Author likes sharing his love of flying, Yukon

Spending boyhood summers at his grandfather’s Lake Coeur d’Alene cabin, Larry Whitesitt, 67, probably never dreamed where his adventurous life would take him. When he was 10 years old, his 8-foot canvas duck boat powered by a 3-horsepower motor, seemed the ultimate in transportation. Somewhere between those days on the lake, high school graduation and a tour in the Navy, Whitesitt decided to become a “mountain man.”

Scraping together $700 for a Piper Cub, he learned to fly, and at age 26 moved to Canada to find his dream. A logging career was cut short when Whitesitt was hit on the head by a tree, but there was a silver lining. Lying on the ground recovering from the blow, he saw a floatplane flying overhead and took it as a sign. A year later, he got his first job as a bush pilot, leading to thousands of hours flying in the Canadian backcounty in a rugged Beaver airplane.

Close calls, great hunting and fishing, a knack for recording life in the North and his desire to share it with readers, led to Whitesitt’s current career as an author. Writing is only part of the story, as he does much more than a typical author. Whitesitt travels the country, hanging a sign in bookstores and other venues to meet customers and to sell and sign books. Logging more than 300,000 miles and many nights camping in an old Buick, he makes a living as an author without paying middlemen to produce and market his works.

Adding to Whitesitt’s books of adventures in the North Country, his latest undertaking, “Higher than Eagles,” chronicles the heroics of Spokane’s World War II pilots, a project for which grandson Daniel Whitesitt took videos and photographs of local veterans or their survivors.

Hastings Bookstore in Coeur d’Alene will host a book signing session for Whitesitt on Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 7 p.m. Next, Whitesitt hits the road again, venturing to Arizona to sell his books in the popular desert flea markets.

In his spare time, Whitesitt enjoys hiking, kayaking and flying with his three grandsons.

What is your job title? “Author, self-publisher, promoter and sales of my books.”

How long have you been doing this? “Since 1990.”

How did you choose this line of work? “I wanted to leave a record of family history for my son, William Scott Whitesitt. I thought I could write a book in six months. The book, ‘Flight of the Red Beaver,’ took two years and nine months of daily writing. Usually from 8 p.m. to 3 or 4 in the morning, as I worked during the day. I found out I really liked writing and sharing the North with others.”

Are you paid: (a) well; (b) more than you are worth; (c) slave wages, (d) could be better? “The pay is good. It’s kind of like flying – I couldn’t believe anyone would pay me for what I really enjoyed doing.”

What is the best thing about your job? “Meeting people and sharing my first love – flying and that magic land called the Yukon – with others, and finding out the experiences of other pilots and sharing stories.”

What is the worst thing about your job? “Writing a book is a very solitary thing – years of time alone. The writing part is great – it’s just the rewriting, going over and over the manuscript for typos, etc., that’s really tedious. My second book, ‘Northern Flight of Dreams,’ took 10 years to complete.”

Do you plan on doing this job (a) until retirement; (b) until something better comes along? “I am retired from flying and plan on autographing and promoting my books and videos as long as I enjoy doing it – for the foreseeable future.”

Do you have any on-the-job funny stories? “Sure. While living in my car while traveling across the country, I was sleeping in my 1978 Buick in Utah along the highway. When I woke up I had no idea where I was, as snow had completely covered the windows – a whiteout!”

Any bad experiences? “Well, I sold my home at Liberty Lake and invested much of the money in 5,000 books. My income for a year was through the sale of the book and there were times when my cash was quite low. The Buick was my home for almost one year. It was a day-to-day life – living one day at a time. But it was a wonderful living ‘on the edge’ experience. I never went hungry and always had a full-length bed in the car to sleep on.”

If there was a movie made about you and your job, what actor should play you? “Harrison Ford – he owns a Beaver, is a pilot and lives an adventurous life. I believe he is a risk-taker and lives life to the fullest.”