Bush Pilot: Reflections on a Canadian Myth
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Robert Lower (credited as Bob Lower)
Michael J.F. Scott (credited as Michael Scott) (Executive producer)
| Bush Pilot: Reflections on a Canadian Myth | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Norma Bailey Robert Lower (credited as Bob Lower) |
| Written by | Robert Lower |
| Produced by | Jerry Krepakevich Michael J.F. Scott (credited as Michael Scott) (Executive producer) |
| Narrated by | Brian Richardson |
| Cinematography | Richard A. Stringer (credited as R.A. Stringer) |
| Edited by | Jane Creba |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | National Film Board of Canada |
Release date |
|
Running time | 22 minutes, 32 seconds |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Bush Pilot: Reflections on a Canadian Myth is a 22-minute Canadian documentary film, made in 1980 by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and directed by Norma Bailey and Robert Lower. Shot in northern Manitoba, the film explores the myth of the bush pilot as a heroic and iconic figure in the Canada's north.
From the 1920s, the bush pilot had been instrumental in pushing back the frontiers of Canada, both westward and northward. In order to traverse the great stretches of northern bush and lake country, bush planes became the preferred means, supplanting the canoe and dog sled. Originally introduced in 1935, the Noorduyn Norseman was one of the first purpose-built aircraft to work in Canada's remote and unsettled regions. Remaining in production for almost 25 years with over 900 produced, a number of examples of Noorduyn Norseman aircraft remain in commercial and private use to this day.[1]
In 1974, Northway Aviation pilot Jim Beauchamp left his job as a bank executive, to follow his dream of becoming a bush pilot, flying the Noorduyn Norseman. Even though he is aware of the romantic notion that many might attach to his job, most times it is just a job, with long hours and back-breaking work in an isolated and often hostile environment. His boss, Jim Johnson simply describes flying in the north as pilots acting as either a bus or taxi driver.
For over 25 years, Northway from its floatplane base at the Icelandic River in Riverton, Manitoba, maintained a lifeline to the small towns cradling Lake Winnipeg. While fresh produce and groceries, building materials and equipment were flown north, some communities hauled out fish, fur and wild rice harvested on the lakes. With the development of larger, more modern communities such as Thompson, Manitoba, northern isolation was coming to an end, and the myth of the bush pilot as a heroic figure was also fading.
Production
Directors Norma Bailey and Robert Lower began pre-production in 1978, originally intending to make a film as an homage to the Noorduyn Norseman bush plane. Both directors grew up in rural Manitoba and had flown extensively on bush planes, with Lower having his own private pilot's licence.[2]
As they gathered footage at the Northway Aviation Ltd. and Lambair Ltd. airlines that flew the Norseman, as well as accessing archival footage shot by the bush pilots of the 1920s and 1930s, the story changed to one of the bush pilots rather than the aircraft they flew. Principal photography ended in 1980.[2][N 1]