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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0760.PDF
(Left) a Stranraer flying-boa; ice/i over the Great Slave Lake; several of these aircraft, remaining from the batch built by Canadian Vickers in 1938-41, have given faithful service in the area. (Right) "In the main the topography . . . consists of hundreds and hundreds of lakes." The photograph was taken from 3,000tt. BUSH PILOT'S SEASON . . . Summer meant that hours of daylight increased steadily untilthe zenith of twenty-four hours was reached, and as this happened so the work hours kept pace. At such time of year all the majorprospecting plans were put into operation and work carried on at absolute fever pitch in earnest endeavour to achieve as much aspossible before the more or less paralysing grip of winter and total darkness descended. Our first float work of the season, in conjunction with helicopters,was for a large oil firm at a camp on the Mackenzie River some three hundred miles below Aklavik. The banks of the Mackenzie(not unlike the Euphrates in both size and turbidity) were still lined with miniature icebergs when we landed, and the smallerblocks, which slipped as they melted into the fast-running waters, kept us awake by bumping noisily against the metal floats at night.One regularly slept aboard the aircraft—not such an uncomfortable process as it sounded, for one's sleeping bag was there as essentialsurvival kit, together with an axe and food—and, in some cases, a firearm. After about two weeks of operating in this area I was transferredback to base, where the more intricate details of float flying were instilled (a tricky business when one has to work an aircraft along-side a steep, rocky shoreline single-handed with the wind and current at opposite points of the compass). Finally, I was adjudgedfit to operate solo on floats. Some ninety miles north of Yellowknife is the tree-line, andfrom here to the Arctic coast the ground is a mass of rocks inter- spersed with innumerable lakes and rivers—country which meritsits name of "The Barrens." This area is flat except where esks (glacial deposits up to eight hundred feet in height) mar the surface,or where dykes, upheavals of the subterranean strata pushing a layer or two of its composition up edgeways, run like the GreatWall of China as far as the eye can see across the wastes. With the dearth of landmarks and the compass unreliable, navigationwas a nightmare, resulting in considerable reliance on the gyro compass. After landing, the technique was to cage this instrumenton a line between two of the most prominent landmarks and reset on the same heading before taking off again. Each lake wasinspected from the air for submerged rocks before landing; and in most cases a map was made to show any such obstructions,with a view to giving some indication of the safest landing and take-off runs. One of the biggest problems was to find a sufficiently flat andlarge area on which to pitch the two-man tent for the night, as the terrain was a mass of broken rocks resulting from the expan-sion of the freezing water in winter. Animal life was not very prevalent, although from time to time a herd of caribou could beseen, invariably shadowed by the odd wolf; and one memorable day a herd of eleven musk-ox (now almost extinct) was spottedfording a river, whilst on the ground the sic-sic—a species of ground squirrel—would inquisitively betray its presence. Ducksand geese which had migrated from the Gulf of Texas were numerous; but, surprisingly enough, ptarmigan were scarce. Insome areas the rock was covered in a carpet of moss and cranberry plants, and twenty-six or so varietiss of miniature trees presentedglorious colour contrasts to the blue of the Arctic sky on a clear day. With twenty-four hours' daylight, growth of plant life isextraordinary. At the settlements such things as potatoes and cabbages reach maturity in two months or less, and even straw-berries are grown out of doors. The possibility of bad weather loomed particularly large whenone was engaged on long survey flights—perhaps of ten days' duration. If conditions became threatening a landing was madeon a suitable lake; the aircraft was tied up, and one waited until the weather cleared—a procedure carried out so frequently that nothing was thought of a pilot being overdue by two or three days.As large sums of money were involved in the staking of claims, secrecy was essential on many operations; quite often, destinationswere not disclosed until the aircraft was airborne. Most of the light relief to the day-in, day-out routine of baseoperations came from the efforts of the various expediters of larger mining concerns and contractors to load the more alcoholic-ally minded of their human charges aboard the aircraft. Frequently the expediters endeavoured to ring the changes with the allowableweight, a fact which became pitifully clear when one untied the ropes, only to see the tops of the over-sized water rudders submerge.Canoe-carrying was the most unrewarding chore a pilot could have. Apart from the fact that these unwieldy loads cut down air-speed by ten to fifteen miles an hour the process of tying them on top of the floats inevitably resulted in cold, wet feet. Float repairs, fortunately infrequent, entailed a tedious pro-cedure of patching in icy cold water. If irreparable damage were suffered, or engine failure encountered, there was nothing onecould do except sit and wait. It was incredible to see the improviza- tion and ingenuity displayed by engineers doing major repairsin situ and with minimum loss of flying hours. It was easy to see how the activities of bush aircraft are openingup the Far North and generally affecting its wellbeing. From haphazard beginnings charter work has grown to such an extentthat the frequency of operation over some routes rivals that of scheduled airlines.I found the life of a bush pilot by no means an easy one. Hours were long, climatic conditions were tough and navigation was of akind which rendered many of the familiar methods useless. Now, when one almost has to seek Control's permission before lightinga cigarette, it is refreshing to recall the Northwest Territories and that individuality of outlook and operation necessary to cope withthe job in hand. INDEPENDENCE ON HOLIDAY "Caravanning and Camping for Motorists," by John Yoxall. Iliffe and Sons, Ltd., Dorset House, Stamford Street, London, S.E.1. Illustrated. Price 8s 6d (by post, 9s). CAR caravanning and camping are pursuits in which, more thanin most such pastimes, a modicum of basic knowledge can make all the difference between depressing experiences and re-warding ones. Once the beginner has this grounding, he can profit easily and rapidly by experience; there is no question oflearning the hard way. A most useful guide to the art is provided by Caravanning andCamping for Motorists, a practical manual by John Yoxall. His name will be recognized by many Flight readers, for until he tookover management of the photographic department serving all Iliffe publications he was for many years this journal's chiefphotographer and art editor. From the earliest days of car caravan- ning he has been one of its devotees, and in this book he putshis store of knowledge, accumulated in this country and abroad, at the disposal of others. The author confines himself to essentials, not wasting spacewith unnecessary discussion of remote circumstances unlikely to be encountered by die average caravan user. Generously illustratedwith photographs and drawings, the book deals with its subject under the following headings: —Foreword by the Editor of The Autocar; introduction; choosing a matched outfit; interior layout; design and construction; undergear;brakes, tyres and hitches; beds and bedding; lighting and heating; water supply; sanitation; care and maintenance; caravan practice; going abroad;caravanning clubs; the law's demands; tents; camp beds, tent equipment; camping practice; the Camping club; conclusion.
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