The sun was shining, the wind was light, the air was crisp, and visibility was "forever". Keystone Air Service's Piper Navajo taxied for the "backtrack" Runway 18, Little Grand Rapids...........

"Blazing sun"!

Props spinning, and the gear kicking up fine snow, C-FXLO prepares to "rotate".......

....and is "airborne"!

There are 22 airports that the Province of Manitoba operates under it's Northern Airports & Marine Operations, a division of Manitoba Transportation and Government Services. All the airports service remote communities, and the runways are gravel. Being remote and air-accessible only makes the Airport and runway the "lifeline" to emergency medical services for these communities, the famous "Medevac" flights. There are 2 months during the winter these communities will have a "winter road" linking them to the "southern infrastructure", but for the rest of the year, the "airplane rules". Therefore, every Airport has equipment and operators to maintain the runway year-round. In the previous pictures, you can see the runway is clear of snow. "What kind of equipment do they use?", you say? Well, to keep the runways clear of snow and ice, you need a ............

"Grader and snowblower"!

A Champion Series VI, 730A grader, to be exact........

You can move lots of earth, gravel, and snow, with "one of these babies".

You also should have an SMI 5500 MP "snowblower", "piggy-backing" an extra diesel engine to run the "blower attachment"!

Quite the machine!

You could "chop" Volkswagens with this blower.....

This machine would be a "blast" to operate.

Owned by the "Province"......, and these pieces of equipment keep the "runways clear"!

One other item. On Dec. 17 I made a "Post" entitled Royal Canadian "Mounted" Police! that details how the RCMP are still "mounted", but their "mount of choice" today is a Pilastus PC-12! Well, the Mounties also used to travel by "dog sled", but that has changed also. Today the Mounties patrol remote northern communities by...........

"Snowmobile....."!

Yup, RCMP. A snowmobile is much more convenient, having only to fill it with "gas", instead of feeding it "frozen fish"! Ha! Anyways, the last word of my "Post" today, goes to old friend John Gibson, who I happened to "run into" (not literally) in Little Grand. John owns Provincial Helicopters, and he had one of his Bell 206s with him that day, and he was making numerous trips to Pauingassi, another community 9 miles north.

John "loads up"....

.....and departs! "Adios"!