10,000 Hours: Reminiscences of a Helicopter Bush Pilot

George Jackson is a retired professional agrologist.

Flying is often described as hours of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror. This book describes both conditions. The author, in concise and descriptive language, provides a glimpse but doesn’t bore us with protracted detail.

The chapters flow chronologically over 20 years and describe the author’s experiences from trainee to competent helicopter pilot. The storyline is about flying helicopters, but the author imposes this line on a background of personal experiences with people — both colleagues and residents of the settlements out of which he worked. Having an atlas at hand will help the reader to comprehend the scope of the author’s travels.

This is an easy book to read. It brings to our attention the lifestyle and the scope of work in the North, and it relates the challenge of living in an environment that many consider rather hostile.

Peter Corley-Smith is also the co-author of Helicopters, the British Columbia Story and author of The Ring of Time, a history of the British Columbia Provincial Museum.