Chasing Skies: 100 Years of Aviation in Lac du Bonnet
Lac du Bonnet has witnessed the evolution of air transport: from the flying boats of the 1920s to the varied fleets of today, airplanes continue to operate out of the oldest air base on the Winnipeg River and utilize flight paths that have been in use for over 100 years. Yet, Lac du Bonnet’s role in Manitoba’s aviation history is often overlooked.
Combining archival and modern photography with historical sources and personal memories, Chasing Skies: 100 Years of Aviation in Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, 1926 – 2026 covers every aspect of Lac du Bonnet’s aviation industry within the past 100 years. The people, places, planes, and helicopters, the early days of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the fifty-five years of Manitoba Government Air Service, the commercial companies, private fliers, and so much more.
Chasing Skies is a tribute to the people who brought dreams of flying, of establishing or expanding aviation companies, to the community and etched bush planes deep into its past, present and future. It is for everyone who looks up at the sound of a bush plane or helicopter overhead.
Jennifer Strassel is a historical researcher and author from Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, Canada. A graduate of the University of Winnipeg’s Creative Writing program, she worked as a part-time librarian before becoming a full-time writer.
Her fiction has appeared in six Dragon Soul Press anthologies, and her local history article series “Window on Our Past” showcases unique stories of Lac du Bonnet and the Winnipeg River region in the Lac du Bonnet Clipper newspaper and Lac du Bonnet Living magazines. Her first local history book, “People of the River” was published in 2023 through the Winnipeg River Heritage Museum in St-Georges.
She’s also a nature photographer who explores the Whiteshell backcountry with her black lab, Merlin, while dreaming up her next writing project.