Blake Smith was born, raised and lives in North Vancouver. His interest in World War Two aviation in the Canadian Northwest, Alaska and Russia began in 1985 when he first started to research historical documents relating to Lend-Lease flights. About 1989, he became an honorary lifetime member of the 7th Ferrying Group Association (an American veterans group who during WWII conducted military flights to Alaska). In 1992, Blake began to earnestly seek out Russian veterans who participated with the Americans in Alaska to expedite the transfer of lend-lease aircraft into Russia. These associations with WWII veterans inspired him to document their unique and interesting experiences. In addition to archival research and veteran interviews, he conducted several research trips along the former airway that these pilots flew and also investigated the remains of aircraft that had crashed in the wilderness. The construction of this work was based upon many sources and many years of research.