ESSAY - FLIGHTWEST.
32 PAGES 15,205 WORDS
Day six and seven - 6th and 7th July
In the morning I had slept in for a while, had a swim. At the swimming pool was a young woman from Elora, not far from where I live in Ontario. Small world. After lunch I went into Brandon on the bus .. there is a good bus service from just across the road from the Inn.
Brandon is a small town: stand in the middle and you can see countryside just down the street on either side. It has the usual large shopping mall in the centre. I walked to the Brandon Arts Centre. There was a strange exhibit, called, I think: "Tent and Antiques". It was a tent made of delicate cottons and silks, with nouveau art gloves and designs stitched on. All around the walls were black and white photographs of interesting scenes and characters.
After this I went out of a different door of the Arts Centre and promptly got lost. Oh well, I needed a walk. This took me through a dark underground parking lot and a mall. I wanted a pair of lightweight slippers, so saw some on sale. I hoped Ed would not notice my expanding luggage.
The Brandon Agricultural Conference went on for several days. On the first evening, Ed and Elly invited me to a threshing competition and barbecue.
At the competition a huge machine (which looked like a design by Ronald Searle, my favourite cartoonist, years ago). It was manned by ten men and powered by an enormous steam engine. The men worked in teams operating the belt-driven engine and throwing sheaves of wheat into this extremely dangerous looking contraption. It knocked the heads off the corn and spat the stalks out separately.
Some distance away sat a sleek, fat, modern, thresher. This would be driven through the field by one man. It would do all the work of the ten or twelve men, in about half the time. It could, of course, work continually by day and night if necessary.
Between the two exhibits was a board explaining the economics of the investment in the modern machine, versus the jobs and wages of the teams. Quite a moral and economic dilemma; at least, it would be, but people don't want or expect to do that terribly hard physical work any more. - do they ?
After the competition came the barbecue. This was held in a very large barn. It was excellent. There was entertainment also. Parties of Russian, Polish, North-American Indian and other groups performed dances in costume. Unfortunately, the organizers had not provided a stage .. and as there were about five-hundred in the audience, it was not possible for everyone to see.
The next morning I decided to go out for a fly around by myself. I usually like to catch a bus, but the bus route stops short of the Brandon Airport by about 3 miles .. which is a walk along the Trans Canada Highway. There was no way I would walk even three metres along the TCH by myself, so I called a taxi.
The taxi-driver was very helpful .. he even suggested where I might fly that morning: Clear Lake Park.
DYY had been pulled into the hangar overnight, out of the storms which this summer seemed to come every single afternoon. Darryl Bucklaschuk, Operations Supervisor, helped me with DYY and I set off.
Darryl Bucklaschuk with DYY at Brandon
The Controller seemed to sense that I was unsure of myself .. but not the reason. I said I would be going to Clear Lake and would be back in about an hour. As that did not reassure him, I said "Well, I have two VORs, a Loran and an ADF .. I'm also following a power line!" .. With that he seemed happier and suggested I "Have a good flight Ma'am."
It was a beautiful morning. I had not practiced slow flight and steep turns for some time .. so I took a very strange and circuitous route, snaking round and round, rising, falling, looking at things .. generally enjoying my escape from the discipline of following a straight course for days.
There were, I was told afterwards, herds of buffalo up at the Park, but I did not see any. Just beautiful recreation areas and woods. If I had more time I would have taken a bus up to look at them. I have never ever seen a live buffalo, - let alone a whole herd of them.
I circled the lake and set course back for Brandon. Ahead of me I saw the usual storm and shower clouds beginning. Looking into a thick cloud and rain, I saw sparkling strips and thought .. "lightening .. so early ?!" However, it was just a tall lighted radio aerial.
So annoyed by the storms I had a good sneeze .. and couldn't find a Kleenex. At that moment, of course, the Controller decided he needed a Pilot Report .. "Turbulence out there .. DYY?" .. No reply. More urgently .. "DYY ? ARE YOU RECEIVING ME?" Probably thought: "this incompetent woman has got into some trouble!" "Stadd bby" I wanted to add: "lookig for Kleedex" " Do turbuledce - I would't dotice after by past days of flygg adyway!"
Following my little trip I thought I would try to do a perfect soft field landing: full flaps, some power on, hold it off until it just lands gently at slowest speed. Some hopes !! With the Controller watching me I came down bump and actually bounced. "Groan .. Should have stayed here and practiced my landings!" "Too much flap!" he replied, laughing.
The Brandon Airport has a good Aviation Museum. I spent some time looking at the exhibits. R.C.A.F. Uniforms, newspapers, memorabilia. To my surprise, among the photos of wartime happenings - there was a picture and an account of how two large aircraft had come in to land at the same time .. and landed one on the other: just as had happened to my Instructor. This appears to be a real hazard for low wing aircraft?
At the Flying Club I asked Darryl about getting a taxi back to Brandon. Fortunately he was talking to Allen Johnson, a pilot of a Twin Comanche, I think he said. Allen drove me back to town and said it was important we General Aviation Pilots should stick together!
Later in the afternoon I thought I would do laundry before supper .. Would not take long, I thought ! The only trouble with the Redwood was - it did not have a laundry room. The Laundromat was at the back of some buildings and apartments and unattended. There was a very large family of Indians there, with a very fierce young man sitting outside on the steps. They had all the dryers going .. stuffed absolutely full, so that nothing was drying. Several hours later I and a young Quebec couple, who were attending the conference, had to take all our laundry and festoon it around the bedrooms on hangers to dry.
Continue to next part of the essay.