agricultural industry in California, the town thrived until the 1970s and then declined, only to be reborn in the 1990s. Throughout all Gratons phases, Oak Grove School (1854), the Pacific Christian Academy (1918), and the Graton Community Club (1914) remained vital. Graton is now part of a premiere wine-growing region, and visitors as well as locals are attracted to its vibrant downtown businesses, award-winning restaurants, and artistic community.