NWT Air founder Robert Engle dead at 91

Robert Engle, the founder of NWT Air, died at his home in Vancouver on Friday morning at age 91.

Engle founded NWT Air in the 1960s, establishing scheduled flights connecting coastal communities in the Western and Eastern Arctic.

Engle eventually sold the airline to Air Canada, who then sold it to First Air.

First landed on Great Slave Lake in 1958

It was 1958 when 35-year-old Bob Engle landed on Yellowknife's Great Slave Lake for the first time.

Over the next 45 years, Engle became known as one of the north's most prominent businessmen and a respected pilot.

“He was here during a time when aviation was growing, there was no scheduled service...so he saw it as a great opportunity,” says Miles Harris, Engle's friend and business partner.

Engle started NWT Air in the late 1960s.

The airline pioneered scheduled flights connecting coastal communities in the Arctic.

Business was taking off, just as the North was opening up.

“Things were often to his advantage because he was smarter than the average bear,” recalls Ray Weber, a friend and former employee. “He did his homework.”

Queen dined at his home

When the Queen visited the territory in 1994 she had dinner at Engle`s home.

Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chretien and Johnny Depp have all been entertained by Engle and his wife Roxy, but he didn’t let his high connections get a hold of him.

"He was always a very astute and tough businessman for starters, but he certainly had a soft side," said pilot Chris Tuck, a close friend of Engle.

"He always took care of his employees extremely well. He always involved all his employees and oldest friends. No matter how lowly a position they held in the company, they were all equally welcome at his cocktail parties and things like that."

Engle continued flying into his eighties.

He was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame earlier this year.