Bush Planes and Bush Pilots

Book excerpt: In February 1932 legendary bush pilot Wilfrid May used his Bellanca Pacemaker to hunt down the notorious killer Albert Johnson, the "Mad Trapper of Rat River." Russ Baker used his Junkers W34 to pluck 24 men from a Yukon mountainside after three bombers crashed in apalling weather in 1942. Jack Hunter tracked rumrunners off the New Brunswick coast in his Fairchild. Bush Planes and Bush Pilots is the story of sixteen extraordinary aircraft found in the collections of Canada's aviation museums. It is a celebration of some of the greatest moments in Canadian history, when daring young pilots defied incredible odds to open up some of the nation's remotest regions to the outside world. Author Dan McCaffery highlights a diverse spectrum of planes from the pioneer era to the modern day; each plane is profiled individually, accompanied by historical and contemporary visuals and colour artwork. Bush Planes and Bush Pilots is an attractive book that will appeal to all who are interested in aviation history and the story of Canada's development as a nation.