Flying priest: Bush pilot brings sacraments to remote Alaskans
The weather in western Alaska poses challenges for flying. On one particular Sunday Father Garrett had embarked upon a trip to a tiny village. Gusty winds and a gut feeling told him to stop short and land at the airport in King Salmon. He spent the night, winds diminished, and he decided to take off the next morning. Like many times before, he warmed up the engine, taxied out to the runway and throttled up to begin his takeoff. No sooner had he begun gaining altitude than the engine — his only engine — blew up.