Dr. Robert McLeod of Creston, British Columbia, should be proud of his new 44-foot by 30-foot hangar. It features a beautifully designed exterior, highlighted with Douglas Fir log posts and beams and three large 3-foot by 6-foot Douglas Fir accented windows to retain a nice view outside and bring natural light into the hangar.
McLeod built the hangar to closely match his home and other buildings on the property, which boasts a grass landing strip. The hangar features a 42-foot, 6-inch by 12-foot, 6-inch Schweiss Doors bifold liftstrap door.
With a shortage of veterinarians and a large, sparsely populated territory to cover, McLeod uses his Maule M-5-210C to bring veterinary care to remote clients. He and his plane also serve as an ambulance for veterinary related flights to specialists in Calgary or Vancouver. He’s been a practicing veterinarian for about 30 years, starting out after graduation in Saskatchewan and later moving to Creston in 1993.
“I started flying at age 16 when I received a flying scholarship as an air cadet,” McLeod says. “I got my pilot’s license just after my 17th birthday. I actually still have a hangar that I share with another person at our local Creston airport. I use my home hangar from spring to fall, about eight months out of the year. The main Creston Regional Airport is open all year.”
Creston Veterinary Hospital was established in 1973 by Dr. Dave Perrin, the author of the “Don’t Turn Your Back in the Barn, Adventures of a Country Vet” book series. It’s a full-service veterinary clinic in the heart of the Kootenay Valley, nestled between the Selkirk and Purcell Mountain ranges region of beautiful southeastern British Columbia, approximately six miles north of the Idaho border.
Creston Veterinary Hospital has grown from eight employees in 1992 to where they now have two full-time and two part-time veterinarians and a skilled staff of about 20 technicians, assistants, and client care representatives.