My life long interest in flying took me on many adventures. Flying was an important part of my profession as a Fisheries Biologist in Alaska. The mostly low level flying in Alaska's bush gave me a chance to fly and fly in a large number of aircraft types with equally varied geography and pilot personalities. I think pilots and non-pilots alike will find my stories interesting, exciting, funny and educational. People interested in Alaska, fisheries management, and biological field work will also enjoy the book.
Kim Francisco's parents couldn't agree on a name. His Mother thought she had won when she filled out the birth certificate a t the hospital while his father was working. She named him Richard after his father and used Kim, his father's choice, a s the middle name. Dad won by constantly calling him Kim. KIM by Rudyard Kipling was his father's favorite book. While working on his degree in Wildlife Management at the University of Alaska, Kim began working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Commercial Fisheries Division in 1973. Until h e retired in 1995. He and his wife then roamed North America living o u t of a pickup a n d 28' travel trailer for two years before settling down on a small farm outside Lucas, lowa. Kim then volunteered for many organizations, including the Farm Bureau and the lowa DNR's Fisheries Bureau. This resulted in his appointment to the lowa Natural Resources Commission in 2000, where he served for 21 years, having been appointed and reappointed by governors of both parties. Before ALIBI MIKE, his first memoir, he wrote a number of technical papers as part of his job. An avid reader and aspiring writer, h e sold a magazine article a n d some photographs. He is working on a fourth memoir and still dreaming of a novel.
