Flying the Frontiers brings to life tales from the log books and journals of people for whom aviation is a way of life. These intrepid and independent pilots, engineers, aircraft salvagers, and smoke jumpers tell of their adventures and misadventures over the endless bush and forbidding barrens of Canada's North, allowing readers a rare glimpse at a unique way of life that has taken these men and women across Canada and around the world.

Told first-hand by the people who experienced them, these are wondrous tales of near-misses and amazing successes, heroism and foolishness, innovations and renovations, where the element of risk is part of every flight plan.

Flying the Frontiers tells of an era that has all but disappeared, and of people whose careers spanned the pioneer age in aviation. Many continue to fly today. Their stories are enhanced by more than seventy personal photographs that depict the airplanes they flew, the territory they covered, and the predicaments in which they found themselves.

Shirlee Smith Matheson is the author of numerous teen novels and nonfiction books, including The Gambler's Daughter, Maverick in the Sky, Flying the Frontiers, and Amazing Flights and Flyers. She lives in Calgary and leads writing workshops, presents readings, and travels widely to discover more exciting tales. Her website is www.ssmatheson.ca.

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