Ernest Joseph Boffa
Encyclopedia
Ernest Joseph Boffa was a pioneering Canadian
bush pilot.
and drafting
through correspondence courses and night school
. He took up automobile racing after his employer closed, using his mechanical skills to help him produce and maintain winning cars.
In 1927, Boffa moved to Great Falls
, Montana
taking up flying and aircraft repair. He earned a license to fly in the United States in 1928 and refurbished a damaged Waco 10 plane before returning to Lethbridge, Alberta. There, in 1931, he received a commercial pilots license and Canadian Engineers license, working such aviation jobs as he could find before taking a series of jobs with airlines beginning in 1937, M&C Airways, Canadian Airway} and McNeal Air Services. During World War II, he was a flight instructor until 1943, when he began flying for Canadian Pacific Airways on the Yellowknife Airways, which he co-owned on a 20/80 split with Matt Berry. In 1954, he became involved with the Distant Early Warning
(DEW) Line as a technical advisor. From 1956 to 1962, he was a contract pilot and, from 1962 to 1970, flew for a fishing lodge on Great Bear Lake
.
He died in Los Angeles, California, USA, on March 8, 2004.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
bush pilot.
Biography
Born on April 16, 1904 at Piedmont, Italy, Ernest Joseph Boffa relocated as a young child to Canada with his family, living first in calgary and then in Thunder Bay (Fort William), Ontario. He left school in 1918 to go full-time at his job in a bicycle shop. He moved on the Canadian Car and Foundry, working as an apprentice while training in mechanical engineeringMechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and drafting
Drafting
Drafting or draughting may refer to:* Campdrafting, an Australian equestrian sport* Drafting , slipstreaming* Technical drawing, the act and discipline of composing diagrams that communicates how something functions or is to be constructed. E.g.:** Architectural drawing** Electrical drawing**...
through correspondence courses and night school
Night School
Night School is a school that holds classes in the evening or at night, and is usually intended for continuing and adult learning and to accommodate people who work during the day.Night School may also refer to:...
. He took up automobile racing after his employer closed, using his mechanical skills to help him produce and maintain winning cars.
In 1927, Boffa moved to Great Falls
Great Falls
Great Falls may refer to:CommunitiesIn the United States:* Great Falls, Montana* Great Falls, South Carolina* Great Falls, Virginia** Great Falls Park* Great Falls, New Hampshire, previous name of Somersworth, New HampshireWaterfalls...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
taking up flying and aircraft repair. He earned a license to fly in the United States in 1928 and refurbished a damaged Waco 10 plane before returning to Lethbridge, Alberta. There, in 1931, he received a commercial pilots license and Canadian Engineers license, working such aviation jobs as he could find before taking a series of jobs with airlines beginning in 1937, M&C Airways, Canadian Airway} and McNeal Air Services. During World War II, he was a flight instructor until 1943, when he began flying for Canadian Pacific Airways on the Yellowknife Airways, which he co-owned on a 20/80 split with Matt Berry. In 1954, he became involved with the Distant Early Warning
Distant Early Warning
Distant Early Warning may refer to:*Distant Early Warning Line, a series of radar stations in the Arctic, operated during the Cold War by the United States, Canada, Greenland and Iceland*Distant Early Warning , a song by the Canadian rock band Rush...
(DEW) Line as a technical advisor. From 1956 to 1962, he was a contract pilot and, from 1962 to 1970, flew for a fishing lodge on Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada , the third or fourth largest in North America, and the seventh or eighth largest in the world...
.
He died in Los Angeles, California, USA, on March 8, 2004.