Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada’s North

Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada’s North: A Bush Pilot’s Adventures
by Dorrin Wallace with Deana J Driver
Published by DriverWorks Ink
Review by Sally Meadows
$24.95 ISBN 9781927570883

I always marvel when someone can trace the trajectory of their life’s work back to a pivotal moment rooted in childhood. For Dorrin Wallace, who built his career as a bush pilot, trainer, and aircraft maintenance engineer, that moment was when he received a book about one of the world’s largest airplanes at age seven. Step by step, with a dash of serendipity, Wallace carved out his aviation career with intentionality and enthusiasm in his quest for an adventurous life.

The title of the book comes from his favourite plane to fly, the Douglas DC-3, affectionately known as the “Gooney Bird.” With a folksy tone, the book details Wallace’s multifaceted career while paying homage to the many pilots and others in the aviation industry who were mentors to and sources of inspiration for him. With a large, colourful supporting cast of real-life characters, this book will pique the curiosity of many about Wallace’s perspective of life in the Saskatchewan aviation industry.

Often learning the hard way–that is, through trial and error–Wallace has included amusing and sometimes startling anecdotes of his adventures (literally) flying by the seat of his pants. For Wallace, lessons learned were never wasted. As a writer, he is a straight shooter and doesn’t sugar coat the challenges within the industry and the conflicts that occasionally arose with his colleagues and others. Wallace was a skilled leader with a knack for settling tensions using good old-fashioned one-on-one conversations and was instrumental in transforming deficiencies in the aviation industry and training programs into regulatory excellence.

The book includes photographs of his family life as well as snapshots of the planes he flew and predicaments he found himself in, which he often overcame through his vast experience and innovative thinking. As someone who has been a passenger in bush planes–I worked remotely in northern Manitoba for my Master of Science degree in the mid-1980s–I now have a greater appreciation and respect for the pilots, who, like Wallace, always ensured I arrived safely and in a timely manner.

Whether you’re an aviation enthusiast or a fan of homegrown memoirs, you will enjoy Wallace’s intrepid adventures over the span of his 40-year career. His zeal and affection for flying and the people he met and worked with permeates this book, with details meant to be savoured as slowly as your favourite hot drink.

Dorrin Wallace grew up on his family’s farm located halfway between Wilkie and North Battleford. He has flown planes in all three Canadian Prairie provinces, Ontario, and all three of Canada’s northern territories. He was the president of the board of directors of the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum when it opened in Saskatoon and still leads tour groups there. The book is co-authored by retired journalist and publisher Deana J Driver.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM.