New kids book tells the story of the North's 1st Indigenous commercial pilot

Across the pages of a picture book, the northernlights dance over the Arctic landscape with brush strokes of boldcolour, as caribou and muskox graze on the tundra and a bush pilottakes to the skies.

As the pilot flies across the Mackenzie Delta, he rescues astranded prospector from a blizzard, packs a team of smelly sleddogs on board and picks up a pregnant woman who gives birth as helands.

"Freddie the Flyer" chronicles the real exploits of FredCarmichael, the first Indigenous commercial pilot in the Canadian Arctic.

Now 88 and living in Inuvik, N.W.T., Carmichael, who co-authoredthe book with Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, said he hopes it will helpkids pursue their dreams.

"If they want to be a pilot or anything else you really want todo, you need to find the people to help you get started," he wrotein an email.

"There are always people out there like me willing to help. Iwas able to go from a dog-team to an airplane before I learned todrive a car, thanks to a pilot/preacher who saw that I was interested."

Metcalfe-Chenail said she hopes young and grown-up readers willbe inspired by Carmichael's story.

"What really struck me talking with Fred is that he was and is so humble and hard-working, but nurtured huge dreams," she said.

"He found the right mentors and teachers at the right time, andcontinually paid his blessings forward to new generations. Those arefantastic lessons for all of us."

Carmichael, who is of Gwich'in and Scottish-Irish descent, grewup on a trapline outside of Aklavik, N.W.T. He said he begandreaming of flying when he was 12 after he was able to explore a redStinson aircraft on skis that landed near his family's bush camp todeliver supplies.

"That left a huge impression on me and that's when I caught theaviation bug," he said.

Later as a teenager in Aklavik, Carmichael said he would watchPentecostal minister Don Violette work on his plane. Violetteallowed Carmichael to take the controls on a test flight and madearrangements for him to take flying lessons.

Carmichael went on to have a successful decades-long aviationcareer in the North, and still flies today. He also served eightyears as president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council and served aschair of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, a partner in a now-defunctnatural gas pipeline proposal.

"I'm happy that over the years I was able to give back somesupport and encouragement to others," he said. "Through myaviation companies, I've supported other northerners to followcareers in the aviation industry and trained pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers, radio operators, engineers and mechanics."

Carmichael's work has been recognized through many awards andaccolades. He is a member of the Order of Canada, has been inductedinto the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame and the Order of theNorthwest Territories, and was awarded an honorary doctorate fromthe University of Saskatchewan.

Along with featuring highlights from Carmichael's career,"Freddie the Flyer" includes the Gwich'in and Inuvialuktun wordsfor the months of the year and their pronunciations. The story isillustrated through paintings by Inuvialukartist AudreaLoreen-Wulf, who was born in the Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., area.

The book is to be released Oct. 24.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship, which is not involved in the editorial process.