Ice Pilots

Writes Tim McGraw:

This is a good show. It shows what it’s like to fly these old WWII cargo planes in the NW Territories of Canada. Working on the planes is unforgiving. Everyone has to pitch in. I’ve never cleaned snow off the wings of a plane. At Chelan Airways, Nick, the owner/pilot, did it. I didn’t volunteer. To fall off the wing into an ice-cold Lake Chelan would not be a pleasant experience.

I’ve worked on a DC-3 (double engine change in St.Thomas, Virgin Islands), and have toured a DC-4 (Salmon & Cocaine Airways), but I’ve never worked on or been in a C-46. There was a C-46 parked on the tarmac near Cruzeiro Air at Belem International Airport when I was there. It never moved. 

As usual, the show is always about the pilots, even the secretary/cargo organizer, but rarely about the aircraft mechanics. Typical. 

The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.