The Sky's the Limit: Canadian Women Bush Pilots

Chapter One

IN THE BEGINNING

IN FEBRUARY OF 1977, OUR SON CHRIS went to Flin Flon, Manitoba. This changed his life and in some ways, our lives too. He had his pilot’s licence and was a qualified aircraft maintenance engineer. Parsons Airways Northern first hired him as an aircraft mechanic because he changed the engine on a Cessna-185 in February in the middle of a frozen lake. By the time he left the north, nine years later, he was captain on a Hawker Siddley-748.

In the early years we watched as he toughened up physically. When he talked of his experiences in the North he seemed to us like our very own Indiana Jones. He flew with a bush pilot named Rocky. We were amazed to find that Rocky was a pretty, petite young lady. Apparently most of us think of bush pilots as rugged individuals. They are, but as they point out, not all of them are six foot two. Meeting Rocky was the catalyst that eventually resulted in this book.

Canada’s aviation history is probably the most varied and fascinating in the world, from the years of the Silver Dart,¹ on through Stuart Graham’s fire-spotting with the HS-2L,² our aviation record in two world wars, the wonderful bushplanes designed and built here – and let’s not even think about the Avro Arrow.³

Canadian women have been part of that history from the very beginning. They have always taken an active role in aviation. From their exploits during the very early years, they moved on, continuing to be trailblazers. Our women bush pilots have flown from coast to coast to coast here in Canada. Lola Reid did mountain flying from Vanderhoof, BC, Judy Cameron flew out of Slave Lake, then moved to Inuvik and flew the Tuktoyaktuk, Coppermine, Old Crow areas. Donna Prowse was based in Yellowknife. Berna Studer was born and raised in northern Saskatchewan and did all her flying there. Judy Adamson, when she flew for Parsons Airways Northern, was based in Flin Flon. Lorna deBlicquy flew in northern Manitoba and she also flew out of Resolute as far north as Eureka and Tanquary Fiord. Vicki Veldhoen flew at both the North Pole and the South Pole. Stefanie Crampton flew out of Resolute in 1976-77, then moved south to Iqaluit. Ruth Parsons was in the Kenora area. Much of Liz Wieben’s flying was done in the Nipigon region. When Lola Reid moved east she flew out of Thunder Bay. Marg Watson is still flying north of Sudbury. Suzanne Pettigrew flew the eastern shore of Ungava Bay, and Sylvie Lebel worked in northern Quebec and Labrador and the Foxe Basin areas. Aline Lajoie was a crop duster in New Brunswick. And Judy Adamson, when she was flying the Canso, was based at Goose Bay and flew in Newfoundland and Labrador.

These women flew single-engine aircraft in the Far North, where during the winter all the landmarks, lakes, rivers, disappeared in a blanket of white. They flew into mining camps and lumber camps where they often were the only woman in the camp. They flew into reserves where they often would be the only white person. They have flown medevacs (medical evacuations). They’ve been called out at all hours, in all weather, to fly the sick and the injured. In every facet of aviation in this country, in helicopters and every type of fixed-wing aircraft, women have earned the respect of the men with whom they flew. Bush flying, helicopters, crop dusting, you name it, they’ve done it. More than that, they’ve done it well.

Their flying has not been confined to Canada. Many of them are now flying for the airlines on international routes. But while they were bush flying, Lorna deBlicquy flew in New Zealand and Ethiopia. Vicki Veldhoen flew in the Antarctic. Liz Wieben flew in Australia and in the United States.

They’ve flown wheels, skis and floats. Lorna deBlicquy was one of the pilots who flew with Weldy Phipps⁴ while his tundra tires were still being tested. Donna Prowse was involved in Chuck Fipke’s diamond prospecting.⁵ They flew medevacs, booze hauls, fish, trappers, building supplies, canoes, tourists, miners, geologists and fancy cakes. They flew every kind of bush plane – Cessnas, Wacos, Pawnees, Beavers, Otters, DC-3s, HS-748s . . . . They flew waterbombers and helicopters.

Canada has produced some of the world’s finest pilots, and many of these pilots are women. As Canadians, we should take the opportunity to celebrate our own heroes more often; certainly we have much to celebrate. This is an introduction to some of the Canadian women who have gone where no woman went before, who have succeeded in a man’s world, and who are, in every way, an inspiration to all of us.

Superficially it’s impossible to categorize these women pilots. They come from every social and economic background. They are all shapes and sizes. Some of them, but certainly not all of them, are athletic and pride themselves on their physical strength. Some of them come from flying families, some from families who have never expressed the slightest interest in flying. In getting to know them, it becomes apparent that what they have in common is, first of all, a love of flying. They appear to have a natural ability, to be born pilots, but this may simply be that their passionate interest in flying and in anything connected with flying, gives them an edge. Whether it’s natural ability or dedication, the women who succeed in aviation are superb pilots.

Another thing they have in common is their attitude. Without exception, during their careers they have had to deal with discrimination, with sexual harassment, and especially for bush pilots and military pilots, with hardships and dangers. They never whine, they never complain, they never expect special treatment. Among themselves there is a generally accepted view that a woman who files sexual harassment charges, or who complains about discrimination, is in the wrong job. Often a woman who does accuse her co-workers of harassment has a short career in aviation.

A woman pilot has to know, or to learn, how to handle these problems on her own. Sometimes flying the airplane is the easiest part of the job. It’s interesting to hear how different women handle difficult situations. A sense of humour seems almost to be a prerequisite. Humour is very effective and some of the stories are raunchy and hilarious. The women frequently react in ways that are so unexpected their tormentors are caught completely off guard, but they find that they can usually anticipate and forestall difficult situations. They never let things escalate to the point where they become unmanageable. And they never flirt.

They all appreciate being one of the boys, but not in the sense that they swap dirty jokes, use profanity, or are drinking buddies. They are professional pilots; they are there to do a job, and when they say they are one of the boys, it’s in the sense that they have been accepted. They are trusted by the men they fly with and usually have a great rapport with them. They like working with men and frequently comment on situations where male pilots have been extremely supportive.

This is a small attempt to recognize and applaud some remarkable Canadian women pilots. The few women mentioned here are by no means the only Canadian women that we should know and honour, but these women will give Canadians some idea of the richness of our heritage.

These are women you should get to know.

Chapter Two

RUTH PARSONS: PART OF A

FAMILY OF BUSH PILOTS

RUTH PARSONS¹ IS FROM NORTHWESTERN Ontario, the heart of bush-flying country, She comes from a family of bush pilots. Her older brothers were in their twenties when Ruth was born in Fort William (now Thunder Bay) in 1933. Oldest brother, Hank, received his private pilot’s licence in 1929 and commercial licence in 1930. Second brother, Bud, acquired his commercial licence in 1938. Clarence, the third brother, was the only member of the family who didn’t fly professionally. He loved planes and learned to fly but couldn’t hold a licence because of problems with his vision. Youngest brother, Keith, received his commercial in 1946.

Ruth went on her first plane ride when she was two years old. Hank took her and their mother on this flight. She was hooked at an early age and went on to earn her private licence in 1952 and commercial licence in 1954 at the age of 21. As of June 2006, she has held a commercial pilot’s licence for 52 years.

Clarence was an accountant and worked in the Thunder Bay and Kenora area for a time. When Bud and Hank were unable to find jobs as pilots in the 1930s, with advice from their accountant brother, and financed by their parents, they bought a Gypsy Moth biplane. The brothers began work in northern Ontario flying fish, trappers, miners and mining equipment. As she was growing up, Ruth only saw Hank and Bud at freezeup and breakup, and she followed their exploits through their letters.

During the Second World War, Bud became an instructor for the Air Observer Corps, teaching air force pilots. He later went with Ferry Command, an organization formed during the war to ferry military aircraft to England. At this time Hank flew for Canadian Pacific Airlines. After the war, Hank started his own air service, Parsons Airways Northern in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Bud and Keith became partners and set up Parsons Airways in Kenora.

For two summers while in high school, Ruth worked for Bud and Keith in the summer, working in the office, booking charters and doing bookkeeping. She also helped out as a dockhand, which included catching the planes, assisting the pilot to dock in much the same way as people catch lines for boaters as they come in. Not surprisingly, she decided to learn to fly. Just because she was the baby didn’t mean that her big brothers spoiled her. As she had to get her pilot’s licence on her own, she flew with instructors at the flying club in Fort William.

Flying in those days was quite different than it is now. The Flying Club planes in Fort William had no radios. Coming in to land, Ruth was given a green light if she was cleared, then she waggled her wings to let them know on the ground that their message was received and understood. A red light, of course, meant do not land.

Ruth received her private pilot’s licence while in grade 13 in Fort William. Working part time at the public library for 50 cents an hour, she wasn’t earning enough to pay for flying lessons. Her parents had come to the rescue by lending her money, but Ruth didn’t want to stop with a private licence. To get in her flight time and to get her commercial licence, Ruth knew that she’d have to do something that paid a lot more than she was currently earning.

She decided to go to Teachers’ College (then called Normal School) to become a teacher. In the early 1950s it could be very difficult for a girl to get a job in aviation. Teaching would give her a backup career if flying didn’t work out. The plan was to teach for two years in order to get a permanent teaching certificate. She actually taught in Fort William for three years.

In June 1954, Ruth received her commercial licence, then went to Kenora to get her float endorsement. Brother Keith was going to check her out on floats. His theory was that if a pilot could be scared to death yet still fly the plane, it was the true test of competence. Unfortunately Ruth didn’t realize this. When he was teaching her to land on floats, as she was coming in for a landing he started to scream, What are you doing? You’re going to kill us! In spite of Keith, Ruth managed to land safely. Keith got out of the plane, grinned at her and said, You’ll do OK, kid. When Ruth told Bud, he just shook his head. Bud had his instructor’s rating and Ruth flew with him after that. She said he was very quiet.

That summer Ruth built up flying time by taking sightseers up in the Cessna-170. Returning to Fort William to teach school, Ruth received an offer from Orville Wieben, Elizabeth and Roberta Wieben’s father. Orville was well-known in the North and like many of the early bush pilots, he chose not to use his given name; he was known as Porky Wieben. He said he would supply her with a Fairchild-24 aircraft and she could fly sightseers on weekends and be paid a commission. She was interested, but a great deal of time was spent waiting for clients and often there were days with no flying at all. He also offered Ruth a job flying out of his Armstrong base and managing the base. To be offered a job in aviation was encouraging. Ruth appreciated his offer, but after serious consideration, decided to turn it down. In part, she refused because her mother was horrified to think that her daughter would consider flying in the rough terrain around Lake Nipigon.

Ruth on the float of Barb Machin’s Stinson-108, usually referred to as the station wagon. Courtesy of Ruth Parsons Moore.

While in Kenora that summer Ruth met the woman who was to become a very important part of her life – Barbara Machin. Barb was one of Parsons’ clients and had decided she would like to have her own plane and pilot. She wanted to buy a plane and have Ruth fly for her. In 1955 Ruth quit teaching to fly full-time, flying Barb’s plane but on her brothers’ charter. At first Barb had bought a two-passenger Aeronca aircraft on floats and skis. As this plane did not perform well, it was sold and replaced by a Stinson 108 that Ruth flew on floats in the summer and skis in the winter. Most of Ruth’s bush flying was done while she worked for Barb.

Gold Point Farm Camp on Shoal Lake was a tourist camp built on an old mining claim. Barb Machin’s parents had emigrated from England; her father was involved in mining. When they arrived in Kenora, they had the contents of their palatial home in England shipped out to Canada. Much of the furniture was set up in the main lodge of the tourist camp and was used daily. Ruth moved to the tourist camp and lived there from breakup to freezeup while flying in tourists and supplies. Since she stayed at the lodge, Ruth was probably the only Canadian woman bush pilot who lived in such elegant surroundings. Some of the furniture from the lodge is now on display in the Kenora Museum. In the winter Ruth moved to Kenora, changing her floats for skis. She used Barb’s airplane to fly charter flights for her brothers. The frozen lake was their winter base.

Although Shoal Lake was in a good fishing area, it wasn’t the best for trout fishing, so Barb decided to build another camp in a good trout fishing area near the Manitoba border at Carroll Lake. This was west of Red Lake, on the Gammon River system. Everything had to be flown in, building supplies, workmen, and later, tourists.

A trapper, living on Carroll Lake near the site of Barb’s new camp, was upset that they were building there. One day Ruth’s brother flew some tourists in, and, as they taxied toward the dock, the trapper walked out on the dock with his gun and his dog and said that if anyone got out of the plane he would shoot them. They stayed in the plane, knowing that they had to find a way to deal with him, but also knowing it would have been foolish to challenge him on the spot.

Later a boat and some 15-gallon drums of gas disappeared from the outpost camp. Ruth spotted the boat from the air. It had axe holes chopped in it and was filled with rock and had sunk near some rapids in the river. Of course, there was no proof the trapper had done it, but there was little doubt about who the culprit was.

After the outpost had been in operation for a while, Ruth arrived one day to find the trapper in the kitchen having coffee and telling folks what a crack shot he was. Ruth said, You wouldn’t shoot me, would you? He said, Well, not unless I had to. He