TIGHT FLOATS and TAILWINDS: BUSH PILOT to BUREAUCRAT and BACK

Summary

The story of a Canadian farm boy and his life’s journey as a bush pilot and then as a bureaucrat, and how he found his way back to his aviation roots. This collection of stories describes the progress of Tim Cole through one half of the history of aviation in Canada. 

Tim worked as a bush pilot in Northern Quebec and Labrador. As a commuter captain he flew Twin Otters into Montreal’s downtown STOLport, and later flew these float-equipped aircraft on Canada’s West Coast. 

Working as a Civil Aviation Inspector for Transport Canada he became “The Queen's Bush Pilot in British Columbia.” During his thirty-one-year rise to management levels in the federal Government, he experienced the perils of both the wilderness and the boardroom. 

An active pilot in retirement, Tim continued to serve the aviation community in BC as a director for the Canadian Owner’s and Pilots Association and the British Columbia Aviaton Council. 

Take a peek into the inner workings of Transport Canada in its heyday, when it was not only a regulator but also when it operated the air navigation system, air traffic services and most of the airports in Canada.