Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Sep 16/02) - It's little wonder Guy Norwegian is sitting behind the controls of a plane these days. As a little boy growing up in Jean Marie River, Norwegian recalls racing to the runway to watch planes land and takeoff.

Then, when his family moved to Fort Simpson, he became fascinated with float planes during the summer.

"I knew all my life that I'd eventually become a pilot," said Norwegian, now 25. "It was never really a question of if, but more a question of where and how I would do it."

Having graduated with his commercial licence from a two-year flight school program at Mount Royal College in Calgary earlier this year, Norwegian has been employed with Wolverine Air in Fort Simpson since May.

"I sit back sometimes and I can't believe I'm actually doing it," he said, grinning.

While at college, he became accredited with a multi-engine rating and an instrument flight rules (IFR) rating, allowing him to guide a plane strictly by the instruments on the panel.

He and fellow classmates spent the last spring break week in Kelowna, B.C., earning their "C" rating, which entitles them to fly float planes.

His knowledge and experience is now enabling Norwegian to fly bush planes to remote locations as he's always wished.

"I love it. It's something I've always wanted to do," he said. "I can't think of anything else."