I was just five, or maybe six when I saw my first airplane..We were riding in my dad’s black Pontiac Laurentian on the way home in Amherstburg, Ont., windows open, no seatbelts..I suddenly heard an incredible roar and looked out the back window — it was a Golden Hawks F-86 Sabre, ripping by at treetop level..My God, what a sight..Man those guys had guts — and it was all stick and rudder, none of that computer stuff..From that moment on, I became obsessed with everything aviation, earning my private pilot’s licence even before I got my driver’s permit. .And I had dreams of becoming a commercial airline pilot..I even built a Boeing 727 simulator in my basement, having written away to the aerospace giant who sent me the cockpit plans straight out of the manual..It was made out of 2x4s, plywood, black paper and white pencil, glued aircaps painted red for lights, grey paint and a ton of sweat and toil over a summer.. Makichuk-cockpitMakichuk’s homemade cockpit .The hardest part was the throttles which had to be carved and hand sanded..I worked so damn hard on that project, I suddenly discovered I had great arm strength — playing touch football, I realized I could throw a football a mile!.It would come in handy in touch football games..Anyway, enough about me. This column is about the best pilots I ever flew with, including a legendary bush pilot. .You never forget your introductory flight, and I will never forget mine — it was with instructor Tim Weatherell, a nice young fellow at the Windsor Flying Club..Tim had a passion for flying and that passion rubbed off on all of us..We all knew he was headed for the airlines, it was only a matter of time..Sadly, he would lose his life in a tragic mishap when his aircraft flew into an unexpected snowstorm near London, Ont. There are times when the odds are just stacked against you and this was one of those times..He was a helluva good pilot and I will never forget him..One of my best instructors in Windsor was a man named John Mornan, who was also a meteorologist at YQG..On one flight John made a point as we flew over a small farm — standing our little Piper Cherokee PA-140 on its nose, which absolutely petrified me, he said: “See that barn roof down there? I can put this plane on that roof, if I had to.”.I believed him and I understood the lesson — you can put a Cherokee down anywhere, so don’t sweat it, kid..Our school was very safety conscious and it was constantly drilled into us..I would fly with other great pilots including the great stunt pilot Bud Granley, who took me for a spin in his French Fouga Magister jet trainer over Calgary, a media promo for the Lethbridge airshow..I didn’t like the feeling of being strapped in so tight, but it was necessary if we had to bail — an operation that involved us turning upside down and pulling a lever..But I missed my chance of meeting the greatest of them all, Chuck Yeager..I had been invited to a special dinner honouring Yeager, at Edwards AFB, in the Mojave outside of LA — site of the historic military fighter jet testing ground, where Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1.. Makichuk-YeagarChuck Yeager .I would decline the invite — one of my life’s big regrets — because I couldn’t justify the expense of a weekend trip to LA, when I had a wife and a young child and we were struggling to pay the bills..I also doubted my boss at the time would give me the time off..And then there was my flight with “Midnight” Jimmy Anderson, perhaps one of the greatest bush pilots in Canadian aviation history..I was working for Public Works out of Whitehorse, on the Alaska Highway in northern BC, when I ran into Jimmy at the Pink Mountain bar..His legend had already reached an apex and I felt quite honoured to be sitting at his table, listening to his tall tales while we drank that horrible Uncle Ben’s beer of the day..Jimmy had done it all and seen it all. The man had no fear.. JimmyJimmy Anderson .He would fly his little Piper Cub in any kind of weather, day or night. It was not unusual for him to spend a working day flying in BC, the Yukon and the NWT..His face was wrinkled and grizzled, his hands missing some fingers — possibly from frostbite — and he wore a cool, well-worn cowboy hat at all times..One of his most famous stunts was when someone bet him that he couldn’t land on a semi-truck that was rolling down the Alaska Highway..As the story goes, Jimmy would choose a nice straight stretch of highway and waited for the next truck..All was going well, until the semi driver got spooked, hitting the brakes. Jimmy’s little Cub would land right on the cab roof, denting it and scaring the crap out of the driver..Again, one of many tall tales. He claimed to have made and survived dozens of forced landings, having perfected how to land on a stand of trees, which would limit damage to him and the plane. .“Oh yeah,” he would say with a laugh. “I’ve plugged into a jackpine at forty below a few times.”.I also heard he heroically located a downed plane and its crew in zero-zero weather, when the Mounties and SAR folks refused to fly..I asked him if he would take me up sometime and he agreed — it would be the most amazing flight of my life..Me and my gal friend at the time, Yvonne, met him at his house long the Alaska Highway, which was just down the road from the Pink Mountain airstrip..Jimmy apologized, there were no back seats, they had been removed to haul cargo. I would have to hold onto the back of Jimmy’s seat, and Yvonne behind, holding onto me.. Makichuk-and-YvonneMakichuk and Yvonne .It was cold, maybe around -20C, and it wouldn’t start, so Jimmy lit a small propane flame under the engine and we waited while it warmed up..I nervously cranked the prop a couple of times and the little bird came to life —off we went, taxiing down the Alaska Highway..A quick inspection of the airfield for dangerous frozen cow pies was followed by takeoff, as we headed for the mountains just west of us..It’s hard to put in words the incredible majesty of this flight — imagine being only yards away from a mountain face, as updrafts carried us up to the peak, or flying through a steep gorge Star Wars style, just above the stream level, twisting and turning with each meander..Jimmy was at one with the Piper Cub, like no man I had ever seen before, and he knew the terrain and its climate like the back of his hand — this was better than any thrill ride at Disneyland..He would take us down to tree level to look for the local wolf pack, show us his favourite mountain-top landing spots and other cool sites, including hidden waterfalls..Coming in for a text-book landing before sunset, I knew I had experienced a bucket-list flight. Jimmy was the best, no question..Oh, and did I mention he didn’t have a valid license? The feds had yanked it over something, who knows why. Who cares. .Besides, we probably broke every air regulation in the book..I paid him $60 and bought him a case of Molson’s — he was thrilled and invited me back to his house the following week to talk about flying and the wilderness, which he loved..I never did get my commercial, figured I just didn’t have the Right Stuff..But hey, if you don’t try, you don’t know..And yes, I did get to see Gen. Yeager fly an F-15, during a historic fly past at the annual Edwards AFB airshow on the dry lake bed. .In saying that, there was an old, grizzled outlaw pilot on the Alaska Highway, who was pretty damn good too..Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the military editor for the Asia Times.,.makichukd@gmail.com
