Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet ( Jun 05/00) - Flying from Africa to Alaska in a small plane definitely rates as a thrilling experience -- one even the notorious Kivalliq weather can't diminish.

Americans Arthur Hussey and Brad Knickerbocker sat in Rankin Inlet this past week with their Cessna-18A aircraft waiting for clear skies to continue their journey.

The 19,200-kilometre trip began April 27 from Namibia, after two years of planning by Hussey.

"There are really three parts to the trip, over Africa, across the Atlantic, and across Canada to Alaska," says Hussey.

"It's only been since we arrived on this side that the weather started playing a role.

"We were weathered in at Greenland, Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet."

Hussey first went to Africa in 1980 and says living there was never a conscious decision.

International development and humanitarian associations always captured his interest and, once in Africa, one contract kept leading to another.

"That combined with my interest in learning about different cultures and ways of life to make my stay there attractive to me," he says.

Hussey also spent five years in Bangladesh from 1985-'90.

He says there has been a marked improvement in the managerial class and capacities of developing countries.

"There's been a definite improvement in human resources capabilities of the populations.

"There's also been an increasing division between the wealthy and the poor, and those who have access to information technology and those who don't."

Hussey cites the improvement within the global community as always being a constant source of amazement for him during his travels.

He says there's few places he's been where the Microsoft logo hasn't popped up.

"Taking digital pictures in Rankin was a prime example of that.

"One Inuit lady we were photographing was very reserved and modest, but upon looking at the camera remarked, 'Does it work on a Mac?'"

"That just didn't happen 20 years ago."

Hussey's decision to move to Fairbanks, Alaska, was a multi-faceted one.

Although excited about his new position as director of the Northern Alaska Environmental Centre, he also had family concerns.

His wife, Janet Daley, is Canadian and his daughter, Julianna Daley-Hussey, is Namibian.

"With three different nationalities in our family, we needed to establish a permanent residency and we wanted to do it while we're still considered employable.

"We didn't want to wait too long and hear, 'You've been there 50 years, what are we going to do with you?'"

Hussey's co-partner, Knickerbocker, is documenting the trip for the Christian Science Monitor publication in the U.S.

"I was very excited about the experience and have been making daily log entries since we left.

"We have a Web site, www-.csmonitor.com/smallplane, where people can follow along with us from stop to stop during our trip.

"It's been an incredible experience."