A Super Cub airplane was obtained through the same American who owned the boat, an excellent deal. Now the Father could reach even more remote places like Takla Landing, which usually took him two days on snowshoes from Fort Babine.

He flew into Fort Ware, Ingenika, Stuart Lake Portage and Germanson Landing. Soon everyone knew and loved Father Ivan McCormack and watched for the "Flying Mission" to arrive.

"He was just like a regular man," says Paul Jean. Seldom seen outside of church in anything but ordinary street wear, the Father often arrived unannounced on their doorstep, asking Doris to," ...put another cup of water in the soup." He was welcomed in many homes.

Says Father Joe Rossiter," Father Ivan treated everyone the same, be he prince or pauper. For Ivan, if it needed to be said, he said it. If it needed to be done, he did it." For 43 years, Father Ivan McCormack was a priest in the Prince George Diocese.

In 1982, Father Brian Ballard took over the ministry to the outlying First Nation communities previously provided by Father McCormack. In 1991, Father Ballard moved the "Flying Mission" headquarters to Smithers.
While travelling together from Fort St. James to Calgary on August 20, 2001, their plane went down near Valemount, killing both priests at the same time. The Diocese was shaken with the sad news.