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Jimmix Samuelson
Jimmix Samuelson talks about learning to fly, getting his pilot's license, and starting his flight service company - Jimmix Flying Service. He also talks about some of his scary experiences and using what's available to fix a hole in an airplane.
Digital Asset Information
Archive #: Oral History 2011-27-02
Project: Bethel Communities of Memory
Date of Interview: Jan 26, 1996
Narrator(s): Jimmix Samuelson
Location of Interview:
Location of Topic:
Funding Partners:
Alaska Humanities Forum
Alternate Transcripts
There is no alternate transcript for this interview.
Themes
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Sections
Learning to fly
Getting pilot's license
Strange happenings while flying
Using bear fat to patch a hole in an airplane
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Transcript
Barry Toelken: How did you guys learn to fly. Did you learn from other guys. Pick it up locally.
Jimmix Samuelson: We did for a while. Then I went to Fairbanks and took flying lessons and I soloed in 3 and a half hours.
Diane Carpenter: Jimmix, how did you get your flight service started?
Jimmix Samuelson: Well I was flying for Alaska Airlines for four and a half years. The boss and I didn't get along because they rented my airplane from me and I was making more money than he was.
And so I got fired so I, when I got fired, Ray Miller said I'm going into Anchorage tomorrow with the Norseman, to ferry it in.
So he says, come on with me. And I went back in and they wanted me to go flying again.
But I never did. Then I just went over and got my certificate and I bought an airplane, a Pacer and got started.
Barry Toelken: What's the strangest thing that ever happened to you while you were flying?
Jimmix Samuelson: Well, I don't know. I went up for an emergency one time to -- to Nightmute.
And it was really windy out there and they came out with a snow-go and brought the woman and a kid in.
On the way back the weather turned bad and I was flying along and pretty soon I felt my skis touching the bottom.
Man this was awful close.
Buck Bukowski: Smooth landing.
Jimmix Samuelson: I didn't land. I just came on in to Bethel. But, I didn't realize I was that low.
Do you remember that time I punched a hole up at Stoney?
And then you had a piece of bear fat.
Then, I couldn't patch it, so we put it against there and put a willow on it and I used it for a whole month.