FTLComm - Tisdale -July 30, 1999
Bob Hayes is a former Tisdalian who now makes his home in Calgary. Bob at one time had a Cessna 172 but has sold it and now when he needs wings he rents them. This aircraft is from a field near Calgary. Today he is piloting a well used Cessna 182. This work horse is the ideal cross country work plane, a solid flying platform that turns in a steady 150 miles per hour and with its tough landing gear, can land on any fairly flat surface.
On Thursday morning Bob Hayes is finishing up a sales trip, he markets software for Computer Curriculum Corporation and for this trip he had been to Northern Manitoba, he stopped in here at Tisdale to refuel, then was on his way for a meeting in North Battleford and would be on his way back to Calgary today.
Business travel is a must and for many people that means long and very dangerous hours in a car or in some cases the mind numbing experience of commercial airlines that require you to check in an hour before a flight. For trips within the prairie provinces a person using a private or rented aircraft will take less time to reach their destination then if they use commercial services. Most small towns do not have commercial service anyway so its either fly and rent a car or drive the whole distance.
An aircraft cost only slightly more to operate then a car when compared to miles driven but is considerably ahead of the game when it comes to time required and safety At one time, only fifteen years ago private aviation was competitive with land travel but the cost of aircraft and maintenance have steadily risen so that fewer and fewer people are taking to the air.
This sequence of images from refuel to departure is by far the most critical part of aviation. Attention to detail, care and caution make this a safe mode of travel. Once aloft it is just a matter of waiting until you get to your destination, you pay attention to the weather and there is not traffic to worry about, no semi's to pass and no stop signs or traffic lights.