"Birthplace of the Winds"
The Adak Military Adventure
Photos and Stories
CLICK HERE for photos and stories
CLICK HERE for Adak Eagle's Call newsletters
Adak Topographic Map; 1:250,000 Scale, GIF. 3 megabytes, 6000 pixels wide.
Books
- The
Rescue of Alfa Foxtrot 586 by Andrew C.A. Jampoler.
Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. 2003.
ISBN: 1 59114 412 4. An exciting, comprehensive tale of the
ditching (crash at sea) of a Navy P3 surveillance aircraft. This
is a true story told by an aviator stationed on Adak at the time of the
event.
- Prisoners
of the Williwaw by Ed Griffin . This is a captivating story
suggesting the re-use of Adak for a prisoner community.
Movies
 
Electra! Queen of the Aleutian Islands
(DVD, 55 Minutes). A documentary by Bill Schulz. Music by
John Rich (see info and music samples: http://www.jrich.com/history.html).
- Bill Schulz' Electra
Website with a Quicktime sample clip from the movie.
- Available from Flight One Software:
http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=TCC-ELDVD-01
- Comment by Michael Gordon: I am nearly
certain that you will treasure this movie, especially if you are fond
of
the hum of a big four-engine perfectly synchronized turboprop OR you
admire the hard beauty of the Aleutian Islands. If you happen to have
fond memories of both, this one will bring tears to your eyes. I
loved it. The technical quality is first rate, crystal clear and
without the editing artifacts (noise, snow, smearing) of analog video
--
in other words, DVD digital quality from the moment it was photographed
in 1998 and 1999 (I think).
Outline: A brief history of Eastern Airlines' use of
the Electra, followed by demise of Electra at Eastern then demise of
Eastern Airlines. The author discovers Electras in Alaska: Reeve
Aleutian Airline or Airways (It was Airways when I was on Adak but I
think it became Airlines later) He goes to Alaska to photograph and
experience the Electra, but is captivated by the awesome beauty and
terrible power of Alaska. We watch ground operations briefly, yet
leaving nothing significant out of the preflight, start and takeoff of
a
four engine turboprop. You'll love the whine of the engine starts,
changing to a powerful hum when all four props are synchronized.
What we see: We fly to Sand Point on a sunny day,
and
the runway will amaze you -- Adak has a luxurious runway compared to
Sand Point (or Dutch Harbor for that matter). We do Sand Point again on
a winter day and it is quite a bit more intense and then we do Dutch
Harbor on a really horrible day. All these approaches are photographed
through the front of the aircraft so what the pilots see, you see.
Finally you have an approach at Anchorage and a reprise music video and
throughout the movie, top quality still photographs as needed.
Style: imagine that a friendly man with a passionate
yet gentle voice came to your home, and he had something he wanted you
to see, which he loves and he thinks you will too. In fact, he is sure
of it. No doubt many viewers have flown on this very airline and have
tales of their own (I do!) but do we tire of telling about the time the
Reever was sliding sideways down the runway at Cold Bay? How about the
time Pat Kelly landed at Adak in a white out with the runway
closed and asked the tower to turn on the lights so he would not
collide
with the tower? Well, here you go: A tale of Alaska and the best
aircraft ever made to fly the Aleutian Islands, but this time with
visual proof and beautiful music!
- Adak Movie clips
in RealVideo® and MPEG formats.
Links
|
Juneau Web