Jake has been a passionate pilot for decades. It only seemed natural to share with readers his own stories as well as the incredible adventures of some of his favorite Maine Bush Pilots.

A little history….after Jake completed engineering school, one fact was obvious:  Life behind a desk was the wrong choice.

So off to Maine with his young bride, Beth!  A teaching job led to flying lessons and a lifelong love affair with planes.  After several years of instruction and practice, a dream job as a commercial floatplane pilot materialized.

As a flying family, exposure to the numerous remote lodges in Maine prompted Jake and Beth to purchase a dilapidated set of remote buildings, which they rebuilt and named Hardscrabble. He shares the journey of renovating the camps and the many stories of hosting and flying guests over the years.

They sold the camps years ago but the memories and stories live on in his book Hardscrabble Lodge.

After selling Hardcrabble Lodge, Jake and Beth set about renovating an old Farmhouse on the road to the airport in Greenville, Maine. It was in that farmhouse, by the warmth of the woodstove, that Jake would record his conversations with Dick Folsom.

With the alchemy of proximity and passion in mind, Jake later went on to build a home in Sangerville, Maine with of course, a runway + hanger. When he wasn’t flying, his favorite evening activity was having a cocktail with Beth on the screen porch while watching the deer frolic on the runway.

Today, Jake and Beth are retired, have sold their air strip, ME32 and live in Portland, Maine.