River Pilot in the Maldives @riverpilot007-blog - Tumblr Blog

The view of the Golden Ears mountains over the Fraser River from the Fort Langley Airport and seaplane base, CBQ2. STORY TIME Getting the flying bug, The flying bug, some are just born with it and for others we catch it, mostly it seams to be caught by hanging out with other people with the bug. For me that place was Fort Langley Aviation CBQ2, a small grass strip and a seaplane base in British Columbia, Canada. I got a summer job as the airport care taker a few days a week. My main job was to drive the beaching gear, a home made half truck with a hydraulic lift to lift the seaplanes from their hanger and launch them into the water. On my days off the seaplane pilots would invite me to join them on their flying adventures. Flying to alpine lakes, the gulf islands and up the Fraser River to go fishing or to hike a remote trail, to explore and enjoy the view. It did not take long for the pilots to convince me that I too should become a pilot. So I went for my first lesson, the fam flight as it is called. We took off from the airport, flew around and landed back at the airport. I thought to myself "well, that was boring, we did not go fishing, neither did we find a hidden alpine lake nor go for lunch at a marina pub!" That is why I really wanted to be a seaplane pilot, and before the ink was dry on my private pilot license, I was at the seaplane base getting my seaplane endorsement. #avlife #pilotlife #CBQ2 #GoldenEars #FraserRiver (at Fort Langley Airport)

#avlife #goldenears #fraserriver #pilotlife #cbq2

Story time! This is the story of how I got the job flying C-GUOY, the Beaver on the cover of this book. Fishing for a job For most seaplane pilots and new seaplane pilots the airplane you want to fly is the DeHavlland Beaver the DHC-2. It is a milestone in your career, a working aircraft flying to the remote wilds of Canada with its big Pratt and Whitteny R985 Wasp Jr. Radial engine. I was still working at my first flying job as a seaplane instructor at Fort Langley Air, flying a 180 seaplane and teaching students to fly floats, but always keeping an eye and ear out for that first Beaver job. Teaching floats is a lot of fun, most pilots really enjoy the freedom of float flying: if we had time I would try to get my student out for a few cast of the fishing rod from the float on a mountain lake. That's why I always kept a fishing rod in the back of the airplane. One day at the Victoria Airport seaplane base Pat Bay I saw a pilot looking down the side of his float. I had just docked my seaplane in front of his on the dock. He looked up at me and asked "hey, do you have a fishing rod in your plane?" He had dropped his car keys and needed something to fish them out so I lent him my fishing rod and he rescued his keys. He asked if there was anything he could do for me in return and jokingly I said, "Sure, you can give me a job on your Beaver!" He said they had just hired a Beaver pilot but told me to pass my name and number so he can call me if a job comes up. I did that and, lo and behold, a week later he called and asked if I would be his Beaver pilot flying logging crew from Vancouver Island to a camp called Church House. I said yes and got my start with the Immortal Beaver the DHC-2. #DHC2 (at Pat Bay)

#dhc2

Before the rain came back we had some cold calm mornings in the Fraser Valley. #fraservalley #harrisonmills (at Harrison River)

#harrisonmills #fraservalley

The salmon have spawned and now the birds are here to feast on the salmon. This eagle is flying away from me over the Chehalis estuary, where it meets the Harrison River. #Chehalis (at Chehalis River)

#chehalis

I dropped in on @vancityseaplanes having Sunday brunch at the Sandpiper. Great to catch up and to stand on the float of a Beaver, now I feel like I am home on the West Coast. #harrisonmills #DHC2 (at Sandpiper Golf Course)

#harrisonmills #dhc2

It is great living next to a little airstrip, getting to catch up with friends that are out for a joy flight in a Beaver. #harrisonmills #DHC2 (at Sandpiper Golf Course)

#harrisonmills #dhc2

Good morning from the shores of the Harrison River. Frost on the ground this morning the first time I have seen that in a while. #harrisonmills #fraservalley (at Harrison Mills)

#harrisonmills #fraservalley

Looks like I picked a good day to come home! A view familiar to anyone in the Fraser, Mt. Baker. A lot of the time this mountain is hidden from view on rainy cloudy days so it is always a treat when it is not hidden. #mtbaker #fraservalley (at Matsqui Prarie, Abbotsford, British Columbia)

#mtbaker #fraservalley

Flying with some bigger birds today. #KLM (at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol)

#klm

#maldivesmonday At Huvafen Fushi, not normally a seaplane transfer resort so there is no jetty or floating platform for passenger transfer so we have to park the plane on the beach. (at PER AQUUM Huvafen Fushi)

#maldivesmonday

The town of Korčula is one of the best preserved medieval towns of the Mediterranean. Really enjoyed spending a few nights behind these fortified walls. As it is the off season many, well most places where closed living the town almost to our selfs! The past two days have been the quietest I have had in a long time as most of the streets are walking only. #Korčula #Croatia (at Korcula)

#korčula #croatia

9A-TOB taxing out of Split, next stop Jelsa. #pt6 #DHC6 #TwinOtter #Croatia (at Old City, Split, Croatia)

#pt6 #croatia #twinotter #dhc6

Leaving Jelsa on the island Hvar we climb to 3000 feet to clear the cliffs of the Island of Brač, Vidova gora the highest cliffs of any island in the Adriatic Sea. Just below the cliffs is the Golden Horn or Zlatni Rat at Bol. As are flight is only 12 minutes as soon as we pass these cliffs we start our descent for landing at the Split harbor. #ZlatniRat #Brač #Bol #C (at Brač, Hrvatska)

#c #bol #brač #zlatnirat

European Coastal Airlines Twin Otter 9A-TOA taxing out of the Split harbor, Croatia. Before we start our engines here, we have to call the Split Port Authority on the marine radio, as it is a busy port we sometime have to wait for ferries or cruise ships before we can taxi in or out of the port. After we get to our take off area we ask Split tower for take off clearance as we are still in the Split airport control zone. #DHC6 #pt6 #TwinOtter #splitcroatia (at Old City, Split, Croatia)

#pt6 #splitcroatia #twinotter #dhc6

9A-TOB at the Jelsa dock between flights. The mountains in the background are part of the island of Brač. #TwinOtter #DHC6 #pt6 (at Jelsa, Hvar Island)

#pt6 #twinotter #dhc6

Flying past the medieval walled town of Trogir, Croatia. This town is under the approach of runway 05 of the Split airport SPU, great to be in a 13th century court yard having a pizza and watching the planes coming in for a landing. These fortified walls where meant to keep people out, but now they bring people in. #Trogir #Croatia

#croatia #trogir

9A-TOB on the apron at Split airport SPU, I love flying but I also love being done for the day! #TwinOtter #pt6 #dhc6 #Croatia

#pt6 #croatia #twinotter #dhc6

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