Page 4 - Volume 13 Number 9

Pilot Notes:
Gjoa Haven
Rankin Inlet
Hall Beach
Clyde River
Cape Dorset
BAFFIN ISLAND
It was November, and as the altimeter moved toward minimums, snow ribboned over the windshield. First officer Sarah Mousseau began easing power levers forward for the missed approach when the dim airstrip lights of Cape Dorset, 1,081 nautical miles northeast of Winnipeg, Canada, pulsed in the gloom. Over the threshold, she raised the nose and touched down on the double main wheels; a slight reverse reduced the roll.
After post-landing checks, I resumed control for taxi while Mousseau reached for another doughnut. Parking parallel to Cape Dorset’s silent terminal, I moved condition levers into cutoff and the 680shp Pratt & Whitney PT6-28s whined to a halt. In the quiet, Mousseau wondered aloud why I left mild southern Canada to launch into snow squalls, constant fog and perpetual crosswinds. The answer had nothing to do with the round-holed treats stashed behind our seats.
Flying Canad
by Robert S. Grant