Early in the year 1919, several HS-2L Flying Boats* were donated to the Canadian government by the U.S. Naval Air Service. Two were then contracted out to the Laurentide Company, in association with the St. Maurice Forest Protection Association. At that time, the flight of seaplanes over land instead of water was unheard of.

An ex-war pilot, by the name of Stuart Graham*, carried out this first, historic flight, and is now considered a pioneer in the field of "bush" piloting. On these dangerous flights Graham was accompanied not only by a flight engineer, Kahre, but also his wife Madge , which was virtually unheard of at the time. Admiral Byrd, a well known American flyer said, "Flying seaplanes over land is suicide, taking a woman along is criminal." Madge, however, proved to be an excellent navigator due to her artists' keen eye for detail.

The trio flew from Halifax to St. John up the New Brunswick coastline on June 5, 1919, taking only two hours. The excitement of seeing a plane overshadowed any negative opinions concerning Madge's presence in the group. In fact, when they arrived at St. John that night they were greatly welcomed. The mayor gave them the key to the city, then invited them all to special seats at the opera. Unfortunately, only Madge could fully appreciate the treat as she had worn earplugs to block the noise of the motor during their flight. Graham and Kahre were soon to do the same.

The next morning, after giving an exhibition flight over the city for all those who had come out to watch, the plane departed for Quebec. Overcoming weather problems and fuel difficulties, they finally arrived at Trois Rivieres four days after leaving Halifax. In front of 10 000 people. they delivered a letter sent from the Governor of Nova Scotia to the Premier of Quebec. This was one of the earliest examples of aerial mail in Canada. After the ceremony Graham and crew flew to Grand Mère, where they dropped leaflets about fire prevention before landing on Lac à la Tortue at 8:15 that night.

The plane became the first to be used in Canadian forest fire detection. It was named "La Vigilance", as it was to remain vigilant in its patrols, to guard against forest fires. The success of Stuart Graham's long distance flight became a testament to the value of airplanes in forest protection. To this day aircraft are important tools in the detection and control of forest fires.

Listen to the story in Stuart's own words!