Long-time Labrador pilot Tony Powell is being remembered for the remarkable life he lived, says his family.
Powell died on Sunday at the age of 71 at his Charlottetown, N.L., home.
“It’s really, really a sad time for my family. It’s like the end of an era. But there is so much to be thankful for as well,” his niece, Liberal MHA Lisa Dempster, told CBC Radio’s On the Go.
Dempster said Powell lived a remarkable life. He started working as a fishing guide at the age of 17 and became a pilot when he was 20, which resulted in a flying career that lasted approximately 50 years.
“He was just a gifted pilot,” she said. “He accumulated more than 27,000 hours on 30 different aircraft. And during that time, he saved countless lives.”
Besides medical flights, Dempster said he flew many search and rescue missions over the years.
His book Against the Wind, published in 2020, recounts his long career, including surviving a crash landing in the Labrador wilderness.
While working on boats, Powell also survived shipwrecks, Dempster added. One time, he stuffed his pocket full of bullets in case he needed them to survive on an island. Later, at the age of 49, he was diagnosed with cancer.
“He started the greatest fight of his life. They gave him a short time, but he fought every day for one more day and he never gave up,” she said, adding Powell closed his airline company Labrador Travel Air, which flew out of Charlottetown.
Dempster added last December the cancer was back and doctors gave him just a month left to live.
“He passed away [Sunday] night surrounded by his family. And a couple hours before that, he was up out to greet family that was coming to the house,” said Dempster.
She said people have been reaching out to the family to share their memories of Powell and his role in the countryâs history of aviation.
“He was just a truest son of Labrador. And it is the greatest gift of our life that we can call him family.”
Powell ran in last yearâs provincial election as the Liberal candidate for Torngat Mountains.
Labrador Philip Earle also offered his condolences to Powellâs family.
“Tony was one of those special individuals whose life reflected the very spirit of Labrador,” reads the statement.
“A gifted pilot, devoted father, author, and steadfast community member, he was known for his remarkable aviation skills, his kindness towards others, and his adventurous spirit that he carried him across our skies, over our waters, and into the Labrador wilderness he loved.”
Earle said Powellâs death is a great loss.
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