Bush Pilot Division

                by Bill Odell

 

 

 

 

              

                                                Lynn Lake

                Growin’ pains -We are opening another Trading Post, this time at Lynn Lake.  Several Beavers and Otters from Red Lake plus additional are on the way.  Everything you own is loaded on your Beaver as you head for your new home.  They say the quarters at the lodge are pretty nice and the meals great. As the new head man at Lynn Lake you are leaving a day early to get things ready for the other pilots.  New pilots will be flying up in

Beavers, also tomorrow and the next day they will be flying up with Otters as we adjust to the change at Red Lake.

 

                Re-assigned - You have been on a flight from Red Lake to Deer Lake when you hear about being re-assigned to Lynn Lake over the COM.  Leaving Deer Lake you head back to Red Lake to get your gear together and loaded on board the Otter, you will be bringing to Lynn Lake in the morning..  Sure hope they didn’t stick you with the worst living conditions because you are the last to arrive and weren’t there to pick a site.  Oh well, let’s get going.

 

               

 

Flight Board

                                __________________________________________________________________

Aircraft                 From      To                                           Remarks

                                __________________________________________________________________

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CZWH                   Supplies for the Indian Community

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CYBQ                     3 Fisherman and gear - cargo on return

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CYTH                     Mail + Cargo , 2 passengers and equipment on return

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CZWL                    Outpost supplies, bring 3 fisherman on return

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CZWL-CYKC-CYNL-CLHC-CJW7-KR8-CYYL Medical support flight. (Wntr)

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CYGX                     Cargo + mail, cargo + mail

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CZLQ                     Outpost supplies + mail

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CYAX                    Couple of hunters

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CZFG                      Water purification equipment

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CJE4                       Mining equipment

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CYBT                     Bow hunters

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CZSN                     Supplies for the Indian community

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CYCR                     4 passengers for Healey’s Lodge

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CYQD

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CJY4                       Supplies for the Indian community

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CYNE

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CYLR                      Supplies for Copper Mine

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CJR3                       Mine supplies

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CKL4                      Mine supplies

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CJW4                     Supplies for the Deer farm 

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CYYQ                     Air Freight

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CZJG                      Equipment for the Waste Water Treatment Plant

 DHC-3                   CYYL      CYFO                    

 DHC-2                   CYYL      CJT4                       Supplies for the Trading Post

 

 

Now get on with Flying from Lynn Lake

 

 

                Lac Brochet - The first flight out of Lynn Lake is a DHC-2 load of supplies for the Indian community at Lac Brochet.  The weather is snowing,, light wind from 99E and scattered clouds.  Taking off in a cross wind on 17 we pick up a heading of 341E for Lac Brochet.  Our departure was 0940.  As we proceed northwest the snow lightens but the cloud cover thickens so we will stay under the clouds at 4500’.  A check with Lac Brochet radio and they advise using runway 20.  The elevation at Lac Brochet is 1211'.  Setting up our approach we turn to our down wind leg.  It had to happen, just as we turn base it starts to snow again.  Turning final, have the runway, just a little cross wind from the right, a gentle touch of the rudder pedal corrects.  On the ground.

 

                We load up cargo, mostly from the native population for the Trading Post at Lynn, taxi back to the end of the runway for our takeoff and head home.  Still snowing but shouldn’t be a problem.   Turning into a beautiful day, with very light winds.  After takeoff off on 20, turn on course, climbing to 3500'.   The lakes look pretty with the sun reflecting off of them.  That’s Brochet strip off to the right, probably go there in a day or so.   Time to set up our approach, Lynn advises runway 17, so lets turn to our base leg.  Turning final and have the runway in sight.

 

                Tadoule Lake - Looking at the board you see you are written in for two flights tomorrow, the first is an Otter flight to Tadoule Lake and when you get back another Otter flight to Thompson.  We will be taking four fisherman to one of the camps at Tadoule Lake along with their gear and a cargo load that will just about fill up the plane (How can you have fun fishing in the winter - ugh!).  There is a large load of cargo from the Reserve for the return flight.

 

                Thompson - There is an Otter load of cargo and mail for the mine operators at Thompson.   We show a full cargo load of mining equipment for repair on the return flight to be trans -shipped to Winnipeg

 

                Wollaston Lake - You have a Beaver flight to Wollaston Lake with a full load of supplies to the outpost.  They have 3 fishermen for the return; they have been waiting for someone else to pick them up for days, but no show.              

               

                Medical support flight - Medical care for the Indian and Eskimo population is provided by teams of Doctors and Nurses who visit them at the outposts or reserves and set up a clinic.  There are many of these outposts or reserves that are only accessible by air.  To meet this need the teams will fly to these remote locations on a monthly basis.  A team from Thompson General Hospital, Thompson, Manitoba, is en-route to Lynn Lake in a Land Rover after visiting several outposts that were accessible by vehicle. They will attend to the few natives that are at Lynn Lake and spend the night at the lodge leaving on their charter flight with Bush Pilots.

 

                You will be flying them on that flight.  Your route will be: CYYL -CZWL-CYKC-CYNL-CLJ4-CJW7-KR8-CYYL.  The flight is planned to take from 3 to 4 days but might be longer due to winter fog delays.  Conditions at the outposts and reserves might be frugal so pack enough clothing and take your camp equipment, as you surely will have to camp out a time or two.

 

                The personnel, amount of equipment and supplies, plus gas cans for your reserve will require the DHC-3.  See you on the flight line in the morning.  Plan your flight for a dawn departure.

 

                We depart Lynn Lake at dawn, heading for Wollasten Lake where a small Indian community awaits your plane; they have several fairly sick children.  In a matter of minutes the Doctor and Nurse are set up and ready to examine.  The Indians are familiar with the procedures and wait very patiently for their turn.  Every one examined and medications dispensed, we hop back in the plane for Collins Bay.  A lot more natives wait here and this will take a little time.  Fog starts to settle in, this is going to create problems for our departure.  Rather than waste time, the Doctor, with the delay, decides to quickly examine some of the other natives who don’t claim to be sick.  Good thing as several were caught early and taken care of, preventing an illness.  Fog still hanging on, a quick call to Points North Landing to check on conditions there.  All fogged in so we will camp out and get an early start in the morning.  Lets go fishing and see if we can catch supper.

                Morning and all clear so off we go for Points North Landing, where a large number of sick have been waiting for us.  After our arrival and a study of the number of sick, it is decided that we will only be able to do Hidden Bay after we leave here and we will camp out there for the night.

 

                Morning and fog arrive.  Well lets examine some of the healthy people and see if we prevent an illness or two, you are enjoying the chance to help the doctor.  Cigar Lake is not that far but it is a tricky approach due to difficulty in seeing the strip. After treating all the sick at Cigar Lake we hop to Mc Arthur River, our last stop on this trip.  They have natives that have come in from the outlying areas and will take quite a few hours to get to see them all.  A check on the weather indicates that we are staying here tonight and maybe a late departure in the morning back to Lynn Lake.  You lucky son of a gun, you have had a great time fishing and caught some beautiful Wall Eyes.

 

                Another late departure and we are off for Lynn Lake to compete the first monthly trip.  It will be a lot colder next month and you will enjoy <G> camping out again, waking to frozen water in your wash pan (I did this daily for two years) and the huddle around the campfire keeping warm while the coffee brews.  Ah - the Great Life! 

 

 

                Lucky you though, you had a vacation, camping and fishing, sitting around the campfire, how nice, now back to work. You have an Otter load of freight for York Landing and Gillam and a good load back to Lynn.  No time to waste lets get loaded and on your way.

 

                York Landing - The Otter is loaded with freight for Silver Moose Lodge, at York and the Hydro Electric plant at Gillam.  Based on the size of the loads, fly to York Landing on the way out, after off-loading at York, load up the small amount of Lynn freight that they have.  This means juggling some freight around to get the Gillam load near the door for the return, but it saves a landing.

 

                Thicket Portage - Take the Beaver, loading the outpost supplies and mail for this little community of about two hundred.  This is where they portage between Landing Lake and Wintering Lake.

 

                Best

                Bill Odell

                wradodel@tampabay.rr.com