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Bush flying refers to aircraft operations carried out in the bush. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormally large tires, floats, skis or any other equipment necessary for unpaved runway operation. It is the only viable way of delivering people and supplies into more difficult to reach, remote locations.

Etymology
This term bush has been used since the 19th century to describe remote wilderness area beyond clearings and settlements hence bush flying denotes flight operations carried out in such remote regions.

Purpose
Bush flying is the primary and sometimes the only method of access across Northern Canada, Western Canada, Alaska, and the Australian Outback and other parts of the world.

History
In Canada, the first real use of bush flying was for exploration and development, while in Alaska, transportation was the main purpose. Later, bush flying became important during rescue operations. Bush pilots are needed in rescue operations and are important for many different reasons.

Canada
After the 1918 Armistice with Germany, Ellwood Wilson, a Canadian forester employed by the Laurentide Company in Quebec, realized that airplanes could be used to spot forest fires and to map forested areas. In early 1919, after Wilson discovered that the U.S. Navy was giving Canada several war-surplus Curtiss HS-2L flying boats, he asked to borrow two. He then hired Captain Stuart Graham to fly the planes. Graham and his engineer, Walter Kahre, then flew the first HS-2L to Lac-à-la-Tortue on 4 June 1919, arriving on 8 June 1919. The flight had covered 645 miles, the longest cross-country flight executed in Canada at the time. He then delivered the other HS-2L to Lac-à-la-Tortue.

Equipped with the aircraft, the first bush flights occurred when fire patrol and aerial photography began in the summer of 1919 in the St. Maurice River valley. Graham and Kahre continued this service for two more seasons, but it became so expensive that the Laurentide Company underwrote the operation. In response, it was split into a separate company called Laurentide Air Services Ltd. with Wilson as president and former Royal Naval Air Service instructor and barnstormer William Roy Maxwell as vice president. These were the first bush flights in Eastern Canada.

In Western Canada, after Wilfrid May was discharged from the Royal Naval Air Service and moved to Edmonton, a Montreal businessman offered the city of Edmonton a Curtiss JN-4 after he found success in the city's real estate. Mayor Joe Clarke and city council accepted the gift, prompting May to ask to rent the plane. City council and May agreed to a price of CA$25. May and his brother Court May completed the necessary paperwork and raised the required capital to form May Airplanes Ltd. George Gorman, a pilot, and Peter Derbyshire, a mechanic, joined the first commercial bush operations in Canada.

May then asked the publisher of the Edmonton Journal to fly copies of the paper to Wetaskiwin, 70 km south of Edmonton. He accepted and the next day, Gorman and Derbyshire flew the newspapers along with 2 sacks of advertising circulars, following the rail line to the city, announcing the service to communities along the way.

Bush flying in Canada is commemorated by the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario as well as two National Film Board of Canada documentary films, Bush Pilot: Reflections on a Canadian Myth (1980) and Bush Pilot - Into the Wild Blue Yonder (2000).

Alaska
Alaska's first bush pilot was Carl Ben Eielson, a North Dakota farm boy of Scandinavian descent who flew during World War I. After the war, he moved to Alaska as a mathematics and science teacher in Fairbanks. However, he soon persuaded several citizens to help him acquire a Curtiss JN-4, flying passengers to nearby settlements. He then asked the postal operator for an airmail contract. The post office accepted the proposal and in 1924, Eielson received a de Havilland 4 that would be used to make eight mail runs to McGrath, 280 mi away, before his contract was terminated after the third accident.

Noel Wien made the first successful bush flight to Livengood, Alaska on 19 Aug. 1924. This flight demonstrated that the trip in support of mining operations could be made in under an hour, when the dog sled trail would take several days in winter. Wien made 34 flights that first summer in support of the approximately 250 men located at the camp, providing supplies and services.

A woman by the name of Celia M. Hunter became one of the first to serve as a flight attendant for flights to both Nome, and Kotzebue in the year 1947. These were the first tourist trips to be accomplished by flying in the Alaskan bush

Aircraft used
Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain, necessitating bush planes to be equipped with tundra tires, floats, or skis. A bush plane should have good short take-off and landing capabilities. A typical bush plane will have wings on top of its fuselage to ensure that they do not make contact with any overgrowth in the landing area. They will normally have conventional "tail-dragger" landing gear as it has a greater aeronautic ability than tricycle landing gear, and is more suited to rough surfaces. The increased upward angle of the taildragger configuration gives the propeller more clearance from the ground allowing it to avoid striking rocks, logs and other debris that might cause damage. However tricycle gear ("Nose wheel") bushplanes are capable of landing almost anywhere a tail dragger can, provided it is equipped with suitable oversize high flotation tires and is correctly loaded.

One of the most common aircraft used for flying to and from the bush was called the Grumman G-21 Goose. The aircraft is capable of landing on the water as well as landing on harsher runways making it a jack of all trades bush plane. The Goose has an empty weight of 5,425 lbs, A loaded weight of 8,888 lbs, a cruise speed of 191 mph and is capable of traveling 640 miles on a full tank.

Another favorable aircraft called the De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter was widely used throughout the Canadian and Alaskan bush. The aircraft which began its service in 1952 came in either a single or twin engine design. The otter is capable of landing on water, snow/ice, and land making it a useful tool for all conditions. The empty weight of the aircraft is 4,431 lbs, a loaded weight of 8,000 lbs, a cruise speed of 121 mph and is capable of traveling 945 miles on a full tank.

The De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver designed and built in Canada in 1946 was widely used throughout both Canada and Alaska. The aircraft is capable of landing on water, snow/ice, and land making it incredibly versatile. The aircraft has an empty weight of 3000 lbs, a loaded weight of 5,100 lbs, a cruise speed of 130 mph and is capable of traveling 455 miles on a full tank.

The Helio Courier designed and built in Pittsburg, Kansas from 1954 to 1974 was capable of landing on water, snow/ice and land. Many different variation have been designed for this aircraft. The aircraft has an empty weight of 2,080 lbs, a loaded weight of 3,600 lbs, a cruise speed of 167 mph and can travel of 1,100 miles on a full tank.

The Cessna 185 Skywagon is another popular small plane used throughout the bush. The aircraft is capable of landing on water, snow/ice and land. The aircraft has an empty weight of 1,748 lbs, a loaded weight of 3,350 lbs, a cruise speed of 167 mph, and can travel 829 miles on a full tank.

The Maule M-5 is a more niche aircraft used in bush flying, typically used by one man teams. It is not very common. The aircraft has an empty weight of 1,400 lbs, a loaded weight of 2,300 lbs. a cruise speed of 150 mph, and can travel 550 miles on a full tank.

The Piper PA-18 Super Cub is a two-seat plane developed in 1949. The aircraft is capable of landing on various surfaces such as, water, snow/ice, and land. The aircraft ranges greatly in different engine sizes but typically has an empty weight of only 930 lbs, a loaded weight of 1,750 lbs, a cruise speed of 115 mph and a can travel 460 miles on a full tank.

Notable bush pilots
• Jimmie Angel

• Russ Baker

• Arthur Massey Berry

• Rusty Blakey

• Ernest Joseph Boffa

• Wilfred Leigh Brintnell

• Pearl Laska Chamberlain

• Earl Frederick Crabb

• Punch Dickins

• Carl Ben Eielson

• John Emilius Fauquier

• Martin Hartwell

• Tom Lamb

• Hugh Lamprey

• Beryl Markham

• Wop May

• Grant McConachie

• Russel Merrill

• Welland Phipps

• Bob Reeve

• Donald Sheldon

• Max Ward

• Noel Wien

Related articles

 * Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
 * Ontario Provincial Air Service