Fairbanks by Friday

I am proud to announce our arrival at Fairbanks, Alaska!

My name is Patricia Spence (I use the nickname, Trish). I have been married to my husband, David for almost 24 years. We met in high school, in my hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Shortly after we were married, we moved to Prescott, Arizona and raised a family. We enjoyed many successes there until David was laid off from his job as a flight instructor on February 1st of this year.

Arizona has been hit extremely hard by the recession. It's difficult to find a job in Prescott, let alone a job as a pilot. As time progressed it became inevitable that a job outside Arizona, or the Southwest would be the only option. Nearly every evening, David searched for jobs, placed applications and resumes on websites designed specifically for pilots searching for jobs.

Finally by the middle of May the phone rang - twice! One call was from a university setting up a flight school in South Korea. The second call was from an airline in Alaska. David had an interview with each potential employer and chose to work in Alaska. David and I flew to Fairbanks together when he interviewed with Art Warbelow.

We had enough time to see the layout of Fairbanks, to see the operation of Warbelow's Air Ventures and try some "new" restaurants. The airline took us north of the Arctic Circle for the first time and we caught a glimpse of Alaskan Wildlife by air.

We returned to Prescott for a few short weeks to tie up some loose ends, finish home repairs, prepare the car for the long trip, and pack. Our long journey began Saturday, June 5th and ended Friday, June 11th.