Dick Folsom: Bush Pilot

Few men have seen more adventure than the early bush pilots of northern Maine. When roads were few and far between and the north woods was more wilderness than not, bush planes were often the only feasible means of transportation. Small planes and the pilots who flew them became a critical lifeline to many sporting camp operations and backwoods trappers. With floats in summer and skis in winter, they provided nearly year-round transportation that connected woods folk with the outside world, and brought in their needed food and supplies.

Greenville native Dick Folsom grew to love flying at an early age, and after serving in World War II, he returned home eager to start a business. Over the next forty years, Folsom’s Air Service grew to become the largest seaplane operation in the eastern United States.

As you might imagine, Folsom made a lot of memories in his decades of flying, including dealings with backwoods hermits and friends, flying interesting people into the Maine woods, witnessing fatal crashes, and having a few close calls himself.

It was an interesting set of characters that made up the north woods back in those days. All winter long, trappers lived out alone in remote cabins harvesting fur for a living. They led a pretty quiet existence out there, but when friends flew in or they made it out to town, look out! Dick told some funny stories about Jim Clarkson, Al Nugent and Jasper Haynes, among other notable names.

Some of the most captivating stories are those of planes gone missing and crashes that aren’t found for years, if at all. With so many planes operating back then, the unfortunate accident happened from time to time. Dick was around for many of the crashes and searches, some of which continue to this day.

With so many stories to tell, Folsom’s friend and fellow pilot Jake Morrell sat down with the legend in 1996 to record some of the history on tape, and preserve the memories of an icon in Maine bush flying. They talked about a variety of topics, including woods hermits, early pilots, mail delivery, and his time in the war. And now, we can listen in on the conversation.

“Dick Folsom: Bush Pilot” was published by Jake Morrell in 2017. The book provides a transcript of Morrell’s interview with Folsom about his life and career in aviation, and numerous photographs spanning the history of Folsom’s Air Service. As an added bonus, the book includes two audio CD’s, giving you the chance to listen in on the actual interview.