UPPIAPIK FLIGHT SCHOOL LAUNCHES IN KUUJJUAQ
August 15th 1999

On June 25, 1999 Uppiapik Flight Training was launched.  No small feat, considering the location.  Kuujjuaq is located almost 1000  miles north of Montreal where the Koksoak river opens up into Ungava Bay.  Nestled in a crook of the river, Kuujjuaq is only accessable by air or boat, and is the home of George Berthe, the owner of this brand new Ultralight Flying School.

George is a native of Kuujjuaq, the largest Inuit conglomeration of Nunavik, and he wanted to share a dream of flying with his community.  George has a keen interest in the social and economic development of Nunavik , and serves as  corporate secretary of Makivik Corporation.  ” Although Makivik owns First Air and Air Inuit, flying Twin Otters and 727s, my personal project is to offer our people a taste of flying at the ultralight level. This will hopefully lead to career aspirations, and ultimately encourage them to pursue the more advanced training leading to the airline pilot licenses”  says  Berthe.

The preparation leading up to the opening of “Uppiapik” was not without major challenges.  First, an ultralight aircraft suitable to the terrain and conditions of the north had to be found.  After considerable research, the BushCaddy was selected.  “It is an all metal ultralight made for the bush” says Berthe.  “It is extremely robust with excellent gliding capabilities, and just at home on skis and floats as it is on wheels.  Its tail dragger configuration is also an advantage in these harsh conditions.  It has the potential of becoming the ski-doo of the air.”

This is possibly the longest and most challenging flight that a Canadian made ultralight has made within Canada.  The route selected was from St-Lazare to Mascouche, Baie Comeau, Sept Isles, Wabush, Shefferville, then finally,  Kuujjuaq. As usual with this type of flying,  one has to plan for those little “eventualities”.  A cracked muffler pipe in Sept Isles needed welding, and five solid days of snow showers north of  Shefferville grounded the intrepid crew, and tested their patience to the limit.  George and Mathieu spent their time offering rides to the locals who were intrigued by this amazing little bush plane.

Finally, on a cold and crisp morning in May, a window of opportunity opened, and the crew were once again airborne for the triumphful last leg.  Home to Kuujjuaq, and a brand new experience for the BushCaddy.  “We were so excited, we could almost feel our little aircraft was sharing in the excitement too”. A small crowd had gathered at the Kuujjuaq airport including George’s relatives and some future students.  They searched the skies for the first sight of the airplane.  The FSS specialist paced his tower, and could not resist turning up the volume on the radio just a tad, waiting for the call.  Finally, a small yellow speck in the sky started to grow  with consistency.  “Kuujjuaq radio, this is BushCaddy C-IFGM”  “There it is!, It’s got to be them” “FGM – this is Kuujjuaq radio – go ahead” – Yes, it is definitely them!”  As the BushCaddy touched down on the gravel runway, a spontaneous burst of applause broke out from the crowd, and George was beaming from ear to ear.  “FGM, welcome to Kuujjuaq…..”

On June 19, 1999 Pamela Russell, grand daughter of Norm Cooper  the  owner of “Cooper Airfield” in St-Lazare (ST3) stepped off the First Air 727 in Kuujjuaq and surveyed the scene before her.  Pam, with her brand new instructor’s rating in her pocket, was ready to take on the task of instructing for Uppiapik Flight Training.  Pam, as a pilot is probably ready and able to take on anything!.  There are no aircraft at the Cooper airfield that she is  incapable of flying.  At 21 years of age she has earned the respect and admiration of all the pilots in St-Lazare. A natural born flyer with a taste for adventure, she had yearned for some bush experience in the north.  A chance meeting one day with George Berthe at Avitas led to a conversation about common dreams, and the rest, as they say,  is history.

 Pam is now settled in with eight students flying regularly on the BushCaddy.  She has made friends with the local pilots and has already been offered float check-outs  on the Beavers and Otters operating locally.

The BushCaddy has found a place in the north, and sits proudly on the hill overlooking Kuujjuaq.  Its bright yellow profile can be seen from every where in the village.  “It is as if it is yelling to every one “Look at me, look at me,” ” chuckled Pam.

George Berthe is very gratified with developments to date.  The experience is catching on, as people get the opportunity to test the performance of the BushCaddy themselves through Fam flights.  Good luck, Uppiapik.  Oh yes, did I mention that “Uppiapik” means “little owl” in Inuttitut?

For more information on Uppiapik Flight Training call

Michel Berdnikoff – (514) 843-5109

Uppiapik Flight Training

Edifice 605A-Boite Postale 331

Kuujjuaq, Nunavik

Quebec, J0M 1C0

 The Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF) has approved BushCaddy R80 Ultralight Model under their 51% amateur built rule.  Tony Stiller of A & R Stiller and Associates Pty Ltd, the Australian agent for BushCaddy recently informed the Canadian Manufacturer, CLASS Inc., of the good news.

CLASS Inc. and Tony Stiller have been working on the application to the Ultralight Federation, and were pleasantly surprised at the ease with which it was approved.  “They were most impressed with our submission, and have asked that it be used as the model for all future applications…..it has passed AUF requirements without having to add any further information.  Some ultralight builders in Australia take up to 5 years to get their request approved, but ours only took one week.” stated Tony in a recent e-mail to CLASS.  BushCaddy aircraft kits are also approved as a 51% amateur built aircraft in Canada and the USA.

 During the last 6 months, CLASS Inc. have been gearing up to address the export market. “Having received very positive reviews from Oshkosh, we feel that the time has come to introduce this excellent aircraft to the overseas and US market. The new trike/taildragger convertible is attracting a great deal of interest, and we are currently working on establishing distributorships in Ireland, India, South Africa and the Caribbean.  We expect the first delivery of the R80 Trike to Australia by mid December. Everyone who sees the aircraft, and flies it is impressed with its easy flying character, low stall and landing speeds, its 12 to 1 glide ratio, and most of all its rugged and robust construction.  We keep pointing out to potential customers that the BushCaddy was originally constructed to withstand the punishment of float flying. The cabin is all solid riveted, and our fuselage is built around a unique sandwich plus stringer construction. After several hundred hours of float flying, our aircraft show no tendency to twist or distort, and the oil canning or drumming that one usually expects from a metal kit aircraft just does not exist on the BushCaddy.  It is quite normal to see Sean Gilmore the company president whacking the sides of the BushCaddy with the palms of his hands at trade shows to illustrate this point!  The fact that the BushCaddy is just as happy on wheels, whether trike or taildragger makes it a safe and versatile aircraft “

Additional plans are being made at the factory to move up to CNC production manufacturing, the development of quick build kits, and the prototyping of a four place.

Everyone knows that the Homebuilt Industry is growing by leaps and bounds. As an alternative to the aging fleet of certified aircraft and their restrictions on maintenance and spare parts, the amateur built category has become a very attractive proposition for most pilots. Not only does the builder have the satisfaction of working on his own project and ultimately flying it, he can use his aircraft for training as well. The average recreational private pilot permit costs $3,500.00 to $4,000.00 of which, approximately 30 hours will be spent on aircraft rental. A Cessna 150 could cost as much as $72.00 an hour, totalling over $2000.00 in aircraft rental charges.

Michel Monette decided to invest this savings in his own aircraft. Michel lives and works on the Ottawa River, and was drawn into flying by his buddies, one of whom had purchased a BushCaddy the season before. After a demo ride in CLASS’s factory demonstrator, Michel was sold, and ordered his kit. Finding the time to work on his project after his full day was difficult, and he was anxious to start his pilot training. Michel decided to take a short-cut. The factory demo that was showcased at the Toronto Aviation and Aircraft Show was also registered as a “homebuilt”and was for sale. Michel found a buyer for his partially completed kit, and purchased the factory demo C-GEOI.

CLASS affiliate Avitas Flight Training at the St-Lazare airport was his choice for training. Most flying schools will train students on their own aircraft, but the student can also hire a free-lance instructor and train outside of a Flight Training Unit. Having Transport Canada conduct Michel’s Flight Test was a welcome opportunity to have the BushCaddy flown by an examiner. I have overheard on many occasions TC’s negative comments on homebuilts and ultralights, and looked forward to proving their concerns unfounded.

As with all homebuilts, the aircraft had been stringently inspected during its building phases, and was delivered with its operating manual, and weight and balance data. This model BushCaddy is an R120, with flaps, powered by the new Rotax 912S. After the mandatory paperwork was completed and flight preparations tested, Michel and Transport Canada Flight Test Examiner Simon Pinsonneault, took off on runway 20 for the flight test. An hour and a half later the green and gold BushCaddy re-appeared in the circuit at St-Lazare, landed and taxied back to the tie down ramp. Michel was beaming from ear to ear, and, a rare sight - so was the Transport Canada inspector!

“That was fun!” Simon exclaimed. “You know, I think that this is the way of the future!”

“Right on” Transport Canada. And by the way, Michel passed his test with “flying” colors. He can now join his buddies on their weekend sorties to hunting and fishing camps in Northern Quebec. C-GEOI is on floats in the summer, and will be on skis this winter.

(Canadian Light Aircraft Sales & Services)

Launches two new models in 2001
Montreal, August 2001…… Two new model BushCaddy Aircraft made their debut in 2001.

CLASS has introduced two new variants of the BushCaddy at major trade shows this year. The BushCaddy Voyageur is a two-place nosewheel/ tri-gear with built-in rigging points to facilitate the conversion of the aircraft to a tailwheel configuration in less than two hours. It is powered by a Rotax 912S 100 HP engine, and has completed full flight testing, surpassing the company’s expectations. “We are getting 110 mph in cruise at 5000 rpm.” reported Sean Gilmore, designer and president of CLASS. “My first flight caught me by surprise, – I was off the ground in less than 100 feet. Climb out was what we expected – between 800 and 1100 fpm, and I was still able to pull off some decent short field landings with the nose wheel. I am very satisfied with this little aircraft, and its flexibility will serve the needs of both taildraggers and trike pilots”

Voyageur on low pass over St-Lazare airport

L-164 on display at Oshkosh

Following the convertible a Lycoming-powered four-place kit available in conventional configuration was launched at Oshkosh Airventure 2001. Known as the BushCaddy L164, this model has a useful load equal to or greater than its empty weight. Especially useful on floats or amphibious gear, the four-place model also incorporates optional cargo doors, removable rear seats, and flaps. Full IFR panels can be easily accommodated. It was a hit at Oshkosh, and the company has returned home, weary but with confirmed orders. “We worked until 3 am some mornings to get her finished, but it was worth it. The phone has not stopped ringing since our return, and we now have orders to keep us busy well until the fall of next year.” says Gilmore. There are plans to develop a spring gear option and “we will be working almost immediately on a trike version” Gilmore added. CLASS now has an ongoing R&D program underway, and the company plans to introduce new BushCaddy models on a regular basis.

BushCaddy aircraft are all-metal, high wing monoplanes noted for their rugged construction, roomy interiors, STOL performance and high cruise speeds. Additionally, they are designed to accommodate a wide range of powerplants, giving them extraordinary payloads and ranges. The complete line includes Rotax, Continental or Lycoming powered two place, Lycoming powered four-place or two-plus-two, land, sea, ski undercarriage options, and tailwheel, tricycle and convertible gear landplanes.

Kits are available in ultralight, homebuilt and fast-build form. To date, 58 BushCaddys are flying. They are certified as Amateur Built Aircraft in Canada, USA and Australia. The R80 model, at 1232 lb., is designed to fit into the USA rules for the new Sport Plane category as well as the Canadian rules for the Ultralight category.

Contact: Sean Gilmore or Marlene Gill (450) 424-1447 or 1-888-977-1447
Written by James McIntyre of Romeo Oscar Inc. jamie@RomeoOscar.com

www.bushcaddy.com

High Resolution Photos available for downloading