Robert Bryan: The Flying Parson of Labrador and the Real Story Behind Bert and I

by Robert Bryan

Overview

Since his boyhood days watching test pilots roar through the sky over his Long Island, NY, home, Robert Bryan was fascinated with flight. Add to that his love of a good story and his vocation as an Episcopal priest and you have the three great themes of his life.
After his graduation from Yale Divinity School—where he met Marshall Dodge and the two created the immensely popular storytelling duo “Bert and I”—Bryan became a minister to the remote settlements of Quebec’s North Shore. In the mid-20^th century, the best way to reach parishioners was by bush plane, so Robert rose to the task. He went on to spend 50 years as a bush pilot and minister, logging more than 12,000 hours at the controls. This endearing memoir traces his life and adventures during that time and weaves in his experiences performing and recording with Dodge.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608932771
Publisher:	Down East Books
Publication date:	11/07/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	230
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

An Episcopal minister and bush pilot, Robert Bryan founded the Quebec-Labrador Foundation, which for going on fifty years has conducted programs in education, community service, and environmental resource management in northern Maine and eastern Canada. Bryan is also the co-creator (with Marshall Dodge) of the iconic Maine comedy and storytelling act Bert and I. The combined Bert and I recordings have sold well over one million copies. Robert Bryan lives in Quebec and Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 The Call of the North 5

2 Bert and I 25

3 Early Flying Days 39

4 The Quebec North Shore 61

5 The Great Outdoors 79

6 Bush Pilot 95

7 In the Blink of an Eye 105

8 Flying in the North 117

9 Birth of the Quebec Labrador Foundation 133

10 The Ski-Doo and Other Modern Marvels 153

11 Environmental Change in the North 167

12 QLF Grows Up 177

13 Turn with the Sun 187

Afterword 197

Acknowledgments 203

About the Authors 207

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

The Flying Pastor of Labrador is so inspiring, so humane and so informative in detailing the life in an unimaginably harsh environment that I instantly gave it to my children and grandchildren, certain that it would affect their lives. Bryan’s tales of the people inhabiting this remote part of Quebec frequently made me laugh out loud and always made me admire their fortitude. This book is a testament to the difference that one person can make. The Flying Pastor is a book for every age. —William K. Muir

Editorial Reviews

His memories pour from the pages like maple syrup from a jug…Read [this book] to share the thrill of Bryan’s 50 years of flying or simply to discover a hidden corner of the planet where people and nature remain, if not isolated, still unspoiled.” – Atlantic Salmon Journal

From the Publisher

In this fascinating autobiography, Robert Bryan recounts his life as the flying parson of maritime Quebec and Labrador who piloted float planes alone through the wilderness.. . .The Flying Pastor of Labrador remains an inspiring book about a life well lived.

Maine Sunday Telegram