86:
180:
mountains that poked above the cloud blanket. The dreadful downdrafts that have caused more than one pilot's death held no terror for him. These
Niagaras of air, pouring off the ridges, can send a plane plummeting a thousand feet in a minute, but Baker wrestled his aircraft through the turbulence like a horseman on a bronco. He had the physique of a boxer and the strength of an ox and needed both in that tempest-tossed land.
179:
Baker flew his Fox Moths and ancient
Junkers through the angry ocean of peaks that sprawl across the midriff of British Columbia. He knew these mountains as well as we know our own street corners. When the fog hung heavy on the cordillera, he found his way home by recognizing the granite tips of the
60:
The boy attended Isaac Brock
Elementary School and finished his public education at age 14. He then took up shorthand, typing, penmanship, English, spelling and bookkeeping at Success Commercial College in 1924/5. He worked in the offices of
132:
where there was a refueling station. The mishap occurred the 16th of
January, and Russ eventually located the planes and crews. To an improvised
275:
89:
The first commercial Beaver floatplane was acquired by
Central British Columbia Airlines, precursor to Pacific Western Airlines
285:
280:
240:
250:
125:
77:
on
October 29, 1929. However, from 1931 to 1933 he worked for his father's company, Western Gypsum Products.
295:
98:
168:
205:
74:
38:
246:
62:
94:
290:
270:
265:
140:
were recovered from the downed aircraft. He was recommended by Lt. Robert O. Cork for the
117:
144:
which Russ was awarded March 22, 1948, in
Vancouver by the U.S. consul George D. Andrews.
8:
50:
233:
136:
he flew a dozen missions over several days to extract 24 crewmen and two officers. The
129:
236:
121:
137:
106:
105:
his base as he freighted supplies to mining operators in the North. He worked for
160:
66:
152:
102:
70:
259:
164:
156:
148:
110:
21:
185:
230:
Wings over the West: Russ Baker and the Rise of
Pacific Western Airlines
34:
17:
141:
85:
54:
167:. The newspaper series was named Best Adventure Series of 1947 by
93:
Baker got his start as an entrepreneur in aviation by restoring a
175:(1984) by John Condit. Berton described Russ' mountain flying:
133:
113:
offered him a job with
Canadian Airways in the same region.
27:
Canadian bush pilot and founder of
Pacific Western Airlines
116:
In January 1942 Russ Baker rescued the crews of three
257:
101:in the winter of 1936/7. Later Baker made
206:"Million Dollar Valley, British Columbia"
84:
109:'s company United Air Transport. Later
258:
16:For the investigative journalist, see
276:Businesspeople from British Columbia
163:and up the "headless valley" of the
13:
14:
307:
171:. Pierre wrote the foreword to
251:Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame
198:
159:. Russ took Pierre across the
1:
191:
126:Fort Nelson, British Columbia
44:
7:
286:Recipients of the Air Medal
99:Gun Lake (British Columbia)
80:
33:(1910–1958) was a Canadian
10:
312:
281:Businesspeople in aviation
169:International News Service
15:
20:. For the columnist, see
75:commercial pilot licence
57:) on January 31, 1910.
39:Pacific Western Airlines
155:by Hal Straight of the
188:on November 15, 1958.
90:
63:Western Canada Airways
247:Russell Francis Baker
184:Russ Baker died of a
95:De Havilland Fox Moth
88:
69:with that company at
31:Russell Francis Baker
97:for Ginger Coote at
296:Commercial aviators
228:John Condit (1984)
173:Wings over the West
65:. In 1928 he began
51:St. James, Manitoba
234:Harbour Publishing
130:Watson Lake, Yukon
91:
73:. He obtained his
49:Baker was born in
151:was assigned the
147:In February 1947
138:Norden bombsights
122:emergency landing
120:that had made an
303:
221:
220:
218:
216:
210:explorenorth.com
202:
107:Grant McConachie
311:
310:
306:
305:
304:
302:
301:
300:
256:
255:
225:
224:
214:
212:
204:
203:
199:
194:
161:Rocky Mountains
83:
67:flight training
47:
37:and founder of
28:
25:
12:
11:
5:
309:
299:
298:
293:
288:
283:
278:
273:
268:
254:
253:
244:
223:
222:
196:
195:
193:
190:
182:
181:
103:Fort St. James
82:
79:
71:Kirkfield Park
46:
43:
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
308:
297:
294:
292:
289:
287:
284:
282:
279:
277:
274:
272:
269:
267:
264:
263:
261:
252:
248:
245:
242:
241:0-920080-49-9
238:
235:
231:
227:
226:
211:
207:
201:
197:
189:
187:
178:
177:
176:
174:
170:
166:
165:Nahanni River
162:
158:
157:Vancouver Sun
154:
153:northern beat
150:
149:Pierre Berton
145:
143:
139:
135:
131:
127:
123:
119:
114:
112:
111:Punch Dickins
108:
104:
100:
96:
87:
78:
76:
72:
68:
64:
58:
56:
53:(now part of
52:
42:
40:
36:
32:
23:
22:Russell Baker
19:
229:
213:. Retrieved
209:
200:
186:heart attack
183:
172:
146:
118:B-26 bombers
115:
92:
59:
48:
30:
29:
291:Bush pilots
271:1958 deaths
266:1910 births
215:26 February
260:Categories
192:References
45:Early life
35:bush pilot
18:Russ Baker
142:Air Medal
124:between
81:Airlines
55:Winnipeg
239:
134:runway
249:from
237:ISBN
217:2019
128:and
262::
232:,
208:.
41:.
243:.
219:.
24:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
