Wow...I am still in shock.

I completed two fly-in Caribou hunts in the Quebec north. Both times were with this fun-loving, young pilot who planned on buying his own "Beaver" plane one day. A guy that went out of his way to help you pack and unload the plane. A guy that you could talk to for hours about hunting, the adventures and the scenery of the Great North.

My hunting buddy and I will miss him. It is on these intense expeditions that you truly bond with people. He was one of those guys that after having chatted with him and flown around for a few hours, you not only bonded, but felt energized and refreshed knowing that you just met a great guy full of passion for the outdoors- kinda like yourself...

To make matters worse, I was planning to fly-out in two weeks again for Caribou. It is one of the more dangerous times to fly as winter is starting to set in and cloud cover, high winds and snow and ice can cut visibility and cause mechanical failures that can kill you. Yes, I will have a Sat phone and make damn sure to fly only in good weather, but when you're 175 miles in, things can change quickly.

Such are some of the risks of hunting... of having an adventurous spirit...

You can bet I will have a moment of silence on one of the many ridges that we have flown over...and a toast to a guy who died doing what he loved!

CL, sorry to hear about the accident.

What happened?

My dad was a bush pilot and got his job replacing a guy who died on the side of a mountain. Potentially fatal flying any way you slice it...

What a sadness.

Wise to remember that life should be measured not by the number of breaths, but by the number of experiences that take your breath away. Flying in that country should have given very many such moments in a sadly short life.

My heart goes out to the family and the folks this fellow touched.

Because it is still under investigation and very recent, I could not get the details. Everyone is still in shock up north- small communities keep together.

Here is a news report about it:

quote:

Plane spots downed beaver float plane in northern Quebec

HALIFAX (CP) -- A plane has spotted a beaver float plane that crashed Friday in northern Quebec.
Halifax rescue spokeswoman, Lt. Pat Jessup, said the plane went down just north of Shefferville, Que., near the border with Labrador.

Jessup said the plane belongs to an unnamed company and was located by another company aircraft.
She said a Hercules aircraft from Greenwood, N.S., and a Griffon helicopter from Goose Bay, N.L., have been dispatched to the scene.
Jessup said the helicopter was expected to arrive late Friday afternoon

Same here, sorry to hear the news.
As a pilot myself I understand that these "accidents" are often a result of time pressures.There is an old saying: when you have to be someplace,dont plan to fly.Thats not always a (perceived) option in the wilderness and it takes an experienced pilot to say NO.

Sorry to hear the news. Sad to say, I know more people who have been killed in small plane or helicopter crashes than in car crashes.

My best friend was in camp when it happened. The pilot was flying supplies in to a camp and bad weather, meaning no visibility, caused him to crash into the side of a mountain.

Very sad news. Of course now it makes me concerned for my friend, Norm, who is going caribou hunting on the 22nd. Dang-it. I hate news like this.

It is always sad to lose a friend.

quote:

Such are some of the risks of hunting... of having an adventurous spirit...

You can bet I will have a moment of silence on one of the many ridges that we have flown over...and a toast to a guy who died doing what he loved!

Well said CL! I am sorry to hear of your loss, and for the family of the pilot.

On a mostly unrelated note, 5 guys from my office had a very, very close call two days ago. They were getting dropped off on a ridgeline by helicopter when the pilot stalled it (a BRAND NEW A-Star worth $3 Million!) and crashed. All 5 and the pilot escaped the wreckage with about 15 seconds to spare before it went up in flames. The biggest piece left of the chopper was apparently the size of a snowshoe! Thankfully only minor injuries to the passengers and pilot.

You just never know when your time might be up!

Canuck

I have great respect for the bush pilots in Alaska or anywhere else, sorry your buddy is no longer with us. ----- I will relate my bush pilot story here to illustrate the exposure these brave people have. I hunted Moose in the Farewell Burn of Alaska in 1999. I had a fantastic horseback hunt and got my Moose on the 6th day of a 10 day hunt. When we got back to base camp where the plane was to transport me back to Anchorage the next day the winds were up and the last plane in that day with new hunters was the last plane in or out for three days. I sat around camp enjoying the stories of the new hunters, guides and pilots. Finally on the fourth day the winds calmed and my pilot said he would ferry half my Moose to a sheep camp and make a decision as to whether he could get me and my gear out. He was back in four hours and said he left the meat and could get me and my gear with Moose rack out but would have to leave the other half of the meat. After a harrowing take-off with a very heavy loaded plane (Cessna - 185) we made it to the sheep camp and landed to refuel for the long trip to Anchorage. The meat he had left was missing and after a short excursion he discovered Bear sign and said that a hungry Bear was messing with the meat and he would come back that afternoon to rescue that half and go to Moose camp to recover the other half. I had promised him a trip to a Nascar Race if he managed to get me to Anchorage in a timely fashion because my wife and daughter were very pissed I was late for their tour of Alaska. My son-in-law worked for Dale Earnhart at that time and he was an Earnhart fan. ----- To make a long story short, when he got to sheep camp he discovered a Grizzly Sow and two cubs had taken that half of my Moose, thus he proceeded to Moose camp to recover the remainder of my Moose. He lost power suddenly and had to ditch the plane in the Post river in a two hundred foot pool of water. He discovered a fuel pump had failed and there he was, a 30 year pilot and down for the first time in the bush. After a two day walk through the wilderness he got back to sheep camp and got horses and a set of tundra tires and with the help of the guides, took off the damaged floats and put on the tires and a new fuel pump and flew the plane out, no worse for the wear. ----- We relaxed over drinks at the Las Vegas race that next spring and counted out luck stars that a $1.89 fuel pump had caused damage but no loss of lives. Good shooting.

CL

Sorry about your guy. Both a guy I used in the Brooks who made a National Geographic special Roger Dawding and Charlie Warbelow who I flew with in the Wrangells died in aircraft accidents. Both guys had many years in the air and their time was just up. That bush pilot stuff is incredibly dangerous.

Regards,

Mark

Those are some tragic incidents...and scary close calls.

Thank you for your kind words. I will be sending photos of him to his family- They had few of him in the wilderness...happy, smiling...posing for photos in front of large caribou racks and trophy lake trout...things that he so much enjoyed being around.

Cheers,
CL