Johnny May of Kuujuuaq, Nunavik, was inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame Nov. 23 in Longueil. Along with astronaut Julie Payette and a group of pre-World War I pilots, May was recognized for his contribution in aviation.
May, 65, began flying in the 1960s when the north was still a fabled land of snow and ice.
Born in Kangiqsualujjuaq, May is known throughout the north as a pilot who came through, in good or bad weather, for people in desperate need or simply dropping candy from his plane to the crowds in the communities during the holiday season.
When asked at the Montreal airport on his way to the ceremony if he had “seen it all”, May replied with a smile, “Oh yeah, I’ve seen it all… dead and alive.”
To this day, May still flies out of Kuujuuaq taking sportsmen and other adventurers to their destinations throughout the north.
