Plane lands with little light
Community puts vehicles and flare pots next to runway after storm knocks out electricity in Grise Fiord
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Monday, January 18, 2016
AUJUITTUQ/GRISE FIORD
Landing an aircraft in a hamlet without electricity takes some serious community effort, and the president of Keewatin Air LP is thankful for residents who helped pilots make it safely despite the dark conditions.
"It was definitely out of the ordinary," said Wayne McLeod about the landing in Grise Fiord on Jan. 14.
Francis Malouin and Devi Gopy piloting a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft had the task of delivering Qulliq Energy Corporation staff to the community after severe winds knocked out half the hamlet's electricity supply.
With few lights in the hamlet and none on the runway, community members had to think fast and light the runway with vehicle headlights and snow machines.
"It was great to see the community of Grise Fiord come together and help not only themselves get the aircraft in and the QEC employees, but also the camaraderie to make sure they lit up the runway in a safe manner to make sure the aircraft could get in there and make a safe landing," said McLeod.
He said the weather had cleared up after the blizzard by that time, but the lack of lighting in the hamlet made visibility low. Keewatin Air had been in contact with the RCMP and community members to grade the runway but it was the community as a whole who had to come together to make sure it was lit.
"The community came together with trucks and snow machines and I understand there were some flare pots as well that were utilized," said McLeod.
"The community certainly pulled together and made sure that the outcome was the best for everybody, so it was well appreciated from our standpoint that the community was able to round up as many people to help make a safe approach and landing to the airport."
Keewatin Air pilots are used to flying in tough Northern conditions, but McLeod said this landing was more on the extreme side because of the lack of lighting in the hamlet as a whole.
"No lights in the community certainly made it a much darker approach than normal," he said.
McLeod gave a big thank you to the RCMP and community members who came out and made sure the landing was a safe endeavour.
"It was well done by the community and we certainly thank them for their help," he said.
