Policing the Fringe. Charles Scheideman

Trees and rocky formations along the canyon walls do provide some sheltered areas on the ground, but in the open centre of the canyon there is no relief. The same trees and rocky formations that provide shelter on the ground create a frightening turbulence in the main channel.

      A young man from Washington State had recently obtained his pilot’s license and was eager to try his new skills. After a lot of talking he convinced his young wife to join him on a flying trip into the interior of British Columbia. He obtained the use of a rental airplane for a few days of travel and made plans to fly into the Cariboo area for some sightseeing and fishing.

      The little airplane had just enough power to fly with two people under fairly good conditions. The two travellers had packed some camping gear and a few groceries, which did not help the little plane in its struggle with gravity and air currents. In spite of the limitations of their flying machine the two set out enthusiastically—although I suspect there was more enthusiasm on the part of the pilot than the passenger.

      The weather reports were excellent through the area where they planned to fly. They enjoyed clear skies and warm temperatures as they made their way from the Seattle area to their first stop at the airport near Abbotsford, British Columbia, where they made their required report to Canada Customs.

      The next leg of their trip was to take them along the Trans-Canada Highway to Cache Creek, and then along Highway 97 to Clinton. Their flight plan was filed from Abbotsford, but no one made them aware of the extreme winds of the Fraser Canyon. By the time the little airplane reached Hope, at the lower end of the canyon, the pilot had noticed that he was being tossed around by wind. However, it did not seem serious at that time. They passed over the little town of Hope and turned into the canyon, using the highway as their route marker.