Gail’s Beloved Airplane “Charlie”
Photo of me standing by my Cessna 170B, nicknamed “Charlie”, at the wilderness dirt air strip in Copper Center, Alaska. I flew during the winter at first but soon gave it up. Without a hangar for storage the preparation to fly in the extreme cold is extensive. The night before flying, a small oil heater is placed inside the engine compartment and a blanket wrapped around the cowling. The wings are swept clear of snow and fitted with covers. Charlie wasn’t equipped with skis, so my flying was limited to plowed airstrips. I soon became a fair weather pilot and eventually found that chartering flights was much more efficient for art research exploration.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, wilderness Alaska artist
