After the war, May became a bush pilot in Edmonton. During this period, he was hired by the Edmonton police to help in the search for a murderer. It was the first time a plane was used in a manhunt.
One of the most celebrated events of Wop May's career occurred in January 1929. In northern Alberta there was an outbreak of diphtheria and May, hundreds of miles away, was asked to fly in the desperately needed medication. The incredible feat is recounted in the vignette below. What the vignette doesn't mention is that in 1932 Wop May was also involved in the most famous manhunt in Canadian history, the search for Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River.