"Punch" Dickins, "Doc" Oaks, "The Black Gang," "Wop"May-the names of Canada's early bush pilots are almost as colourful as the stories of their adventures in the northern skies. Their tales of mercy flights, searches for lost men and planes, the pioneering of Arctic air mail, the conquering of the dread Barren Lands, and the thrilling capture of the Mad Trapper of Rat River are told in vivid detail by Arctic Explorer Philip Godsell.

Originally published in 1955, Pilots of the Purple Twilight is a classic book of aviation history that has been unavailable for years. It captures the excitement, ingenuity, and occasional recklessness of the pioneer bush pilots who helped open Canada's North.

Philip Henry Godsell (1889-1961) was a native of Wolverhampton, England, who arrived at York Factory, Manitoba in 1906. He worked as an auditor in Winnipeg from 1929 to 1936, then for the government during World War II, and later for Canadian Pacific Airlines.

Philip Henry Godsell's profile page