{"id":351809,"date":"2023-12-11T09:42:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T14:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/?post_type=features&p=351809"},"modified":"2024-10-01T14:07:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T18:07:28","slug":"learning-fly-floatplanes-aircraft-fort-langley-air","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/features\/learning-fly-floatplanes-aircraft-fort-langley-air\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning to fly floatplanes with Fort Langley Air"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This past spring, we traveled to Pitt Meadows, B.C., to experience the magic of float flying in the Coast Mountains with Fort Langley Air, one of Canada\u2019s oldest float operators. Join us as we learn to fly floatplanes amongst some of Canada\u2019s most beautiful landscapes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The company operates one DHC-2 Beaver and two Cessna 180s, with a third coming. Floatplane and bush pilot courses are offered year-round, which means winter is no exception. Heath Moffatt Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Serene tidal rivers, glacial lakes, snow-covered mountains, and rushing waterfalls; this story has it all. I\u2019m on my second cold brew as I sit in a cafe, trying to articulate my experience flying with Fort Langley Air. For the first little while, the only words I have typed on my screen are \u201cabsolute freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a commercially rated pilot with eight years of experience, flying floats in British Columbia has long been on my aviation bucket list. Although I anticipated the beautiful scenery and the excitement of landing on water, I never expected how this experience would make me feel. In those moments flying alongside sheer cliff faces into remote mountain valleys and landing on aquamarine lakes, I felt more alive than ever. It was a shock to the system, a jolt of electricity that shot up from my toes and into my hands that rested on the control column and throttle. This would certainly be an adventure of a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Tale of Two Companies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nestled on the southern shores of the mighty Fraser River, just a stone\u2019s throw away from the hamlet of Fort Langley, B.C., you\u2019ll find Pitt Meadows Airport \u2014 a Canadian aviation landmark. Resting in the shadow of the Golden Ears, the airport is perfectly positioned between the Strait of Georgia and the Coast Mountains, offering pilots the ideal access point to the ocean or the mountains \u2014 wherever the adventure leads them next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitt Meadows Airport owes much of its success to Art Seller, a Canadian fighter pilot who flew Spitfires during the Second World War. After surviving as a prisoner of war in Eastern Germany, Seller returned home to lay the foundation for Skyway Air Services. Pitt Meadows Airport was just a grass strip when Skyway began operations in 1947, but it would soon become home to Canada\u2019s largest flight training unit. The company grew quickly, and what started with flight training, banner towing, and charter services expanded to crop spraying and water bombing. The company would eventually split into two separate entities and set the stage for modern-day Conair, internationally renowned for its firefighting capabilities, and Fort Langley Air, a modern float charter and training operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Members of the Fort Langley Air team from left: Samantha Porter, Andy Blacker, Hugh Scarborough, Sam Daigle, and Erle Lowen. Heath Moffatt Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Skyway Air Services changed its name to Fort Langley Air in the \u201880s, and over the last four decades the operation has grown to include private charter and sightseeing flights, while sticking to its roots and continuing to offer float ratings and bush pilot courses. The company\u2019s fleet includes a De Havilland Beaver and two Cessna 180s, with a third coming later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the last five years, Pitt Meadows Airport has undergone major development to its facilities, including adding a beautiful new terminal and a much-improved dock for float operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018It\u2019s Not Just a Rating\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Fort Langley Air, you walk away with more than a float rating; its courses are designed to expose students to real-life challenges in a safe environment. Operations manager and chief pilot Andy Blacker has been flying floats for over a decade, but his military background gives him a unique and valuable perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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