Jack
Schofield
by Garth Eichel, Editor, Canadian Aviator Magazine.
Jack
Schofield grew up in Vancouver during the Second World War. Airplanes always figured
large in his youth and he spent many hours with the "bicycle brigade"
at the Vancouver Airport fence longing to fly the aircraft of that day. He
belonged to the Royal Canadian Air Cadets for three of those war years and, at
war's end, took flying lessons from Vancouver's U-Fly and the Aero Club of BC, soloing on Tiger
Moths and the then new Cessna 120. In 1946, he joined 442(F) Reserve Squadron
at Sea Island Airport as a trainee aero engine technician while building
time for his commercial pilot's license.
The many experienced pilots
returning from wartime duties who were suddenly available for commercial flying
thwarted Schofield's early attempts to obtain employment as a "100 hour
wonder," so, he reluctantly took employment in the sales department of a large
electrical manufacturer while continuing to fly privately. This employment
lasted for some twelve years before he returned to aviation, flying a Cessna
172 seaplane for a First Nation's organization formed to install communication
systems in coastal Native villages. This contract was followed by a four-year
period as a flying salesman for an electronics parts supplier operating between
Victoria and Prince Rupert, along the B.C coast. His first employment with a
commercial airline came in 1972 when he was assigned to fly a Cessna 185
floatplane for an airline based out of a remote bay in the mid coast area of
BC. It was here that, as the only pilot, he became known as "The
One-Man Airline." Adventures in this flying job provided much of the
material for his first, award winning book, published by Douglas & McIntyre
years later, under the title, "Flights of a Coast Dog-A Pilot's
Log."
In 1978, Jack joined the Campbell River seaplane operator, Gulf Air Ltd., as a line pilot
flying Beavers and Single Otters on local charter and scheduled flights. Gulf
Air was one of the seven coastal airlines bought out, in 1979, by the Pattison Group. The airline was re-named, AirBC, and Schofield was transferred to that company's base
at Port Hardy where he would fly amphibious Beavers and Otters and BN2
Islanders into the logging camps, native villages and fishing resorts of the
area. During this period, Jack painted the Port
Hardy Airport mural honouring the many airlines and many pilots who
had operated from this north island airport from 1945 to the 1980s. To this
day, the sixteen-foot mural hangs over the baggage carousel at YZT.
In 1982, Schofield acquired
a class 3 and class 4 license and a Beaver aircraft
from Air BC. He formed Orca Air Ltd., based out of Alert
Bay and Port McNeill on northern Vancouver Island. The airline was quite successful but the partnership
failed, after 6 years, and Schofield sold out, returning to Port Hardy to fly
for Trans Provincial Airlines (TPA) who were then
operating that base for AirBC.
Following a short flying
contract in the Northwest
Territories and
a stint in the western Arctic for an aerial survey outfit, Schofield hung up his
David Clarkes and turned to writing about British Columbia's amazing aviation history. He published these
accounts, often illustrated with his own drawings, in magazine format under the
title, BC Aviator. This magazine was distributed only to the BC aviation
community but distribution was ultimately expanded to include the Prairie Provinces and Washington State. To accommodate this increased distribution the
publication was re-named, West Coast Aviator. Later, when expanding the
magazine to Canadian national distribution, Schofield changed the name to
Aviator, which, while maintaining the western flavour, added new writings and
new writers embracing the entire Canadian aviation scene. In addition to
Aviator, Jack created an in-flight publication for Vancouver based, Pacific Coastal
Airlines, and another, similar publication, for Kenmore Air in Washington. These publications, along with Aviator Magazine,
were recently sold to Vancouver based, OP Publishing Ltd., (Pacific Yachting & BC
Outdoors etc.)
Following the sale, Jack
devoted full time to summarizing his early writings in a new book just
published by Sono Nis
Press, titled, No Numbered Runways-Floatplane Pioneers of the West Coast.
Jack considers the most important contribution made by BC Aviator Magazine and
its successors was the 50th anniversary conference commemorating the DeHavilland Beaver and the commissioning of BC aviation
artists in the creation of six paintings depicting historic highlights from
BC's flying history. The original paintings now hang in the restaurant area and
on the mezzanine of YVR's south terminal. The
paintings, for which there is, as yet, no commemorative plaque, are there under
the stewardship of the BC Aviation Council to whom they were donated by the
magazine. In addition to its own contribution, BC Aviator Magazine raised much
of the cost of the paintings from the local aviation industries and from
individual aviation enthusiasts.
Schofield, who now resides
on Mayne Island, continues to write BC aviation stories and has just
completed a one-hour series screenplay for television titled Blackie's
Coast. He is actively seeking the financing needed to produce the pilot
episode of this dramatic series.
My grateful thanks to Harry Van
Eaton, President of the British Columbia Aviation Hall of Fame for allowing me
to replicate this information.