A Tribute to Canada 's Legendary Bush Pilot
Close Calls is a column detailing the “close call” experiences of fellow pilots. Determining a close call can be quite subjective but for our purposes here a close call will be any situation where a pilot suddenly finds themselves in a potentially dangerous situation quite unexpectedly. Personally, I describe a close call as “closer than I'd prefer.” I invite you to contact me at CloseCalls@PCAS.ca, 1-888-PCAS-123 (GTA: 416-225-9266) to anonymously share your stories. I will collect the details and prepare the article for Close Calls. The experience shared and lessons learned will be of benefit to all readers. Confidentiality will be assured and I will not use your name or aircraft ident without your permission "
The summer of 2007 was a special time for me. I'm proud to be involved in EAA's Young Eagles program and decided to invite television's ‘Wings Over Canada' to cover our International Young Eagles Day event. ‘Wings Over Canada' is North America's longest running aviation TV series and is the brainchild of Canada 's most famous bush pilot, John Lovelace "
John started ‘Wings Over Canada' in the late 1990's as a small local TV show combining wilderness adventures and flying. As the seasons passed, the show continued to grow. Today it can be seen in syndication on over 60 broadcasters around the world and boasts a viewership of up to 65 million. John has interviewed hundreds of pilots over the years and has met thousands more. He has even presented a coveted ‘Wings Over Canada' crew cap to world renowned diva Celine Dion! If there's a great little spot in the middle of “wilderness Canada ” possessing otherwise untold charm, wonder, and beauty, odds are it's been featured by John Lovelace.
‘Wings' was about to enter its tenth season and had plans for an aviation safety segment involving PCAS. Since a visit to Toronto could yield an in-person PCAS interview with yours truly as well as separate coverage of a worthy event, John and his ‘Wings' crew accepted the invitation.
Aside from a dozen or so Young Eagles flights, I spent most of that weekend with John and his crew. John is naturally approachable. And approached he was… constantly! Each and every time he would turn on that trademark smile and extend a warm and sincere handshake. And each and every time it seemed to make the recipient's day. I was beaming with pride just standing next to such an obviously admired man.
We spent quite some time in conversation. We spoke about the trusty ol' Cessna 206 and our experiences with our respective birds. We also debated lean-of-peak versus rich-of peak (it was hard for me to argue with “aircraft engines like fuel” from the RoP proponent). I even had the unique opportunity to fly low orbits over Pearson (CYYZ) to help John's crew obtain some great footage of Canada 's busiest airport (many thanks to the controllers for that one). We continued that flight to include some amazing shots of downtown Toronto . Shortly afterwards, the weekend came to an end as John and crew boarded their Navajo and were off to their next filming location.
A few weeks later, all had returned to the area to cover the Canadian Aviation Expo in Oshawa , Ontario . We met again and immediately picked up on a conversation from weeks earlier. John introduced me to his engine expert and the two of them pelted me until I submitted to their rich-of-peak conversion efforts (heck, I'm no engine specialist after all!). I've never seen awe like I saw in “Awe”-shawa. John turned heads at the Expo with every step he took. One attractive older woman having seen my wife Lisa and me earlier talking with John asked “Was that John Lovelace?” When we responded in the affirmative, she blushed and confessed “Oh, I just love him!” It's quite evident… we all do!
After 10 seasons and 172 episodes, John Lovelace is leaving ‘Wings Over Canada' to pursue other interests. John, you've accomplished so much, and have done so much for Canadian aviation internationally. You'll be missed by every pilot in Canada , and particularly this southern Ontario aviator. On behalf of your many fans, I'd like to thank you and wish you blue skies forever.
Fly safe(r).
Anthony Nalli is the Director of Canadian Development, General Aviation Collision Avoidance and President of SciDac Corporation/PCAS.ca. PCAS.ca is dedicated to the implementation of affordable collision avoidance devices in General Aviation with a mission to eliminate mid-air collisions and dramatically reduce close calls. Anthony can be reached at CloseCalls@PCAS.ca, 1-888-PCAS-123 (GTA: 416-225-9266), and www.PCAS.ca. |
