This Old Fly boy Ain’t About to Hang Up His Wings
Pilot Henry Hicks is the stuff of Northern legends
by Mike Sproxton
Northern News Service
If anyone wondered what aviation in the North was all about in the 1950s, 30 minutes with Henry Hicks would give them a pretty good idea. Hicks, who worked for Wardair in that decade, exemplifies the spirit and vigor of those pioneer days, even though he is now approaching 75. Watching the wiry, grey-haired retiree tell a story is explanation enough: seat belts are highly recommended.
In a matter of minutes he’s danced full circle around a room, balanced on one leg, waved his arms and sir surfed to add affect to his endless array of tales. This fly boy, who says he still has an active licence, was invited to Yellowknife for the Midnight Sun Float Plane Fly-In last week. And he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spin a few yarns. In a meeting with Yellowknifer, he began with the tale of how he helped the guy who stole two gold bricks poured at Discovery Mine find the way south. “Max (Ward) brought him to Yellowknife and then he chartered the Beaver to fly him to Hay River,” Hicks recalls, his blue eyes twinkling like a child bursting to keep a secret. “I thought ‘why is this guy going all by himself,’ but I said sure I’ll take him. I was paid by the mile.”
Henry Hicks receiving his wings.
This Pilot still has a heart of an 18 year old as shown below and was unanimously voted a life time member of the Williams Lake Flying Club (March 30,1996)
And then there’s the story about trying to load a musk-ox calves into the back of a plane for a guy who wanted to breed them with cows in the US. After a couple of botched attempts to herd the musk-ox into the lake, chase them to deep water with people in awaiting canoes, Hicks decided to try it for himself. Once the herd was paddling in the water, the old bush pilot manoeuvred his plane beside a solitary calf. (Each action is carefully acted out for utmost effect.) “I pulled up on the right, climbed onto the float and the calf paddled to the other side. Back inside the plane I went and pulled up on the other side.”
This--of course--carried on for a while. And when he finally got a hold of the small beast it pulled him into the water. “And over and over we went. The calf would scream ‘waaaaaaaaa’ when it came out of the water and I would scream ‘get the plane’ when I came out of the water,” Hicks said, out of breath from the experience and the story. Hicks’ repertoire was only a sampling of some of the stories told and retold last weekend.
Henry's Home Page