A couple of days ago a Twin Otter float plane went down in Yellowknife. The two pilots were killed but, at last notice to me, all passengers had survived and were being treated in Yellowknife or in Edmonton (hundreds of miles to the south). I did not know these guys but I have used this company occasionally in the past.
In frontier areas bush planes are the interstates of commerce for much of the year. Until freeze-up, planes bring in ALL supplies to my camp. These pilots are the most vital link that keeps commerce going in the frontier. They fly in conditions that other pilots often don't understand. Up here, dead reckoning navigation is as common as air traffic control. Pilots often do their own aircraft maintenance and repairs at isolated bush strips. Bush planes are the cars and trucks of the north - very few roads exist and distances are huge.
To me, these guys are heroes. I'll be thinking about these two pilots for quite a while.
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last commentRIP, brave men of the frontier.
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Tip of the hat to those pilots-as brave as the World War 2 pilots-who lived and worked in extreme conditions-case in point: The PBY "Black Cat" pilots, who basically lived in the jungle, flying between bouts of malaria in large planes that topped out at 100 m.p.h.
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RIP, prayers to their families.
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Sorry to hear about this, Art. I hope the pilots had life insurance so their families are taken care of. Even then it's pretty tough to grow up without a dad or to be a single parent.
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I thought this thread was going to be about porkin' caribou.
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And not to be a complete dick, I do feel for their families and appreciate the work they did.
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Another Twin Otter crash yesterday in NWT - Air Tindi, a company I use very often. The pilot (whom I knew) and a passenger killed, two survivors. This is the fourth fatal crash in the North this calendar year. I am leaving the bush on Saturday for a week-long business trip down south. Even with all the crashes in the North this year I am still more nervous getting on a 737 or A-310 than I am when boarding an old DC-3 or Beaver or Twin Otter.
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I've flown on a DC-3 held together with duct tape. It's a fine old bird, but old. I'd rather fly on a new one, but to each his own. Sorry to hear of another crash up there, Art. Take care.
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Doc_Holliday
09/25/11 9:06 PM
And not to be a complete dick,
^^
you're that and a p.o.s. cocksucker too!
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