Jim Rearden & Rudy Billberg 
In the Shadow of Eagles 
From Barnstormer to Alaska Bush Pilot, A Flyer’s Story

In the Shadow of Eagles is a uniquely American saga. Rudy Billberg’s story takes readers through the great age of aviation, from his first airplane ride in Minnesota in 1927 to his bush flying career in Alaska beginning in 1941. One of the authentic aviation pioneers, Billberg writes of his countless adventures and close calls during the decades; stunt flying in Midwestern air shows, flying out of Nome into the frozen Arctic, and more.
Filled with history and insight, Billberg’s narrative chronicles the lives of many of his fellow Alaskan pilots, including the great pioneer airmen Joe Crosson, Harold Gillam, Noel Wien and Sam White, and tells of the early flying machines they all flew—Travel Airs, Pilgrims, Fairchilds, Bellancas. Rudy Billberg has given us a great story of his time.

About the author

Lindbergh’s flight from New York to Paris in 1927 cemented Rudy Billberg’s determination to fly. He learned to fly in a Curtiss Robin in 1934. He then flew as a professional pilot for 46 years.
Born in Roseau, Minnesota, in 1916, Billberg’s first plan ride in 1927, was in an open-cockpit Travel Air biplane powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine. In Minnesota he flew as a barnstormer and instructed student pilots in a pre-war federal civilian pilot training program. During World War II, he flew C-47’s in Alaska and northwestern Canada for the Air Transport Command. Before and after the war, he was an Alaska bush pilot.
An adventurer at heart, Billberg, often with his wife, Bessie, explored wilderness Alaska by riverboat, amphibious plane, and snowmobile. While Rudy flew the bush, the Billbergs lived in Nome, Fairbanks, Galena, Bethel, Anchorage, and Homer. Billberg died in 2007.