Dick and Lavelle Betz were Alaska guides for decades, routinely flying fishermen in their two 160-horsepower Super Cubs for a day of fishing followed by dinner at their wilderness lodge on Shulin Lake. They would land on beaver ponds, fast running rivers and everything in between if it meant getting a great fishing spot.
With Lavelle's father's blessing, the two were married on April 3, 1945 by the Chaplain Ralph K. Wheeler in Amarillo, Texas. They began a life together neither would have expected, nor would they trade it for anything.
Within weeks of Dick being discharged from the military, they purchased a 1942 Ford woodie station wagon, packed their belongings and left for Alaska.
Soon after the couple learned they were expecting their first child, Dick accepted a job with the Civil Aeronautics Administration and they moved to Skwentna. The total population in Skwentna at the time was 17, and during their stay two new babies were born, raising the population to 19.
Lavelle earned her single-engine land and sea private pilot's license on May 14, 1960. She is a member of the Ninety-Nines with over 6,000 hours as pilot in command on skis and floats. Today, at 88 years old, Lavelle still maintains a current medical certification.
Once, Lavelle had a close call in her Super Cub.
"I lost my ski on takeoff from the Talkeetna Village strip. It was January 1978. A girlfriend and I flew our two airplanes into Talkeetna to gas up," said Lavelle. "When it was time to leave, I back-taxied all the way to the end of the runway. Just before I got airborne I hit a rut; the ski was pulling me to the left. Firewalled with full right stick and full right rudder, nothing. I knew I was going to buy the farm."
Lavelle looked for an easy place to land but all she saw were trees and frozen stumps in the Talkeetna River ice. Once airborne, a Talkeetna Flight Service attendant got on the radio and told her that the ski was at a right angle to the fuselage.
"I responded that I had it in sight," said Betz and continued flying. "I returned to Shulin Lake with reduced power, keeping the airplane airborne at 55 mph."
"Dick was flying with my girlfriend and I called him on the radio and explained I wanted to go to Shulin Lake," said Lavelle, knowing she was likely going to ground loop and feared damaging other people's property if she landed on the Talkeetna runway. "Dick radioed and asked if I was going to be alright and I said, 'Yes, as long as that ski doesn't goose me on landing!'"
Shulin Lake had 8 inches of snow and when Lavelle landed, slow and steady, she did ground loop the aircraft, but had no additional damage to the plane.
Judith, Dick and Lavelle's oldest child, became a communications professor at Delta College and lives with her family in Michigan. Daughter Rebecca has retired from the Teamsters. Their son Tim is now a captain for Alaska Airlines.
Dick and Lavelle were also among the first 15 founding members of the Alaska USA Federal Credit Union.
Although the two stopped guiding more than 10 years ago, when Dick was 84, he still hasn't slowed down. He continues to operate his big boom truck at Lake Hood in Anchorage, helping everyone and anyone in distress.
"Today, we like to go out to Shulin Lake to relax," says Lavelle.
Dick and Lavelle Betz are two of 13 men and women selected to represent the next class of Alaska Aviation Legends, an annual project that recognizes the pioneers who made Alaska's aviation industry and culture what it is today. For more on the legends, consider attending the Nov. 7 banquet in their honor. More information is available at the Alaska Air Carriers Association website.