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Artscene By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2009 29 Putting the story of a hijacker In Plane Sight Bob Mitchell has been telling stories for more than 30 years as a reporter with the Toronto Star. However, he decided to spend more time than a daily paper allows to share the tale of a man named Patrick Dolan Critton. For those who can remember the headlines of the early 1970s, Critton's name may ring a bell. The American hijacked an Air Canada jet travelling from Thunder Bay to Toronto on Boxing Day in 1971. He successfully ordered it to fly to Cuba, threatening the crew with a grenade and handgun. He eluded police for the next 30 years, eventually trading his criminal lifestyle for a job as a teacher, marrying and raising two children, and mentoring at-risk youths in New York. He was finally arrested at age 54 the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. While his capture would have likely made front-page headlines in newspapers across North America, the arrest came the same morning two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center, forever changing air travel, homeland security and the profile of an airplane hijacker. Mitchell had followed Critton's arrest and covered his trial in Brampton in 2002. The fugitive was sentenced to five years in prison, but following a one-year stint at a low-security prison in Kingston, was deported to the United States. Mitchell was intrigued by Critton's story. Following years of research, updates and correspondence, he has published a book on the hijacker's story called In Plane Sight. "It's a true crime book, but it's more of a biography," said Mitchell, who calls Oakville home. "It's a look at a piece of history through the eyes of someone who lived it. This was a huge story at the time, but then there was a terrorist attack and 3,000 people died and the story faded to the background." Mitchell's book provides an in-depth look at Critton's life, from his early days of bank robberies as a Black power revolutionary to the years leading up to his arrest in New York, where he was respected in his community and working as a well-liked elementary school teacher. Interviews were an important source of information for Mitchell. He managed to talk to the pair of Ontario police officers who were asked to communicate with Critton from the ground during the hijacking in 1971. He also spoke with two Peel cops who cracked the cold case 30 years later and determined Critton's whereabouts. He said being a well-known Star crime reporter helped his research efforts. "I had complete co-operation from everybody," he said. "I believe that is because they see me everyday, they know me. I'm not a complete stranger walking in from the street." There are also detailed documents Mitchell was able to get his hands on, like the hijack note Critton wrote for the Air Canada pilot, as well as his passport photos and even his college diploma. The only piece missing in the equation is an interview with Critton himself, which Mitchell said was nearly in his grasp. "I had been trying for quite a long time to collaborate with Patrick Critton," he said. "He's a very secretive man. I was able to track him down through police contacts and friends in Tanzania, where he was living at the time in 2005-2006. We conversed by e-mail. I actually flew to New York to meet him last July and we never did get together. He kept giving me RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER See Third page 30 INSIDE THE MIND OF A CRIMINAL: Veteran Toronto Star crime reporter Bob Mitchell has released his second book, In Plane Sight. The non-fiction work is based on the life and capture of Patrick Dolan Critton, who hijacked an Air Canada plane on Boxing Day in 1971. Mitchell currently calls Bronte his home. The show to rt help you sta t irec your own d ess! sales busin Saturday, September 12 10am to 4pm Holiday Inn Oakville-Centre 590 Argus Road, Oakville (near the QEW and Trafalgar Road) SPEAKER TOPICS: What You Need to Know to Start Your Own Direct Sales Business Why Insurance is a Necessity, Not a Luxury How to Make Networking Work for You It's Not Personal, It's Your Personality For more information contact EARN extra $$$ selling from home BOOK a party SHOP F R E E A D M I S S I O N over 25 Exhibitors DRAWS/GIVEAWAYS Please bring non-perishable food snacks and juice boxes for donation to Habitat for Humanity Halton. Media Sponsors 905-664-8265