Hay River renames airport to honour bush pilot

February 20, 2012

Yellowknife, N.W.T. - As of Feb. 17th, when pilots and passengers fly into Hay River, they will officially be flying into the Hay River (Merlyn Carter) Airport.

The name was changed in honour of the legendary bush pilot who tragically passed away in 2005.

Joe McBryan of Buffalo Airways learned to fly under Carter and said Merlyn was, "just a happy honest man, very interested in everything and everybody. His energy just exploded around us in his personality. We quit saying bad things when he came around because he always said good things"

Carter's son Dean and widow Jean spoke at a ceremony on Feb. 17th, as did McBryan and fellow pilot George Marlowe, mayor Kelly Schofield, and Industry Tourism and Investment minister Dave Ramsay.

Ramsay said there's little doubt Carter is a legend.

"You're talking about a guy who trained Joe McBryan and if Joe is a legend then certainly Merlyn Carter has to be a huge legend as well. He'll be sorely missed. It's a fitting legacy to have the airport here named after him," said Ramsay.

The process to change the name was started by the Town of Hay River and took about six months to complete. 

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