Great Northern Bushplanes

A.A. den Otter is a professor of history at Memorial University of
Newfoundland and the author of The Philosophy of Railways.

This sequel to Bush Flying: The Romance of the North (1995) begins with
a chapter of very brief sketches on older airplanes, including the
Curtiss HS–2L, Junkers, and Fokker. Full chapters are devoted to the
Noorduyn Norseman, Stinson Gull Wings, Beech 18, and Fairchild Husky.
Also covered in separate chapters are the De Havilland Beaver and Otter,
the Found FBA–2C, and the Cessnas; in each of these chapters, the
author provides a brief history and describes the strengths and
weaknesses of those remarkable aircraft suited for the roughly built
summer or winter airstrips, the frozen or open lakes of the North. For
the technically minded, Grant includes standard specifications, and for
the uninitiated, a detailed glossary.

The best part of Great Northern Bushplanes is the stories. Without
these stories—some serious, others humorous, but all
entertaining—the book would merely be a useful compendium of
interesting aeronautical information. The experiences of the pilots
themselves (for example, the Noorduyn Norseman was difficult to take-off
and land, and always leaked oil) add a fascinating dimension to the
statistics and history.