The Dehavilland Beaver, What A Beautiful Plane
My best friend, Knarley Manners, was a little rough around the edges and had a mean side when it came to practical jokes; however, he was a gifted mechanic and a natural pilot. He was never licensed as a mechanic or a pilot, but the two of us didn’t let small details interfere with using every opportunity to fly his uncle’s Dehavilland Beaver plane to and from base camp. What the Hell? neither one of us had a driver’s license until we were over 21. We flew supplies mainly and a few hunters who wondered at the advisability of riding with two teenage pilots that didn’t need to shave.
The Beaver flew as a float plane and with skis, it could take off and land with very little runway, so it was the favorite among bush pilots during the 60’s. It could carry a tremendous payload and was considered the workhorse of the bush planes. Actually, the only other bush planes I knew of were the Cessna 185 and the 182 and they were the same fuselage except for the engine.
Knarley’s uncle flew in with a Grizzly hunter that was a long time friend of his uncle and wanted to only hunt with him. Knarley’s uncle told us to take the plane and supply a few of the other camps with provisions: this was just what we wanted to hear, we could now fly all over the territory and practice all our flying skills under the pretense of working.
One of the new guides asked if he could fly out with us to town and back so that he could call home. We weren’t that anxious to let anyone know about how we were practicing to become fighter pilots, but how do you say no to a guy you work with 200 miles from town.
Knarley said,
Sure, you can fly out with us, but I’m not riding the damn wing again
Knarley wasn’t swearing because he was mad, he was a Jehova Witness and didn’t really swear unless he was really mad, he was just sending me a signal to play along. I answered up.
I’m flying, it’s my turn and I need the practice!
The kid said he would ride the wing, as long as we would take him to town to use the phone.
Now, those of you who have flown or ridden in the Beaver know that it has tremendous carrying capacity and when there were extra passengers, they would just sit on the cargo and enjoy the ride.
Knarley tied a rope over the wing with a foothold underneath. The kid gave us his wallet and his change and positioned himself over the wing so that the leading edge was in his belly. Knarley told him not to worry about the knots coming undone, because he was real good with rope; he also suggested that he not hold on too tight or his hands would get cold and he might fall.
Knarley started the Beaver’s big engine and the back draft already had the kid’s jacket and shirt in his armpits as we taxied down the strip. I was beginning to worry how far Knarley was going to carry the joke, when he turned off the engine and told the kid to get inside and forget about riding the wing.
He was a good sport about the episode and ended up being a really good hunting guide: maybe not the smartest guide in camp, but a good hunting guide none the less.
We were just kids having a good time. and a good joke is a good joke, as long as no one gets hurt; unfortunately, most of America feels like they have been tricked into riding the wing, because of the election of Obama. Except this time it isn’t a joke and Knarley isn’t there to stop the plane and let us off the wing. The joke is no longer funny and people are being hurt with this Socialist concept of Redistribution of Wealth that Obama is so proud of; actually our economy is absorbing such an assault, that we may be decades trying to recover.
I can’t help but want to tell Knarley through the intercom,
Knarley, the joke has gone far enough, we better shut it down
A professional horseman for over 50 years, Skook continues to work with horses. Skook has finished an historical novel, Fifty Thousand Years, that traces a mitochondrial line of DNA from 50,000 years ago to the present. The story follows a line of courageous women, from the Ice Ages to the present, as they meet the challenges of survival with grit and creativity. These are not women who whimper of being victims, they meet the challenges of survival as women who use their abilities without excuses or remorse, these women are winners, they are our ancestors.
Fifty Thousand Years is available in paperback and e-book, it is getting great reviews. You can purchase a copy here; Visit me on Facebook.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dylantheauthor
/bravo Skookum. I used to fly with my Step Brother in a cessna and this brought back those old memories. Wonder if I can still keep it level after all these years….lol.
Aleric, I forgot to mention that the beaver carries six passengers, but we mainly carried supplies so there were no seats in the back.
We once stuck a canoe through the back hatches and laced it to the struts, I didn’t think it was safe; but Knarley thought it was an example of aeronautical the genius. The Beaver took it in stride
It’s not too hard to keep them level, paying for them is the problem; the Beaver that cost $50,000 in the 50’s, will cost $500,000 now. The same plane! Now that is serious inflation.
Nice landing. Hope the country’s economic one turns out the same. Won’t happen, though, with Marxists running the country.
You’re right, this joke is not funny. What’s wrong with socialism any way?
tadcf, I need to get on the road, but before I leave, I want to commend you for your honesty in admitting your willingness to defend Socialism, so few Progressive Liberals are ready to out themselves as Socialists. We have more learned people than me, who write commentary on this site and I am sure you are in for a dissertation today, if you don’t crawfish and disappear; however, may I suggest that you direct your query to the surviving relatives of the 150 million people who have been liquidated by the same heroes of Socialism that Obama and his administration admire so much.
@tadcf
If that’s a serious question, I’ll try a simple answer: Socialism fails every time it’s tried. It results in increased poverty, hopelessness and, ultimately, tyranny.
Why this occurs is because, as government assumes more control over private enterprise, competition surrenders to corruption at all levels. Further, public employees are seldom required to perform well in order to keep themselves employed, so virtually everything done by government is done badly… usually horribly.
Young zealots create the mess with boundless energy, then the population gets trapped in a morass of favoritism and corruption with an all powerful government holding sway over their lives. Government seldom rewards excellence. It’s main tool is punishment for non-compliance.
By the time you learn the error of trusting politicians with your fate, you’ll have created your own prison. Silly Socialists think they know best but wisdom comes only with age, and to some people, never.
@tadcf:
Wow!
Just wow….
Just as I was thinking we had already plumbed the full depths of your idiocy….you trot that one out.
Exit questions:
How many millions of people have died worldwide in previous efforts to get socialism to work?
Just a nice round figure will do…with a million person plus or minus error factor.
How many?
I doubt you have even the slightest inkling of a clue since you posed such an inane question as the one above.
Check out the L-19 Bird Dog by Cessna. Observation plane designed in WWII? They were used in Korea and Vietnam. I don’t know if they saw service in WWII or not. They have the same engine as a 182 but is a two seater. I have a friend that learned to fly in one of them. They use them as float planes in NW Ontario quite a bit, along with Otters, and 180’s and of course the Beaver. My brother had his first flight in one and then got his private license as a result of the rush. My favorite topic on this site is your Bush experiences.
ALERIC: I’ll never fly with you until you’r sure that you can keep it level. bye
SKOOKUM: where are you in the picture? or are you the pilot on the other. bye
The last time I was in a prop plane we were somewhere over Cambodia when the RAWS went off. RAWS is the Radar Alert Warning System and is a pretty good indicator that you’ve been targeted by a SAM (surface to air missile) site.
Now normally, guys like me, Electronic Countermeasures and Direction Finding Systems Repairmen don’t go on these missions, but unfortunately problems had been arising so I was tasked to tag along in order to diagnose the situation. There isn’t much room in a RU-21D Beechcraft and I had to cop a squat on the floor near the tail end of the plane.
CW4 Pappy Wichard was our pilot and I believe I owe him my life. Once the SAM was launched I could actually see the missile heading towards us. Being a prop plane we didn’t fly very fast… maybe 200 knots. Pappy instructed me to grab something and hold on tight… which I did without question.
Having seen the missile I knew our fate would be decided in relative short order. A few seconds passed, my knuckles were white from the grip on the nearest solid piece of structure I could grasp.
Then… in an instant Pappy pitched the wings from horizontal to vertical. While I was having a sudden bowel movement I saw through the small window on my left a flash as the projectile rocketed past us. We were all still alive so I didn’t even mind being a bit soiled.
I’ve never been so scared in all my life, before or after. However, I am afraid that if the pilot currently in the Oval office does not correct course very soon there will be a great multitude in this country with soiled trousers.
@tadcf
Just curious how old you are, round numbers? Just trying to get a slant on where you are coming from.
DONALD BLY: something you can never forget being so close to die, thoses memories are good to write in a book of life storys, specialy with someone who went to warzone and had a first row seat at danger. bye
Would anyone care to explain what the polar opposite of socialism might be?
The point being that the hypothetical polar opposite of total socialism is just as much an unworkable extreme as total socialism itself would be, on the scale of any society as large and as complex as the United States.
One of my uncles was a pilot in the Army Air Corps in WWII, and he continued to fly once he returned. My dad used to take me out to the airfield when I was a little girl to watch him do acrobatic manuvers. I was so enthralled I had my grandmother make me a top out of material with different colored planes on it. It was my favorite and I wore it out. Ever since, I always look up into the sky whenever I hear a plane engine.
The last time I was on a prop plane (about 30 years ago) I was flying with a tour group from Kiev to Budapest on a Hungarian airline. The problem? We were supposed to be on a Lufthansa flight back to Frankfurt. The Hungarians went nuts upon our arrival, saying we could not stay because we had no visas. We explained that was fine with us. We just wanted to fly to Frankfurt. Could they help us do that, please? Meanwhile the Russians denied knowing where we were. For all intents and purposes, we had dropped off the face of the earth.
After several attempts to split us up, the Hungarians told us they were giving us a group visa — but the terms of the visa were that we could not step foot outside our hotel. So we spent a night under house arrest in Budapest! The next day they bused us back across the city where, finally, after 2 or 3 attempts, we were all put aboard a flight to Zurich. The Swiss Alps are always a beautiful sight, but the colors had never been more vibrant than they were that day. Ten days up close was enough socialism/Marxism for us.
Hopefully, this November we’ll all be able to stop the socialists/Marxists who have hijacked our country and get back home where we belong. (Or should that be “get our home back”?) We’ve all had a close up and personal look at the “change” they represent. Even Russia has thrown off its yoke of slavery/ideology and embraced capitalistic principles. They know better than anyone that socialism/communism does not work. But I’m sure their leadership enjoys watching us take a big leap backwards while they celebrate and boast about their latest fighter jet, etc.
GREG: hi, I would answer your question by saying the polar opposite of socialism might be,
AS AMERICA WAS BEFORE THEY TRY TO CHANGE IT, meaning a SUPERPOWER, CAPITALIST,
REPUBLIC WITH freedom and the rules of the CONSTITUTION UNCHANGED,THOSES,
WILL prevailed always in the hearths of AMERICANS from one corner to the others.
LET no one forget it, and study thoses carefully to remember why the BRAVES FIGHT for and get hurt for and die for since the beginning of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA the beautifull.
My little brother and his pal, Albert ran a crop dusting and spraying Ag company. 2 planes and 5 pilots. They did it all. Over 200 working days per year. The planes were Pipers modified with turbos, water inject, emergency dumps, and super wire cutters. If i remember right, they could lift per plane, 450gallons or 4500 lbs. dry. In a pinch, they also did fire retardant.
They had a sales agent that got government contracts for spraying. When I was a chemical officer in the Army, he got a 3 month dispensation for me, so that I could be the mix master for dioxins on army worms, and ddt for mosquitos. Looks great on a contract with government officials doing the oks with a chemist on hand.
There were many 20 hour days and all of us were wearing out over time. Those little planes looked like little ww2 fighters from the front and humped camels from the side. We followed the weather. I really admired the pilots.
The whole province of Manitoba is a mosquito swamp, with estimates of 50 to 60 mosquitoes per cubic metre of air. The province floods yearly and by June, the mosquitoes annoy everybody. Canola or rape attracted army worms like crazy. We were busy! I trained a chem tech to replace me by the time I returned to CFB Suffield( our chem training base).
TOOTHFAIRY and oil guy from ALBERTA: hi, It’s always interesting to read storys like that, real life happenings
there is so much buls going around in some MEDIA,to much to beleive. bye
@greg
I would propound that the polar opposite of socialism might be anarchy but I don’t see a linear relationship between political philosophies. I see think political orientations are better described by set theory in which there is overlap between conservatism, classic liberalism, libertarianism, socialism, communism and fascism and that there are many shades and gradations of each dogma within individuals’ beliefs. Each individual may share extreme beliefs of several sets within his or her own mindset.
Nonetheless, the most prevalent division today seems to be between collectivist big-government types who distrust rich, powerful people and free market libertarians who distrust politicians. It’s convenient to apply the socialist label to the collectivists and the conservative label to those who lean libertarian. I think that those who choose the label of moderate or centrist are mostly those who choose to be uninformed on current issues but whose core beliefs would place them primarily among the conservative/libertarian set.
@DaNang67
IMHO, that is an excellent explanation, particularly that last part about those who view themselves as moderate or centrist.
The prevailing viewpoint in Congress and the WH today is one of statism, or collectivism, as you put it. The problem with that viewpoint is that it hasn’t worked anywhere, or anytime, that it has been tried. Now, we don’t have complete statism in the country, but it certainly seems like the politicians in power now are pushing the country that way as much as possible.
The TEA Party obviously runs along the lines of libertarianism, and despite the lefts attempts to paint them as ‘fringe’ or ‘extreme’, my guess is that a majority in the country if forced to really look at their own views would agree with them.
Thanks again for your post.
Outstanding commentary!
Bees, the photos are all from the internet, the lead photo looks to be from East of Kamloops.
I have been driving all day and should be home before morning, input from me will be light since I will work tomorrow; but you guys are terrific. Thank you.
SKOOKUM: WE have to be up to the expectations of our POST AUTHOR,who demand what he give, THE BEST always, thank you, GOOD route to you, bye