What Makes A Bush Pilot

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:56 am

I always get the theme from Magnum P.I. playing in my head when I see one of those.

1000 HP · Post by **1000 HP** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 10:35 am

Don't forget to carry a roll of toilet paper. A friend of mine was going to use his socks (again) but I offered my roll. Much cheaper..

. ._ · Post by **. ._** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 12:04 pm

Rudy wrote:I always get the theme from Magnum P.I. playing in my head when I see one of those.

I know, eh? Me too!

I always did want to be T.C. instead of Magnum.

-istp

ScudRunner · Post by **ScudRunner** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:24 pm

I always did want to be T.C. instead of Magnum

I was in Da Nang back in 06, Never forget brother

sky's the limit · Post by **sky's the limit** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 4:56 pm

1000 HP wrote:Don't forget to carry a roll of toilet paper. A friend of mine was going to use his socks (again) but I offered my roll. Much cheaper..

LMAO,

The tickets are in the flight bag everytime I go flying....

As for the Magnum theme.... Thanks guys, that's all I could hear in my head flying this morning...!

Now WHERE'S THAT OUTHOUSE?????

STL

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:18 pm

Nice color. Nice job putting her down in that brush too.

dhcharlie-2 · Post by **dhcharlie-2** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:53 am

I don't believe that flying in the bush automatically makes you a bush pilot. I think the real "bush pilot" died a long time ago. I'm not saying that we don't fly in some tough places, with crappy weather, no wx reports, changing runways (waves, snowdrifts, gravelbars, etc), but let's be real. For the most part we have a comfortable, warm, dry place to sleep every night, the airplanes we fly are maintained far above what they were back in the day and usually not by us, and someone has usually been to where we are going countless times before, so we've already got a heads up on what to expect. The biggest thing though is this; when's the last time you went somewhere without your GPS, or some other navaid? Maybe I'm wrong, maybe there isn't as many GPSs out there as I think, full of user waypoints, but I don't have the ego to compare myself to those original bush pilots, never mind call myself one. I think we have it pretty easy compared to what it used to be, and shouldn't disrespect the real bush pilots by pretending that we are conquering anything new.

sky's the limit · Post by **sky's the limit** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:14 am

dhcharlie-2 wrote:we have a comfortable, warm, dry place to sleep every night,

Maybe YOU do... Lol

You're right though, nothing like it was in the old days, THAT was tough.

STL

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 12:05 pm

The biggest thing though is this; when's the last time you went somewhere without your GPS, or some other navaid? Maybe I'm wrong, maybe there isn't as many GPSs out there as I think, full of user waypoints,

What is a GPS?

Is it as reliable as DF'ing using the FBO position on my new ADF?

Is it as accurate as using my new Astro compass?

Do I have to determine the true bearing of the sun to cross check this GPS thing for accuracy?

Fatass · Post by **Fatass** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 4:58 pm

If you want a good read about some of the challenges of the not so long ago "Bush Pilots", check out The Big Dipper Route by Danny Bereza. He tells his story of upgrading to the left seat of the DC-3 in the early 70's while flying for Great Northern Airways based in Whitehorse. Taking the Three into Casino, landing in Old Crow on what they called Seven Mile Island, and of course some bent metal.

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:35 pm

Yeh the yukon in the early seventies had some interesting DC3 flying' old Crow was a no brainer operation compared to a oil rig we used to fly into with the 3 on a regular basis .

The rig was in the Ogalvie mountains and all we had for a landng strip was the gravel road that was bulldozed into the mine site.

It was real weird as you landed up hill on a curved road to the left then down hill to the parking area which was another up hill slope to get to it.

Take off was the opposite and the whole thing was down in a valley.

Oh I almost forgot the clear way on the road was less than 200 feet wide in places in stunt growth conifer trees.

Yeh, the Yukon was fun. But at least the 3 was a real pilots airplane.

And the bar was open 24/7 at the Airport Chalet in Whitehorse. With enough escape juice in his belly a true bush pilot was never a rasist when it came to the subject of love.

Blakey · Post by **Blakey** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:30 pm

Cat Driver wrote:
What is a GPS?

Is it as reliable as DF'ing using the FBO position on my new ADF?

Is it as accurate as using my new Astro compass?

Do I have to determine the true bearing of the sun to cross check this GPS thing for accuracy?

No Cat, that GPS thing works on time difference in signal reception so the best cross check is to check the time displayed on it against your Timex. Try to be as accurate as possible!

ScudRunner · Post by **ScudRunner** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:31 am

Hey Cat, You ever go into Bear River? This is what she looks like today, we did some more brush clearing last summer was cool landing next to burning piles of shrubs

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:09 am

No never been in there, but it looks like it was made for a DC3.

You ever been in the Airport Chalet?

sky's the limit · Post by **sky's the limit** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:17 am

Cat Driver wrote: You ever been in the Airport Chalet?

Does a Bear Shit in the Woods???? Lol

STL

dhcharlie-2 · Post by **dhcharlie-2** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 10:01 am

STL...touche. Nothing like the heat from a wood stove though.

Cat Driver and others...I guess I should qualify what I mean. It's just a pet-peeve of mine when a person crawls out a nice comfy bed (stl, I got a whole bag of shhh with your name on it, lol) and goes flying for the day in an immaculate machine to nice wide level strips, and just because the strips are gravel and in the bush, they're called bush pilots. I just believe that there is more to it than that. To make a bad analogy, to me it's like NHL players that say they play for the love of the game and the loyalty to their team, but that most of them actually go to where they get paid the most. Maybe I was a little hasty in saying that the "bush pilot" is dead, but I think it's something to be earned. And although the flying and the life was a lot harder before, I think that the distinction of being called a bush pilot should be harder to earn today, as there are so many things that make the trips easier. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe bush pilot is just a term, not of any special distiction. That if you fly in the bush you're a bush pilot. Just be careful not to hit any branches!

sky's the limit · Post by **sky's the limit** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:35 am

DH,

I totally agree with you.

Things are definitely better than they have ever been in terms of comfort and ease of work, but there are still a fair number of men and women booting around isolated parts of Canada that can truly claim the term "bush pilot." The Arctic Twin Otter guys like Ettw, the float drivers on the coast of BC, and the wheel/ski folks in the mountains of BC/Yukon/Alaska etc all qualify imho. Them, and almost the all the helicopter pilots of course....

Landing your King Air on a Gov't maintained airstrip is not exactly my definition either. For some folks that may be WAY out there, and the things I consider a bit out there may not be for others, all depends on who you are I guess. Hanging out in a tent on the Tundra, or up amongst the glaciers for six weeks at a time, doing a job on your own with no support qualifies to me.

Now what was the "bag of shit" comment all about??? LOL I didn't cut you off at some point somewhere, did I???

STL

PS Nice pics ......

Rowdy · Post by **Rowdy** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:55 pm

I'll post some pictures from out this way soon enough

.... you're gonna have to come for that visit! It'll be another great adventure! aha

Doc · Post by **Doc** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:32 pm

.....nice shots. Used to take the 3 into many strips that looked just like that one! Most were goose camps on James/Hudson Bay. Cat's been there! And it still is the sweetest flying airplane I've ever flown. Am I a bush pilot? Have been some days. Others I've been a bushed pilot. The good old days! Never had to show up for interviews with 10K in my jeans. Come to think of it, I hardly had to show up for interviews at all. Had to buy the odd round though.

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:52 pm

Yup, as long as Jim Bell figured you could fly the thing that was all you needed.

We didn't wear a nice uniform either in those days.

Couldn't tell a pilot from the passengers until they went up front and did all those magic things pilots do to levitate those mechanically driven aerodynes.

xsbank · Post by **xsbank** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:39 pm

Don'tcha love those stoves? They can suck a cord of wood faster than you can carry it.

sky's the limit · Post by **sky's the limit** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:48 pm

xsbank wrote:Don'tcha love those stoves? They can suck a cord of wood faster than you can carry it.

Yeah they do, but you can get some serious BTU's out them though!

STL

Doc · Post by **Doc** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:22 pm

Just don't rub up against one in the night! I've had some really great nights sitting around a stove just like that! About 3 am, the prick would go out, and some poor sot had to get up and feed it.

dhcharlie-2 · Post by **dhcharlie-2** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:13 pm

STL...was just joking. Not a funny one I guess

. It's supposed to be "bag full of shhhh", as in hush up, not bag of sh*t. You jokingly put me in my place in an earlier post about a "comfortable place to sleep" and I was just beating you to punch this time

.

And the rest of what you said, that's more like what I've been trying to say. I think I over-stated and over-generalized. I know there are bush pilots, but I also think some people adorn themselves too readily. Even some of the fairly isolated places have decent strips. Not all, but some.

STL says..."Hanging out in a tent on the Tundra, or up amongst the glaciers for six weeks at a time, doing a job on your own with no support qualifies to me."

That I'd have to agree with.

sky's the limit · Post by **sky's the limit** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:41 pm

No worries Dh,

I figured you were joking... Lol

I thought I was too slow on the uptake though...!

STL