Now THIS is how a documentary should be made! God, I miss these older ones with this beautiful storytelling that are as much works of art and examinations of the human condition as they are recounting facts. So much better than these shit dramatized things we have now.
This documentary is such a treasure for our family. I miss watching my great grandfather Harry Guymer (Pop) pull up in his boat to pick me up to go fishing. Best summers of my life. He had a joke for everyone and loved the indigenous people. He was so proud of my heritage because he had so much respect for the work ethic and knowledge of the indigenous people. He loved to work directly alongside them and my Nan would keep camp. What a life!!!
I remember when this film was made, I was their as NorthWay Aviation's Chief engineer. And their was a trick keeping the flaps working on the Norsman. This was a Mark 5, You can see Rob working hard, to get the flaps down, with the crack in the roof of the Aircraft. He came into the dock one day, while they were filming, and said something too me, About what had happened on his flight in,and I gave an off the cuff remark, about it, Something Like you wanted to be a bush pilot. But the sound crew couldn't pick up what I was saying, and Norma Bailey came running down the dock, and asked was was I saying, so they could get it on film. But It never happened. The Aircraft was rebuild by me and a few other people. The wing were done by a local fellow in town, as that was a big job with all that wood. And also a very big challenging job and to do it right. And because we needed to have it back in service come spring time, we needed all the help to get it done. She then had the new registration put on. And it went from CF-GUE to C-FGUE. Match Box also made a model Kit of the Aircraft CF_GUE in NorthWays colors. It was a very challenging Aircraft to work on, to find parts to keep that bird flying. Loved every minute off it. It was a great and relaxing Company to work for.
Thanx for all the info! So what happened to the banker did he keep flying till retirement? When did northway get out of the Norseman? Too bad they didn't keep one
@@waterloofreak The aircraft was retired and never flew again after August 1994 according to the Canadian Aircraft registry for C-FGUE. The mark was then re=registered to a Beech C18S that was last updated in 2016.
The Nordun Norseman was and is one of the Historic Planes in it`s day and holds a place in my heart even today. Thank you for this piece of history. Well done video too.
I came to the comments section to find out what he was up to there. Every time they showed him coming in to land I thought it looks like he's opening a sun roof. I knew it wasn't obviously, but the thought made me chuckle to myself. Also, this is what I love about youtube, when you get someone in the comments like yourself who has knowledge and was connected in some way. Thanks.
The National Film Board (NFB), the creator of this documentary has, over the years, won 12 Academy Awards (Oscars) on 65 nominations and many other awards for some of the 13,000 projects it has created which includes over 4000 documentaries and animated films. Bravo NFB, bravo Canada 🇨🇦
NFB is a national treasure that needs to be protected forever. One of Canada's gifts to the world. I saw lots of NFB stuff in school in the 70s; I wonder if today's schoolkids still get to watch NFB stuff?
This used to be my job. Every single part of it is true. This type of flying has satisfactions that are rarely matched in other occupations. You look back on a day's work, with pride and a sense of accomplishment, and a quiet ego-trip, that you have done something few others can do. It has its own unique rewards system, believe me. I miss it now.
Here in BC there is still a fairly substantial charter business in DeHavilland Beavers. So much of the coastal area is not accessible by land, boat or float plane access only. Regular supply delivery is done by boat, the flights are all charter.
This used to be my job also. Flying twin and single engine aircraft out of Thompson Mb for Northwinds. I hated it because of the abusive work environment, low pay and old tired aircraft with more than 10000 hrs on the airframe. We made 10 cents pr mile, often on call 24 hrs for 30 days. Medevacs at night, pressured to fly overweight for customers during the day. It was unsafe and not glamorous at all.
@@runeburdahl7141that sounds like northern Manitoba to me. Glad u made it, it's a hard job. One man's trash is another man's treasure LoL. That's a rough territory, socially and geographically. Most people are totally disillusioned as to what things are like up there. The situation is very complex and not like people see on the news.
@@UpgraydezThank you for your reply. It sounds like you have been there.I gave up after about a year. We flew passengers, coffins,medevacs, fuel and supplies to the settlements in the Keewatin district. The airline was owned by the tribal council. Anyway, as you say I am lucky to be alive. Mainly because I refused to be bullied by the management and mechanics. This is also the reason why I quit aviation altogether. Cheers from Norway.
I worked at Northway just a few years after this video was filmed. I can say that the time I spent there was interesting, with interesting characters. Steve, Craig, Blair, Robbie, Shilo, Buddy (on the wrenches) and many more. Jim Johnson barged into my room one evening(bachelor pad rooms for the pilots upstairs in the hangar ensured you were on duty 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, but the commute to work was, easy. about 30 steps downstairs to the pilots office) and threw the 185 manual on my bed and said to read it front to back and then he would give me my float endorsement the next morning. He taught me many many lessons and many that would save my skin in the years to come as a commercial pilot. Did the floats checkout on Sunday and I began flying full gross loads north on Monday at 7am. In a few days, By that Friday I had already logged close to 40 hours on floats in that Buck 85! Jimmy always tried to push his young pilots to their limits, but it was always to teach his young pilots to know their limitations. And one day Jim watched in horror as I stopped in the middle of the Icelandic River, killed the engine, unloaded and dropped several bundles of Iko shingles into the water. He personally loaded me up one early morning way over weight to test me, but to teach me a lesson. He knew I would never get it off the water. After taxiing back to the dock twice to rid some weight I finally got pissed off enough to say "eff-it" so I stopped and chucked more weight overboard in the form of bundles of shingles. Jim pretended he was pissed off but I'm sure he had a smile on his face. That was Jimmy. He taught me well, and i never forgot his lessons about flying overweight. Thanks Jimmy , RIP friend. Good times but long long days. BN2, Beaver, Otter, Buck 80 and 85's, C206 & 207, etc. We all drank beer every single night up there. You worked hard, didnt complain, drank beer with the boys all evening, went to bed, then got up bright and early the next day and did it all over again. Week after week, month after month. A MILLION stories about Northway days I fondly remember. Thanks Jim for the job, the float ticket, and all your lessons. RIP Jim, Blair, Geiri, Buddy. Jim, Geiri and Buddy were like fathers to many young pilots. You are the last of the breed. You are not forgotten gentlemen!
When I was a kid up in South Porcupine, I used to go to the aerodrome on the lake and watch the Beavers and Otters flying in and out for hours at a time. Forty-five years later, I'm finding a renewed obsession with float planes. Great documentary. Thanks.
I was a junior ranger at The Kettle lakes park and we often went flying in the Forestry Otter .I was there for two summers (/62 and /63) and I am still telling my friends about it.I still have my forrestry green leather jacket
I loved this documentary! Real people, real stories, and classic footage. And the sound of those radial engines cranking up to speed...god....i can't like this enough. Well done!
Years ago I had a job to go to in northern British Columbia. We flew in on a Piper twin turbo Navajo and the pilot was an experienced bush pilot. When we got to the strip out in the bush, the pilot, a fellow named Jan, overflew the strip to see what we were looking at. It was a fairly normal landing until Jan found out the strip was glare ice and he couldn't use the brakes very effectively. As we skittered along I noticed a sign that said "Caution Road Traffic" as it flashed by. We almost ran out of strip but Jan did manage to get it to stop. There were signs that someone had not made it. Trees were knocked out and a sort of wide trail ended when you looked hard and you could see the tail section of some aircraft in the snow. We found out later that it was a woman pilot with a full rig crew on board and she totaled the aircraft. After we turned around and started to taxi back, we came upon a road and yes, there actually was a STOP sign. We stopped, looked both ways and made our way up to the terminal. As we approached the terminal a large dog came out of nowhere and started snapping at the spinning props. Jan kept saying no doggie, don't bite that doggie and I was starting to laugh. He shut the starboard engine off and the hound ran to the other side and started snapping at the port prop. Jan shut it down and after we determined the hound was friendly, everyone had to get out of the plane and push it the last 100 feet to a parking spot. When we got into the terminal, we called the rig on an old YJ radio phone, made coffee and sat back and waited. About an hour later the tool push arrived and loaded all of us and our gear up and we left for the rig. After a few minutes, we ran up on a STOP sign. Underneath it there was another sign that said "Caution. Passing Aircraft" and yes, it was the runway. This was my introduction into flying on a light aircraft in the northern bush...........
Brings back such memories. I was a part of that life early in my career flying floats in the summer and skis in the winter. I still dream I am doing it once or twice a week. Gets in the blood. Thanks
Hehe... You guys would come in at dusk and write "sounds like something loose in back of aircraft" into the log. We'd be working all night to figure out what the hell you were talking about and in the morning write a reply:" something tightened in back of aircraft" Some of the best years of my life :)
This documentary really took me back to The Forest Rangers TV show from 1963 to 1965, even though this was filmed in 1980. It was calming, with no over-production and music to drown out what your mind and eyes are taking in. Thanks so much.
Have spent many years in the NWT long before Nunavut was created and a number of enjoyable years in the Yukon. In the process had the privilege of flying with many very talented bush pilots. This VID should be called a Canadian Legend as opposed to a Canadian Myth. These pioneers were and still are anything but a myth. They are about as real as it gets and I would still fly with them anywhere and anytime.
Myth in the title is appropriate. Myth does not always mean untrue. Myth /miTH/ noun a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. The old bush pilots were supernatural beings. Many of their feats were beyond the scientific understanding of the time.
I miss Canada and the way it was it's not the same anymore and it seems the more time goes on we are turning into a different Country. It's a damn shame
@@SamSteeles that's their plan and if you dare question they'll label you a racist. Even when they're a majority they will still be called visible minorities and on what planet are Chinese or Indians a minority? Strange times. I'm not anti immigration but turning every small and medium sized town in Southern Ontario into endless suburban sprawl to house the hordes of people brought in yearly is insane. My family has been farming here for well over 200 years and there won't be any farms left in a few more decades. We have a government that says we must do everything in our power to combat climate change, if that is true then how exactly do you lower carbon emissions by importing hundreds of thousands yearly from warm climates to a cold northern country where you pave over prime farmland and woodlot alike to house them in shoddily built overpriced stick framed houses with two SUVs parked in the driveway?
What a great documentary. What a great way to spend your time here on earth. "Putting roads in places where they don't belong" pretty much sums up a lot of what is wrong with modern society.
Enjoyed the video. Read all the comments. Like being a fly on the wall, lots of knowledge with expensive tuition. The sound of the radial engine has to be one of the most addictive things I have ever witnessed.
Thank You! I've always had my favorite engine sounds. Like a favorite color your eye goes to, my ear also has it's favorits... even though I'm not around many planes I'll listen for the unique sound of the radial engine. Thanks
fantastic work, interesting how a great production like this can stand the test of time. Thankfully the bush pilot still exists today, although there arent many Norseman still flying. Still a few twin beech, beavers and otters.
The sentiments expressed at 21:20 about there being places that roads (and airports) should never be built are the ones I had when I left bush flying 34 years ago. Ontario Ministry of Transport got a bright idea in their head that every reservation in the north needed a 3500-5000' gravel strip. Communities that could withstand the occasional floatplane had no way of preparing for Austin's daily HS748. Muskrat Dam was a beautiful community with lovely inhabitants before the airstrip cam in. I shudder when I think what happened to it.
@@smartysmarty1714 I was in Sandy Lake a lot. At the time it was the first gravel strip North of Pickle Lake (our base). The road ended in Wiebenville (sp?) but I don't think there was much going on there. I miss the Pickerel.
For six months in 1984 I flew C-GIKN, the Bell Canada Beaver, based in the Bell site in Big Trout Lake. I've been in every reserve north of Dryden at least once and I totally agree with you. The Cree and Ojibwe I met in the very isolated places were the real deal. I hope things are going well for them. Each community had its own thing going. Summer Beaver was my favourite.
Why would this get 70 dislikes??? I grow up in Red Lake. Norseman Capitol of the World. Worked for Green Airways. We had 2 Norseman. 10 Bush Planes. Great place to work. RIP Bob and Jack.
For 22 years my best friend was a Navy Pilot. All we talked about was one day getting an old DHC-2 and flying float planes in the bush. He retired from the Navy months ago and is now going to fly for the airline. Why? Because he turned into a consumer. Obsessed with money. I however have lived in the bush without a lot of money or debt and stayed happy living the real life. He stays stressed drunk and in debt....
By great good fortune I got to meet Rob a few years ago on Vancouver island , it was a real thrill as when I first saw this I was a child in England. After 16 years I moved from BC to Austria but still one of the best memories was meeting Rob. Hope he is doing well these days.
I was in Thompson in 1963, It was thriving and growing full of optimism. I also flew with Lambaire and spent a lot of time flying with Cross Lake Airways in Wabowden - Georgie Dram and Harvie Henderson and Rod McNaughten - in Cessna 180, Beaver, Norseman and Belanca out of Wabowden. The Manitoba Telephone System radio network was our communication lifeline. Often would relay a message through a Hudson Bay trading post or a nursing station. Those were great times with a wonderful group of people.
I flew a mark 5 Norseman in the late 1960s at Slate Falls Airways in NW Ontario. Before that I flew Cessna 180s and 185s. One day the boss came to me to say " The Norseman pilot is leaving, you're moving up !" Check out was one T/O and one landing. My perspective changed. We always had a heavy payload., the aircraft was a ground/water hugger, nothing like the Beaver, always had to roll a float to get airborne. And in the summer time we could only climb to about 1300' loaded, and then the aircraft was ready to stall. Very challenging ! Most important was that I was in Canada amongst Canadians doing a job that I loved.
I love that plane so much! As a boy i always wanted to move to Canada and become a bush pilot. Later i had been a glider pilot and i had two passenger flights in Beavers on our stays as tourists in Canada. Love Canada as well.
My Friend Bob. Vickers flew a Found. ,a Canadian version of the Beaver He went down. In bad weather While he was hauling CAT parts , into Johnson Straits BC. Then I spent a winter in a Bell chopper with Trever Grimshaw on the. Leeard . River Then He hit a power line the next summer and died . Two of us rented a Champion no starter when the motor stopped It stalled out and we went down so fast it cranked the engine and started the trees were ripping at the wings but we finally. Got back to the airport The main thing is not to give up .
18:25 - 200/250 hour months !! Can only imagine the cycles. Up and down on short hops to log 250 hrs ! Transport starts to get on you if you push 100 hrs average per month …or the odd stretch of 150. Great documentary ! Didn’t fly much on floats but worked the YSF-Stony Rapids docks many years ago…watching him pump the floats brought back memories..and stiffness in my shoulders (:
Wow! THAT is a LOT of flying, particularly as a pilot. I flew on P-3 Orion aircraft as crew in the back of the plane and we had over 120 hour months. I was exhausted from them! The way too long post flights might have had something to do with it, but still 200 hours and over for a pilot is a huge amount of flying!
I also miss the Wasp junior. It was the most wonderfull sound after you had been in a bush camp alone for two weeks and the Beaver was bringing fresh FOOD. We actually tied the tail of the Beaver to a tree in one occasion to help it get up to power then cut the rope and walked over to the next lake 4 miles away. lots of fun.
The new electric Beaver of Harbour air in Vancouver has almost no sound at all. But it will keep the type operational for a long time.And yes I remember the sound as we waited for a food load in all our fly camps. The Wasp Jr was unmistakeble.
I really enjoyed watching this. Makes me wish there were still people in the world that operated on honesty and a fair shake. Now people in general could give two shits less about anyone, or anything. I feel displaced as well.
I disagree.!!! While there may be different motivations now and differing ways of seeing things most people haven't changed. There are still many honest and uncorruptable people out there who do care about things other than themselves . Look a bit harder and you will find them.
I still have an old Matchbox model kit of that Northway Aviation Norduuyn Norseman Bush plane unbuilt in the loft. Incidentally it is the landplane version of that type that Glenn Miller was killed in.
In 1970 ( I think ) I flew into Misstasanee PQ from Bridge lake in a Fecteau Airways Beaver. We flew in just as one of the last Norsemen burned to the bones at the dock. No on hurt but the plane was a skeleton in five minutes.
@@paulkoomen5262 it really is a good model kit. I built a couple as a youth. I will build the one I have some day. Thinking about it I may have the later Revell version of the kit too. When I build it I will put pictures on the Unofficial Airfix Modellers forum.
@@crazybrit-nasafan It was fun watching Jim and his Dad, out their taking the measurements for the decals getting up on the step ladder and all. I believe it was early spring time, when they did that at Match Box request.
"I dont think we have anywhere near the amount of problems the older bush pilots had..." We say the same looking back at him and his plane now - imagine what they'll say about our 'modern' documentaries showing our world now in 50 years!
Thanks for this fascinating forty year old documentary. Great footage of the old Norseman immensely tough airplane thoughtful commentary on a changing world.
I grew up in northern Canada! My late father was an heavy equipment operator then an airport foreman then an airport manager in the next and Yukon we lived as far north as Tuktoyaktuk and as south as Grand prairie. In Watson lake we lived at the airport which was located in if town on Watson lake so we had all the aircraft that landed on land as well as all the floatplanes landi g in our front window view! To a young by this was paradise! I fell n love with the Watson lake airport and still remember those days as being magical!
The only fire bomber Canso Buzzed me in my tower in Timmins Ont in July /69. It was under contract to the Dept of Lands and Forests. Crazy great !!!!!!! I will never forget that one.
I'll never forget the characters who flew those planes. There was Jim Barber a World War II Lancaster bomber pilot who had won a DFC. He obviously had been in some terrifying situations. He drank heavily but he kept flying for the company but they wouldn't let him fly passengers just cargo on a single engine de Havilland otter the largest single engine plane in the world at the time
There are a bunch of bush planes, but hardly anything that's amphibious commercial like the otter you see in this video. They do make the twin otter now but it's bigger and as such wont be able to make it in as many places as the single otter and beavers can. The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a good commercial bush landing strip plane however it doesn't have a float plane variant, not too say someone cant maybe put floats on after market.
@@Kev376 Cessna's Caravan is, as is the Grand Caravan, which I suppose is the advantage of developing a conventional airframe over a flying boat - you want a floatplane, they can get you one; if they only made a flying boat, and you didn't want a flying boat, you'd be looking elsewhere. There are many GA aircraft in fact, which are available as floatplanes; not that it matters everywhere there have been bush pilots, because in some countries there aren't such bodies of water available anyway...
Really enjoyed this! Hope this way of life is still prevalent. Certainly was in the 80s when I worked in Barrow, AK for a summer, flying to the north slope villages for construction inspection. Cessna 182s and Beavers were most common, though we were flying from gravel strips, not water.
Steve Wollenberg my little red Luscombe 1082k was flown up to the north slope and Barrow many times in the 80s (almost 30 trips to Alaska from central California by the previous owner Dave Rose). The stories that plane could tell....great stuff.
I think the BEECH Staggerwing was one of the most beautiful B/P I ever saw. Perhaps the CANSO was next. But I never flew in either. Just Beavers and Otters etc. These were the later backbone of history. Many still flying . Beaver were built new in Victoria for several years. They have just "Electrified one of Harbour Air's Beavers ( Google same.0 A new page in the history of this fabulous plane.
Lots of Super Cubs on floats in AK. Flew into Anchorage one time and saw about 50 of them all tied up along the docks. Most are privately owned. A great little aircraft. Sad when Piper stopped producing them.
@@tonybrumell8385 Happy Harry Sorenson had a Staggerwing Beech in pieces when he flew DC-6's for NWT Air. I don't believe he ever put it back together.
Had me thinking about being a bush pilot too! :-) I have thought about trucking too, but I am stuck in my life as well... kudos to you and thanks for your work!
I flew into the interior of Newfoundland 3 x with my old man and relatives or friends. Our mission was Trout - and what results !!! Twice in a Beaver and once in an amphibious "Otter ", I believe. What trips!!! The Otter was the best, But I always wanted to fly the Beaver. Worth the $ too. We went w/ tents and they built a cabin out of sheet metal and 2 x 2's . Even the stove !. Different days indeed in the early 70's.
Schefferville was where I hung my hat during the 70's .As development surveyor for IOC. Flew often to fly camps with Laurentian air. I tried to charter a DC 3 flight to Pangnertung but fell to short of the needed 24 passengers. I was told (or so my memory goes ) that there was a DC 3 on Floats.in Northern PQ. .Any one ever see this ??? I do remember a Canso flying fire patrol. WOW !!! What a bird.
This is an excellent video on the History of Canadian Bush Pilots. Yours truly will never forget the Sadlo Brothers of Kentucky who treated him to 2x different Bush Pilot Fishing Trips from the Cedar Point Lodge on Eagle Lage in Sunset Country Ontario (question: Is it called Southwest Ontario? / I think it is, but sometimes I have a brain fart, like now). Pat Hron of Czecholovakian ancestry is the head honcho at the Cedar Point Lodge in Waldorf (or is it Waldoph? .... another brain fart ... I am 62 years old and have brain flatulence). The company the Sadlos procurred was Wilderness Air out of Vermilion Bay, Ontario. Pat Hron, Jr. would always make the call in advance for the fishing group that would be flying out the next day. Certainly it was easier to fly out on a Wilderness Air de Havilland than it was to go on a drive out on some rocky muddy logging camp road, and besides Bob, the guide who took us out on those drive outs, was a nice guy, he just had something against Beavers and Indians that ain't worth repeating in mixed company. Anyway we always caught fish on those de Haviland Otter flyouts. Too bad Pat Hron, Senior a/k/a Pat Hron, Sr. was not there to see us fly back in but he's with JESUS now, like all good Czechoslovkians might be with Jesus or some sort of Higher Power perhaps, it that's what they choose to believe who am I too say any different? If any of you want to go Muskie fishing out of Cedar Point Lodge I have some bad news for you. Mike died, yes "Mike". Mike taught me how to catch Lake Trout on the bank with an empty beer can as an alarm when the fish hit the cut up sucker bait. Mike was with me when I caught that slimy dark colored fish that I can't remember what it's called due to brain flatulence, perhaps a Burbot. The burbot I think I caught on a walleye jig with a sucker minnow topping it off, the hook was through the head so the sucker minnow could wiggle and swim around and the weather was pretty nice that day, not too cold, not too hot, would have been better if it was raining but there was no rain that day. If you want to book a family vacation or romantic trip with your significant other or if you just want to go with your friends or play "lone stranger" just google your googler and get Pat Hron of Cedar Point Lodge. Oh Canada! What a great CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM. Only thing is it does not remind me of the FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM. If you are ever in Chicago, go to your favorite GANGSTER MUSEUM. If you have anthing against a gangster museum, check and see if there are any fishing convenition shows in which the AFL-CIO has not been engaged to set up the convention displays and if not then look for Pat Hron, Jr. and if he is not there someone will probably be able to advice you of an Elvis Costello & the Attractions (CF: "Watching the Detectives") Detective that can play SHERLOCK HOLMES and find out where Cedar Point Lodge and Pat Hron are sojourning, or where their point of sale marketing campaign is being conducted.
I loved the Otter, but the Beech 18 was by far my favorite. Smoother, better visibility, easier to dock, and you could climb away without having to lower the nose and build speed.
@@jamesstephenpeyton3305 Flown maybe 40 types over my lifetime. The Beech on floats was easily my favorite - flew it for 3 years. Never flown one on wheels. If you could get one on amphibs, I'd have one of those sitting in my hangar right now. Not too many of them left on floats, but there are a handful yet.
This popped up in my list to watch and I figured “why not”. So glad I watched it. Those were hard living people back in those days. Thanks for posting this.
my best friends parents used to own a float plane buiseness in Northwestern Quebec. In its hay day they had 6 plane's! Business was a boom'n,flying fire ranger's around to look for fire's, and customers being flown to one of the many outfitters that was way out in Buck F^€¥ nowhere lol. Only accessible by float plane until the logging company's came waltz'n in and not only clear cutt the forest, but made all these remote places only accessible by float plane became open grounds for everyone's use. Terrible tragedy in so many ways. Sure do miss buzz'n around in the O'l Otters(personal favourite) and Beavers. Nothing like the sound of a Prat& Whitney Piston engine roar'n down the lake lol
Being 70 now it's hard to believe how the world has changed. The freedom to be yourself is gone. Everyone has to toe the line set out by governments. Almost no privacy anywhere with drones, camera's which most everyone has. I guess I sound like a 70 year old when I was 20.
Gosh that pilot making those deals with the natives and all that stuff he has to carry manually. I bet by now his back is toast. I so hope he gets the proper doctor or chiropractic to help with back spasms and chronic back issues, but he's a pretty healthy-looking lad during filming. A bit older now no doubt but such a great documentary.
I love Seaplanes. My first ride my wife and I at time took was with Jack Brown in an Aeronca-S15AC Sedan on floats. We did something a Land-Plane doesn't do. We took off in a circle.
+Phoenix Mann-4501Trainman here,and thanks for the reply to my comment. The Jack Brown,the Wife and I flew with, was old Jack Brown,who started Brown's Seaplane Base here in Florida. I heard he was killed in a plane crash. Not sure what kind of plane. Brown's is still going strong, training Pilot's on good old J-3 Cubs with 85-90-horsepower.
+Phoenix Mann-My favorite,thing is to sit in the rear-seat as a passenger,while the pilot flies the J3-Cub with both parts of the door -open on the the right side. Sometimes they will come down and skim across the lake with their floats if the water is real calm.
Got them to make 1200mm square top lift skylights for my roof space, great simple and double as a balcony style opening too. Offer great solar gain which I pump through a heat recovery today 24c air being pumped in 19c bedrooms and 18c ground floor. Simple, nothing to go wrong.
As soon as I saw the word "myth" I thought "Is this video going to tell me that bush pilots aren't the cool dudes that I always thought they were?" Gladly I was wrong. Maybe it could have been called "Bush Pilot: Reflection on Canadian Pioneers." (jus' sayin')
I thought it was because they're just mythical creatures. Like the Easter Bunny. Everyone knows bush pilots don't really exist! It's just something your parents made up so you'd come in at nighttime, cos "if you stay out after dark, the bush pilots will get you"!! Well, that's what my parents told me, anyway. One time I was convinced I'd seen a bush pilot scurrying about just after sunset, making rustling noises in the bushes outside my window! Of course nobody believed me, but from that day forward I always made sure to lock all the doors and windows any time I heard a plane flying overhead, just in case. Because if a bush pilot catches you and stuffs you into it's plane, they'll never find you again. Not ever.
The title of this when they where filming it was going to be Canadian Rice Harvest or something like that, I can't remember what Norma Bailey told me so long ago its been close to 40 years ago.
Now THIS is how a documentary should be made! God, I miss these older ones with this beautiful storytelling that are as much works of art and examinations of the human condition as they are recounting facts. So much better than these shit dramatized things we have now.
+RADIOACTIVEBUNY pretty much sums up my feelings!
+RADIOACTIVEBUNY You are so right! Progress is not always progress.
Amen Brother.
Well said.
This is a documentary, not the bloody discovery channel with it's hype and repeated clips.
This documentary is such a treasure for our family. I miss watching my great grandfather Harry Guymer (Pop) pull up in his boat to pick me up to go fishing. Best summers of my life. He had a joke for everyone and loved the indigenous people. He was so proud of my heritage because he had so much respect for the work ethic and knowledge of the indigenous people. He loved to work directly alongside them and my Nan would keep camp. What a life!!!
I remember when this film was made, I was their as NorthWay Aviation's Chief engineer. And their was a trick keeping the flaps working on the Norsman. This was a Mark 5, You can see Rob working hard, to get the flaps down, with the crack in the roof of the Aircraft. He came into the dock one day, while they were filming, and said something too me, About what had happened on his flight in,and I gave an off the cuff remark, about it, Something Like you wanted to be a bush pilot. But the sound crew couldn't pick up what I was saying, and Norma Bailey came running down the dock, and asked was was I saying, so they could get it on film. But It never happened. The Aircraft was rebuild by me and a few other people. The wing were done by a local fellow in town, as that was a big job with all that wood. And also a very big challenging job and to do it right. And because we needed to have it back in service come spring time, we needed all the help to get it done. She then had the new registration put on. And it went from CF-GUE to C-FGUE. Match Box also made a model Kit of the Aircraft CF_GUE in NorthWays colors. It was a very challenging Aircraft to work on, to find parts to keep that bird flying. Loved every minute off it. It was a great and relaxing Company to work for.
Thanx for all the info! So what happened to the banker did he keep flying till retirement? When did northway get out of the Norseman? Too bad they didn't keep one
@@waterloofreak The aircraft was retired and never flew again after August 1994 according to the Canadian Aircraft registry for C-FGUE. The mark was then re=registered to a Beech C18S that was last updated in 2016.
The Nordun Norseman was and is one of the Historic Planes in it`s day and holds a place in my heart even today. Thank you for this piece of history. Well done video too.
I came to the comments section to find out what he was up to there. Every time they showed him coming in to land I thought it looks like he's opening a sun roof. I knew it wasn't obviously, but the thought made me chuckle to myself. Also, this is what I love about youtube, when you get someone in the comments like yourself who has knowledge and was connected in some way. Thanks.
very cool, thanks for sharing this story!
The National Film Board (NFB), the creator of this documentary has, over the years, won 12 Academy Awards (Oscars) on 65 nominations and many other awards for some of the 13,000 projects it has created which includes over 4000 documentaries and animated films. Bravo NFB, bravo Canada 🇨🇦
NFB is a national treasure that needs to be protected forever. One of Canada's gifts to the world. I saw lots of NFB stuff in school in the 70s; I wonder if today's schoolkids still get to watch NFB stuff?
@@rikk7041 I never did, Had to find it for my self.
This used to be my job. Every single part of it is true. This type of flying has satisfactions that are rarely matched in other occupations. You look back on a day's work, with pride and a sense of accomplishment, and a quiet ego-trip, that you have done something few others can do. It has its own unique rewards system, believe me. I miss it now.
Here in BC there is still a fairly substantial charter business in DeHavilland Beavers. So much of the coastal area is not accessible by land, boat or float plane access only. Regular supply delivery is done by boat, the flights are all charter.
My old man was a bush pilot in Northern Manitoba for 20~ years. The stories he has is unreal. It's a rewarding but extremely dangerous job.
This used to be my job also. Flying twin and single engine aircraft out of Thompson Mb for Northwinds. I hated it because of the abusive work environment, low pay and old tired aircraft with more than 10000 hrs on the airframe. We made 10 cents pr mile, often on call 24 hrs for 30 days. Medevacs at night, pressured to fly overweight for customers during the day. It was unsafe and not glamorous at all.
@@runeburdahl7141that sounds like northern Manitoba to me. Glad u made it, it's a hard job. One man's trash is another man's treasure LoL. That's a rough territory, socially and geographically. Most people are totally disillusioned as to what things are like up there. The situation is very complex and not like people see on the news.
@@UpgraydezThank you for your reply. It sounds like you have been there.I gave up after about a year. We flew passengers, coffins,medevacs, fuel and supplies to the settlements in the Keewatin district. The airline was owned by the tribal council. Anyway, as you say I am lucky to be alive. Mainly because I refused to be bullied by the management and mechanics. This is also the reason why I quit aviation altogether. Cheers from Norway.
I worked at Northway just a few years after this video was filmed. I can say that the time I spent there was interesting, with interesting characters. Steve, Craig, Blair, Robbie, Shilo, Buddy (on the wrenches) and many more. Jim Johnson barged into my room one evening(bachelor pad rooms for the pilots upstairs in the hangar ensured you were on duty 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, but the commute to work was, easy. about 30 steps downstairs to the pilots office) and threw the 185 manual on my bed and said to read it front to back and then he would give me my float endorsement the next morning. He taught me many many lessons and many that would save my skin in the years to come as a commercial pilot. Did the floats checkout on Sunday and I began flying full gross loads north on Monday at 7am. In a few days, By that Friday I had already logged close to 40 hours on floats in that Buck 85! Jimmy always tried to push his young pilots to their limits, but it was always to teach his young pilots to know their limitations. And one day Jim watched in horror as I stopped in the middle of the Icelandic River, killed the engine, unloaded and dropped several bundles of Iko shingles into the water. He personally loaded me up one early morning way over weight to test me, but to teach me a lesson. He knew I would never get it off the water. After taxiing back to the dock twice to rid some weight I finally got pissed off enough to say "eff-it" so I stopped and chucked more weight overboard in the form of bundles of shingles. Jim pretended he was pissed off but I'm sure he had a smile on his face. That was Jimmy. He taught me well, and i never forgot his lessons about flying overweight. Thanks Jimmy , RIP friend. Good times but long long days. BN2, Beaver, Otter, Buck 80 and 85's, C206 & 207, etc.
We all drank beer every single night up there. You worked hard, didnt complain, drank beer with the boys all evening, went to bed, then got up bright and early the next day and did it all over again. Week after week, month after month.
A MILLION stories about Northway days I fondly remember. Thanks Jim for the job, the float ticket, and all your lessons. RIP Jim, Blair, Geiri, Buddy. Jim, Geiri and Buddy were like fathers to many young pilots. You are the last of the breed. You are not forgotten gentlemen!
Flew a lot with Northway in early 70’s, pilots amazing.
4:20 dude holding the spike. Balls of steel. Guy with sledge - in the groove. No distractions please.
Hahaha! I was thinking that EXACT same thing. Talk about trust.
When I was a kid up in South Porcupine, I used to go to the aerodrome on the lake and watch the Beavers and Otters flying in and out for hours at a time. Forty-five years later, I'm finding a renewed obsession with float planes. Great documentary. Thanks.
I was a junior ranger at The Kettle lakes park and we often went flying in the Forestry Otter .I was there for two summers (/62 and /63) and I am still telling my friends about it.I still have my forrestry green leather jacket
I loved this documentary! Real people, real stories, and classic footage. And the sound of those radial engines cranking up to speed...god....i can't like this enough. Well done!
Years ago I had a job to go to in northern British Columbia. We flew in on a Piper twin turbo Navajo and the pilot was an experienced bush pilot. When we got to the strip out in the bush, the pilot, a fellow named Jan, overflew the strip to see what we were looking at. It was a fairly normal landing until Jan found out the strip was glare ice and he couldn't use the brakes very effectively. As we skittered along I noticed a sign that said "Caution Road Traffic" as it flashed by. We almost ran out of strip but Jan did manage to get it to stop. There were signs that someone had not made it. Trees were knocked out and a sort of wide trail ended when you looked hard and you could see the tail section of some aircraft in the snow. We found out later that it was a woman pilot with a full rig crew on board and she totaled the aircraft. After we turned around and started to taxi back, we came upon a road and yes, there actually was a STOP sign. We stopped, looked both ways and made our way up to the terminal. As we approached the terminal a large dog came out of nowhere and started snapping at the spinning props. Jan kept saying no doggie, don't bite that doggie and I was starting to laugh. He shut the starboard engine off and the hound ran to the other side and started snapping at the port prop. Jan shut it down and after we determined the hound was friendly, everyone had to get out of the plane and push it the last 100 feet to a parking spot. When we got into the terminal, we called the rig on an old YJ radio phone, made coffee and sat back and waited. About an hour later the tool push arrived and loaded all of us and our gear up and we left for the rig. After a few minutes, we ran up on a STOP sign. Underneath it there was another sign that said "Caution. Passing Aircraft" and yes, it was the runway. This was my introduction into flying on a light aircraft in the northern bush...........
What an amazing story! It's incredible the feeling I get when watching these older type documentaries. Thank you very much for uploading such a gem!
Brings back memories as a young kid growing up in Ft. McMurray in the 40's.
Brings back such memories. I was a part of that life early in my career flying floats in the summer and skis in the winter. I still dream I am doing it once or twice a week. Gets in the blood.
Thanks
and what of Sasquatch...and I'm serious
Hehe...
You guys would come in at dusk and write "sounds like something loose in back of aircraft" into the log.
We'd be working all night to figure out what the hell you were talking about and in the morning write a reply:" something tightened in back of aircraft"
Some of the best years of my life :)
This documentary really took me back to The Forest Rangers TV show from 1963 to 1965, even though this was filmed in 1980. It was calming, with no over-production and music to drown out what your mind and eyes are taking in. Thanks so much.
Yeah - now they couldn't make something like this with out a loud hip-hop instrumental soundtrack.
Have spent many years in the NWT long before Nunavut was created and a number of enjoyable years in the Yukon. In the process had the privilege of flying with many very talented bush pilots. This VID should be called a Canadian Legend as opposed to a Canadian Myth. These pioneers were and still are anything but a myth. They are about as real as it gets and I would still fly with them anywhere and anytime.
Can only agree with you; clearly the term "myth" is inappropriate here, don't know why the film makers chose to use it instead of "legend" or similar.
Myth in the title is appropriate. Myth does not always mean untrue.
Myth /miTH/
noun
a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
The old bush pilots were supernatural beings. Many of their feats were beyond the scientific understanding of the time.
@@studleyevernuts8925 Myth implies not true . Mythical gives the true flavour of the hard to believe stories.
I miss Canada and the way it was it's not the same anymore and it seems the more time goes on we are turning into a different Country. It's a damn shame
Right brother were now islamo/ communist/ Nazi but when they attempt we Scots Irish Scandia Vikings will fight and destroy them all.
79tazman liberalism is a disease. A mental disease.
The "new Canadians" are taking over. Soon us Caucasians will be the minority. We certainly are already in the cities.
@@SamSteeles that's their plan and if you dare question they'll label you a racist. Even when they're a majority they will still be called visible minorities and on what planet are Chinese or Indians a minority? Strange times. I'm not anti immigration but turning every small and medium sized town in Southern Ontario into endless suburban sprawl to house the hordes of people brought in yearly is insane. My family has been farming here for well over 200 years and there won't be any farms left in a few more decades. We have a government that says we must do everything in our power to combat climate change, if that is true then how exactly do you lower carbon emissions by importing hundreds of thousands yearly from warm climates to a cold northern country where you pave over prime farmland and woodlot alike to house them in shoddily built overpriced stick framed houses with two SUVs parked in the driveway?
What way was it? And, when?
One of the best ones that I have watched in many a year.
What a great documentary. What a great way to spend your time here on earth. "Putting roads in places where they don't belong" pretty much sums up a lot of what is wrong with modern society.
Enjoyed the video. Read all the comments. Like being a fly on the wall, lots of knowledge with expensive tuition. The sound of the radial engine has to be one of the most addictive things I have ever witnessed.
Thank You! I've always had my favorite engine sounds. Like a favorite color your eye goes to, my ear also has it's favorits... even though I'm not around many planes I'll listen for the unique sound of the radial engine. Thanks
fantastic work, interesting how a great production like this can stand the test of time. Thankfully the bush pilot still exists today, although there arent many Norseman still flying. Still a few twin beech, beavers and otters.
The sentiments expressed at 21:20 about there being places that roads (and airports) should never be built are the ones I had when I left bush flying 34 years ago. Ontario Ministry of Transport got a bright idea in their head that every reservation in the north needed a 3500-5000' gravel strip. Communities that could withstand the occasional floatplane had no way of preparing for Austin's daily HS748. Muskrat Dam was a beautiful community with lovely inhabitants before the airstrip cam in. I shudder when I think what happened to it.
open cockpit and -55* is a little hard to believe.
@@REDMAN298 When those guys started there were no closed cockpit aircraft.
@@smartysmarty1714 I was in Sandy Lake a lot. At the time it was the first gravel strip North of Pickle Lake (our base). The road ended in Wiebenville (sp?) but I don't think there was much going on there. I miss the Pickerel.
what plane was he flying?
For six months in 1984 I flew C-GIKN, the Bell Canada Beaver, based in the Bell site in Big Trout Lake. I've been in every reserve north of Dryden at least once and I totally agree with you. The Cree and Ojibwe I met in the very isolated places were the real deal. I hope things are going well for them. Each community had its own thing going. Summer Beaver was my favourite.
Why would this get 70 dislikes??? I grow up in Red Lake. Norseman Capitol of the World. Worked for Green Airways. We had 2 Norseman. 10 Bush Planes. Great place to work. RIP Bob and Jack.
RIP Sid CF-OBH
For 22 years my best friend was a Navy Pilot. All we talked about was one day getting an old DHC-2 and flying float planes in the bush. He retired from the Navy months ago and is now going to fly for the airline. Why? Because he turned into a consumer. Obsessed with money. I however have lived in the bush without a lot of money or debt and stayed happy living the real life. He stays stressed drunk and in debt....
Gods Of The Machine GOTM probably has a wife who wouldn’t live that life. Ole “ball and chain”
Young guy (22) should I do it?
A lot of pilots ended up stressed and in debt.
@faultroy Jeesh - who are you trying to convince?
@@sitruscrum Go for it dude. You'll never regret.
By great good fortune I got to meet Rob a few years ago on Vancouver island , it was a real thrill as when I first saw this I was a child in England. After 16 years I moved from BC to Austria but still one of the best memories was meeting Rob. Hope he is doing well these days.
I was in Thompson in 1963, It was thriving and growing full of optimism. I also flew with Lambaire and spent a lot of time flying with Cross Lake Airways in Wabowden - Georgie Dram and Harvie Henderson and Rod McNaughten - in Cessna 180, Beaver, Norseman and Belanca out of Wabowden. The Manitoba Telephone System radio network was our communication lifeline. Often would relay a message through a Hudson Bay trading post or a nursing station. Those were great times with a wonderful group of people.
Amazing documentary!! I wasn't expecting that at all. filmed in the 70's maybe? I wish more of todays documentaries were like this one.
Copyright 1980.
early 80, if I remember correctly.
Early eighties, though some of these guys were flying up there in the fifties for sure.
@@gh0st_0f_b0b_chandler Yes and earlier
I was born in the wrong time and place . I would rather have been an adult back then instead of in today’s world .
Absolutely excellent documentary. Early 70's You'll never beat them.
I flew a mark 5 Norseman in the late 1960s at Slate Falls Airways in NW Ontario. Before that I flew Cessna 180s and 185s. One day the boss came to me to say " The Norseman pilot is leaving, you're moving up !" Check out was one T/O and one landing. My perspective changed. We always had a heavy payload., the aircraft was a ground/water hugger, nothing like the Beaver, always had to roll a float to get airborne. And in the summer time we could only climb to about 1300' loaded, and then the aircraft was ready to stall. Very challenging ! Most important was that I was in Canada amongst Canadians doing a job that I loved.
I love that plane so much! As a boy i always wanted to move to Canada and become a bush pilot. Later i had been a glider pilot and i had two passenger flights in Beavers on our stays as tourists in Canada. Love Canada as well.
Love the "realness" of this video. A gem.
My Friend Bob. Vickers flew a Found. ,a Canadian version of the Beaver He went down. In bad weather While he was hauling CAT parts , into Johnson Straits BC. Then I spent a winter in a Bell chopper with Trever Grimshaw on the. Leeard . River Then He hit a power line the next summer and died . Two of us rented a Champion no starter when the motor stopped It stalled out and we went down so fast it cranked the engine and started the trees were ripping at the wings but we finally. Got back to the airport The main thing is not to give up .
Wow. Time to sit back and just listen. Fantastic!
18:25 - 200/250 hour months !! Can only imagine the cycles. Up and down on short hops to log 250 hrs ! Transport starts to get on you if you push 100 hrs average per month …or the odd stretch of 150. Great documentary ! Didn’t fly much on floats but worked the YSF-Stony Rapids docks many years ago…watching him pump the floats brought back memories..and stiffness in my shoulders (:
Wow! THAT is a LOT of flying, particularly as a pilot. I flew on P-3 Orion aircraft as crew in the back of the plane and we had over 120 hour months. I was exhausted from them! The way too long post flights might have had something to do with it, but still 200 hours and over for a pilot is a huge amount of flying!
Harry Guymer was my first boss in 1967 when I worked for HBED out of Flin Flon Man , lots of great stories and now good memories
lovely video. One of the few youtube videos where the comments don't call people idiots and worse. That says a lot.
+Chris Foote because ppl actually learned on how first nations get transportation, food, and goods
@@phoenixmann8128 First Nations have traded for thousands of years, only the methods of transport have changed...
Having grew up next to a Bush plane charter business I love the sound of those radial engines .
I also miss the Wasp junior. It was the most wonderfull sound after you had been in a bush camp alone for two weeks and the Beaver was bringing fresh FOOD. We actually tied the tail of the Beaver to a tree in one occasion to help it get up to power then cut the rope and walked over to the next lake 4 miles away. lots of fun.
The new electric Beaver of Harbour air in Vancouver has almost no sound at all. But it will keep the type operational for a long time.And yes I remember the sound as we waited for a food load in all our fly camps. The Wasp Jr was unmistakeble.
Great for my nephew who presently is flying in Northern Ontario & Manitoba
Float Plane never leaves a mark, just some sound a ripple on the water and its gone....
I really enjoyed watching this. Makes me wish there were still people in the world that operated on honesty and a fair shake. Now people in general could give two shits less about anyone, or anything. I feel displaced as well.
+Jason All I do not think you are alone there. I feel the same too. I think deep down we all feel that way. Well put.
Jason All - I wish that I could give you two thumbs up regarding your comment.
I disagree.!!! While there may be different motivations now and differing ways of seeing things most people haven't changed. There are still many honest and uncorruptable people out there who do care about things other than themselves . Look a bit harder and you will find them.
Sad that you feel that way dude. Life is what you make it.
22:14 Michael Scott produced this wonderful documentary before heading off to work for Dunder Mifflin.
A fascinating blast from the past and a perspective on the future, thanks to whomever uploaded it.
The NFB posted it. The National Film Board of Canada. That organization did a lot of work documenting the history of Canada.
Do a google search for Harbour air's Electric Beaver
My third time watching this and still like it.
Brilliant documentary. I've always been fascinated by bush pilots and as the previous commentator said, these older documentaries are first class
Great people and great documentary. Thank you for making it available for viewing.
brings many memories as a kid,,many trips to deep bush camps,, lost it all once,, about two minutes before we landed,,
Hell !! I used to "lose it all" every 20 minutes. The pilots wanted to put me outside. LOL
I still have an old Matchbox model kit of that Northway Aviation Norduuyn Norseman Bush plane unbuilt in the loft. Incidentally it is the landplane version of that type that Glenn Miller was killed in.
In 1970 ( I think ) I flew into Misstasanee PQ from Bridge lake in a Fecteau Airways Beaver. We flew in just as one of the last Norsemen burned to the bones at the dock. No on hurt but the plane was a skeleton in five minutes.
yes I also still have one unbuild also.
@@tonybrumell8385 a sad end to a great aircraft.
@@paulkoomen5262 it really is a good model kit. I built a couple as a youth. I will build the one I have some day. Thinking about it I may have the later Revell version of the kit too. When I build it I will put pictures on the Unofficial Airfix Modellers forum.
@@crazybrit-nasafan It was fun watching Jim and his Dad, out their taking the measurements for the decals getting up on the step ladder and all. I believe it was early spring time, when they did that at Match Box request.
Thankyou for uploading this - a great window into the recent past.
"I dont think we have anywhere near the amount of problems the older bush pilots had..."
We say the same looking back at him and his plane now - imagine what they'll say about our 'modern' documentaries showing our world now in 50 years!
Thanks for this fascinating forty year old documentary. Great footage of the old Norseman immensely tough airplane thoughtful commentary on a changing world.
Great documentary with quite a bit of philosophy about the past, the now, and the future.
This is AMAZING! What unexpectedly fascinating old footage, thanks for uploading!
I grew up in northern Canada! My late father was an heavy equipment operator then an airport foreman then an airport manager in the next and Yukon we lived as far north as Tuktoyaktuk and as south as Grand prairie. In Watson lake we lived at the airport which was located in if town on Watson lake so we had all the aircraft that landed on land as well as all the floatplanes landi g in our front window view! To a young by this was paradise! I fell n love with the Watson lake airport and still remember those days as being magical!
NFB thanks- thought it was boring as a child, loved every moment of it as an adult
Great documentary. They sure dont make them like this anymore. My pops flew a firebomber in northern bc
The only fire bomber Canso Buzzed me in my tower in Timmins Ont in July /69. It was under contract to the Dept of Lands and Forests. Crazy great !!!!!!! I will never forget that one.
Film made in 1980 . Mother's family been in Canada 200 years. Lived and worked in Canada 1984-6. Best time of my life. Great Country.
I'll never forget the characters who flew those planes. There was Jim Barber a World War II Lancaster bomber pilot who had won a DFC. He obviously had been in some terrifying situations. He drank heavily but he kept flying for the company but they wouldn't let him fly passengers just cargo on a single engine de Havilland otter the largest single engine plane in the world at the time
Excellent! But the bush pilots and planes persist to this day.
Bush .. .lol
There are a bunch of bush planes, but hardly anything that's amphibious commercial like the otter you see in this video. They do make the twin otter now but it's bigger and as such wont be able to make it in as many places as the single otter and beavers can. The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a good commercial bush landing strip plane however it doesn't have a float plane variant, not too say someone cant maybe put floats on after market.
@@Kev376 Cessna's Caravan is, as is the Grand Caravan, which I suppose is the advantage of developing a conventional airframe over a flying boat - you want a floatplane, they can get you one; if they only made a flying boat, and you didn't want a flying boat, you'd be looking elsewhere. There are many GA aircraft in fact, which are available as floatplanes; not that it matters everywhere there have been bush pilots, because in some countries there aren't such bodies of water available anyway...
You gotta go to Red Lake Ontario in the summer for the Norseman festival.
Hello from Red Lake!
@@charlesmattina3787 I have a close friend in Kamloops named Madsen . Yup !! From R/L
I am sure glad that there still good bush pilots out there today such good documentary
It is useful sometimes ''to walk a mile in somebody else's shoes'' Thanks NFB.
Awesome piece of history, I worked for them the very last year that operated from the Icelandic River.
Really enjoyed this! Hope this way of life is still prevalent. Certainly was in the 80s when I worked in Barrow, AK for a summer, flying to the north slope villages for construction inspection. Cessna 182s and Beavers were most common, though we were flying from gravel strips, not water.
Steve Wollenberg my little red Luscombe 1082k was flown up to the north slope and Barrow many times in the 80s (almost 30 trips to Alaska from central California by the previous owner Dave Rose). The stories that plane could tell....great stuff.
I think the BEECH Staggerwing was one of the most beautiful B/P I ever saw. Perhaps the CANSO was next. But I never flew in either. Just Beavers and Otters etc. These were the later backbone of history. Many still flying . Beaver were built new in Victoria for several years. They have just "Electrified one of Harbour Air's Beavers ( Google same.0 A new page in the history of this fabulous plane.
Lots of Super Cubs on floats in AK. Flew into Anchorage one time and saw about 50 of them all tied up along the docks. Most are privately owned. A great little aircraft. Sad when Piper stopped producing them.
@@tonybrumell8385 Happy Harry Sorenson had a Staggerwing Beech in pieces when he flew DC-6's for NWT Air. I don't believe he ever put it back together.
Just got here. A 1980 film that was engrossing to watch. Wonder what happened to pilot Rob Beauchamp? Many thanks!
I lost track off Rob Beauchamp, Even tried to find him when I lived in Vancouver.
he's still around
Ya ya know here in Minnesota it’s a must to have a good Beaver , Otter aircraft.. to get to the lakes .. just great aircraft.
I miss flying small aircraft.. I flew the 206 and 210.. Loved it.
There great planes in their own field 206 on floats where not bad at all.
Who ever did this documentary
Bravo. Makes me think I can be a Bush pilot too. But I'm a truck driver. And feel the same about my industry.
Had me thinking about being a bush pilot too! :-) I have thought about trucking too, but I am stuck in my life as well... kudos to you and thanks for your work!
*"I get a lot of satisfaction from what I do.."*
*Flying around in DeHavilland Beavers & Otters....no kidddding!*
"It was a moose..!" What a gem this video is.
I flew into the interior of Newfoundland 3 x with my old man and relatives or friends. Our mission was Trout - and what results !!! Twice in a Beaver and once in an amphibious "Otter ", I believe. What trips!!! The Otter was the best, But I always wanted to fly the Beaver. Worth the $ too. We went w/ tents and they built a cabin out of sheet metal and 2 x 2's . Even the stove !. Different days indeed in the early 70's.
Schefferville was where I hung my hat during the 70's .As development surveyor for IOC. Flew often to fly camps with Laurentian air. I tried to charter a DC 3 flight to Pangnertung but fell to short of the needed 24 passengers. I was told (or so my memory goes ) that there was a DC 3 on Floats.in Northern PQ. .Any one ever see this ??? I do remember a Canso flying fire patrol. WOW !!! What a bird.
This is an excellent video on the History of Canadian Bush Pilots. Yours truly will never forget the Sadlo Brothers of Kentucky who treated him to 2x different Bush Pilot Fishing Trips from the Cedar Point Lodge on Eagle Lage in Sunset Country Ontario (question: Is it called Southwest Ontario? / I think it is, but sometimes I have a brain fart, like now). Pat Hron of Czecholovakian ancestry is the head honcho at the Cedar Point Lodge in Waldorf (or is it Waldoph? .... another brain fart ... I am 62 years old and have brain flatulence). The company the Sadlos procurred was Wilderness Air out of Vermilion Bay, Ontario. Pat Hron, Jr. would always make the call in advance for the fishing group that would be flying out the next day. Certainly it was easier to fly out on a Wilderness Air de Havilland than it was to go on a drive out on some rocky muddy logging camp road, and besides Bob, the guide who took us out on those drive outs, was a nice guy, he just had something against Beavers and Indians that ain't worth repeating in mixed company. Anyway we always caught fish on those de Haviland Otter flyouts. Too bad Pat Hron, Senior a/k/a Pat Hron, Sr. was not there to see us fly back in but he's with JESUS now, like all good Czechoslovkians might be with Jesus or some sort of Higher Power perhaps, it that's what they choose to believe who am I too say any different? If any of you want to go Muskie fishing out of Cedar Point Lodge I have some bad news for you. Mike died, yes "Mike". Mike taught me how to catch Lake Trout on the bank with an empty beer can as an alarm when the fish hit the cut up sucker bait. Mike was with me when I caught that slimy dark colored fish that I can't remember what it's called due to brain flatulence, perhaps a Burbot. The burbot I think I caught on a walleye jig with a sucker minnow topping it off, the hook was through the head so the sucker minnow could wiggle and swim around and the weather was pretty nice that day, not too cold, not too hot, would have been better if it was raining but there was no rain that day. If you want to book a family vacation or romantic trip with your significant other or if you just want to go with your friends or play "lone stranger" just google your googler and get Pat Hron of Cedar Point Lodge. Oh Canada! What a great CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM. Only thing is it does not remind me of the FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM. If you are ever in Chicago, go to your favorite GANGSTER MUSEUM. If you have anthing against a gangster museum, check and see if there are any fishing convenition shows in which the AFL-CIO has not been engaged to set up the convention displays and if not then look for Pat Hron, Jr. and if he is not there someone will probably be able to advice you of an Elvis Costello & the Attractions (CF: "Watching the Detectives") Detective that can play SHERLOCK HOLMES and find out where Cedar Point Lodge and Pat Hron are sojourning, or where their point of sale marketing campaign is being conducted.
Oh how I miss cranking up the Otter on an early morning mist filled lake
"cranking up the otter" would be a euphemism in any other context. I bet you do miss it indeed. At least you did it though.
I loved the Otter, but the Beech 18 was by far my favorite. Smoother, better visibility, easier to dock, and you could climb away without having to lower the nose and build speed.
@@OneTequilaTwoTequila agreed. The 18 was so fun to fly but I never flew one on floats.
@@jamesstephenpeyton3305 Flown maybe 40 types over my lifetime. The Beech on floats was easily my favorite - flew it for 3 years. Never flown one on wheels. If you could get one on amphibs, I'd have one of those sitting in my hangar right now. Not too many of them left on floats, but there are a handful yet.
@@jamesstephenpeyton3305 Piece of crap on floats. Centre of gravity changed considerably and was almost overweight with half tanks and no cargo.
This popped up in my list to watch and I figured “why not”. So glad I watched it. Those were hard living people back in those days. Thanks for posting this.
The Beaver with pontoons, what a beautiful plane.
A documentary for the ages.
Where is place? I remember this kind of plane when doing commercial fishing back in the 80s and so was the beach craft.
Thanks for uploading, nostalgic good to watch.
timeless and still relevant
my best friends parents used to own a float plane buiseness in Northwestern Quebec. In its hay day they had 6 plane's! Business was a boom'n,flying fire ranger's around to look for fire's, and customers being flown to one of the many outfitters that was way out in Buck F^€¥ nowhere lol. Only accessible by float plane until the logging company's came waltz'n in and not only clear cutt the forest, but made all these remote places only accessible by float plane became open grounds for everyone's use. Terrible tragedy in so many ways. Sure do miss buzz'n around in the O'l Otters(personal favourite) and Beavers. Nothing like the sound of a Prat& Whitney Piston engine roar'n down the lake lol
Love seeing the Nordyn Norsman.
1980... wow, how times have changed, haven't they?
Agreed. If any "problem" has been fixed, it's been replaced by 10 new ones.
Being 70 now it's hard to believe how the world has changed. The freedom to be yourself is gone. Everyone has to toe the line set out by governments. Almost no privacy anywhere with drones, camera's which most everyone has. I guess I sound like a 70 year old when I was 20.
“With the equipment we had it was a little rough at times ... open cockpit at 55 below” ... wow back then men were men
Read up on Wop May's mercy flight from Fort Vermilion to ... Yellowknife, was it? Unbelievable.
Just,thank you.......always remember
Gosh that pilot making those deals with the natives and all that stuff he has to carry manually. I bet by now his back is toast. I so hope he gets the proper doctor or chiropractic to help with back spasms and chronic back issues, but he's a pretty healthy-looking lad during filming. A bit older now no doubt but such a great documentary.
Great stuff. Watched it twice in case I missed something.
I played Hockey with Guy Bochamp in Highrubberboot Quebec.
Beautiful video of a time that has passed.
I feel lucky to have flown a couple of times on an old Dehavilland Beaver float plane.......T.P.A. Kemano to Kitimat. B.C. back in the 80's.
I love Seaplanes. My first ride my wife and I at time took was with Jack Brown in an Aeronca-S15AC Sedan on floats. We did something a Land-Plane doesn't do. We took off in a circle.
+4501trainman fly in a de havilland beaver
+Phoenix Mann-4501Trainman here,and thanks for the reply to my comment. The Jack Brown,the Wife and I flew with, was old Jack Brown,who started Brown's Seaplane Base here in Florida. I heard he was killed in a plane crash. Not sure what kind of plane. Brown's is still going strong, training Pilot's on good old J-3 Cubs with 85-90-horsepower.
4501trainman
my cousin owns kitchi airways he has a cessna 206,dehavilland beaver and a piper j3 cub
+Phoenix Mann-My favorite,thing is to sit in the rear-seat as a passenger,while the pilot flies the J3-Cub with both parts of the door -open on the the right side. Sometimes they will come down and skim across the lake with their floats if the water is real calm.
+Phoenix Mann-I checked,and Kitchi Outpost is way up in northern Canada. I wonder how many months your Cousin can fly with floats?
Wop May was one of the first Bush pilots and was the first Barnstorming pilots
Treasured times, so glad I lived through it all
Nothing like 16 mm film stock to tell a story. Perfect.
Got them to make 1200mm square top lift skylights for my roof space, great simple and double as a balcony style opening too.
Offer great solar gain which I pump through a heat recovery today 24c air being pumped in 19c bedrooms and 18c ground floor.
Simple, nothing to go wrong.
I love the archival footage of the vickers vadette
Incredible video!! Thanks for sharing!
This is so Canadian - it hurts... Miss the same NFB commentator's voice from other similar pictures. However, this is how a story should be told.
It does hurt, eh? I'm too young to be sentimental. Something must be wrong...
I remember working as a forest ranger and flying with pilots back then doing fire fighting in Northern Ontario. Great times !
As soon as I saw the word "myth" I thought "Is this video going to tell me that bush pilots aren't the cool dudes that I always thought they were?"
Gladly I was wrong. Maybe it could have been called "Bush Pilot: Reflection on Canadian Pioneers." (jus' sayin')
I thought it was because they're just mythical creatures. Like the Easter Bunny. Everyone knows bush pilots don't really exist! It's just something your parents made up so you'd come in at nighttime, cos "if you stay out after dark, the bush pilots will get you"!! Well, that's what my parents told me, anyway.
One time I was convinced I'd seen a bush pilot scurrying about just after sunset, making rustling noises in the bushes outside my window! Of course nobody believed me, but from that day forward I always made sure to lock all the doors and windows any time I heard a plane flying overhead, just in case.
Because if a bush pilot catches you and stuffs you into it's plane, they'll never find you again. Not ever.
The title of this when they where filming it was going to be Canadian Rice Harvest or something like that, I can't remember what Norma Bailey told me so long ago its been close to 40 years ago.
Beautiful
Thank you very much for sharing
Lord, those pilots could fly!
an Elvis impersonating aviator at 10.53. This was from 1980. Still plenty of bush pilots out there