I am sad to relate to all that knew him that Holger "Jorgy" Jorgensen passed away from complications of a flu like illness on April 4th at the hospital in Fairbanks. He was tested for Covid-19 but the results are not known at this time. It hardly matters. Jorgy had amassed over 30,000 hours in the bush in Alaska over many decades of flying. Everyone in Alaska's aviation community knew him by reputation if not personally.

He was 93 years old and in poor health at the time of his passing.

So sorry to hear that. Just reading his book at the moment, what an amazing life. (His book as written by Jean Lester: "Jorgy: The Life of Native Alaskan Bush Pilot and Airline Captain Holger "Jorgy" Jorgensen")

Jorgy was a true character and a very class act. His stories about flying (and some other stuff) are incredibly entertaining and many will raise the hair on the back of your neck.

Some of my favorites were the ones involving flying supplies out to the T-3 Ice Islands back during the Cold War in C-46s. Launch with insufficient fuel to go there, but not to get back.....so they carried a few barrels of avgas in the back, which they pumped into the plane once they reached the ice island.

Blue skys, Jorgy......you earned them.

MTV

We lost a great one. Jorgy and my dad were very close. Jorgy passed away on my dad’s 90th birthday.

Kurt

He was a living legend. If you’re not familiar, do yourself a favor and learn about one of the greatest. Humble beginnings and grew into an amazing success.

My favorite memory is when he told me how he ended up getting the GI bill to get his pilot training. When WWII started most of the men had already joined up and he was about 14 years old and of course too young to be in the service but he had taught himself morse code. So the Alaska Territorial Guard didn't have anyone to operate it's radios so he got a special enlistment because he was the only guy in Nome who could copy code. That got him the GI bill at the end of the war. And the rest is history.

Jorgy's wife Rosalee was my wife's first cousin.

http://www.newsminer.com/features/our_t ... ium=social

Good read if you’re not paywalled already.

merrymunks wrote: Just reading his book at the moment, what an amazing life. (His book as written by Jean Lester: "Jorgy: The Life of Native Alaskan Bush Pilot and Airline Captain Holger "Jorgy" Jorgensen")
Jorgy Jorgensen G

Thanks, I just loaded it on Kindle and I can't put it down. So much for those Saturday chores I had lined up!

Pierre

Mike, the T3 flights were incredible, but I nominate the live reindeer in the cockpit story as the best!

Pierre

(PS I think you meant to write "sufficient" fuel to get there, but insufficient to return. If field socked in, they were screwed.

Pierre