CLASSIC JETLINERS SPECIAL
The Boeing 737-200 is the jet airliner of choice for operators when it comes to operating from the gravel runways of Canada’s North. James Careless explains why.
Flying in the Canadian north is challenging, but vital given the lack of either roads or railways and the inability of ships to sail there, save for a few ice-free summer months.
Virtually everything the residents there need to survive (save for local wildlife hunted for food) has to be flown in from the south. Essential cargo includes: food and drink, medical supplies, building materials, clothing, fuel for cars, snowmobiles and electrical generators, computers and smartphones and all the other elements necessary for modern life. Meanwhile, northerners must fly to other communities and southern Canada to see family, get medical attention at big city hospitals, and do business.
