Willy Laserich to be named to Aviation Hall of Fame

The late bush pilot, Willy Laserich of Cambridge Bay, will be inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame next month. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AVIATION HALL OF FAME)

The late bush pilot Willy Laserich of Cambridge Bay will be inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame at a ceremony next month in Vancouver.

Laserich, born Adolph William Laserich in Germany, came to Canada in a Norwegian sealing boat at the age of 19.

After becoming a pilot, Laserich ended up flying around the Northwest Territories, mainly in the Kitikmeot region, where he racked up more than 3,000 medevac flights and 100 search and rescue missions.

Six babies were born on Laserich’s aircraft— and all the babies survived.

Laserich died in 2007 at age 75, although his children now run the company Adlair Aviation Ltd., which he founded in 1983.

Since 1973, the Aviation Hall of Fame has singled out 200 Canadians for their achievements in advancing aviation and space travel in Canada.

The Aviation Hall of Fame is located in the hangar at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, south of Edmonton, and features displays, archives, records and artifacts.