In 1960, when Glen Goobie was fifteen, his father's untimely
passing precipitated an uncertain future for him and left a void of fatherly advice
and direction for his future. Glen's father was the breadwinner of the family, and
his mother now had a big decision to make in order to provide for her family and
for the children to complete their education. She decided to relocate from their
small community to St. John's and seek employment. Glen felt at odds living in a
city but managed to fit in and complete high school. After graduation, he found
employment at a low—paying job for a few years. Having the will to push forward,
he secured a better—paying job that he didn't much like.

As luck would have it, making more money, along with his work location, caused
a pent—up sense of adventure to kick in. A year or so later, Glen found himself
behind the controls of an airplane, which had never crossed his mind before, when
he would daydream about where his life and career might take him. Bush flying
and water bombing would take him all over Newfoundland and Labrador, across
Canada, and parts of the United States over the duration of his career. During
thousands of flying hours over a forty—year career and more, there were many
unplanned adventures and surprises. Close calls were also part of the job,
including a "night mercy mission" in the vast wilderness of Northern Ontario to
locate and save the life of a pilot who had crashed his plane earlier that evening.
Glen Goobie's close calls were interspersed with good times, great friends, and
many humourous incidents and stories along the way.