 Page One Page Two Page Three Page Four History Main Page  To do his job properly
it was
necessary to
fly on demand;
not just in
good weather,
but any
time and
anywhere his
services were
needed. |
|
Story by Jack Meadows ...continued from page one He considered three available alternatives, all of course seaplanes: a Stinson Reliant which he considered too much of an aeroplane for his limited experience; a Republic Seabee amphibian flying-boat in which he feared he would forget to have the retractable wheels in the right place at the right time; and a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser CF-EFC, with only 72hr since a complete rebuild, which he bought for $3,500.  It was 1,500 miles back east at Kenora, Ontario, and his 60hr flying so far was all on landplanes. In 2hr flying at Kenora he obtained his floatplane endorsement, and then flew the Piper home. With delays for weather his epic journey took five days and nine refueling stops on lakes (one had only 12 inches of water) and rivers. After the prairies came the Rockies and other ranges which form a 400-mile barrier to the coast, rising to 12,000ft in places. In a light aeroplane it is necessary to fly through, not over them. He took the Jasper/Tete Jaune Cache northerly pass, and flew down the Thompson and Fraser river valleys. In the last, canyon country, he was often below the steep granite on either side. The circuitous route too some 20 flying hours.A friend, a Saskatchewan ambulance service pilot, had advised him: "If you have engine failure get down as low as you can, anywhere, anyhow". Also, he checked in his progress by telephone (there was no radio) as often as possible. Ignorance may be bliss, but without a great deal of skill and guts it could not have been done. Both attributes were to be amply demonstrated in future years. Jack still says the Piper is his favourite aeroplane. Sadly, after flying it for 300hr on medical work it became due for a lengthy overhaul, so he decided to replace it with something faster with more capacity. In 19533 he traded it in and for another $6,000 bought Waco AQC-6 cabin biplane CF-CCW. (Waco, the aircraft, is properly pronounced WAH-co, not Wayco as in the town or Wacko, as I wrongly pronounced it for 50 years). With its 330 h.p. Jacobs engine, the Waco cruised at 120 m.p.h. with floats, a third faster than the Piper. After a quick trip from Vancouver to Nanaimo and back to learn about the constant-speed propeller, Pickup was back on his rounds in this classic aircraft, which was to service his practice for 27 years. To do his job properly it was necessary to fly on demand; not just in good weather, but any time and anywhere his services were needed. His aircraft doubled as an ambulance when necessary to bring patients into the Alert Bay Hospital. What this involved can only be fully appreciated when the geography and conditions are explained. |
|
On both sides of Queen Charlotte Strait are almost continuous mountains, often riding nearly straight out of the sea, which is why boats and floatplanes are almost always the only means of access. There are numerous inlets, bays, sounds and islands. Even today there are sill few if any surface connections between most of those on the mainland side of the strait - a big part of Pickup's parish. And the inland lakes were often strewn with stray logs. The weather is often as unfriendly as the terrain. There is much low cloud - rarely are the mountains out of it. In the main channel the seas can be heavy, with the residue of storms in the Queen Charlotte Sound. Fog is common, winds are unreliable and inconsistent. Navigation aids in the area were then negligible. Jack installed a radio in the Piper, but other than radio at the former RCAF Port Hardy airfield (20 miles away, where weather conditions are often very different), all flying was by the seat of the pants and local knowledge and experience were vital. In these conditions, and in a single-engine aircraft, for more than 20 years the doctor flew almost bland disregard of problems. His Piper, then his Waco and Seabee, became the known sights in the area. |
||
continue to page three of four... |
||
