A pilot from the Chilcotin Plateau, west of Williams Lake, is flying high over the Peace region of British Columbia in a new reality TV series.
Jessica James stars in Lost Car Rescue on History, as the team’s pilot.
James is the granddaughter of Vernon “Mulligan” and Lorraine James, who founded the Chilanko Rosa Ranch in the central Chilcotin.
In the series, James operates a small 1948 Stinson fixed-wing airplane to help spot rare cars from the air.
The crew, led by Matt Sager, searches out rare and valuable classic cars across northern B.C.’s Peace Region and the show documents the process of locating, purchasing and extracting the classic car bodies.
James had met Sager in flight school, according to the show’s press release, and while Sager pursued other things, James was gaining more flying experience and obtaining her commercial licence.
Most recently James flew commercial sea planes out of Vancouver and Victoria before she was laid off due to the pandemic.
“I firmly believe everything happens for a reason. Because of that this led me to this great new adventure,” James said in a trailer for the show.
Her depth of experience coupled with her small-town charm made her the ideal pilot for the job flying over remote areas of B.C. when Sager was putting together his team, noted the trailer.
The team also includes Sager’s mechanically-inclined brother, an autobody expert and a vehicle extraction specialist.
Lost Car Rescue also highlights the stories of the places, people and vehicles the team is salvaging.
The show will premiere on History on Thursday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m.
The Williams Lake Tribune will chat with Matt Sager and Jessica James next week to hear more about the show and their adventures.
Read More: Bush pilot recalls the early days
Read More: Adventures with Cariboo bush pilot
ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter