Korby's Connections: Adventure flying makes for exciting second career

Let's face it, this pandemic is changing us. If not seriously ill, people have time to stop, think, and actually ask themselves: "What should I do next?"

The following story has nothing to do with the coronavirus, but does illustrate the realm of ideas possible for those contemplating retirement or individuals with time on their hands and a willingness to pursue dreams.

Dave Antus grew up in Cloquet close to where the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is today. He was an active child and eventually became an Eagle Scout. When he was out of high school, he joined the Army National Guard and worked as a radioman.

He had several jobs after that, including working with a railroad company before catching on with Cloquet's Wood Conversion Company, which later became Conwed, then USG. They must have been a good employer, for he worked there for more than 40 years. Antus was a millwright and a mechanic and ended up supervising the fleet maintenance department.

Past age 60 and in preparation for retirement, Antus thought he would challenge himself and become a pilot. He started going to the Cloquet airport and learned many ground requirements (weather, flight plans, navigation, instruments) from two former airline pilots at the facility. Both would also take him in the air and let him experience the freedom of flying.

It wasn't just a whim that pushed Antus into flying. He had two older brothers who were both pilots and enjoyed flying. One had been a gunner in a World War II fighting plane for the Navy.

While at USG, Antus would occasionally order maintenance supplies from OK Auto Parts in Cloquet, which gave him a chance to become better acquainted with the owner, Butch Michaud. He was also a pilot, owned his own plane, and was a business partner in a fishing lodge in Canada.

Antus, now approaching his retirement date, started going often to the Superior airport to get flying instructions on the ground and in the air. He eventually flew solo and received his pilot's certificate.

Michaud asked him if he would be interested in flying his float plane from Cloquet's Big Lake to Seseganaga Lodge and Savant Lake in northwest Ontario. Antus accepted.

These adventure trips are what piqued my interest. Antus said the plane's gas tanks are in the wings. There are no fuel pumps on Big Lake. The Cessna could carry four people and their gear. To fill up the aircraft with fuel, the pilot and others had to climb up onto the wings with 5-gallon buckets and pour the fuel in. The capacity was 40 gallons. A lot of the gear was stored in the floats.

Before departing - and after checking the near- and long-range weather forecasts - a pilot has to call the Department of Homeland Security 24 hours in advance. Information is shared on how many are flying, what the cargo is, and the pilot's name and certificate number.

The trip was divided into two legs, with the first stop being Crane Lake on the Minnesota- Canada border. This was about a third of the trip's total length. Here the aircraft was refueled and the plane and passengers passed through customs. Clearance was also required with Canadian air control in Winnipeg prior to taking off for Seseganaga Lodge.

Antus fished while at the lodge but he had other duties as well. With a skill set that included building 10 homes, he did construction on fish houses, cabins, docks and other projects. He also could repair and maintain diesel and gasoline engines, skills learned at USG.

I asked Antus for examples of challenges he faced over the years as a pilot to the Canadian outback. He said training prepares an individual, when faced with adversity, to recover, make adjustments and not crash. It's very much like the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared." During training, pilots practice stalls, turns, gliding and then recovery.

Contrary to its name, Big Lake is not a very big lake by pilot standards. Sometimes, Antus said, with the plane fully loaded with passengers and gear, it could take about three tries across the lake to get the wind and speed right for the plane to ascend.

He once experienced unexpected fog when crossing over Lake Vermilion. Antus called the Duluth airport asking for guidance on which side of the lake to traverse.

"It gets so thick you can't see your own hand if you put it in front of your face," he said. "Without instruments you'd have no idea if your wings were level or how high you were above the lake level."

I asked Dave some fishing questions. He said they always came home with the legal limit of walleyes and northerns. He learned how to pickle northerns. Dave said he has a kind of "funny" informal record from the trips. He caught 18 fish off the same Razorback minnow. It was very probable at this lake to catch more than 100 fish in a day.

In addition to his flying adventures, he has become a beekeeper over the past few years. When I called him, Dave was busy (as a bee) getting his hives painted and preparing for the arrival of his spring bees.

Steve Korby welcomes human interest stories and tales regarding Carlton County residents, projects, history, and plans. Email him at [email protected]