Pilots North is a 1981 docudrama film directed by

Roger Tilton Roger Tilton (1924-2011) was an American filmmaker and documentarian. Tilton has been recognized as a pioneer in the development of IMAX large screen film format due to his work in the Omnimax format in the 1970s and 1980s. Background Roger Tilt ...

and Jerry Clemans.

Synopsis

The first half of the film is set in the winter, depicting planes that must land on frozen lakes or snow-covered land. The second half of the film is set in the summer and depicts

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

s. Similar to previous films directed by Roger Tilton, ''Pilots North'' is a docudrama featuring five short dramatic vignettes that are interspersed with narration by Lanny Lee Hagen. The first dramatic vignette features a conversation between a doctor and a bush pilot in a Beachcraft Staggerwing. The second vignette introduces two additional bush pilots, Jim and Arnie, who are delivering mail to remote locations in the

Northern Canada Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...

. Jim is to deliver goods to Fort Smith, Fort Norman, and

Aklavik Aklavik (Inuvialuktun: ''Akłarvik'') (from the Inuvialuktun meaning '' barrenground grizzly place'') is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Until 1961, with a population over 1,500, the community served ...

, while Arnie must deliver goods to

Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...

and Coppermine, Northwest Territories. First delivered by a truck driver (played by Gerry Kuipers), the mail and medicine is subsequently delivered to Jim and Arnie who begin their journeys north. The third dramatic vignette depicts a struggling bush pilot whose seaplane won't start as his plane drifts closer and closer toward rapids and the Virginia Falls in

Nahanni National Park Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of Yellowknife, protects a portion of the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region. The centrepiece of the park is the South Nahanni River ( ...

. The fourth vignette depicts the workings of a pilot radio relay station. The fifth and final dramatic vignette depicts an unnamed Inuit community with igloos who receive mail and cookies. Narrator Lanny Lee Hagen states "even remote outposts in the high arctic are touched by wings; and now civilization is but a flight away."

Cast

Pre-production

Stanley Ransom McMillan was hired as a special consultant for the film since he worked as a professional Canadian bush pilot in the 1930s and 1940s.

Production

Filming

A list of shots and storyboard from ''Pilots North'' is held in the collection of the

Provincial Archives of Alberta The Provincial Archives of Alberta is the official archives of the Canadian Province of Alberta. It preserves and makes available for research both private and government records of all media related to Alberta. The Provincial Archives of Alberta ...

. Filming locations for ''Pilots North'' included multiple towns in Alberta such as St. Albert,

Peace River The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...

, and Fort Vermillion, as well as American locations such as

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

Score

The score to the film was written by Canadian composer

Tommy Banks Thomas Benjamin Banks (December 17, 1936 – January 25, 2018) was a Canadian pianist, conductor, arranger, composer, television personality and senator. Television and musical career Banks was the host of nationally - and internationally - s ...

. The score included a full orchestra and was recorded on quarter-inch tape. Although the score was composed by Tommy Banks, additional arranging of harp and percussion was provided by Canadian composer Harry Pinchin. In 1982, Banks wrote "I very much enjoyed working on that excellent film" and Banks explored possibilities to continue scoring films with Roger Tilton.

Reception

Following its release, the

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

wrote that Pilots North "recalls a bold era" with "breath-taking photography." The Edmonton Journal also celebrated the film for depicting how "pilot navigators challenged the elements to supply and service the inhabitants of the anadianNorth and open the way for present aerial routes linking Eastern and Western Canada with the North and Far South." ''Pilots North'' premiered in Edmonton in 1981 and it was screened at the Edmonton Exhibition in 1982 on the hour and half hour every day from July 22 to 31. ''Pilots North'' was advertised in newspapers throughout

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

in cities such as

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

and Regina.For Edmonton, see *For Calgary, see *For Red Deer, see *For Saskatoon, see *For Regina, see

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0084500, title=Pilots North * ''Pilots North'' script
Roger Tilton obituary
1980s Canadian films 1980s English-language films Canadian documentary films Docudrama films Films shot in Edmonton 1981 films