Jump to content

Toughest Place In Canada To Fly?


Recommended Posts

South-of-the-border: Yes, the winter was no fun up there. Spent most of the time sitting around trying to find an excuse NOT to go flying.

 

As Chas said, there were some bright spots in the north, though.... B)

 

Mr. 407 Driver, Sir. Let me be perfectly clear, and I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention - if you ever get the chance to work in the Torngats, take it. Fight for it, even.

 

Spend some time in Nain, and get to know the good folk there.

 

Visit the ancient rock cairn burial sites, the old Nazi weather station on Home Island, land on some of the oldest rock on the planet at Saglek (thought to be the oldest until the mid-nineties).

 

Wander around Hebron, the Moravian missionary post that was pre-fabricated out of wood from the Black Forest in Germany, shipped to Labrador, and erected in 1833 - miles and miles above tree-line. Very humbling.

 

Check out Okak and Nutak - two villages that were wiped out by the Spanish flu, as was Hebron, in 1918.

 

This place is not only stunningly beautiful, but it is steeped in a history that we never hear about.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 35
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

A beautiful sunshining day in Prince Rupert (one of the 5 in 4 1/2 years) We were flying back from the Queen Charlotte Island. I was seat belted into my seat (such as it was, with the old static strap seat belt that were the rage when the Goose was built.) My patient is on a portable stretcher and was tied down to a row of folded seats by the pilot who is used to tying in cargo for the Wet Coast. We were coming up the final inlet before Rupert, came out of the inlet and started banking right for the turn into the harbour. The next thing I know I am on the floor and the patient is suspended between the row of seats. I struggled to get the patient uprighted again and we landed a couple of minutes later. I got out and kissed the ground like the pope. The winds up there were incredible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Bohica, good one...

 

 

remember off loading my tool box at the strip in Makovic one wintery,blustery day, it was so stormy the Otter was blowing backward,we managed to get her tied up and the locks on, went to leave the next morning, the pilot said the stick felt odd, "the yoke was bent almost 45 degrees"... :o

 

almost as bad as off loadin one doz beer to see if she can get on the step dis time.. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, does get a little windy up there, don't it. I remember one night in Blanc Sablon, we'd tied the Otter down with a couple of drums on each wing and set the parking brakes. The next morning we found it had blown down off the strip into that low spruce off to the south side of the airport, drums and all.

Remember a couple of trips into YT. One night landing on 29, half a mile in blowing snow and the wind at 50 gusting to 67. Some kinda ride. Another day landing on 16 we were indicating 140 kt at 3000 ft and had a ground speed of 58 kt. The 767 ahead of us was calling moderate to severe from 3000 to the surface. That boy knew what he was talking about. :o

I always had the greatest respect for the guys from Yippie Yi Ay who did that day in and day out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I will throw my 2 cents worth into the frey:

 

I spent 4 years flying wheel/skiis in the straits, 2 years out of Sandy Cove and the other 2 out out of Lance au Clair, or Forteau Long Pond I think it was called at the time, I don't know if it is stilled called the same.

 

We had a number of interesting times, once at Forteau we had tied the A/c down for the night, with the forcasted NW winds overnight, but a big storm came in overnight, with hurricane winds from the east. No warning, so all of the A/c were parked towards the West, we didn't have any kind of proper control locks then, just using a rope and the control column for the tie downs. so when we got to the a/c the next morning one a/c was ok, the other one,mine, was in pretty sad shape, the ailerons were totally beat off of it. From the buffeting of the winds, they had been totally rippped right off.

 

That was pretty all interesting, but the amazing thing was how the dedicated people, like Mr Letto, (Ron Letto's father ,Idon't remember his first name), one of the locals there who worked for the highways dept, these guys worked 24 hours a day, and literally 36 hours at a time, working to keep the roads clear there.

 

I have pics of the 40 foot snowbanks that these guys were trying to plow/blow through.

 

More to come.

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of choice places I was into on a regular basis was Harbour Deep, that was always fun for us float or ski drivers. Anyone who has been there can tell you that.

 

Then there was all of the good places on the coast, Chorlottetown, Port Hope, Mary's hbr, Cartwright( spent 4 days for wx there once), Rigolet, Hopedale, Davis Inlet????????????????? Nain.

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...