Polar Winds: A Century of Flying the North

by Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail

Polar Winds traces a century of northern flight from balloonatics to bush pilots and beyond.

"They were all gamblers and fortune seekers. They did things on their own — were independent people who wanted to be free to roam. They were good people, but, of course, some were loners or escapists. They all depended strictly on their wits."

Joe McBryan, pilot and owner of Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways, was talking about gold prospectors in the 1940s when he said this, but he could just as easily have been describing the aviators who have flown northern skies for over a hundred years. They were adventurers and pioneers, but also just men and women doing what was required to make a living north of the sixtieth parallel.

Polar Winds uses the stories of these pilots and others to explore the greater history of air travel in the North, from the Klondike Gold Rush through to the end of the twentieth century. It encompasses everything from exploration flights to the North Pole in airships to passenger travel in jet liners; flying school buses for residential schools to indigenous pilots performing mercy flights; and from the harrowing crashes to the routine supply runs that make up daily life in the North. Above all, it is a unique history told through the experiences of northerners on the ground and in the sky.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

I’m a history-obsessed author who lives by the sea in Nova Scotia/Mi’kma’ki (Canada). I spend my days writing, researching, and going on adventures with my family – and my evenings devouring books and movies. My readers range from 2 to 102 and I love connecting with them.

I am constantly challenging myself creatively and finding new outlets for my varied interests. Currently, I have a forthcoming nonfiction picture book, Freddie the Flyer (Tundra Books, October 2023), as well as two projects out on submission: a novel called The 500 Year Flood, and a time-slip paranormal chapter book for 7-9 year olds called Fever on the Forgotten Coast.

My main project at the moment is revising a creative nonfiction book based on my former Ghosts of Camsell blog about trauma, memory, and reconciliation.

Reviews

[Elinor]

If you have even a passing interest in Canadian history or aviation, you will love this book by former Canadian Aviation Historical Society president Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail of Edmonton. It is absolutely jam-packed with information about the wild and crazy exploits of early flyers in Canada's north.

The book begins with a description of the "balloonatics" -- guys who flew hot air balloons during the Klondike gold rush. Who knew? It then proceeds to describe pilots who flew biplanes in the early days, delivered mail, evacuated medical emergencies, flew aboriginal kids to and from residential schools, helped track down criminals (e.g. the Mad Trapper of Rat River), established RCAF air bases during World War Two, and flew paying passengers over the North Pole!

One of the most interesting chapters describes some spectacular accidents (remember Marten Hartwell, who ate the bodies of his deceased fellow passengers in order to survive?)

It also pays tribute to the first female flyers in the north, the first aboriginal flyers, and the pioneers who established the first northern commercial airlines.

It's 180 pages with some spectacular photographs. If you watch TV shows like Ice Pilots or Arctic Air, you will definitely enjoy this book.

[Crystal Sissons]

Polar Winds is an exciting flight through the history of polar aviation. Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail let's the reader ride co-pilot with her as she flies through the grand skyscape of Canadian polar aviation history from the late 1800s to the 21st century. The narrative is rich and exciting, skimming across barren landscape, diving through canyons, and forging through mists and sudden storms.

As the flight plan progresses the evolution of aviation from balooning to bush planes to modern airliners is laid out in clear progression. However, this is not simply an evolution of the aircraft which flew through the arctic, it is strongly centered on the interplay between these aircraft and the dynamic people who flew them and depended upon them. It is their stories that make for a very rich tapestry of events both tragic and joyous. Metcalfe-Chanail ensures that her route includes all peoples and especially highlights the important role of Aboriginal peoples and women throughout the north.

As she set-ups for her landing, Metcalfe-Chenail ensures that her co-pilot is already eager for the next flight and a chance to take the controls for herself as she further explores all the wonders the north has to offer. Her well researched narrative provides in depth sources and a detailed bibliography so that the co-pilot will be able to set-up her own flight plan for subsequent journeys.

[Vontel]

This is another good book which adds pieces to mainly Canadian history (but other countries, particularly those with polar territories and connections). There is the excellent, and less frequent, focus on the northern half of the country(north of 60). This is an essential part of the exploration and development that ensued because of the arrival of flight in the north, and its' subsequent growth over the past century. I didn't read all the details, as those with a more intense interest in aviation equipment and exploration would find more entertaining, but believe it is worth a read by all.