Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada’s North: A Bush Pilot’s Adventures
by Dorrin Wallace with Deana J Driver
Dorrin Wallace’s 40-year career in Canada’s aviation industry included work as a bush pilot, commercial pilot, chief pilot, and aircraft maintenance engineer. He flew in an era when pilot training was rare, and regulations were either lax or nonexistent. Dorrin learned by doing, or by talking with veteran pilots about how they operated aircraft in the North. He rarely got lost and was never fined, because he was never caught, or others provided interference when questions arose. His favourite airplane was the Douglas DC-3, known as the “Gooney Bird.” Sturdy, safe, and efficient, the twin-engine DC-3 could carry 24 passengers or 5,500 pounds of cargo. At times, Dorrin stretched the airplane past its limits, making takeoff and flying tenuous. Dorrin’s adventures include fishermen, trappers, troublemakers, bootleggers, jokers, gifted or lucky pilots, and talented aircraft maintenance engineers in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon. Author, editor, book publisher, and retired journalist Deana J. Driver co-authored the book, adding to Dorrin’s engaging first-person anecdotes.
- 6” x 9”, softcover, 224 pages, 42 black and white photos.
This book retails from the publisher for $24.95 + tax. We are selling it as a CAHS fund-raiser at a discount rate of $22 (plus $8 shipping) in Canada.