Flying to Extremes

Memoirs of a Northern Bushpilot

By: Dominique Prinet

Narrated by: Adam Henderson

Recalling some of the most memorable escapades ever conducted in the Canadian Arctic with bush planes, Flying to Extremes takes place in the late ’60s and early ’70s from a base at Yellowknife, in the heart of the Northwest Territories.

Beyond recounting so many near-mishaps, this book is also about colorful people: the trappers, prospectors, miners, adventurers and gold-ingot thieves who constituted the fauna at the main bar in Yellowknife in those days. For Arctic dreamers, there was always the flight to the Nahanni River, with its Deadman’s Valley, hot springs, tales of lost or dead prospectors, the many airplanes crashed in pursuit of gold, and much more Nahanni lore.

This entertaining book recollects Prinet’s adventures as a young man while capturing the humor, beauty, danger and unique culture of northern communities, in the dramatic landscape of the Canadian Arctic. Listeners familiar with the region and those who can only dream of visiting it will both find this title a nostalgic and captivating story.

©2021 Hancock House Publishers, Ltd (P)2022 Hancock House Publishers, Ltd

Folksy and fun

This book is a delight, especially for those that have lived and flown in the Arctic! The stories are so typical, so correct and delightfully fun. Having lived in the north for over 50 years and making my living as a bush-pilot in Alaska, I approached the book with some skepticism of stories written by someone who only flew in the north for 5 years but started grinning with the first story. i smiled and laughed so much at the quirky accuracy and the presentation that my face started to hurt! There might be a few aeronautical errors that other pilots might notice but they don't take away from the story at all. The emotions, concerns, humor, and cultural accuracy are absolutely spot on and totally enchanting! First Nation, Inuit, and Athabaskan people are a pleasure to work with and they have a humor that is all their own...so dry, so observant, and quite delightful, I loved the conversations and interactions that were shared... they make me grin as I write this! There are a good number of inside jokes that Arctic flyers will catch that non-pilots won't. Pilots will chuckle while non-pilots will slide right on past without interruption (or recognition) but it won't affect the story line.

The story is well written, and well read. I've enjoyed it immensely and will recommend it enthusiastically to my friends and northern Aviators.