& a prayer WHAT CANADIAN bush pilot flew a windowless airplane on a mission of mercy in the dead of winter to deliver antitoxin which prevented an epidemic of diphihe- ‘ria in Northern Alberta? There are many legendary bush pilots in the annals of Canadian aviation, and among them Wilfred Reid ‘‘Wop”’ May is a ‘classic ex- ample of the,skill and bravery of these winged coureurs de bois. From the beginning, flying was an adventure for May. : On his first combat mission in the First World War, he shot down an enemy aircraft. As he returned, May’s guns jammed and he was chased by the German ace, Baron Manfred von Richthofen. Captain Roy Brown, one of May’s Alberta school chums, shot down ‘Richtofen and saved his friend from becoming the 81st victim of the Red Baron. -After the war, May settled in Edmonton and started a commer- cial aviation business, along with daring - “barnstorming” exhib- itions. He was one of the founding “.members of the Edmonton and Northern Alberta Aero Club. All of May’s skill and ingenuity were called on when he was asked to fly a mercy mission on the bit- vterly-cold| New Year’s Day of "1929: —. On December 15, a Hudson Bay . Company employee in Little Red -River, north of Fort Vermilion, died’ of. diphtheria. Other cases were breaking out and vaccine was desperately needed to prevent .an épidemic. ‘in ‘the community . of - about 300 people. In’ Edmonton, May and _ his . “co-pilot Vie Horner. prepared to make. the ‘trip while emergency workers. gathered the life-saving . Serum. : The only. airplane available to ‘them. was .a'-small. Avro biplane with open cackpits, and no skis for winter landing. “ To . protect _ the vaccine from freezing, it was placed, in an im- provised thermal unit consisting of heated containers. balanced on a portable: charcoal stove and covered with blankets. Blizzard conditions forced them to land on a’ frozen lake at’ McLennan Junction, almost ~ half-way to Fort Vermilion. - May realized that he would have to remove the plane’s oil to pre- vent it. from congealing, but he _did not have a container. Undaunted, he siphoned the oil onto. the crusty snow where it froze immediately. May . carried the “‘oilsicle’’ to the village, where - it was thawed overnight. May and Horner arrived in Fort Vermilion the following day. Their precious cargo was protected but the fliers were so frost-bitten that they had to be physically removed from the cockpit. The serum was dispersed by dog-sled to the anxious com- munity and the epidemic was checked. . A crowd of 5,000 was on hand to greet the: heroes when they returned to’: Edmonton and May was awarded the prestigious McKee Trophy for his efforts. - He pioneered aerial search and Tescue techniques and helped set up the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during the Second World War. The oush pilots of Canada’s north helped the nation enter inte a.new era of transporiation and communication, Wilfred Reid. May, who was nicknamed. ‘‘Wop’' by a baby cousin who could not pronotnce “Wilfred,’” was one of the best. For more information about the Heritage Project call 1-800-567- 1867. Connection EATON'S PACIFIC CENTRE 661 - 4666 EATON'S BRENTWOOD 299 - 5511 at EATON'S & CITY SQUARE | MORE THAN 25% PURE ENERGY 100% NATURAL * Royal Jelly * Bee Pollen * Ginseng * Gotu Kola * Hizhly effective 90 CAPSULES REG: $11.99 SPECIAL: 87.99 SUPER ONCE-A-DAY MULTIPLE VITAMIN & MINERAL : = 90 TABLETS REG: $23.99, SPECIAL: $14.99 180 TABLETS REG: $44.99 SPECIAL: $25.99. 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