Show aviation in canada one of canadas Can adaa far flung trading posts prepared by the national geographic society washington D C the revised itinerary w of col and mrs charles A vacation flight to japan and china routed them over many square miles of practically unexplored territory in northwest canada much of the country they traversed between washington D C and baker lake northwest territories has been flown by canadian government air surveys and by aerial projectors the native indians eskimos and royal canadian mounted policemen of the hudson bay district have not before bad such distinguished aerial but the sight of an airplane cither in winter or summer Is no new experience to them i few people except those who have seen it realize the high degree to which northern canada has organized its air transport using water routes open in summer it has laid down a wide network of fuel and supply sta alons at strategic points all around hudson bay at convenient spots down the mackenzie river to lake ath abasca about great slave and great bear lakes and along the arctic coast and down the yukon these depots are set up now practically every als tract in continental canada Is within flying range of one of these stations in fact if you picture the canadian airways as linked up with the air net in the united states the broad statement Is true that given good weather no place on the north american continent Is now more than one or days flight from a railway it was in survey work and in patrols of her millions of acres of forest reserves that canada first used planes the first attempt to use a plane on a long distance commercial mission was made by an oil company to 1021 to meet an emergency it started two all metal monoplanes mono planes on ug from the railhead at peace river on a 1200 mile flight to norman on the mackenzie river the cr was vile blizzards with temperatures of 40 and 50 below zero alter bated with mild spring chawa pilots are resourceful one plane landing on crusted snow at sampson broke through so that a su collapsed and a propeller blade struck the ground but the resourcefulness of canadian pilots in a smash far from shops and spare part stores Is revealed in pilot german s laconic report on this accident march 30 will try and have new prop made here oak sleigh boards are available also some glue and a hudson s bay company man named joanson Is an old er we can use the damaged propeller as a pattern and use the catholic mission workshops here march 31 found glue borrowed some boat clamps eo that the boards can be clamped tightly together in making the laminated propeller april 15 tested the new propeller it works satisfactorily the amazing degree to which planes now alpe out miles and save time in canada was shown by flights and photography work carried on from a re on the north shore of the gulf t st lawrence from this stormy coast capt vernon turk koban son made flight after flight bearing rone and supplies over a moun coast line into the interior plateau he carried drums of gas air making caches at points far want from these deposits planes d operate even farther inland M grand falls on the hamilton T was finally reached then aft a day s flight of miles starting burnt lake photographs were ken of the falls and the next day e engineer photographer was back quebec having his pictures devel ped by sea and canoe the only other ieans of travel this task would have sen all summer 1 adventure Adren ture grim and perilous Is often e lot of pilots and passengers lent over the long stretches of apty wilderness which intervene between fuel caches camps or settlements et with perilous adventures ne party from a base on the in gulf of st lawrence was weed down by bad weather and had might on an unknown lake A eating log ripped the bottom from mr hall and the flying boat sank ng aside their clothing he crew 3 in tor the bhore thea made land toa any food or equipment and A in nt a weck macd in the woods w S 16 of the black fly season til rs were ans hot but the lh feeding cold two men bad iti ani ln the crash reached the shore rf alth the greatest difficulty B i ever in the party was 1 ettin wr who managed to ter hore wibb a hadd ax and a wa ant box of matches using bis e a rude shelter by ing rabbits in the woods and killing frogs with sticks the party kept alive lor seven days till rescued by another flying boat sent to seek them the search for the lost french flyers coll and nungesser in may 1927 nearly cost alie lives of captain rob inson and his crew they had flown along the north shore as far as the strait of belle isle then still full ot ice when a storm forced them down anchoring late in the evening in the shelter of a rocky ledge they curled up in their cockpit to await better weather suddenly the wind veered blowing n gale from the open sea their anchor dragged and their ship smashed on the rocks they saved their emergency kits made a fire on shore from the wreckage of their plane and cooked they walked miles along the beach to a lighthouse and signal station to report their whereabouts returning from a flight up 9 river one pilot brought with him an old indian when invited to ride the red man seemed in no way perturbed at the prospect he calmly donned helmet and goggles and settled himself in the front cockpit as if flying were an everyday act with him in a halt hour he flew downstream a distance which just previously it had taken him six days to cover by canoe on landing he climbed out stretched himself and said to the pilot bon canoll how much him cost that indian saw the advantage of air travel tn the north country undoubtedly he graphically pictured to himself what paddle work he could save for himself and family in their long annual canoe trips to their hunting grounds if they owned such a bon canoll flying in winter in north quebec flying goes on summer and winter on a january morning capt kenneth saunders dera chief pilot of the canadian company started north with an engineer and a hud sons bay company official on a visit to some of the northern trading posts unless one flies it usually takes six weeks of on snowshoes with a dog team to haul baggage to reach these wilderness outposts regions between posts are wholly uninhabited snow lies from four to six feet deep trails such as they are usually follow the lakes and rivers through a broken country of small timber when saunders and party left roberval the day was bright and fair but the thermometer was 25 below an hour up the they sighted the first trading post and circled to land on the frozen river either they struck a where a warm spring had thawed the ice or else an early fall of snow on ice had prevented a thicker formation anyway the plane broke through the men had barely time to crawl from the cabin before the whole fuselage was under water luckily they were ear the post and tom moar the indian in charge volunteered to walk out the hundred miles to civilization with a message he started away within halt an hour taking only an ax some matches and a chunk of moose meat he made the trip in the record time of five days sleeping twice on the second and fourth night in holes in the snow lined with balsam boughs and travel ing continuously the rest of the time meantime the canadians set about salvaging their plane they made a platform of logs around the machine on which to work As the water was not deep a tripod of poles cut from the woods was built over the aircraft and its wings were removed salvaged their plane seven days later a rescue machine reached the scene with hoisting tackle and tools the wrecked plane was moved safely to shore A tent waa erected around the front of the fuselage and the engine which was a solid mass of ice this ice wag chopped out and then a stove was lit in the tent and gradually the cabin and engine thawed out the metal propeller pro badly bent was straightened and the engine reassembled the carburetor though frozen in a solid block of ice for eight days again worked perfectly on the jtb of february the plane was again ready for flight accompanied by the rescue machine which bad made several trips to ferry in gas provisions and little gifts for mrs moar and her family on whose hospitality the crew had been dependent during the salvage operations it took off safely and flew back to rob northern british columbia ts as in accessible a country as can be on this continent cut off from the pacific by the panhandle of alaska with its coastal mountains and glaciers it can be reached only by the the peace or the alard aly ers and their tributaries tributa ries |