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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-09-21, Page 22 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Thanks to BFC, couple enjoyed three adventures on a small plane Shaun Gregory Huron Expositor A married couple in their 70s had never really flown in a small air- plane before, next thing you know they are flying out of St. Columban, bound for the state of Alaska in a 182 single engine Cessna. Accompanied by their pilot Burt Hodgins from the Brussels Flying Club and his wife Maria, Frank and Carol Hardy were headed for the Land of the Midnight Sun. This journey marked the first of three trips for the foursome dating from 2013 to their most recent escapade, which ended last week. Besides Frank having the opportu- nity of being a passenger for about 20 minutes in a small aircraft, between the two of them, they didn't have any other small aircraft experience, let alone a 6,300 km trip across the nation. "I said sure. I thought he was kidding," stated Frank. "Then I fig- ured it out after a couple weeks he wasn't kidding, he meant it." Frank found out this trip would take 65 hours by car if there were no traffic stumbles, a distance that would take much less in the air. The couple owns a trailer and longed to go as far as Alaska, but knew that the distance would be too lengthy. A plane would alleviate those problems. From Al Murray's farm in St. Columban, where the plane is sta- tioned, it's possible to reach Toronto Island in about 35 minutes. "One day we had breakfast in Nova Scotia, we flew to Charlotte- town, P.E.I. for lunch so Burt could have a lobster meal, then we were in New Brunswick for supper," said K One day we had breakfast in Nova Scotia, we flew to Charlottetown, P.E.I. for lunch so Burt could have a lobster meal, then we were in New Brunswick for supper," — said Frank Hardy, 75, on September 14 when describing how fast one can reach a destination in a small plane in Eastern Canada. Frank, 75, on September 14 when describing how fast one can reach a destination. For the two couples' first trip together, they packed enough clothes and items to last because this excursion would take roughly four weeks. Minimal water was consumed as there isn't a wash- room facility on the plane. They left from Murray's farm where part of the property has been transformed into a 50 -foot wide, one -kilometer long grassy runway. Between some soybeans fields the strip lies on a smooth enough patch to play golf on. Just before the Expositor arrived to cover the story, Murray had taken some agriculture customers up in the air to show them an aerial view of the product they would be purchasing. The Brussels Flying Club chose Murray's property because it was Shaun Gregory Frank and Carol Hardy have had the pleasure of taking this 182 single engine Cessna on three adventuress voyages. ideal and out of the 15 members, six are active and most live in the Seaforth area, it only made sense to keep it close to town. So flying over province after province with the destination being the U.S., the four left Murray's farm for an unforgettable experience. It was Burt's first time in the mountains, however the Hardy's said his resilience and sense of direction left them in a comfortable state of mind. "I was too naive to be nervous," said Frank from Lucan Ont. "I feel that he really knows what he's doing or I wouldn't be doing what filslR ;_;p1('Ftcou.ncrn-rianthlfcrIWI Ir -nylon nMfAv:n C. ur.: deadline for theictober 12L1 issue will bOi '.gans©p�strnedia.com -._..If you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call at 519-527-024,0 Cyt ea orthhuronexsositor.co I'm doing, he does everything confidently." Flying thousands of feet in the air and at times much lower, Frank said he looked forward to sightsee- ing and they were constantly look- ing for wildlife. "I think if you're too low the noise the plane (makes) will scare them, all they have to do is walk under a tree and you don't see them, we thought for sure we'd see a moose way up north, but we never did," Frank explained to the Expositor. One of the most memorable tiOne of the most memorable times of the first voyage was their visit to Tuktoyaktuk,Northwest Territories, a small Inuit hamlet with just under 900 people. It is located on the shores of the Arctic Ocean and is on the uppermost edge of Canada. This part of the trip was on foot. Their tour guide was an Inuit woman who met them near the air- strip. She showed the Ontarian's around town to give them a little bit of a live history lesson. Unlike modern Canadians, they do not have the lavish lifestyle of home appliances. With saying that, many people use the ground as a freezer to keep meats. About thirty feet deep through the permafrost a wooden ladder took them beneath the ground. The plywood door opened with an inch of frost covered on top of it. They were given a headlamp to scope out the place. "There's about 18 or 19 rooms down there, about '8 x 10' you can stand up easily and then each fam- ily and extended family that's where they would store each (of their) particular possessions down there, that had to stay frozen," explained Frank. Carol said they were given sev- eral samples of different meats from fishes and animals that were rather foreign to them. "She cut the food into small cubes, she knew we would not eat a lot of it," said Carol. They were given caribou soup, which they admitted to being tasty. Their guide offered them whale blubber, Carol turned down the offer, while Frank ate a piece. It was oily and rubbery; Frank didn't really care for it. From sprinting to safety in a 20 -metre dash because a male elk in B.C., was hot on Burt and Frank's trail, the Hardy's said the three separate trips will be some- thing they will always remember and cherish for years. "We're rural people and so are Burt and Maria, so to take a small plane anywhere, you see so much, it's just phenomenal," commented Carol. "You get this great appreciation for Canada and this great appreciation for how each province is different." She added that this would not be possible without the not-for-profit organization known as the Brussels Flying Club. Randy Wilson, 60, President of the Brussels Flying Club said cur- rently the association is looking for new members. For those interested it costs $7,000 for a membership, which entails you to a share of the plane. If you can not pay up front, BFC allows a four-year limit to pay it off. "Once you belong to the club then you kind (of) have a voting share (at) the meetings and you're part of the hierarchy of who decides what happens with the plane and looks after whatever needs to be done."