Road To Ruin

[sharkbait]

Capt. Jack Wallace was ( and for all I know still is ) a true gentleman - and a darned good harmonica player too.

When they did the 67 Centennial film " A Helicopter Canada" they dropped into a bush camp and there sits Jack playing away.

He worked for TQH until he departed for NFLD with Doug Hogan.

Brooke Ede - now there is a name I haven't heard since the Clone Wars. ( one for the Star Treck fans ) long time ago in Laronge far far away.

Geeze there sure are a lot of familiar names coming up on these posts. Great stuff.

Leave us not forget to mention John Shultz, Harvey Easton and Bob O. and the name Skyrotors.

 

[JBC]

Capt. Jack, always had a shirt and tie under his flight suit and Torqued,that's Rollie MacDonald out of St.Albans,ended his career with Sealand.

 

[JBC]

Torqued, my appologies, after a re-read you do have Rollies name right, it's just that I've never heard it as Roland.

 

[VERTICAL X]

Maybe someone can help me out here. It was in '82 or '83 in Hinton. I was 12 years old and went for a flight with the base pilot from Alpine(Can't remember his name though). Hooked from that day on. I guess that and all the mediums that came to Hinton in the summer to do the rappel training ruined my life. Somebody must remember the fellows name. Maybe Ken?????

 

[407 Driver]

Bob Southworth was the Base guy in Hinton for a lot of years. ( close to 30 ? )
It was probably he who gave you the ride, but could have been any number of transiting pool pilots also. Bob retired in the mid 90's and now lives in Kelowna.

 

[downwash]

You must mean Bob Southworth. Bob was popular in Hinton for a couple of decades. And now Alpine has left Hinton. How the times change!

Speaking of some of the old names at Kenton - what about J.L. and 'The Reverend' Hal Tetz. Of course, Nick Crawford, Ritchie Rasmussen and Ken Mizera were stalwarts, too. And a little further north, Telef Vaasjo and Jack Hook, to mention only a couple.

As someone else has said, I can't remember when I didn't want to fly. Having my 'introductory ride' in a Tiger Moth while still in my mother's womb must put my career up there somewhere close to C.W.'s. My first rotored ride was with an Army pilot, Doug Hardy, and I never considered anything else after. My RW instructor was one James E. Grant, who retired as a Lt. Col., then to BHT (Canada).

I had the great good fortune to work for Alf Stringer at VIH before moving over to the big orange, in the John Pitts, Dan Dunn era. From there down east to Jack Fleming and Ernie Grant (remember, Blackie?) before rejoining Okey and being exposed to the green (UHL) shade with the likes of Jack Murphy and Paul Williams.

Ah, but the ride is a great one - thanks to the great people!

 

[VERTICAL X]

Thanks alot 407 Driver and Downwash, that was the guy. I've got a great memory it just short. Ihope it gets better with age.

VX

 

[graunch1]

Don't forget some of the AMEs:
some of the Dome crew in Tuk in the 80s ( mostly ex Bow guys) Morris Forchuk(now Helijet), Conrad Gass (CanCom), Roy Joyce(Thailand CHC), Jack Robertson (down East?), Garth ???, Merrick ??,
and from Oky, Ron Jackson,
Kenting, Rinehart Koch, Grant Hartsook
from everywhere; Fred Hobbs

Tis a small world

 

[cap]

I'll throw in some names that shouldn't be forgotten.........Jack Pearson, Fred Wayte, Smitty Pruner, Doug Boughner and my "pilot's pilot"...Ed Porco. I'd consider it a distinct pleasure to work with any of these men again, but alas I'll never get the chance.

If one might be shopping for a new vehicle in Prince George, one might just run into a salesman by the name of Fred Nelson.

 

[jetbox]

Someone should call Fred's boss and tell him to give him a pay cut but explain to him that it's simply a "different but more fair" way of paying him! I'm sure a few boys from his era at Canadian will remember that line!

 

[graunch1]

the best I can remember of Freddy N was one day in Tuk when he was flying the 61 for Dome.
Rick Mac and him came out of the transportation building after MQF loaded and put on a show yet to be topped anywhere that I can recall.
Rick was a spaz and Fred was blind, using an HF whip as a white cane. With RM hanging on his arm and wobbling in all directions, they stumbled over to the 61 much to the horror of the waiting Rig Pigs. Fred made his way up the airstairs and into the cockpit tapping along with the cane. A quick upwards lunge after start up with a slight rearward drift and he turned to the pax, dropped his false teeth half out of his mouth and give them a big blubbery grin. The pax were like statues all the way out to the drill ship
I heard later years were a different situation but he was fun back in the early 80s