THE GREAT LAND
THE GREAT LAND
Fittingly, Alaska means 'The Great Land', and most of its vast wilderness and rugged mountain ranges can only be crossed by airplane. From the earliest days of settlement until today, aviation has played a significant role in moving people, animals, and goods of every discription across and over the 'Last Frontier'.
From its wide range in temperatures to the amount of daylight that varies throughout the year, Alaska is a land of extremes and that is represented here by the contrast between light and shadow.
Shown here is an Alaska Airlines DC-3. Alaska Airlines traces its roots in Alaska to 1932 and a man named 'Mac' McGee and his company McGee Airways that flew a single engine Stinson on a route between Anchorage and Bristol Bay.
The venerable DC-3 is a workhorse first conceived and built in the 1930's. Varients were used throughout World War Two and many continue to serve throughout the world in some of the most remote areas to this day. Alaska Airlines purchased several of these aircraft after the war and in 1948 the company had grown to be the largest charter aircraft company in the United States.
