The Great Arctic Air Adventure Blog

As a pilot, I’ve often wondered what it takes to earn a really cool “handle” like the guys in the1986 movie Top Gun, who went by Maverick, Iceman and Goose. See, I’m originally from California, where what you do is way less cool then how you look and sound while you’re doing it. I mean, come on, if Major Boyington of the Black Sheep Squadron had gone by Gregory instead of “Pappy”, would his legacy have entertained us all in the TV series Baa Baa Black Sheep? If a beagle had shot down Manfred von Richthofen, instead of Snoopy shooting down “The Bloody Red Baron”, would the song have become a top 40 hit? I think not.

So it was with no little curiosity that we today met Russ “Buzz” Bannock, the first pilot to fly the legendary Beaver, hoping that he could unlock the mystery of how to procure a cool moniker. At the age of 88, Buzz has not lost a step, and in his articulate yet humble manner enthralled us as he told the story of a life well lived. Born in the northern city of Edmonton in 1919, by 1940 he had received his pilot’s wings in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After serving as an Instructor and Ferry Pilot, Bannock was transferred to RCAF Squadron No. 418, flying intruder missions over Europe with the de Havilland Mosquito Mk VI fighter-bomber. By April 1945, Bannock had destroyed 11 enemy aircraft, damaged 4 more, and destroyed 19 V-1 buzz bombs, leading to the award of the Distinguished Service Order. In 1945, Bannock became Director of Operations, RCAF Overseas Headquarters.

“Buzz” joined de Havilland in 1946, and in 1947 flew the Beaver prototype for the first time. The initial flight went well, until he noticed that the oil pressure had dropped to zero, precipitating a successful “dead stick” landing on the first flight. Not to worry – a quick check revealed an improperly installed valve, and flight testing continued that afternoon.

Note to Doug and Mark: maybe this pilot nickname thing takes a little more “go” then “show”. Hmmm…, I wonder if the USAF is looking for a couple of middle-aged pilots with poor eyesight, slow reflexes, and a little experience bouncing seaplanes though the Arctic.

We spent a good part of the morning touring the hallowed grounds at Downsview, where the first Beavers were built. The original building is still standing, and now houses the Toronto Aerospace Museum. As we walked through this part of aviation history, we could almost hear the sound of the rivet guns popping as the first Beaver was put together in a matter of months. Odd, how back then, without computer aided design, enterprise management software, and the vast resources of the internet, they were able to accomplish in a matter of months what now takes years. When queried about this, Russ opined that in the wake of the huge production rates during the war, the future of de Havilland Canada was anything but assured as they faced the uncertainty of post-war civilian production. This situation focused the talented team to produce a great plane in a very short period of time as a matter of economic survival.

In the afternoon, we were treated to a tour of the Bombardier plant by Mr. Lance Kessler. Bombardier, the successor to de Havilland Canada, continues the legacy by building some of the world’s most respected aircraft, including the popular Dash 8 turboprop, CRJ regional jet, and the Global Express, luxury yacht of the skies. Over the last fifty years, the planes have become bigger, faster, and more comfortable, but common elements still remain from the days of yore. In the final analysis, the 100 MPH Beaver and the 600 MPH Global Express are both constructed from aluminum wings, fuselages, and stabilizers, all held together by thousands of hand driven rivets. Rosie-the-Riveter lives on at Bombardier Aerospace.

The good folks here in Toronto have been very supportive of our little adventure, as underscored by the articles published in The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star, replete with pictures of us landing in Toronto Harbor. Does this recognition count towards the cool nickname thing?

Our shout-outs today go to Paul Cabot from the Toronto Aerospace Museum for opening up his fine museum, Ken Swartz for putting this whole thing together, and Lance Kessler for an insightful tour of the Bombardier Aerospace Facility.

Much more to tell, but we’ll wrap it up in tomorrow night’s BLOG – Toronto Part II.

Doug & the GAAA Team

When you plan an undertaking such as The Great Arctic Air Adventure, you try to imagine every possible scenario that may play out, and then try to prepare as best you can for the unexpected. I must say that thanks in large part to Doug’s excellent foresight and attention to detail, our contingency plans have adequately addressed most situations.

So what are the surprises on this adventure? For me, the biggest surprise has been the warm and enthusiastic welcomes extended to us by virtually all that we have met along the way. From outfitters in the Yukon and air taxi operators in the Northwest Territories, to villagers and RCMP Constables in Nunavut, from base managers in Labrador and Beaver pilots in Quebec, to Fly-in organizers in Maine and museum curators in Ottawa, we have been greeted and treated, entertained and transported. It is gratifying and encouraging to hear from people all across Canada and the US who write in on our blog, or to meet those that have been following our progress, or to meet those that know nothing of our adventure but still offer a friendly welcome. While headwinds and foul weather wear us out, warm smiles, kind words, and helping hands have energized us.

Today was no exception. It started with perhaps the most knowledgeable man on the planet when it comes to the whereabouts of the flying Beaver fleet, Neil Aird. (See DHC-2.com.) Neil is a retired jeweler from Kingston, Ontario who has been a Beaver fan all his life. He has traveled around the world tracking down the location and history of most of the Beavers still in service. Beaver owners and historians are constantly updating his website with photographs and information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from every corner of the globe. Neil got up early to make the three hour drive to the Rockcliff Seaplane Base to talk with us and see us off. Neil is a gracious and fascinating man. We encourage anyone with even a passing interest in the legendary plane to check out his website or contact him. Thank you, Neil for making the drive. Meeting you was a great thrill for both of us.

After the short hop to Constance Lake SPB (CNQ5 for Steve and the MS FlightSim guys…..no wind, 18d. C, glassy water) we were met by the co-proprietor of The Constance Lake Lodge, Silvia Haddad (www.constancelake.com). This beautiful quiet lake, located just a few miles from downtown Ottawa offers excellent bass and pike fishing. Silvia has clean cabins and a fine restaurant. She provided us 100 low lead and fresh coffee. We enjoyed talking to her daughter, Brigette (a seaplane pilot now living in Portland, OR) along with articulate and inquisitive 4 year old Chloe. Thank you all for the hospitality.

En route to Toronto, we flew over the famed Thousand Islands Region of the St. Lawrence River. This amazing stretch of the river dotted with over a thousand islands (we didn’t count) between Ontario and the State of New York features an island community of sprawling estates and 200 year old castles accessible only by boat or seaplane. It was an enjoyable and relaxing flight up the St. Lawrence to the wide open waters of Lake Ontario, our first of the Great Lakes. The leg was prolonged by the ever present headwinds, with ground speeds averaging around 75 knots. (For those of you keeping track, we have only flown THREE legs with a tail wind. Our last segment will be against the prevailing westerlies. How does that happen? The Arctic can be cruel.)

As we approached the Toronto City Centre Seaplane Base (CPZ9: Winds 220 @ 14 gusts 19 with rollers and confused seas due to boat wakes……perfect.) things began to pick up. At 10 miles out as Toronto Terminal Control handed us off to the Toronto City Centre Tower controller, a CTV news helicopter requested permission to fly in formation with us to the harbour. As we circled to land, he broke off to hover low above the bay to capture our landing with the spectacular backdrop of the towering Toronto skyline right there. It was a difficult landing with all the boats in the harbour and gusty winds. We apologize to the photographers in the police boat who were unable to get the pictures they wanted. It simply was not safe to land in that area. Thank you to the Toronto Harbour Police for making their boat available.

As we taxied in to the seaplane base, the ground controller asked if we were rock stars with the TV helicopter escort and all. One is not sure how to respond. Having a TV helicopter record your landing, similar to having a black car meet you at the dock, or having an RCMP Constable waiting for you on the beach, could be a good thing, or it could be a bad thing. One’s mind begins to race. What Transport Canada Regulation did I violate? Did we forget to pay a fuel bill someplace? We knew that our friend, Kenneth Swartz of the Toronto Aerospace Museum was trying to line up some press to meet us, but we didn’t know what to expect. Fortunately, it was another warm reception.

With Paul of the TransCapital FBO directing, Doug made one of the finest rampings I’ve seen in 67DN. Thank you Paul for all of your efforts to get the two Beavers secure.

Hopping down on the ramp we were happily reunited with cameraman, Jim Clark, who hasn’t shaved his beard since his escape from stormy Coral Harbour. We also welcomed new team members Rick Anthony and Doug Nelson, bearing gifts from home in Kenmore. We said a hasty good bye to our phenomenal film maker Eric Thiermann, who scrambled off to the airport. He’s flying to NYC to video a “fashion show” for HP. What a glamorous life! Thank you Eric, for all of your extraordinary efforts on our behalf. We’ve really enjoyed working with you and look forward to the next step.

Right there on the tarmac, we had a delightful conversation with Kate Hammer, a reporter with the Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. Several photographers were also on hand.

But the special treat was the company of Sheldon Benner of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society and Ross Lennox. Sheldon was an engineer for DeHavilland in the 60’s, and worked on some of the later Beaver mods and the Caribou landing gear. Ross is a retired Pratt & Whitney engineer and chief test pilot that worked on the original design of the PT-6, another legendary product. We were honored by the presence of these men who have been a part of Canada’s rich aviation history, and thanked them for their great contributions. Thanks also to Kenneth for organizing yet another warm reception on the trail of the Great Arctic Air Adventure.

Tonight’s shout outs:

Congratulations Dan S. on your first of many collegiate goals, and to Michael P. and Julie F. for helping to empower.

Thanks to blind daters Mike C. and Chantel H. who stopped by to say hi. I hope you guys had a good time.

Thanks to Eric Cantin of TransCapital for your patience and the ride. Good luck on YOUR adventure to be a bush pilot. We expect to see you soon piloting your own Beaver.

And many thanks to Ron Driscoll of the Boston Globe for your kind words in your article of August 27th. Ron is a fine travel writer and long time Globe editor. (See bostonglobe.com) Ron, give my love to Meg, Molly, Kathy and my running buddy the Springer……whose name escapes me way up here in Canada.

We have spoken of our GAAA Team. Referencing earlier comments about how encouraged and energized we’ve been throughout this odyssey by those of you who have followed along, those of you who have offered kind words of support in the blog, those of you who have greeted us, provided us food, shelter and of course fuel, those of you who have rescued us in the driving rain, or given a tour or shipped a box or written an article or fixed a float, from Associate Director General Stephen Quick to four year old Chloe, it occurs to me that you are all making this trip possible, and that you are all part of the GAAA Team. In some ways, this has become your adventure. Welcome aboard and thank you. We encourage you all to make this adventure your own, perhaps as a springboard for future adventures.

It’s late, but difficult to sleep. Tomorrow we will visit the hallowed ground in Downsview where the Beaver was manufactured. We will also meet two more legendary aviators, Russ Bannock, the first man to fly the Beaver, and George Neal, the first man to fly the Beaver on floats. Tonight is Christmas Eve.