Some fireworks

The 4th of July is known for fireworks in the USA.  Being a little north of the border in Ignace, we had had to settle for a different type of fireworks. 

Karen captured a rainbow and a spark show in the same frame.

The Legend

Randy our chief pilot has been with us for 23 years.  Anyone who flies with him remarks as to his skill and composure.  Randy has been piloting Otters for over 3 decades.  Not many “bush pilots” stick around bush flying that long and even fewer fly the same aircraft that long.

The other day while passing time on the computer we found this interesting story from a fellow in Mongolia.  Here is the link.

A "Floatplane" Story, all the way from...."The Gobi Desert"!???!!!

This fellow’s recollection just verifies what many of us know.

I had actually heard about  someone tying a Cessna 206 to the side of an Otter and flying it out of the bush many years ago.  As is his character, Randy never told me about it until I asked one day. 

We have been calling Randy “the Legend” for sometime.  This story just adds to the adventure. 

Otter tracks

Advances in technology continue to amaze and assist. With a SPOT GPS riding along in the Otter with Randy, we can follow a live ‘cookie crumb trail.’ Signals are sent every 10 minutes. This screen capture shows 4 of his 5 trips Friday.

Tying one on

Another segment of our how it's done series.

This boat is being flown from our Gamble Lake camp to Seseganaga Lake.

All our boats are flown into the lakes with the Otter. This is how it is done. The boat is tied onto the side of the Otter. We use Herc straps however ropes are sometimes used. Making sure the boat is secure is very important.
There are also certain conditions of flight we must abide by when carrying external loads such as boats. Of particular concern are winds and wind gusts. We certainly will not carry boats outside the aircraft when thunder storms are forecast for the intended flight route.

Norway to Antarctica

Quite often I am asked about our aircraft. How old are they? What kind are they? etc., etc.

Both our Otter and our Beaver are Canadian made De Havilland aircraft. The Beavers where first made in the late 40's. The Beaver and Otter were designed for bush flying and in my opinion, are irreplaceable in that role.

Our Otter C-FAPR was made in Canada, delivered to the Norwegian Military and served a short time on "Operation Penguin" in Antarctica. Randy has often wondered about the eggs that sometimes roll out from under the seats.

Our Beaver C-GZBR was first delivered to the United States Military and spent a few years suntanning in the Arizona Desert. It even went to school! It has only been on floats in Canada since 1980.

Here is a link to a site, you may find interesting, which has a little of the history of our Otter and Beaver.

Bushplanes in Northwest Ontario.

There is also a little blurb on this site about the old Beech 18 in the town plaza. Some old time guests will remember that we used to operate a twin Beech here in the late 80's.