F. E. Potts' Guide to Bush Flying
http://www.fepco.com/Bush_Flying.html
This is the first book published on the web. Chapters
are written about techniques, the terrain, weather, the
airplanes, equipment care and navigation tips. Note: Easy
to read, lots of text, no graphics.
|
![](planebrd.gif)
Bush Flying Questions
- What are bush planes outfitted with and why?
(floats, skis and wheels to help these planes
land on different terrain)
- What are the advantages of bush flying?
(efficiency, redistribute wildlife, report flood
conditions, patrol forestry and fire, mapping,
surveying, commercial and military
transportation, search for mines, distribute mail
to remote areas)
- What are some resources we get from the Canadian
North? (timber, pulp, iron, nickel, gold)
- What are floats? (Floats were sealed metal-based
devices used to land on water. They had to be of
standard, balanced weight and length according to
the proportion of the aircraft. Floats were
interchangeable with other landing gear like skis
and wheels. These planes usually had a canoe and
paddle tied down so that cargo and equipment
could be brought to shore easily without getting
wet.)
- What are skis? (Skis were made of wood and had
extra cables to ensure the front tips were
pointing upward.)
- What hazards does winter introduce to bush
flying? (Winter flying introduced a new set of
hazards because, at times, aircraft had to land
in a combination of deep snow, slush and water.
This meant hours of hard slugging, jacking up the
aircraft and cutting logs in the bush then
dragging them back to the machine and working
them under the skis. Quite often, the plane would
fall through the ice soaking and sometimes losing
their cargo. Important personal items such as
food were carefully packed and sealed for
protection.)
- Why were adaptations made for planes to fly in
Canada and what were some of the adaptations
made? Name the companies and the first plane that
met the challenges of a Canadian climate.
(Problems with this boat plane arose when water
entered the rubber seals, which froze and
cracked. The need for planes appropriate for the
Canadian climate, sparked the company to expand
into the construction and adaptation of planes
for the Canadian government. Among the adapted
planes were a series of monoplanes from Bristol,
Lockheed, and Trans-Canada Airlines. The
Huff-Deland was the first plane adapted to their
needs which could be fitted interchangeably with
wheels, skis, or floats.)
- What role did the bush pilot play? (The bush
pilot was merely the emissary of an aggressive
and expanding society intent on developing
northern resources. The pilots were a link
between the urban society in the south and the
traditional bands of Natives in the north.)
- Would you want to be a bush pilot? Why or why
not? (Answers vary.)
- How did Natives help the bush pilots? (Northern
Natives supplied the bush pilots with useful
tools, equipment and warm clothing to help them
survive in their land.)
- Why is weight a worry for bush pilots?
- Why were planes refined to carry heavier loads?
(The development of special jobs for bush planes
such as flying mining equipment, transporting
passengers, mail, groceries and livestock, led to
the refinement of design. Larger cargo capacity,
effective navigation equipment, reliable and
easily maintained engines, became the hallmarks
of the successful modern bush plane.)
- What was in a standard survival kit? Compare this
list to what you would put in your own survival
kit. Create your own survival kit. (Life
preservers, a fish net, and an axe made up a
standard survival kit.)
- What are some of the challenges faced by people
who restore bush planes? (When pieces of the
plane could not be found or were damaged beyond
repair, they had to be reconstructed from
drawings and the memory of people who knew how
the aircraft was built. Due to the age of the
planes, parts could not be bought and replaced so
they often had to be made by hand. This process
was very time consuming because the tools to
shape the replacement pieces also had to be
made.)
|