 Page One Page Two Page Three History Main Page  "Nobody thought anything about
leaving that
stuff around
loose, but you'd
never leave
a case of
whiskey
unattended."
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Story by Tom Hawthorn ...continued from page two Mr. Coote sometimes allowed her to take control of the aircraft, making her the province's only woman working as a commercial pilot. While he had confidence in her abilities, he had other motives. She rescued him only with difficulty, as his breeches had filled with water. In Zeballos, Miss Fane would leave a million-dollars' worth of gold bullion on a chair overnight in the airlines' unlocked office. "Nobody thought anything about leaving that stuff around loose," she told historian Jack Schofield, "but you'd never leave a case of whisky unattended." In addition to Mr. Coote's Waco and Norseman, Miss Fane also flew Barkley-Grows owned by Yukon Southern. In fact, when Mr. McConachie invited her to join him in the cockpit on a test flight of a Lockheed 14 passenger plane from Vancouver to Edmonton, it would be her final flight as a pilot. Mr. Coote's bush company was one of 10 gobbled up to form Canadian Pacific Airlines in 1941. Miss Fane returned to Vancouver where she would enjoy a 20-year career, during which she became superintendent of reservations. In retirement, she lectured about the Flying Seven and offered her memories to a succession of aviation historians. She made her home within sight of the jets taking-off and landing at the much-expanded airport where she had once taken part in the dusk-to-dawn flight. Margaret Fane Rutledge was born in Edmonton on April 13, 1914. She died in Richmond, B.C., on Dec. 2, 2004. She leaves her husband, Keith Rutledge, and a sister. She was predeceased by a sister and three brothers. |
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