Looking for a specific aviation author

[fox niner]

Hey everybody,

Years back I read a couple of books by an american author (I think) who wrote aviation stories. The problem is that I neither remember his name nor any title of his books. Maybe you can help me out.

One story is about two coast guard guys who end up in the path of a hurricane, in the bahama's. they park their single engine plane in a hangar and steal a constellation which was parked there, so that they can escape the hurricane by flying the connie to florida.

Another story by him is a survival story. A group of journo's go to Alaska to see what their winter is like. so they end up in a DC3 from fairbanks to barrow. due to a technical problem the crew has to make an emergency landing in the snowy wilderness.

Both books were written a looooong time ago.
Does anyone know who wrote these books?
Or does anyone recall the exact titles of these books?

Thanks.....

[Argonautical]

Just a guess. Ernest K. Gann was a very well known American aviation author who wrote many books from the 1940s through to the 1980s. See his Wikipedia entry for a list of his books.

[barit1]

Doesn't ring any bells in my Gann library, although they sound like the sort of stories he'd write.

Try Len Morgan maybe.

[727gm]

Ching Willows, perhaps? (real name Earl Willis) He wrote "Damn Serious Business". which was very good, but also wrote three others that I've never been able to find.

[4Greens]

Since Gann got a mention, a plug. Fate is the Hunter written by Gann is probably the best book ever written about early airline ops. Its autobiographical and a must read. Off thread I know but cant resist it.

[Atcham Tower]

Absolutely agree, 4Greens!