Now available in paperback, Bush Planes and Bush Pilots tells the stories of sixteen extraordinary bush planes that can be found in Canada's aviation museums, and the pilots who flew them. It is also a celebration of some of the greatest moments in Canadian history, when daring young pilots defied incredible odds to open up some of the nation's most remote regions to the outside world.
Each bush plane is profiled individually, accompanied by historical and contemporary visuals and colour artwork. Author Dan McCaffery highlights a diverse spectrum of planes from the pioneer era to the modern day.
Stories include people like World War I ace "Wop" May, who used his bush plane to hunt down Albert Johnson, the infamous Mad Trapper of Rat River; Russ Baker, who performed a death-defying rescue of two dozen airmen stranded in a storm on a mountainside near the Alaska-Yukon border; and Jack Hunter, who used his Fairchild to track down rumrunners off the cost of New Brunswick.
This is an attractive book that will appeal to anyone interested in reading about adventure or aviation history.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Pioneer Era
Curtiss HS-2L Flying Boat
Curtiss JN-4 Canuck
Vickers Vedette
Junkers W34
Chapter 2: The Monoplane Changes Bush Flying
Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker
de Havilland DH 83C Fox Moth
Fairchild 71C
Noorduyn Norseman
Beechcraft 18
Stinson SR-9 Reliant
Republic RC-3 Seabee
Chapter 3: The Modern Era
de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
de Havilland DHC-3 Otter
Grumman Tracker
de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Canadair CL-215
Conclusion
Directory
Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index
"The book has great historical pictures and beautiful illustrations and guides the reader through the evolution of 16 different bush planes...includes a helpful aviation museum directory for the airplane buff."
- Len Wagg
