DHC-6
DHC-6 Twin Otter CALM Air
Captain 'Hugh Danford’ resting in pilot’s seat
on “Landing Lake” (the nearest “fresh water” lake to YYQ/Churchill,MB (on west shore of Hudson Bay)
Early July 1976 , Arnold Morberg offered me the CALM Air' Base Mgr position at Churchill,MB . I accepted & was based there
for late July through October of 1976. He/CALM Air had secured a contract with the Canada Dept of
Indian Affairs to carry nurses and/or doctors , food & other supplies from YYQ/Churchill west
300 miles to : "Tadoule Lake 58°42′22″ N.Lat , 98°30′44″ W.Long a “Dene" aboriginal community
in Manitoba reachable only by plane, snowmobile, and dog team sleds. In 1973, the Sayisi Dene moved here to return to their
Barren-ground Caribou hunting life.[1] " (Wikipedia) (there was no land based airport in the 1970’s)
Churchill was a very old Hudson’s Bay Company post,which became a shipper of prairie grain,
because it was closer to salt water than via rail to Thunder Bay , then lake boats to the St lawrence River & Atlantic Ocean , thence around the world . Churchill’s airport grew during
the early 1950’s as the USA was afraid of being attacked by Russia’s air force over the north pole. Thus construction of themid-Canada radar line in the early 1950’s . The base grew to 4,500 personnel with 2 story dormitory style living quarters for both single & married people.
Was a small town c/w all the amenities. For many years after it also became a scientific atmospheric testing site (firing Black Brant rockets) Seaking answers about the ozone layer, Aurora Borealis, etc.
When I was there in 1976 , Canada & USA governments were dismantling the whole town (by stretching a huge steel cable between two D-9 Cat’s "Caterpiller Equipment" & in tandem on either side of one of these long buildings literally sweep the wood & asbestos shingled living quarters clean off their concrete basements foundations. Two pilots I think ofLambAir walked off with a dentist chair. In those areas of the arctic that is covered in perma-frost ,it was/is cheaper to leave material there or bury , rather than transport south again.
When I was on the DEWLine supply ships in 1961-62 ,freight cost $25/lb (pound) to move north !