I have to admit, I’m an aviation junkie. The four-part “Canada Above and Beyond” series that attempts to tie together our country’s rich 100 years of aviation history must have been a daunting task for its producers. Credit to them!

My biggest thrill was watching the “Conquering Geography” show, and in particular seeing Pierre Vallière and co-pilot Nicolas Drolet fly their Twin Otter onto and off of the unprepared surface of a barren plateau.

My love affair with aviation started in the early 1950s as I began to follow my Dad’s bush pilot career. His name is Robert, or Bob, but in aviation circles he was best know by “Moose”, a nickname acquired in the Air Force. During this time, he got to fly the Beaver out of Sept-Iles, Quebec. This was in support of construction of a 365-mile railway into virgin territory to the iron ore deposits in the Schefferville area. For its time, it was the largest civilian airlift after that of the Berlin airlift, and lasted into 1954. To push into the north like that, a dozen airstrips were hacked out of the bush in support to advance construction.

Another memorable scene was the preparations made by native people for a night landing of a wheel-ski equipped Twin Otter. Back in December 1956, Dad flew a wheel-ski equipped DC-3 to ferry winter supplies, including hay for horses, from a forestry operator’s base camp located at Lac Sainte-Anne, approximately 100-km NE of Baie-Comeau, Quebec. Trips were 100-km north to a Lac Caron. After an initial two days of daytime flying, while Reg Prévost’s forestry workers marked off the edges of both ice strips with trees and makeshift fire pots, night flying commenced. Of the remaining 13 days flown, the majority of it was logged as night flying.

Finally, seeing the sleek CL-415 water bombers in action. For the 1961 fire season, the Quebec government had acquired two PBY-5A Canso aircraft. Their captains were Ralph Lord (NB’s Premier Bernard Lord’s father) and my Dad. The following season, this fleet expanded to six Canso aircraft, all fitted with internal water tanks, similar in concept to the CL-415, as its earlier sister designed piston engine powered CL-215.

For those who would like to read more of this whole era, one author that comes to mind is Larry Milberry. He has written or co-authored a number of books, all well documented with photographs that make them a pleasure to read.

Flying is something that I wanted to do for a long time (since 16). Inspired by a close friend and Microsoft Flight Simulator, it took me 10 years to finally make the jump and invest a good sum of money to do it. Since then, I have never regretted a penny spent. It has brought such honour and joy to be able to say to people "I am a pilot". To my great pleasure and surprise, I completed my training relatively quick (though turbulent at times) and managed to walk away with Brampton Flying Club's "Top Private Pilot Award for 2008". My first solo, naturally was quite exhilarating on the Diamond Aircraft DA-20 that my club later sold - but I didn't undergo any of the collar-ripping-water-dunking traditions of my fellow fraternity. My only missed memory I guess. I strive to be professional in every aspect, and I hope one day to teach people how to fly. But only if my current career takes off.