CBC Digital Archives

Bush pilots: Tom Lamb, founder of Lambair

They were intrepid and resourceful pioneers who took to the skies: carrying passengers, mapping new territory, hauling necessities, discovering hidden gold and carrying out daring rescues. The CBC Digital Archives salutes some of the many bush pilots who made monumental contributions to the exploration of uncharted Canada.

"Do not ask us where we fly, tell us where you want to go" is the motto of Tom Lamb and his six pilot sons. When this program aired in 1966, Lamb had been flying for over 30 years. He got his start in 1935 with a Stinson SR8 five-passenger plane. Three decades later, CBC-TV's Telescope pays a visit to this unique family of bush pilots.
• Thomas Lamb was born June 29, 1898 in Grand Rapids, Man., and died Dec. 29, 1969.
  • In 1970 the government of Manitoba honoured Tom Lamb's love and appreciation for the northern wilderness and its wildlife by designating a 2,000-square-kilometre tract of land near The Pas as the Tom Lamb Wildlife Management Area.

• The Stinson Reliant, the plane Tom Lamb began his business with, was a popular plane with bush pilots because it had plenty of storage space and could be used with wheels, skis or floats. It was the plane chosen for regular use in 1937 by the Ontario Provincial Air Service.

• In May 2009, Tom Lamb was one of four inductees to the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame. It cited his significant contributions to the exploration and development of northern Manitoba and the Arctic, and his commitment to conservation as some of the attributes which brought him into the list of honourees.

Medium: Television
Program: Telescope
Broadcast Date: Feb. 24, 1966
Guest(s): Tom Lamb, Jack Lamb
Host: Fletcher Markle
Duration: 23:40

Last updated: February 10, 2012

Page consulted on March 22, 2013

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