2. What got you interested in the Lewis and Clark story?
I loved the history story in school. Thomas Jefferson has always been my favorite hero. The more that I studied their adventure, I was convinced that Jefferson assigned them the “scenic route!”

3. Who were your crew and what where their jobs?
This was definitely a team effort to do a project of this scope. My wife, Sue, and teenaged son Ryan pulled one of the RV’s, along with some help from the dog, Jack. Mary had her RV and was supported by several drivers that helped us along the way. We would pick a rendezvous point and I would fly and meet them at an airport or ranch. We would camp for a couple of days there and everybody would take turns flying with me on picture taking trips at dawn or sunset.

4. Where is the route of Lewis and Clark and how did you follow it?
The official start of their trip is in St. Charles, Missouri. They followed the river north through Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska and up through South Dakota. In North Dekota, the river makes a hard right turn to the west and into Montana. The Corps spent a lot of time in Montana and so did we! They crossed over Idaho in the narrow part of the neck, one of the most treacherous parts of their trip was through the Rockies. Then they took the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean.

5. When did you do the trip and how far did you go?
We made the trip during June, July and August on 2003. But the planning for it began two years earlier. I used mapping software and satellite imagery to fly the whole route from my “office cockpit” to select areas that I thought would be good for photography. I flew the plane 14,000 miles. The chase crew pulled the RV about 12,000 miles.

6. Why did you have to fly so far?
The actual round trip route is about 9,000. The reason for so many miles is because I have to do a lot of scouting up and down the river. Every photo in the book was carefully surveyed for the best time to shoot for lighting and weather.

7. What kind of plane do you fly?
It was originally called an AirCam and was designed for National Geographic to film over the Congo. Since my son and I actually manufactured this plane, I named mine “Cloud Chaser.” It is an open cockpit design with the engines mounted on the wings. I sit far forward of the wing to give me great visibility and freedom from the wings or struts getting in the way of my photographs.

8. Since it is an open cockpit, what do you do when it rains?
Don’t fly! My purpose is to explore or photograph so I have no interest or need to fly in bad weather.

9. What is so special about the plane?
This plane is only special to me because it fits my personality. There is no perfect plane for all pilots any more than there is a perfect car for all drivers. But, because I’m a photographer, it was a perfect platform in the sky for me. The other reason I built it was because I love to explore. To suddenly pop over a ridge and have an incredible vista open before your eyes is an awesome experience. Also, because of the plane’s strange appearance and performance, crowds would gather wherever we landed. Instantly, complete strangers would become friends that Mary could write about.

10. How did you end up with this plane?
A friend who knew how much I loved to shoot and explore from the air called me up to say that he had the perfect plane for me. It’s prototype was developed for National Geographic by Phil Lockwood. They wanted a plane that was very open and could fly low and slow and had the redundancy of two engines. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would suit my requirements.

11. What were the greatest challenges during this adventure?
Well, first the physical challenges of wind, heat and fire from forest fires. And two, the creative challenges. There were a lot of very important historical spots along the trail such as Lost Trail Pass, Pompeys Pillar, and Three Forks. But, just because it’s historically important does not necessarily mean they photograph like a work of art. My job is to turn it into art using my skills at lighting and composition. This book is not a collection of photographs of national parks, rather it is a way to show everyone the beauty right in their own “back yard.”

12. What kind of places did you land?
We landed at large and small airports, rancher’s grass strips and Indian reservations. To make this work, we carried our own fuel, which was auto gas. The engines on my plane prefer it, plus we are usually airborne before the airports open for business. That’s also why we seldom used the hanger space they offered us.

13. What do you feel is most special about this book?
A lot of photography books concentrate on famous areas in the country such as national and state parks where lots of people take beautiful photos of beautiful scenes. The photos in this book are like a “slice” of America. Beauty is everywhere and I enjoy the challenge of finding the gems. From St Louis to Astoria, Oregon there is equal emphasis on the flat farmland of the prairie to the great Rocky Mountains.

This is an aviation adventure book that should appeal to history buffs, aviators, photographers and just about anybody that is interested in travel and adventure. Another objective of the book was to relate to the general public what it is like to fly bush pilot-style in a open cockpit. I looked at many, many books about the Lewis and Clark adventure and the visuals left me wanting something more.

This was also a cultural experience because we met so many different kinds of people from descendants of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, ranchers, crop dusters, historic re-enactors and airport owners.

14. Who published the book?
Even though we had offers from publishers we decided to start our own publishing company and design the book ourselves. My wife Sue is the designer on the book.

15. Describe a typical day on the trail.
Before dawn Mary and I would grab a quick snack and be airborne, flying a location I scouted the day before. After flying and shooting during the morning hours we would return to camp where Sue and Ryan have breakfast waiting.

The middle of the day would be spent editing photos, map study, shooting pictures on the ground, meeting with the locals and the press. My other chores were maintaining the plane, truck, RV, computers and other equipment. While Sue would edit pages for the website and prepare press releases, Mary was writing notes and interviewing the locals.

In the evening we would start flying and shooting again. When I felt comfortable with the shots of that area, I would fly further along the trail and the chase crew would move on to meet me at our next scheduled waypoint.

When working on a project of this nature I do two different types of flying. While in traveling or scouting mode, it’s usually in the middle of the day and I’m busy bucking the thermals as well as looking for patterns in the landscape that might make a great composition. It can get pretty rough in late afternoon. When I find an area that I think will work, I mark my Global Positioning System (GPS) with a triangle waypoint for a location that would make a good morning shot, a circle waypoint for evening and square for one that could work either way.

16. Who flies the plane while you shoot photos?
Actually I fly and shoot at the same time. The plane is very stable. It’s not like driving down the highway with other traffic a couple of feet away. Since I mostly fly when the air is calm in morning or evening it is easy for me to let go of the controls long enough to shoot. Sometimes I fly for long periods of time without moving the controls.

Even if I have another pilot in the rear seat I still prefer to control both the plane and camera. Because things are happening so fast it takes me longer to communicate where I need the plane’s position to be, than to just do it myself.

Plus, it would also be very difficult to use a camera mounted to the plane. As an artist, holding the camera is much more intuitive. There are only three photos in the book where I used the camera mounted to the wing of the plane and that was to give the reader a feeling of what it’s like being in the cockpit and to see what I see from my vantage point.

17. What is it like to fly in this plane?
Much of the time I’m in the air it’s like a magic carpet ride that allows me to feel more like an observer than a traveler. With the enormous power of the engines, (100 hp each) the slow-flight mode setting puts them barely above idle. The propeller tips are also designed for low noise. People and animals on the ground can barely hear you.

When I take airline pilots, jet fighter pilots or helicopter pilots up they are all amazed at how unique and wonderful the ride is. We have labeled it a “canoe-in-the-sky” since the sidewalls of the plane come up about as high as the sides of a canoe—and then it is completely open above that!

18. What were your favorite experiences along the trail?
That’s hard to say, every mile was like a kaleidoscope beneath me, constantly changing, but some favorite places were:
Saint Louis—The excitement of the start of the journey and shooting photos of the Arch.
Bismarck—The vast unpopulated landscape with its rolling hills
Missouri Breaks——The deep canyons and seeing the land the way it was when Lewis and Clark were there.
Three Forks——After six weeks of developing an intimacy with the Missouri River, finally seeing its birthplace.
Astoria——After two months of flying along rivers, the vastness of the Pacific Ocean opens up before me and it was breathtaking.