The Beaver Ballad

The Beaver

The Beaver is the proverbial bush plane.  Personally it is my favourite.  I have been flying them for over 30 years and hope to be flying them for 30 more.

Engine off

The Beaver is known for its blunt nose.  Without its engine it is even more blunt (if that is a proper term).  We had the engine removed to fix a bearing problem and it will soon be returned to the aircraft and will be ready to go as good as new this spring. 

Spick and span

Not only do we take pride in our facilities, we do our best to keep equipment in tip top shape.

Loaded and secure

We are often asked what the “orange net” is for when folks look into our airplane.  It is a cargo net.  We use it to secure the loads onboard to prevent shifting and to keep the exits clear. 

Everything onboard must be secure.   Inevitably even after I ask that everything is put on the scales to be weighed and to allow the staff to load the aircraft, guys show up with pack sacks and briefcases telling me that they will hold these items.  I get strange looks when I tell passengers that we do not allow carry on bags.  We have no over-head baggage compartments, and even the major airlines don’t let you hold a packsack or computer on your lap during take off and landing. There are requirements that prevent this.  Rest assured, your bags are safe packed behind the net, and we do it for your safety. 

You can hand our crew your valuables and they will carefully stow them as required.  

In fact we actually encourage you to help load and unload the airplanes.  It is your stuff and we do not have a gorilla in a back room waiting to jump on your bags like the big airlines seem to have. 

Float plane safety

Flying off the water provides an experience slightly different to flying jets off paved runways.  I have flown many times in jets and notice that very few passengers pay any attention to the passenger safety briefings provided by the cabin crew.

On board our aircraft we give passenger briefings outlining emergency exits and procedures and it is hard not to pay attention when the captain is talking directly to you.  Especially if he asks a question or two expecting an answer.  Even so, much of what is said goes in one ear and out the other sometimes picking up speed in between.

Similar to the big guys, we also have passenger briefing cards available in the aircraft with the idea passengers would actually look at them.

I took my 15 month old granddaughter for a flight and even she enjoyed the briefing cards.  Nice pictures for her and if you are flying with us, great safety info for you. 

“Like” Us?

If you hadn’t noticed (see right sidebar), we are on Facebook! Click on the Facebook badge or here to check out the Ignace Outposts Page. If you have a facebook account we’d love it if you ‘like’ us. Someone on our ‘like’ list will win a yellow DeHavilland ball cap. Deadline is midnight Saturday, June 11th.

We’re on Twitter, too!

Must be a weekend

Yesterday we had a relatively busy day - lots of ins and outs with a busy Saturday the next day too.

Well, we manage to fly in some pretty extreme conditions but safety is our biggest concern. The extremly high winds on Friday made it a “hurry up and wait” day. Of course these winds were not forecast.

Once again the old adage “you’re better off down here wishing you were flying than flying and wishing you were down here” held true. Lots of card playing, and chatting in the office passed the time. I think a few guests even managed to stimulate the local economy as well.

We finally began to fly at around 5PM. We flew a couple of trips with each aircraft. Most groups were moved however a couple of groups were left in Ignace for the night and one group left in the bush. Our hopes were high to clear the backlog and start on Saturday's flying this morning. The forecast last night was good for this morning. Then we awoke to fog and mist.

I again ponder the question, "How can these experts determine it will be 1 degree warmer in 50 years when they can not be even close in their guess for the next day's weather?"

The toughest landing

When conditions are like this, landing a seaplane is tough.  Glassy water requires precise technique and skill. 

Landing on a lake with no wind is like landing on a mirror because there is no depth perception.  The pilot must have a proper rate of descent and use visual reference to shorelines, islands or rocks since he cannot see the surface of the water.   Peripheral vision must be acute.

When done properly, it is very difficult to determine the moment of landing.  No big clunks like on a jet liner.

Early morning flight

Some days through the summer we have an early start.  Last Saturday was one of those days.  Alone in the aircraft heading out to pick up a group of anglers from one of our lakes, the air was still, the airwaves were quiet and the view was fantastic.

Office in the Sky

Returning from one of our outposts, Karen was in the Cessna when we crossed paths. Being handy with the camera, she took the opportunity to capture a photo of my office in the sky.

We fly our guests over some of the greatest wilderness in the country in some very “classy classic” aircraft.

Sometimes the flight alone is worth the price of the trip.

WOW!

Even tho’ I see this type of view almost daily, I am still impressed. The Northwestern part of Ontario is magnificent to say the least.

If you haven’t seen this type of wilderness yourself, give us a call or send an email. We’d love to help you plan your Ignace Outpost vacation.

We not only fly you over this awesome area, but we’ll set you up to stay in it and experience the wilderness that only Ontario’s northwestern region can provide.

You don’t have to be a fisher to enjoy this area. Come relax, read, write, photograph, paint, create. The options are endless.

Norseman – from Ignace to Calgary

While in Calgary last week, I stopped by the Petro Canada Tower.  This is the tallest building in Calgary and the head offices of Petro Canada.  Hanging in the lobby is a Norseman aircraft.  In it self this is impressive but there is an Ignace Airways connection.  This aircraft was operated by Ignace Airways in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  Ignace Airways was the last commercial operator of this particular aircraft before it was retired to the Museum in Calgary.  Petro Canada paid for the restoration and then hung it in the lobby of their offices.

I know that at least a few of our long time guests have flown to our outpost camps in this aircraft.

Oh the joys!

October brings some of the worst flying weather in our area.

It is also in October that we have moose hunters out and are in the last stages of our season. It happens often in October that as weather patterns change, we encounter flight delays. On Sunday, Randy and I went to our Seseganaga camp to pick up our successful moose hunting party.

We had no problem getting to Seseganaga but had a small delay getting home. Hurry up and wait becomes a fall motto.

I waited on a small lake for a few hours and Randy in his wisdom waited at the Seseganaga camp with a nice cabin and warm fire. When the frontal system passed we were safely on our way.










As I've said many times, "It is always better to be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here. "

At least it wasn't snow. The snow delay came on Monday. And Tuesday brought a dense morning fog and heavy frost to delay us again.

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.

Office with a view

I know guys who spend their whole career chasing the prestigious corner office. Personally I gave that up years ago. I prefer the front office, left seat, a few thousand feet up. It's nothing fancy, no coffee delivered, the seat is slightly uncomfortable, no executive bathroom but the view is perfect.



One of the best parts of my job is moving into my favorite office for a few hours. I may spend a lot of time on the dock and in my land office, but this is where I'd rather be. I do get to do some fun stuff too.

















Spending a little time in the air over the greatest part of Canada makes my day.

















Even the view behind is awesome

















Dare I say, "Just another Day"

















There's gotta be some fish down there.

And NO! I don't see moose up here. Firstly, I don't think they can fly and secondly, if ever I did see one up here, I'd quit flying myself.

How it is done

A lot of what happens around here happens when guests are not here. Regular maintenance is of high importance with our aircraft. We follow stringent manufacturer's and government guidelines in maintaining our fleet.

Quite often I am asked, "How do you get the airplanes in the hangar?"

We have a lift cart which goes under the spreader bars of the Beaver or Cessna which lifts the aircraft up and allows us to move it with the truck. The Otter is too heavy for the cart so it has it's own wheels which attach on the floats and gives it mobility on the ground.

A pro at Work

There are not many Otter pilots in the country with the experience of our chief pilot Randy Winters. He has over 30 years flying float planes. Almost 20 of those years with us.

Here is a sped up video ( it actually took 4 minutes) of Randy sailing the Otter to the dock last weekend. When the winds are high it is often not possible to turn the aircraft on the water because it wants to act as a wind vane and point into the wind. Randy is one of the best. Here he brings in into the dock backwards and sideways. This skill is only developed with experience. Books just can't teach it. Those of our guests that have flown with Randy can attest to the fact that he can handle the Otter.

A visit from the Fed's

Transport Canada is the regulating body which oversees the aviation side of our business. They sometimes drive in to see us, sometimes fly and some times copter in. It is not often we have choppers land on our break wall so when it happens it becomes a news worthy event.




The Transport Canada Helicopter from Thunder Bay approaching to land.





The chopper down on our break wall.

This visit was just a little "hi how are you, we're still around" visit from the systems safety officer. He pops in once in a while to remind us that safety is a priority with them and we assure him it is with us too.

Little helper

It has to be interesting for a kid to see an aircraft being worked on.



Our grand son Zach is quite interested in the goings on in the hangar.



Marcel takes a little time to explain in simple kid language, an aircraft engine.



Sure beats watching TV.

A day in the life

Those who've fly out of our place over the last few days have seen a new little guy around. Our daughter Krista is visiting for a few weeks with her two boys. Jonas is only 2 months old so he doesn't follow me around yet, but Zachary is 3 1/2 so he is like my shadow.

It must be a little boys paradise around here with airplanes and other things to ride. He even got to sit on my knee as I taxed the aircraft to the dock.