Hearts of Courage

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by John Tippets

Paperback

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Related categories: General Biographies Biography

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Harold Gillam was a celebrated bush pilot. The challenging winter of '42 to '43 was described as the coldest recorded in thirty years, and the inspiring accounts written by the survivors has stirred the hearts of many. This is a true Alaska adventure story — a struggle against all odds to overcome the wilderness and ultimately find rescue.

“No greater saga of the Northland was ever recounted than the experiences of the survivors of the Gillam plane crash.” — The Alaska Fishing News, Ketchikan, Alaska, February 8, 1943

“In Hearts of Courage John Tippets has done a wonderful job giving voice to his father in telling his story.” — Arnold Griese, author of Bush Pilot: Early Alaska Aviator Harold Gillam, Sr., Lucky or Legend?

“John's thorough research and attention to detail transports us back in time to become part of these miraculous events in the lives of Joseph and Alta Tippets.” — Jeffrey Johns, Curator, American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum

“None can match the Gillam crash survivors for sheer heroism in the face of impossible odds. Their courage was inspiring!"” — Ric Gillespie, Executive Director, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR)

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Impossible Odds

Madeleine, CA - August 14, 2010

On January 5th, 1943, a small plane carrying six people took off from Seattle’s Boeing Field, scheduled to alight in Anchorage the next morning. It never reached its destination. Two days later, The Seattle Times reported that the plane had disappeared over the frigid Alaskan wilderness; rescue crews had undertaken a widespread aerial search along the British Columbia coast, but no sign of the missing plane had yet been found.
For the author of Hearts of Courage, the events of that night are more than just a newspaper clipping. His father, Joseph Tippets, was aboard the missing plane.
From Brother John M. Tippets’ pen comes the inspiring story of the Gillam plane crash and the faith and determination that eventually brought the survivors to safety. For nearly a month, four men struggled through the hostile Alaskan mountains, searching for means of rescue, but, as Joseph writes, “I knew we were not alone.”
His wife, Alta, waiting…