Canoe, Hunt, Fish, and Fly, by Otter

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-12-18T10:29:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #119" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Bell P-39 "Airacobra" ! Mike wins the "sailboat fuel"!

CLUE - A cobra is a snake, and there are snakes on every continent, except Antarctica, which is "devoid of snakes".

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-12-18T09:26:00.003-06:00

A number of years back I flew Beaver C-FGYK from Silver Falls, MB, to Lac Kaiagamac, PQ, during the month of November, on floats. The aircraft had been on lease to Blue Water Aviation for the open-water season, and I was returning the aircraft to Cargair Ltee.'s Base at Lac Kaiagamac. Seeing the large hangar and infrastructure at my destination, I wondered how many Otters had passed through and worked the area. Here is one that did, albeit for a short period of time, but she still "flogs the coast" to this day.

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 105

Otter 105 was delivered to the United States Army on 12th April 1956 with serial 55-3261 (tail number 53261). It was allocated to the 14th Army Aviation Company at Fort Riley, Kansas. In August '56 the 14th was re-designated the 1st Aviation Company and moved to Fort Benning, Georgia where it continued to fly the Otter until 1961, when it converted to the Caribou, relinquishing its U-1As to other units.

53261 was then assigned to Yuma, Arizona where it would spend the rest of its military career, as a test support aircraft. It was involved in a minor incident there on 26th February 1974. On take-off with a gusty crosswind the Otter became airborne prematurely and settled, with one tyre touching the runway and the propeller being damaged on contacting the runway. The damage was repaired and 53261 continued in service until April 1976 when it was transferred to the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). It was registered to the CAP in June '76 as N5341G and flew for the CAP's Southwest Region - Texas. It was then sold to Air Saguenay Inc of Chicoutimi, Quebec to whom marks C-GVNL were allocated on 16th March 1978. It went on lease to Cargair Ltee of St.Michel-des-Saints (Lac Kaiagamac) Quebec to whom it was registered C-GVNL on 19th May '78. It flew for Cargair only that summer, after which it joined the Air Saguenay fleet, subsequently re-registered to Air Saguenay (1980) Inc.

The Otter was involved in an incident on 13th May 1980 at its Lac Sebastien base during a proficiency flight check. While on final for a simulated engine failure condition with throttle retarded, the pilot rounded out the aircraft too high. The check pilot did not recognise the error in sufficient time to take corrective action. Damage to the aircraft's structure was sustained in the hard landing that followed. The damage was repaired. In April 1985 the aircraft was transferred to Centre d'Expedition et de Plein Air Laurentien (CEPAL) of Jonquiere (Lac Kenogami) Quebec. On 10th July 1990 whilst in cruise flight, a cylinder failed and the engine was shut down. VNL made an emergency landing on Lac Manouane. In July 1998 the Otter was transferred to Air Bellevue Inc of St.Felicien, Quebec.

Having served the bush country of Quebec for just short of 23 years, VNL headed west for a new career on the Pacific coast. Air Bellevue's activities were winding down and its two Otters, VNL and C-FIUZ (135) were up for sale. Both were purchased by Harbour Air Ltd of Vancouver. The two Otters set off together for the long cross-country ferry. They were flown as far as Calgary by Air Bellevue pilots, arriving on 14th March 2001. They overnighted at Calgary and continued on the next day to Vancouver, flown by Harbour Air pilots. Both Otters were registered to Harbour Air on 28th March 2001 and were converted to turbine power with PT-6 engines by Harbour Air in their hangar at Vancouver. They were painted into Harbour Air's colours and entered service on the company's scheduled passenger services between Vancouver and points on Vancouver Island.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 105

January 1st, 2008. C-GVNL. In service with Harbour Air, Vancouver. Vazar. Fleet number 304.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

C-GVNL of CEPAL at Calgary 14th March 2001 when it fuel stopped on its delivery flight from Quebec to Harbour Air at Vancouver. (Anthony J. Hickey)

© Bjoern Thomsen

I think if you looked in "Mr. Webster's book" under "longevity", you would see a picture of an Otter.....

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-12-10T18:42:00.005-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #118" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Goodyear "Blimp" ! Tim wins the "sailboat fuel"!

CLUE - Blimps are non-rigid, meaning their shape is not maintained by a rigid aircraft internal structure, therefore an "invertebrate"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-12-09T20:00:00.004-06:00

I recently was doing a little research regarding the Soloy Dual Pac, and remembered that they had tested the twin-coupled PT-6 in an Otter. What ever happened to that Otter? Let's grab some beers, and go on a "voyage of discovery".....

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 465

Otter 465 was sold to A.Fecteau Transport Aerien Ltee of Senneterre, Quebec on 9th June 1967, registered CF-VQI. The company was subsequently re-named Air Fecteau Ltee and the Otter reregistered C-FVQI. Air Fecteau served the bush country of Quebec, and merged into Propair Inc, to whom the Otter was registered in May 1982. After more than twenty years service in Quebec, the Otter was sold in April 1989 to Temsco Helicopters Inc, registered N19TH. It flew as part of Temsco's large fleet of Otters out of its base at Ketchikan, Alaska until October 1991, when Temsco announced abruptly that its final services would take place on 1st November 1991, and that the airline's fixed wing division would close down on that date.

Having remained idle at Ketchikan for some time, in July 1994 the Otter was purchased by Soloy Dual Pac Inc, a part of the Soloy Corporation of Olympia, Washington and the following month it was registered N5010Y to Soloy Dual Pac Inc. The Otter was acquired by the Soloy Corporation for use as a flying testbed for the certification of their Dual Pac powerplant, which they were developing in co-operation with Pratt & Whitney Canada. The Otter was flown from Ketchikan to the Olympia Airport, Washington. It was not in the best of shape. The paperwork revealed that it had been partially submerged in an incident while flying for Propair and had been repaired by Propair at their facility at Rouyn, Quebec in July 1988, total time on the airframe at that stage being 14,230 hours.

Between July and September 1994, the Otter was completely stripped down and refurbished by Soloy at Olympia and the twin pack installed, comprising two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-114 turbines. It emerged from the hangar in pristine condition, in a gleaming all-white scheme featuring a large 'Soloy Dual Pac' logo. It made its first flight in this configuration from Olympia on 29th September 1994. It continued its test work into 1995, flying for several hundred hours to build up 'in service' time for the powerplant and related systems. In July 1995 it was re-registered N32910 and in November of that year, its test work with Soloy complete, it was sold to Ketchum Air Service Inc of Anchorage who converted it to a Vazar turbo Otter, registered N342KA. It entered service with Ketchum Air Service, based at Lake Hood, flying tourists, fishermen and hunters into the Alaskan wilderness during the summer months.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 465

January 1st, 2008. N342KA. Vazar. PM Holdings LLC, the holding company of Pro Mech Air of Ketchikan, Alaska. During winter 2006/07 the Otter flew south to International Aero Products, Courtenay, BC on Vancouver Island where it was overhauled and painted in Pro Mech Air’s new colour scheme. It returned to Ketchikan on 31st May 2007 to rejoin Pro Mech Air’s six strong Otter fleet for the summer 2007 season.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

N5010Y modified with the Soloy Dual Pac (Soloy Corporation)

© BRIAN JOHNSTONE

Realistically, the "single" Otter doesn't need to be a "twin turbine", it just needs at least 1000 HP of any single engine configuration. Glad to see Otter 465 still "flogging the bush"..... By the way, she was the "second to last" Otter made!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-12-03T12:27:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #117" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the de Havilland DH 106 "Comet" ! Dan wins the "sailboat fuel"!

CLUE - A "cobbler" is a "shoemaker", and "Shoemaker-Levy 9" is a famous "comet".

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-12-02T16:38:00.005-06:00

The Otter served the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) extremely well, accessing the remote regions of Canada's second largest Province. My "cranial sludge" started "burbling"; "Which was the first OPAS Otter"? Lo and behold, it was one of my "neighbours" from this year's "Float Season".......

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 14

Otter number 14 was the first Otter delivered to the Ontario Provincial Air Service, as CF-ODJ on 8th May 1953, registered to the Department of Lands & Forests. It gave the Service its first experience of changing an engine in the field. In July of that year, an unserviceable engine had to be changed when ODJ was working from a remote stretch of the Albany River. Poles had to be flown to the site to create an 'A' frame pulley hoist to change the engine. Despite this early difficulty, for an incredible 32 years it went on to faithfully service the Province of Ontario without incident, the registration being changed to C-FODJ when it was re-registered to the Province of Ontario, Ministry of Natural Resources in September '72.

ODJ was used for the same purposes as the other Ontario Government Otters (as described for Otter 13) but in addition ODJ was used extensively for aerial photography, and is believed to have been the only Otter in the world with an extra porthole behind the rear door to facilitate photography. When the Ontario Otters were disposed of during the mid 1980s, ODJ was sold, its new owners being Green Airways Ltd of Red Lake, Ontario, to whom the Otter was registered in November 1985. With its new owners it continued to provide a full range of bush services, flying out of Red Lake on floats during the summer and on wheel-skis in winter. C-FODJ has been re-engined with the Polish PZL 1,000 hp engine, as has Green Airways other Otter C-FLEA (286). The work on ODJ was carried out by Airtech Canada at their Peterborough, Ontario facility during January/February 1995.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 14

January 1st, 2008. C-FODJ. In service with Green Airways, Red Lake, Ontario. PZL.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

C-FODJ of OPAS at McFarlane Lake, Ontario May 1977 (Robert S.Grant)

C-FODJ of Green Airways with PZL 1000 engine at Red Lake, Ontario May 2004 (Karl Hayes)

C-FODJ of Green Airways at Selkirk, Manitoba, May 7, 2007 (-photo by Steve Taylor)

"Hey there, neighbour"! Great airplane, wearing Edo 7850 "Beech" floats. She can work like an old "Ukrainian farmer"......

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-11-26T16:58:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #116" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Fairchild A-10 "Thunderbolt II", nicknamed the "Warthog"! Mike wins the "sailboat fuel"!

CLUE - "Mjolnir" was the "mystic hammer" of Thor, God of "Thunder"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-11-22T17:37:00.007-06:00

Of course we are all aware of the many "organisations" worldwide the Otter served with. Then I began recalling the "short-sightedness" of the Canadian government when the "Beaver" was produced, in the fact that they didn't purchase any for the RCAF. They did purchase the "Otter", though. Which was "the first", and what happened to it?

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 7

Otter number 7 was the first Otter delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), on 28th March 1953 with serial 3661. Before formal handover, while the Otter was still at Downsview, code letters AB were painted on the fuselage side, so that the side markings were presented as AB (roundel) 661 and in this guise a number of photographs were taken for publicity purposes. The letters AB were to give the Otter a “military look” and were not the code letters of any RCAF unit then intended to operate the Otter. The official user of the code AB at that time was 401 Squadron, which then flew Harvards and Vampires. One of the publicity photographs of 3661 is captioned “The first commissioned Otter flies over Downsview Airport on 13th March 1953. On this day a simulated SAR operation was conducted by members of the Trenton Para Rescue Section to show the new aircraft to the media”. RCAF Otters 3662, 3663, 3664, 3665 and 3666 were similarly painted with a spurious AB code for publicity purposes before delivery.

After Otter 3661 had been formally delivered by DHC to the RCAF on 28th March '53, it was allocated that month to the Central Experimental & Proving Establishment (CEPE) at Rockcliffe, Ottawa for the purposes of evaluation of this new type of aircraft to enter RCAF service. It then went to the Fort Churchill, Manitoba Station Flight, where its arrival is recorded on 4th July 1953. It entered service with the Flight alongside Norseman 789. The diary of the Churchill Station Flight records the many missions undertaken by 3661. It operated on floats during the summer months from Landing Lake at Churchill. On 14th August '53 it operated a medevac to Baker Lake and on 20th August was in the Duck Lake and Neultin Lake areas searching for a lost trapper. Later that month it was involved in the search for 405 Squadron Lancaster 999 which had crashed, and performed a coast crawl from York Factory to Eskimo Point. When the Lancaster was found, its crew of 8 were picked up by the Otter from the lake where it had ditched and were flown to Churchill. On 31st August '53 both Norseman 789 and Otter 3661 flew to Ennadai Lake with rations.

On 6th October '53 the Otter made its last float trip to Knife Lake and on 8th October was removed from Landing Lake and re-configured with wheel-skis. For the winter months, it would operate from the airport at Churchill, continuing with its light transport and SAR taskings. On 2nd January 1954 it was involved in the search for the Flight's own Norseman 789 which went missing on a medevac flight from Fort Churchill to Baker Lake, a flight of three hours fifteen minutes. Six RCAF Dakotas were also involved in the search for the missing Norseman, two each from Winnipeg, Rivers and Edmonton, as well as Arctic Wings Avro Anson CF-GLA. When the Norseman was found on a small lake at 62.46 North 96.06 West, one of the Dakotas orbited the scene until the evacuation of the Norseman crew and passengers was carried out by Otter 3661 on 5th January.

On 15th February 1954 the Otter flew from Churchill to the scene of the Norseman forced landing with a repair party, but its tail assembly broke on landing on the rough terrain. When it became overdue, Dakota 971 from Winnipeg took off to fly to the area, but due to ice fog had to return to Churchill without finding the Otter. It departed again early the next morning and sighted the downed Otter beside the Norseman. The two aircraft had to remain where they were until 20th February '54, when the Arctic Wings Anson flew in with replacement crews, and both the Otter and the Norseman flew back to Churchill.

The following month, the Otter was re-assigned and took off from Churchill on 19th March '54 enroute to Ottawa, being replaced at Churchill by Otter 3672. On arrival at RCAF Station Rockcliffe, Ottawa 3661 entered service with 408 Squadron, adopting its MN code. Although based at Rockcliffe, the squadron spent much of its time deployed away from base, having been assigned the major task of mapping and surveying large tracts of the Canadian North. During the summer of 1954, four of the Squadron's Lancasters flew out of Goose Bay, Labrador on the mapping project, supported by six of the Squadron's Cansos and six Otters, including 3661. At the end of the summer season, 3661 and the other Otters returned to base at Rockcliffe for the winter, where they were engaged on local area flying and training.

Another major task entrusted to 408 Squadron was support of the construction of the Mid Canada Line (MCL) of radar sites along the 55th parallel of latitude, all 102 of them. In 1954 the RCAF launched a helicopter operation for the MCL with the formation of 108 Communications Flight which, with its H-19, H-21 and H-34 helicopters would carry men, supplies and equipment to the numerous isolated sites. On 18th June 1955 Otter 3661 in company with 3664, both on floats, departed Rockcliffe and arrived at Fort McMurray, Alberta on 21st June. The function of the two Otters was to carry men and equipment into places that were inaccessible to the Squadron's Canso, which was also supporting the operation. The Otters remained with the operation until it reached The Pas, Manitoba. 3661 was released on 22nd July '55 and departed Flin Flon, Manitoba that day to return to Rockcliffe.

In December 1955 3661 was again transferred to the CEPE at Rockcliffe. It underwent a DHC All Up Weight modification in January '56, after which it returned to 408 Squadron. On 27th June'56 it was flown to Goose Bay where 408 Squadron crewmen instructed Goose Bay Station Flight on the Otter, following the fatal crash of Goose Bay's own Otter 3666 on 10th April '56. On 22nd August '56 3661 proceeded from Goose Bay to St.John's/Torbay to transport the Canadian and Russian Ministers of Fisheries on a tour of Newfoundland fishing ports. 3661 then returned to base at Rockcliffe.

408 Squadron's use of the Otter came to an end in June 1957 and the following month 3661 was assigned to the Station Flight at Cold Lake, Alberta where it was to serve for the next two years. In June 1959 it went into storage as a reserve aircraft at the Lincoln Park, Calgary depot, located at what was then Calgary's downtown airport, which became an RCAF base when the new civilian airport was built northeast of the city. In December '59 it was taken out of storage and ferried to DHC at Downsview to be prepared for its next posting. In July 1960 it joined 102 Communications Unit at Trenton, Ontario where it served in an all silver scheme, with black front engine cowling, code VR (roundel) 661 on the rear fuselage and the serial 3661 and Canadian Ensign on the fin.

In November 1962, 3661 was taken out of service and put into storage by No.6 Repair Depot, Trenton. Here it remained until March '63, when it was one of 5 RCAF Otters selected by the Canadian Government to be donated to India. All five were trucked to DHC at Downsview and crated for shipment to India, the official transfer date to the Indian Air Force being 25th April 1963. On arrival in India the Otter was allocated serial BM-1004 with the Indian Air Force, with whom it served for the next 27 years, until withdrawn from use in 1990. In April 1993 the Indian Ministry of Defence
advertised for sale by global tender “8 Otters on the ground since 1990 and 5 Otter airframes (without engines)”, which included BM-1004. The successful bidders were La Ronge Aviation Services of La Ronge, Saskatchewan jointly with Mike Hackman Aircraft Sales of Edmonton.

The purchasers managed to find another damaged Otter during their visits to India, which made 14 Otters to be returned home. These were located at different Indian Air Force bases. BM-1004 was one of three Otters located at Kanpur and another five were located at Barrackpore. This batch of eight were paint stripped, dismantled and trucked to Calcutta, from where they were shipped to Canada. They eventually arrived at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan by 30th April 1994. BM-1004 had at that stage of its career 5,051 hours on the airframe. It was put up for sale, along with all the other
former Indian Air Force Otters. They were advertised for sale “as is”, or else the sellers would arrange for the aircraft to be rebuilt to flying condition for a customer.

Otter number 7 was purchased by Watson's Algoma Vacations Ltd, trading as Watson's Skyways, based at Wawa, Ontario. The Otter was one of those purchased “as is” and was trucked from Saskatoon to Echo Bay, Ontario where it was rebuilt for its new owners by Skyservice. On completion of the rebuild, it was registered to Watson's Algoma Vacations Ltd on 26th April 1995 as C-GPPL. There was a change of name of the registered owner on 28th February 2000 to Watsons Skyways Ltd.

C-GPPL joined Otter C-GOFB in service with Watson's Skyways. The Otters were based at Wawa and during the summer months were used to fly fishermen to two lodges, Pine Portage and Kaby Lodge, which the company operates on Kabinakagami Lake in the Ontario interior, one of which is located sixty miles from Wawa, the other seventy. The Otters were also available for general charters, and often flew for the Ontario Government's Ministry of Natural Resources, flying fire crews and Ministry personnel into the bush. Summer 2000 for example saw personnel flown by the Otters to Michipicoten Island in Lake Superior. By the end of that summer season, PPL's total time had reached 6,900 hours. The Watson's Skyways operation is summer only, the Otters being stored during the winter.

PPL remained in service with Watson's Skyways until the end of the summer 2000 season and was then placed in storage for the winter at the Springer Aerospace facility at Bar River, to the east of Sault St.Marie. In September 2000 it was advertised for sale, having been replaced in service with Watson's Skyways by a Cessna Caravan. The advertisement quoted an asking price of $590,000 Canadian, with the aircraft on EDO floats, ten passenger seats, wingtip strobes, vista vents in the two crew and four passenger windows, and well equipped with avionics, including HF radio and a Garmin GPS. It was sold the following month to Hawk Air of Wawa but remained in storage for the winter at Bar River, being registered to its new owners on 11th April 2001. PPL joined Otter C-FQMN with Hawk Air and continued to serve the Ontario bush country, flying fishermen to outpost camps and supplying lodges during the summer season. The company required an additional Otter to cater for an upsurge in its business, which kept both PPL and QMN busy during the summer of 2001 and subsequent years.

C-GPPL was involved in an incident on 15th June 2004. Eight minutes after it had taken off from Hawk Junction en route to Esnagi Lake the engine quit and the Otter was forced to make an immediate landing on Dipneedle Lake, some ten miles north of Hawk Junction. The lake was extremely narrow shortly after the point of touch down. The left wing struck two dead trees, resulting in damage to the outer four feet of the leading edge of the wing. Approaching the shore, one float struck a submerged rock, resulting in a one foot hole in one compartment. There were no injuries to the five passengers or the crew of two. The Otter was repaired and resumed service with Hawk Air.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 7

January 1st, 2008. C-GPPL. Having been operated by Hawk Air out of its base at Wawa, Ontario since April 2001, Otter number 7 was sold to Alaska Coastal Airlines of Juneau, Alaska and was registered to its new owners on 30th May 2007 as N342AK. Alaska Coastal Airlines trades as Wings of Alaska and already operates four Texas Turbine Otters on sight seeing flights from its Juneau base. N342AK arrived at Vernon, BC in late July 2007 to be converted as a Texas Turbine Otter by Kal-Air. On 20th November 2007 the registration was changed to N753AK. Work on the conversion continued at the Kal-Air facility over the winter of 2007/08.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

C-GPPL of Watson's Skyways in winter storage at Geraldton, Ontario (Rich Hulina)

"Wow", what a career, and still flying, with more "chapters" to come.........

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-11-18T21:23:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #115" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Northrop "XB-35"! Lance wins the "sailboat fuel"!

CLUE - "FW" in the cockpit image name equals "Flying Wing".

Steve's Video Of The Day: "Oh... Chute"!

2009-11-17T13:45:00.001-06:00

I bet this "hurt"!

VIDEO -

"Oh... Chute"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-11-16T11:15:00.005-06:00

Talk about an aircraft with "extreme" history! Greenland and Panama, then to Arizona, then two "tours of duty" in Vietnam! Arriving back in good old North America, she dropped animal feed in the foothills of "The Rocks", went "North....to Alaska"...., and finally made it to Saskatchewan, where she still "works" today!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 316

Otter 316 was delivered to the United States Army on 6th March 1959 with serial 58-1704 (tail number 81704). It was one of two Otters delivered that day, the other being 81703 (305). Both were painted in an overall orange colour scheme and were delivered from Downsview to Fort Eustis, Virginia where they joined the Transportation Research & Environmental Operations Group (TREOG), an Army unit whose task was to test Army equipment under extreme climate and environmental conditions. The two Otters were used in Greenland and in Panama. 81704's Army career was the same as 81703's, as already described, until April 1964 when it was assigned to Fort Huachuca, Arizona as a test support aircraft.

In February 1966 81704 arrived with the 54th Aviation Company in Vietnam, where it served until May 1968. It was taken on charge that month by the 388th Transportation Company, Vung Tau and shipped back to the United States, for depot level overhaul at the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California where it arrived in September '68. After overhaul, in January 1970 it arrived back with the 54th Aviation Company in Vietnam. It is mentioned in the Company's history for January 1970 - “Traded in 53298 for 81704, an aircraft just back from overhaul in the States”. 81704 continued to fly for the 54th Aviation Company until August 1970, when it was taken on charge by the 56th Transportation Company and prepared for return home. It arrived back at the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California in October 1970 and was put into storage there. It remained in store until February 1973 when it was deleted from the Army inventory and put up for disposal as military surplus.

81704 was one of four Otters in storage at Stockton purchased on 8th January 1974 by Laurentian Air Services Ltd of Ottawa, the four being 76108 (226), 81700 (314), 81704 (316) and 92210 (348), the purchase price for 81704 being $6,800. Of the four, Laurentian Air Services flew two of them (226 and 348) to their base at Ottawa, restored them to civilian configuration and put them into service. The other two (314 and 316) were not in flyable condition (as reflected by the purchase price of $6,800 for 316) and they were immediately sold on to Ag Air Company of Latah, Washington who collected the two Otters at Stockton and brought them by truck to their base at Latah.

Otter 314 was rebuilt by Ag Air Company, but 316 was sold on “as is” to a Mr Wayne H. Baer by Bill of Sale dated 10th February 1974 for $13,650, so at least Ag Air realised a quick profit. Later that month, Mr Baer sold the aircraft to Bill Kornell, trading as Acme Air Taxi of Salmon, Idaho, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Mr Kornell applied for a civil registration for the Otter on 21st February 1974 and was allocated N521BK (the 'BK' no doubt standing for Bill Kornell) by the FAA. He then set about rebuilding the aircraft, which took three months, and on 30th May '74 he applied for a Certificate of Airworthiness. The Otter at that stage of its career had 3,500 hours total time.

On 31st May '74 the FAA issued a C. of A. but as an “Experimental Aircraft with Operating Limitations”. This it appears was because the Otter was to be used for dropping feed to animals, with the fuselage cargo doors removed. Limitations specified by the C. of A. precluded operations over congested areas, except take-offs from the Boise Municipal Airport and Nampa Airport, both in Idaho. After a year and a half of operating the Otter, Mr Kornell sold it by Bill of Sale dated 10th August 1975 to West Aircraft Sales of Municipal Airport, Salinas, California who sold it on the same day to Henry L. Liners of Fairbanks, Alaska. N521BK was registered to Mr Liners but was operated by Frontier Flying Service Inc, based at Fairbanks. At the time, the company also operated Otter N90575 (302), which crashed shortly thereafter.

Frontier Flying Service continued to operate the Otter until an accident on 16th January 1977, when N521BK was taking off from New Minto, Alaska on a cargo flight to Fairbanks, with two on board. The engine lost power and the Otter made a forced landing off airport in rough terrain and was substantially damaged. It was trucked south to be repaired by Sorm Industries at Boeing Field, Seattle. It underwent major structural repairs to the fuselage, bulkhead and right wing. The repairs were completed by August 1977. The following month, the Otter was sold to Mike Ehredt, trading as Arctic Guide of Barrow, Alaska and he applied for registration on 15th September 1977. Arctic Guide's fleet included a Twin Otter, Beech C-45, Dornier Do-28, two Turbo Porters and several Cessnas. The Otter flew for Arctic Guide out of Barrow until sold to Gittins Construction Inc of Anchorage, by Bill of Sale dated 27th December 1983. This company installed a Sorm Industries bulk fuel carrying tank, and it was used to haul fuel to construction sites around Alaska. It continued in use by Gittins Construction until sold to Yute Air Alaska of Dillingham, Alaska by Bill of Sale dated 18th December 1985.

Yute Air Alaska removed the bulk fuel tank and converted the Otter back to a passenger aircraft, and used it as part of their commuter fleet. They had previously flown Otter N433GR (291). The Otter continued to fly for Yute Air Alaska out of Dillingham until sold to Athabaska Airways Ltd of La Ronge, Saskatchewan in April 1994, to whom it was registered C-FSGD. The Otter flew as a piston until it was converted to a Vazar turbine Otter in 1997 and joined Athabaska Airways other turbine Otter C-FHPE (273) in service out of their La Ronge base. When Athabaska Airways merged with La Ronge Aviation Services to form Transwest Air, with effect from 1st September 2000, both Otters joined the Transwest Air fleet, although they remained based at La Ronge.

An incident involving C-FSGD was recorded on 26th April 2001. The turbo Otter on amphibious floats was en route from Fond du Lac to Stony Rapids when the fuel pressure dropped and the engine lost power. The pilot completed a forced landing on a river five miles west of Stony Rapids. The fuel gauge indicated 50 gallons of fuel on board. The aircraft was examined and departed again en route to Stony Rapids. On final approach at Stony Rapids, the engine lost power again. The pilot completed a landing at the airport and the Otter was towed off the runway. Examination revealed a problem with the fuel transmitter, which was dealt with, and SGD returned to service. It was registered to Transwest Air Ltd Partnership, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on 13th November 2001, but remained based at La Ronge.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 316

January 1st, 2008. C-FSGD. Transwest Air, La Ronge, Saskatchewan. Vazar.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

316 N521BK at San Jose, California September 1984 (John Wegg)

316 C-FSGD of Transwest Air, La Ronge, Saskatchewan May 2002 (Anthony J. Hickey)

One "extreme machine"!!!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

"We Are Very Lucky".............

2009-11-13T13:01:00.007-06:00

By now, we are all well-aware of the amazing actions of one "Sully" that prevented major loss of life in January of this year. "No", not that "Sully"! Not the big blue monster protecting "Boo" in "Monsters Inc."! I mean Captain Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III, pilot of the ill-fated US Airways Flight 1549 that met a flight of "Branta Canadensis" after take-off, causing the aircraft to eventually "ditch" in the Hudson River. Exosphere3D has done an amazing "possible scenario" re-creation of the flight using animation, available information, and actual ATC audio. Spend some time and check out the details. Quite amazing...... "Good job, Sully"!!!

ANALYSIS -

"We Are Very Lucky".............

Captain Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III

"Thanks, Clive"!

Steve's Video Of The Day: The "Altair".........

2009-11-12T14:29:00.002-06:00

A "twin-jet", "flying boat", "waterbomber", with a "stick"! Igor? Nope, he is dead. Must be "Russkies", though! Yup! The Beriev Be-200 "Altair".......

VIDEO -

The "Altair".........

The "Last Post"..........

2009-11-11T16:06:00.006-06:00

Today I attended the "Remembrance Day" ceremony at Camp Morton, Manitoba. As the haunting sound of the bugler playing "Last Post" wafted along the beautiful shores of Lake Winnipeg, I got to thinking about the Veterans that have served us, and the Soldiers that are in "harm's way" today. As the terrible events lately overseas and at Fort Hood have shown us, the enemy is "closer" than we think, but our men and women will meet the challenge. Therefore, today, take time to remember our "Vets" and "Soldiers", as without their service, the possible alternative to our "Life and Liberty" would be unfathomable. It has also been awhile since my last "post", so I figured today would be a good day to start again......

My son Flight Sergeant Shane Taylor lowers the Canadian Flag after the Camp Morton ceremony.......

The names of 120 Soldiers from the local area on the Camp Morton cenotaph who made the "ultimate sacrifice" during the "Great War"........

Flight Sergeant Taylor and Sergeant Shawn Irvine detach the "Maple Leaf".....

.....and present it to Captain Colin Heathcote, CD2 (Retired).

My two "youngest" show their "respect"......

Flight Sergeant Shane, and Kiena "Munchie", Taylor. In closing, the following video is a "timeless gem" praising the "boys and the girls who went over", from Terry Kelly, followed by the "Last Post". Always......"Remember"!

VIDEO -

"A Pittance of Time" - Terry Kelly

LISTEN TO THE -

"Last Post"

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-07-22T18:22:00.003-05:00

The Otter touched every continent on earth. Here is one that made her way back home from Africa, again, flying the Atlantic.

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 453

Otter 453 was delivered to the Tanzanian Air Force on 8th March 1966 with serial 9103. It was crated and shipped to Tanzania where it was re-assembled and entered service, based at Dar Es Salaam. The history of the Tanzanian Otters has been explained in relation to Otter 451. Of the eight Otters acquired, three were retained in Canada for training purposes, and the other five, including 9103, went to Tanzania where they continued in service until April 1972, when they were purchased by Bannock Aerospace Ltd of Toronto.

The five Otters were flown from Dar Es Salaam to Nairobi-Wilson airfield, Kenya in April 1972 and during May were prepared for the long ferry flight back to Canada. They were registered to Bannock Aerospace Ltd, 9102 (452) becoming CF-DIO; 9103 (453) CF-DIV; 9104 (454) CF-DIY; 9106 (459) CF-DJA and 9107 (460) CF-DIZ. Four of these Otters passed through Shannon in Ireland on the delivery flight home, the fifth passing through Prestwick in Scotland. CF-DIV (453) passed through Malta on 14th May '72 and routed Paris (Orly)-Shannon-Reykjavik on 17th May. It had arrived at Toronto's Malton Airport by 29th May '72.

The Otter was sold on to Bradley Air Services Ltd of Carp, Ontario on 14th June 1972 and after overhaul and repaint into Bradley colours, entered service as part of their Otter fleet. It was damaged in a crash at Coburg Island, Northwest Territories on 4th September '72, summarised as “selected unsuitable terrain; hard landing”. It was repaired, re-registered C-FDIV and operated by Bradley on behalf of Bell Canada Ltd, based at Kenora, Ontario. This was a long-term contract, for which the Otter was painted orange overall, with black cheat-line and Bell Canada's logo. It was used to fly Bell technicians to native reservations throughout north-western Ontario in connection with the installation of the phone network.

This was a summer only operation, at least towards the end of the contract, and the Otter was in storage at Reddit, Ontario over the winter of 1980/81. It suffered a minor incident at Reddit on 24th April '81. After touching down on the runway, the rear check cable broke, causing the tail wheel to collapse. The damage was repaired and in June '81 DIV was sold to Tobin Lake Air Services Ltd, Nipawin, Saskatchewan. The following year, on 1st July 1982, it crashed at Black Lake, Saskatchewan. While on final approach to land on the isolated lake, the engine stopped. Attempts by the pilot to restart the engine were unsuccessful and he landed the aircraft in dense bush near the shoreline. The engine was not recovered from the crash site and so the reason for the failure could not be determined.

That accident marked the end of DIV's flying career for a long time. The fuselage was retrieved from the crash site and by 1987 it had arrived at Salinas, California where it was used for engineering test work in connection with the Vazar turbo Otter project. By October 1991 it had arrived at the Aeroflite Industries facility at the Vancouver International Airport where it was in store for an eventual rebuild and was also used for training purposes in connection with the Vazar conversions undertaken at Aeroflite. The Otter was sold to Air Tindi Ltd of Yellowknife, operators of turbine Otter C-FXUY (142) but remained in store at the Aeroflite hangar in Vancouver awaiting rebuild. It was still there in 2004, twenty two years after its crash.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

C-FDIV of Bradley Air Services but painted in the colours of the Bell Telephone Company, at Reddit, Ontario December 1980 (Robert S.Grant)

"Hey", time to rebuild this Otter and get her back flying!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-07-15T18:27:00.002-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #114" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Boeing "247"! Mike wins the "sailboat fuel"!

CLUE - The Boeing 247 was hailed as the "1st" modern airliner!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-07-15T13:30:00.004-05:00

US Army "vet", Atlantic "crossser", back to Canada for numerous encounters in the "bush". She is an experienced Otter, and now has a "pointy nose" and needs a home!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 385

Otter 385 was delivered to the United States Army on 22nd August 1960 with serial 59-2230 (tail number 92230). Its initial unit allocation is unknown but by January 1962 it was serving with the Army's 572nd Engineer Platoon, flown as a survey aircraft on mapping duties in Libya and later in Iran. It was painted in the white/red colour scheme used by topographical aircraft. It continued to fly for this unit until April 1969 when it arrived at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany for overhaul. It was re-painted into the olive drab colour scheme and in August '69 was assigned to the 56th Aviation Detachment at Coleman Barracks, and flew for this unit until August 1971, when it was placed into storage at Coleman Barracks and put up for disposal.

92230 was one of eight Army Otters, all in storage at Coleman Barracks, which were put up for sale by Sealed Bid Tender with a closing date of 29th December 1971. The successful bidder for all eight Otters was Ferrer Aviation Inc of Miami. The total price for all eight aircraft was $303,640 of which $39,680 was the price for 92230, which had 3,177 hours on the airframe at the time of sale. 92230 was allocated marks N80945 for Ferrer Aviation, who contracted ferry company Air Convoy to fly the eight Otters to Canada. All followed the same route, two at a time. In company with N80939(141), N80945 was ferried from Coleman Barracks via Saarbrucken, Germany to Ashford in Kent and on to Shannon, Ireland, arriving Shannon on 7th March 1972. At Shannon, ferry tanks were installed by SRS Aviation, after which the two Otters set off for the long Atlantic crossing, first stop Reykjavik, Iceland.

The Otters were flown to St.Jean Airport, Montreal where they were converted to civilian aircraft by St.Louis Aviation Inc. 385 was then sold to White River Air Services Ltd of White River, Ontario registered CF-DNK, later re-registered C-FDNK. In June 1975 it was sold to Kipawa Air Service Inc of Kipawa, Quebec which was later re-named Air Kipawa Inc. The Otter was used on charter work throughout the Province of Quebec. Apart from fishing and hunting charters, it was also much used in the north by Quebec Hydro and Societe d'Energie de la Baie James. By June 1980 it had flown 8,122 hours. One incident was recorded, on 25th September 1988 when the Otter was flying on behalf of Cargair, twenty four miles north-west of Schefferville. DNK made a forced landing due to engine trouble. The pilot found that he could not maintain a sufficient rate of climb in a turn and had to put the aircraft down. Between August 1989 and August 1990 the Otter was operated by and registered to Air North Bay Inc of North Bay, Ontario before reverting to Air Kipawa Inc.

The Otter continued in operation with Air Kipawa until the end of the summer 2004 season, and was then sold. As the Air Kipawa website sadly explained: “Otter DNK leaves the Kipawa base dock for the last time. The aircraft has been sold to Viking Air where it will be completely torn-down and retrofitted with a turbine engine and many other amenities. DNK has been with the company for nearly thirty years and has flown thousands of hours and carried countless numbers of people to their favourite fishing and hunting spots”. The Otter departed Kipawa on 13th October 2004, making
its first stop at Sioux Lookout, Ontario on the long trek to the West Coast. It was re-registered to Viking Air Ltd of Victoria, BC on 26th November 2004. During December 2004 it commenced conversion to Viking Turbo Otter configuration with a PT6A-35 engine.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 385

January 1st, 2008. C-FDNK. In March 2007 the Otter was advertised for sale by Viking Air, located at Victoria, BC. It was advertised as a Viking Turbo Otter with new PT6A-35 engine, Hartzell three-blade prop, Panaview windows, 15 seats, Seaflight 8100 floats, new paint and interior, with an asking price of $1,350,000. Total time was 18,151 hours. By August 2007 it had been withdrawn from sale and was then on offer for lease, at an hourly rate of $275 per flight hour plus engine reserve of $55 per flight hour, with a minimum lease of 700 hours.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

N80945 of Ferrer Aviation at a damp Shannon Airport 18 March 1972 on its way home (John Cunniffe)

C-FDNK of Air Kipawa May 1987

Yes, folks, she has gone under the "surgeon's knife" and has 18,000 more hours left in her. Check her out......

FOR SALE - C-FDNK!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-07-08T20:53:00.002-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #113" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Howard "DGA-15"! "Sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

CLUE - Catherine "Howard" was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England.

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-07-07T20:42:00.006-05:00

This Otter made a "30 foot stall", made a "go-around", landed safely, got a ride by "Chinook", and her military career was over! She returned to Canada, and still "flogs the bush".............

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 150

Otter 150 was delivered to the United States Army on 7th September 1956 with serial 55-3297 (tail number 53297). Like Otter 149, its first posting was to VX-6 Squadron of the United States Navy, to whom it was lent for crew training purposes. It was collected at Downsview by a Navy pilot on 24th September '56 and flown to the VX-6 base at NAS Quonsett Point, Rhode Island where it was used for pilot training. When this task was complete, the Otter was flown to Fort Riley, Kansas and joined the 2nd Aviation Company with whom it deployed to Illesheim, Germany.

By January 1962, 53297 was serving with SETAF in Italy and it continued in service with that organisation until October 1967. It was one of two Army Otters serving in Italy in the mid 1960s, the other being 53280, and both went to the depot at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany during October/November 1967 from where they were shipped to the United States and then onwards to Vietnam. 53297 joined the 54th Aviation Company in Vietnam in March 1968. An incident is recorded in the unit history of the 54th Aviation Company for 11th November '68 when 53297 was being flown by a US Army pilot in the left seat, with a Royal Australian Army officer as co-pilot: “The crew dropped '297 in from about thirty feet at Rach Gia, then made a successful go-around and landing. The landing gear, engine, propeller and fuselage were all damaged badly. Four inches were taken off each prop blade on the first contact with the ground. Fortunately neither passengers nor crew were injured. Because the aircraft stalled and hit 800 feet short of the runway, it was suspected that the flaps may have been bled up on final approach. The Otter was carried back to Vung Tau by a Chinook helicopter”.

That incident ended the Otter's military career. At Vung Tau it was entrusted to the 388th Transportation Company who arranged for 53297 to be shipped home. It arrived at the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California in March 1969, where it was held for a time, and it was then sent to the Forest Park Army Depot, Atlanta, Georgia where it arrived in September 1969 and where it was put into storage alongside several other Otters which had been returned from Vietnam. It remained in storage at the Depot until May 1972 when it was deleted from the inventory and put up for disposal as military surplus. 53297 was one of six Army Otters purchased by Air Craftsmen Ltd of St.John, New Brunswick, a company which traded in Otters, buying military surplus aircraft, restoring them as civilian aircraft and selling them on. All six were located at the Atlanta Depot and following temporary repairs there, were flown to St.John during October/November 1972. The six were reserved as CF-BEO/BEP/BEQ/BER/BEU and BEW. Otter 150 was reserved as CF-BEQ in October 1972, which were the ferry marks it used for the flight to St.John.

A ferry permit was issued for a flight from the Forest Park Army Depot, Atlanta, Georgia to St.John Airport on 11th October '72 for both CF-BEQ and CF-BEW. After arrival at St.John, it was a time before BEQ was worked on and it would not fly again for three years. By February 1975 it had been taken to St.Louis Aviation at St.Jean Airport, Montreal where it was converted to civilian configuration. The allocation CF-BEQ was cancelled on 23rd May '75 when the Otter was registered C-GLJI to its new owners, Labrador Air Safari Inc of Baie Comeau, Quebec. It went on to serve that company for many years, being registered to Labrador Air Safari (1984) Inc in January 1987. It is one of a fleet of Otters of Labrador Air Safari, which fly hunters, tourists and fishermen to wilderness areas of Quebec during the summer months.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 150

January 1st, 2008. C-GLJI. Labrador Air Safari (1984) Inc, Baie Comeau, Quebec. R-1340.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

- C-GLJI of Labrador Air Safari at its Baie Comeau, Quebec base November 1992 (Ken Swartz)

What a "Stoneboat"!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-07-02T19:51:00.003-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #112" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Bristol "Bolingbroke"! "Honourable Mention" to "Anonymous" and "Softjug"! "Sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

CLUE - King Henry IV of England was known as "Henry of Bolingbroke".

*Hint* - (Right-click on the cockpit photo, and select "properties", the "clue" is in the photo name.)

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-06-30T20:11:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately, as in human life, the history and accomplishments of some Otters is very vague as compared to other celebrated "peers". Here is one such aircraft.........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 162

Otter 162 was delivered to the United States Army on 6th October 1956 with serial 55-3304 (tail number 53304). It was assigned to the 3rd Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas and moved with the Company when it deployed to Illesheim, Germany in July 1957. The Company disbanded in November 1959 but 53304 remained in Europe and by January 1962 was serving with the 207th Aviation Company, Heidelberg, Germany. In December '62 it went to the Depot at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany for overhaul, and when this was completed, in July 1963 it joined the 2nd Aviation Company in France. It was noted flying from Prestwick, Scotland to Benbecula and return on 2nd July 1965, the 2nd Aviation Company having a tasking each summer to transport Special Forces to the missile firing ranges on the Outer Hebrides. 53304 continued in service with the 2nd Aviation Company until the unit disbanded in March 1967. It then joined the 56th Aviation Detachment based at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany which took over the tasks performed by the 2nd Aviation Company. It was noted visiting Luton, England on 12th September 1967 and the airfield at Tattenhill in March 1968, transporting personnel to the nearby Fauld and Ditton Priors ammunition depots, which was one of the missions of the 56th Aviation Detachment. It visited the USAF base at Mildenhall, England on 15th August 1969. 53304 crashed on landing at Coleman Barracks in October 1969, fortunately without injury but the Otter was a write off. It was deleted from the Army inventory in January 1970.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Transporting "Special Forces", Otter 162 probably took secrets with her to that "hangar in the sky"............

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-06-25T19:06:00.003-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #111" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Boeing P-26 "Peashooter"! "Sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

CLUE - Certain six-guns in the old west were known as "peashooters"!!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-06-23T18:57:00.004-05:00

Here is a "deceased" girl that started her career in Norway, but returned later to Canada. I tell you, those boys at Thomas Lamb Airways Ltd of The Pas, Manitoba, were "real men". Who would fly an R-1340 engined Otter across the "Atlantic" today? Not too many volunteers, I don't think...........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 441

Otter 441 was delivered to the Royal Norwegian Air Force on 28th January 1964 with serial 64-441, taken from its year of delivery and constructor's number. It was crated and shipped to Norway, arriving in Oslo Harbour 2nd March '64. It was taken to Kjeller Air Force Base where it was reassembled, and accepted by the Air Force, and allocated code 0-AL. On 9th June 1964 it was assigned to 7192 Stotteving (7192 Support Flight) at Orland Air Force Base on amphibious floats. It was to serve the entire of its military career at Orland. In March 1966 it went to Kjeller Air Base for overhaul, returning to Orland. 7192 Support Flight became 720 Squadron, and on 25th January 1967 the Otter received code JT-S. It remained based at Orland with Detachment D of 720 Squadron until 9th October 1967 when it was taken out of service. On 15th November '67 it was struck off charge, having flown a total of 1,257 hours in the service of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, and was entrusted to Halle & Peterson of Oslo, the DHC agents in Norway, for disposal.

Three of the former Norwegian Air Force Otters were sold to Thomas Lamb Airways Ltd of The Pas, Manitoba in April 1968, number 29, which was allocated marks CF-XJM, number 423 which became CF-XIL and number 441 which became CF-CDL. This was the second use of the marks CF-CDL, which had initially been used for Otter 433 which had been destroyed in a crash on 14th February 1968. The purchase price was $30,000 a piece for each of the three Otters and at the time of the sale all three were located at Vaernes Air Base, Trondheim on amphibious floats. Thomas Lamb Airways (later re-named Lambair) were responsible for returning many Otters back to Canada from foreign parts, and arranged for ferry pilots to fly the three Otters back to Canada. A ferry permit was issued for the delivery flight from Vaernes Air Base to The Pas.

The three Otters set off in formation, flying first to Rotterdam in Holland (also noted at Soesterberg Air Base nearby on 22nd April), then to Manchester, England and on to Shannon in Ireland, where they arrived on 25th April '68. At Shannon, ferry tanks were installed in the Shannon Repair Services hangar for the ocean crossing. The three-Otter formation departed Shannon on 4th May for Prestwick, Scotland and on to Stornoway before setting off across the Atlantic via Iceland and Greenland to Goose Bay. The three Otters arrived at The Pas, Manitoba where they were overhauled and entered service with Lambair.

In February 1972 CF-CDL was sold to A.Fecteau Transport Aerien of Senneterre, Quebec. It met with an accident at Lac Goulde, Quebec on 25th June 1975 while operating on floats, referred to in the accident report as “engine failure on climb out” and was substantially damaged. After repair, it was returned to service, the company name being changed to Air Fecteau Ltee and the registration to C-FCDL. It suffered another incident at Lac Canusio, Quebec on 9th March 1981. After landing on the frozen lake, on which the ice was only one and a half inches thick, the pilot had unloaded five 45 gallon fuel drums, by pushing them out of the cargo door and allowing them to free fall to the ice, which weakened it. While taxying away from the unloading area for take-off, the Otter broke through the ice and was partially submerged. It was again repaired and returned to service.

Air Fecteau Ltee merged into Propair Inc, to whom C-FCDL was registered. On 7th March 1984, a precautionary landing after propeller failure is recorded at LG-2 in northern Quebec. In July 1986 the Otter was sold to Cargair Ltee based at St.Michel-des-Saintes, Quebec. It continued flying for Cargair until it was destroyed in a crash on 27th May 1991, twenty five miles north of its base at St.Michel-des-Saintes. In the cruise, the Otter struck trees in IMC conditions, crashed and burned. One of the two occupants sadly was killed and the other seriously injured. The Otter was destroyed.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Damned trees"!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-06-18T10:56:00.002-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #110" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Helio "Stallion"! "Sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

CLUE - "Rocky" Balboa was known as the "Italian Stallion"!

ARTICLE - Helio Stallion: "Warhorse"!

Steve's Video Of The Day: "Banged-Up" Beaver!

2009-06-16T16:15:00.003-05:00

OK, folks, this happened June 7, 2009, at Alaska's famous Lake Hood. Sit back, grab a wobbly pop, watch the vid a couple of times, analyze it, and leave a comment as to the "errors"! I have my own ideas, what are yours........

Cheers,

Steve

VIDEO -

"Banged-Up" Beaver!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-06-15T17:49:00.002-05:00

Here is an Otter that served in Burma, only to return to her "homeland" and "crash and burn"! Check it out.......

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 383

Otter 383 was delivered to the Union of Burma Air Force on 23rd September 1960 with serial UB655. The Air Force took delivery of nine Otters, three in December 1958 and a further batch of six in 1960/1961. All were packed into crates and shipped to Burma where they were re-assembled and entered service. Burma was subsequently re-named Myanmar. Its Air Force aircraft were reserialled, adopting Burmese numerals, equivalent of the old serial with a '4' prefix and deleting the 'UB'. Thus, UB655 became 4655, depicted on the side of the aircraft in Burmese numerals. The Burmese Otters were withdrawn from service in 1985 and stored. In 1989 six of the Burmese Otters were purchased by Mr Trevor Ross of Vancouver. Five were located at Mingaladon Air Base and one at Hmawbi Air Base. All six were shipped to Vancouver where they were stored in the Aeroflite Industries hangar at the International Airport and offered for sale. They had arrived by early December 1989.

Otter 383 was sold to Jackson Air Services Ltd of Flin Flon, Manitoba to whom it was registered C-FMAJ in February 1990. After more than ten years of service with Jackson Air Service, it was destroyed in an accident on 2nd August 2000. The Otter was departing from an outpost camp at Stevens-Nicklin Lake, Manitoba with a pilot, two camp employees and some camp equipment on board. The local temperature was 27C and the aircraft was near its maximum gross weight. The camp was being evacuated because of the threat of a nearby forest fire. During initial climb, at about 80 feet, the aircraft began to descend, despite the application of full engine power, and it settled into the trees. The occupants were not injured by the crash, but sustained minor injuries exiting the aircraft. The Otter, alas, was destroyed by the impact with the trees and a post crash fire. It was reported that the aircraft had a headwind in proximity to the forest fire on take off, and that it had flown into the area of a tailwind during the initial climb.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Damned" forest fires make their own wind! Tonight I "hoist" a cold Molson Dry to a fine old girl's "memory"!

"Cheers"!

C-FMAJ of Jackson Air Services at Flin Flon (Bill Jackson)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-06-10T19:01:00.002-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #109" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Avro "Lincoln"! Honourable Mention to Hugh, "sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

CLUE - One of Abraham Lincoln's nicknames was "Rail Splitter"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-06-07T18:51:00.004-05:00

Here is an Otter that has had "numerous" contacts with "terra firma", but has soldiered on, and today has a new lease on life, sporting a "fan and a stovepipe". This one is for Mel Johnstone, who at one point "nurtured" this fine ship during his, and her, "storied" careers.

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 445

Otter 445 was delivered to Trans Provincial Air Carriers Ltd, Prince Rupert, BC on 8th August 1964 registered CF-RHW. The company was re-named Trans Provincial Airlines Ltd. Otter RHW was to fly for the company for nearly thirty years, serving the mainland of northern BC and also the Queen Charlotte Islands. Its first incident occurred at Rosswood, BC on 1st October 1970 when it collided with trees due to power loss occasioned by a fatigue fracture of the exhaust. It was repaired and re-registered C-FRHW. It met with another accident on 12th June 1981, seven kilometres east of Smithers, BC. As the pilot was trying to climb to overfly a ridge, the Otter started to lose altitude. Application of more power failed to arrest the rate of descent. The aircraft contacted the surface and travelled a short distance before stopping. The pilot believed he had encountered subsiding air. Again it was repaired.

Another incident occurred at Hepla Lake, BC on 4th March 1986. The Otter had just taken off from Bank's Island off the BC coast, en route to Seal Cove, Prince Rupert, carrying seventeen empty fuel drums. A cylinder cracked just after take off, resulting in a dramatic loss of power from the engine, and back-firing. The pilot wisely decided that there was insufficient power to manoeuvre and elected to land on the lake surface that remained ahead. At the end of the lake, the Otter's wing struck a tree and the aircraft veered right into the tress and struck a stump on the shore. In the usual wording of the accident report, it was “substantially damaged”. The 'wreck' was bought back by Trans Provincial Airlines from the insurers for $5,000. It was airlifted by helicopter from the accident site and put on board a barge, and taken to Vancouver where it was rebuilt by Aeroflite Industries. It returned to service with Trans Provincial Airlines and continued flying for them until the company encountered financial difficulty and went into receivership on 19th March 1993.

Otter RHW was flown to Vancouver along with C-FKLC (255) and put into storage. At that stage of its career, RHW had a total airframe time of 18,829 hours, testifying to a very busy existence along BC's Pacific coast. It was sold by the receiver of Trans Provincial Airlines in September 1993 to Hallmark Leasing Corporation of Vancouver, a leasing company of Mr Trevor Ross, who had imported the Burmese Otters back into Canada. The Otter was then leased to Waglisla Air Inc, trading as Wagair, to whom it was registered in October 1993. It was prepared for service and painted in Wagair colour scheme at Vancouver, where it was noted in February 1994 prior to its return to Seal Cove at Prince Rupert, where it entered service with Wagair. After Wagair ceased trading, the Otter was leased to Inland Air Charters Ltd in December 1995, also based at Prince Rupert, which means that RHW has been based at this location for the last forty years. The aircraft is fitted with a larger than usual propeller, taken from a Grumman Albatross, which gives better performance on take off. With Inland Air Charters, the Otter (or a Beaver, depending on the load) is used on a scheduled service from Seal Cove, Prince Rupert to Kitkatla and Oona River, as well as on charters to the many native villages in the area.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 445

January 1st, 2008. C-FHRW. Central Flyways Air (Venture Air), Thompson, Manitoba. R-1340.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, we have even more updates to report. C-FRHW now "sports" a Garrett turbine, converted by Recon Air, in Geraldton, Ontario, in 2008. Anyways, check out four pics below, one from her days with TPA, the day I first personally met RHW, and what she looks like today!

- C-FRHW of Trans Provincial Airlines at Vancouver October 1982 (John Kimberley)

The first day I met C-FRHW! October 30, 2006, at Matheson Island, on Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba!
- photo by Steve Taylor

"Brr-rrr"!
- photo by Steve Taylor

May 12, 2008. Bobby Bishop of Texas Turbines "running up" RHW after her conversion!
- photo by Steve Taylor

"Cheers"!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

Steve's Video Of The Day: Words on "D-Day", from the "Great Communicator"!

2009-06-06T19:26:00.004-05:00

As you all know, I am a "staunch" supporter of the "Greatest Generation". Men and women without equal. Well, today is my son Shane's 17th birthday, and the anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944. My son pursues life and liberty because of our Veterans. Let's go back to 1984, and President Reagan, to hear some words that are as valid today as when he spoke them.

VIDEO -

Words on "D-Day", from the "Great Communicator"!

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-06-03T19:57:00.002-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #108" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Avro 707, a British experimental aircraft built to test the tailless, thick delta wing configuration chosen for the Avro Vulcan. "Sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-06-02T18:18:00.004-05:00

Read the following history about an Otter that was delivered to the Ontario Provincial Air Service the same day as the Otter I currently fly. I guess they would be considered "twin" siblings. ODQ still flies today, with me at her controls, but ODP perished years ago, although through "organ donation", her legend still "flogs the bush".........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 103

Otter 103, registered CF-ODP to the Department of Lands & Forests, was delivered to the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) on 20th June 1956, based at Sault Ste.Marie, Ontario. It was their fourth Otter, CF-ODJ, 'ODK and 'ODL having been delivered during 1953. One incident is recorded early in the career of ODP. On 4th October 1957 on a regular requisition flight from Shebandown to Port Arthur, the Otter force landed on the Shebandown River near Sunshine, Ontario due to a broken cylinder. The Otter had been carrying two passengers and 300 pounds of cargo. There was no damage and the engine was repaired. As with the other OPAS Otters, number 103 was re-registered on 6th September 1972 to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources as C-FODP and continued to serve the Province's bush country.

Sadly, the Otter came to grief at Nym Lake, Ontario on 23rd July 1976 and was destroyed. Shortly after becoming airborne, the left wing dropped and struck the water. It was a warm, summer's day with a temperature of 23C and a wind of 15 knots. The subsequent report blamed the accident on “improper compensation for wind”. The aircraft turned approximately 150 degrees after the wing struck the water and crashed on the shore of an island. Fire started on impact and consumed most of the aircraft, although there were no injuries to the pilot and four passengers. The wings and rear fuselage were noted at Carp, Ontario in September 1982, to be used in the repair and rebuild of other Otters. The registration C-FODP was officially cancelled in March 1984.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

- C-FODP of OPAS September 1975

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-05-28T18:54:00.003-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #107" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the "Predator" MQ-1 UAV! Chris wins the "sailboat fuel"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-05-26T19:32:00.000-05:00

RCAF "Veteran", and "batwing-flapped" Otter, check out her "salty", "explosive" demise!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 32

Otter 32 was delivered to the RCAF on 22nd March 1954 with serial 3674. It was allocated initially to the Station Flight at Trenton Air Base, Ontario. It was recorded arriving in the Falconbridge, Ontario area on 26th June 1955 to assist in the search for a missing person on Lake Wanapitec. It was posted in July 1955 to 408 Squadron at Rockcliffe. With the squadron it flew north to assist in the unit's tasks in Quebec and Labrador. After flying with 408 Squadron for the summer, it went to No.6 Repair Depot for storage in October 1955, returning to 408 Squadron in April 1956. It is mentioned in the Squadron's history operating out of Knob Lake (Schefferville, Quebec) during the early summer of 1956, and on 7th July VC994, the Goose Bay-based C-47 arrived at Knob Lake with a crew for 3674, which then flew to Goose, out of where it was to operate for the rest of the summer.

3674 suffered a mishap on 12th October 1956 while taking off from Rigolet, Labrador with five persons on board. During the run-up prior to taking off from a rough sea in high winds, the port wing rose and the starboard float sank until the wing touched the water. A flooded compartment in the right float contributed to the incident. Some damage to the ailerons and flaps occurred. On 16th October, the Otter was towed the length of Lake Melville back to Goose Bay by a USAF barge, and repaired.

The following month, the Otter flew south and went on loan to DHC from November 1956 until February 1962. Based at Downsview, it was used for STOL research. At one stage it was fitted with huge 'batwing' flaps, mounted on a ground test rig, and had tufting fitted to show the effect of airflow on the flight surfaces. After the tests, it was returned to conventional configuration. On 9th May 1961 it went into storage at Dunville, before being allocated on 27th July 1961 to 12 TSU, De Havilland, who prepared the Otter for return to RCAF service. On 16th February 1962 the Otter was assigned to the Central Experimental Proving Establishment (CEPE) at Uplands, Ottawa for what is described in the records as a “Telecom Evaluation”. It was fitted with a set of amphibious floats (taken from Otter 3689). Photographs of the Otter during this period show it in Rescue marks with “Air Material Command” titles.

There followed quite a number of different postings for the Otter. On 16th May '62 it went to the Cold Lake Station Flight, Cold Lake, Alberta and then on 18th January 1963 it arrived at Rockcliffe and joined the Air Force Headquarters Piston Training Flight, where it flew alongside the Flight's Expeditors and Dakotas. The amphibious floats were taken off 6th September '63 (and installed on Otter 3673) and 3674 reverted to an Otter on wheels. It continued in use with the Piston Training Flight until 31st March 1964 when it transferred to the RCAF base at Uplands, Ottawa for use by the Headquarters Training Flight. On 9th April 1965 it was re-assigned to 402 Squadron, Winnipeg but was actually based at Armstrong, Ontario servicing a Mid Canada Line radar site. The radar station was located near to Armstrong on the northern shore of Lake Nipigon and had its own flight of Otters, detached from other units, mostly from 402 Squadron, Winnipeg.

On 28th May 1965 the Otter returned to the Headquarters Training Flight at Uplands but on 23rd June '65 flew to Trenton before heading north for Goose Bay and service with its Station Flight on 12th August '65. Here it remained until 11th October 1966 when it was re-assigned to 438 Squadron at St.Hubert, Quebec which was to be its last posting. 438 “City of Montreal” Squadron was one of the auxiliary squadrons, flying Otters and Beech Expeditors. The Otter's service with 438 Squadron was to last little more than a year. On 7th January 1968, 3674 was engaged on a navigation training cross-country flight from its base at St.Hubert. The pilot was on a ski training exercise and after performing circuits and landings on a bay, he proceeded to Lake Memphremagog, Quebec where he flew a standard “strange lake landing pattern”.

After two touch-and-go landings, the Otter was landed on the ice. While taxying for take-off, one ski broke through the ice, which then gave way and the Otter sank. The two crew members evacuated the aircraft through the rear door and managed to reach firm ice. They had no time to turn off the fuel or electrics. The aircraft sank until it was supported by the wing tips resting on firmer ice. As the crew were walking to the shore, the Otter exploded and sank to the bottom. The investigation determined that the ice thickness was only four inches, and that the Unit had failed to determine that there was adequate ice thickness on the selected training areas. The official record notes “Salvage attempt abandoned”. However, eight and a half years later, in June 1976, a salvage company, Laffitte Salvage, managed to raise the fuselage after a marathon twenty four effort. It was later seen in a scrapyard at St.Laurent, Quebec.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good grief", 4 inches of ice! The "Noodle Boys" must have been the crew on this aircraft!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-05-20T18:51:00.003-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #106" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Rockwell 500 "Shrike" Commander! "Mike from Oz" wins the "sailboat fuel", Curt was close, but it is the piston machine!

"HOOVER!"

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-05-17T17:50:00.004-05:00

Here is a "storied" Otter, and firefighting "pioneer", still "flying the bush". Actually, this is the Otter I will be flying this float season, and we are now in Red Lake, all training done, and "ready for business".

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 111

Otter 111, registered CF-ODQ to the Department of Lands & Forests, was delivered to the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) on 20th June 1956. It was their fifth Otter and was delivered on the same day as their fourth CF-ODP (103). ODQ pioneered a new system of fighting forest fires in 1957. New 35 gallon tanks made of lightweight material were fitted on top of the floats, filled by two scoops. These tanks, having an operational capacity of 80 imperial gallons, were six feet long and 22 inches in diameter and were filled in ten seconds at 40 mph while taxying on the step. Once airborne, the pilot cascaded the water by rotating the tanks upside down. The original flight tests were carried out on ODQ, which was also used on real fires during 1957.

ODQ was to serve the Province for the next 28 years without any recorded incidents, a remarkable achievement. As with the other OPAS Otters, 111 was re-registered on 6th September 1972 to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources as C-FODQ and continued to serve the Province's bush country. As the Ministry disposed of its Otter fleet during the mid 1980s, ODQ was sold. Its registration to the Ministry was cancelled on 5th December 1984 and it was registered to a company called Ellair Ltd of Thompson, Manitoba. This was in connection with its acquisition by its next operator Northwinds Northern Inc, also of Thompson, to whom it was registered in March 1985. This was quite a large operator, which had a fleet of single Cessnas, a Beaver, several Piper Navajos and Britten Norman Islanders, but ODQ was its only Otter.

Having served at Thompson for ten years, it was next registered to Parry Sound Air Services Ltd of McKellar, Ontario in April 1996. The following year it was registered to Peter Hagedorn Investments Ltd on 22nd July 1997, trading as Chimo Air Service, based at Red Lake, Ontario and still sporting the all-yellow colour scheme of its days with the Ontario government. It was kept excellent company by the other members of the Chimo Air Service fleet, two Norsemen and a Beech 18. ODQ continued in service with Chimo Air Service during 2004.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 111

January 1st, 2008. C-FODQ. In service with Chimo Air Service, Red Lake, Ontario. R-1340.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yup", ODQ's story will continue. "Stay tuned".......

- C-FODQ of Chimo Air Services at Red Lake, Ontario March 2000 (Rich Hulina)

- May 15, 2009, Red Lake. Can you believe it? Photo by Steve Taylor

- May 15, 2009, Red Lake. "Time for beers, boys"... Photo by Steve Taylor

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-05-06T18:19:00.003-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #105" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Stearman 75 Model "Kaydet"! I keep the "sailboat fuel" this week, boys! Good thing, I was running out!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-05-03T16:22:00.002-05:00

Italy, Germany, France, England, Vietnam, then Cambodia, where her story "grew cold"... until some new information surfaced.....

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 200

Otter 200 was delivered to the United States Army on 8th February 1957 with serial 55-3327 (tail number 53327) and first served with the 202nd Aviation Company, Boscomantico AAF, Verona, Italy, part of SETAF. It was one of five Otters (the others were 53323, 53324, 53325 and 53326) delivered from Downsview to Red Bird Field, Dallas, Texas where they were fitted with radios suitable for use in Europe. They were then flown to Mobile, Alabama from where they were shipped to Bremerhaven, Germany, where they were re-assembled and flown to the depot at Mannheim, Germany. They were collected from there by pilots from the 202nd Aviation Company and flown to their new base at Boscomantico AAF in May 1957. 53327 continued to fly for the 202nd Aviation Company until May 1962, when it was flown back to the depot at Mannheim to be prepared for its next assignment, which was to the 2nd Aviation Company in France, where it arrived in January 1963. It was noted visiting Leeds Airport in England during July 1964. It continued to fly for the 2nd Aviation Company until July 1966, when it returned to the depot at Mannheim.

It was transported back to the United States and then onwards to Vietnam, where it arrived with the 605th Transportation Company in January 1968, and was then assigned to the 18th Aviation Company. It is mentioned in the unit's history for an incident on 10th July 1969: “CW2 Cliff Welsh, CW2 “Porky” Porter and SP4 James Estabrooks were on an instrument departure from Pleiku to Nha Trang. At 7,000 feet, twenty five miles southeast of Pleiku, “Reliable 327” (the Otter's radio call-sign) blew a thrust plate seal. Maintaining their poise, the crew declared an emergency and were vectored to Camp Holloway in actual instrument conditions. The aircraft was landed without damage”.

53327 continued in service with the 18th Aviation Company until March 1971 when the unit was disbanded. The Otter was handed over to the 388th Transportation Company at Vung Tau, the unit responsible for the storage and disposal of all Army Otters in Vietnam. In August 1971 the Otter was handed over to the Government of Cambodia, one of 18 Otters transferred to that country. Their operation was short lived and the fate of this Otter can only be described as “withdrawn from use and scrapped”.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

To quote "Bill Kurtis", her case went "cold". Then, some new info surfaced on Otter 200.......

CHECK OUT - Khmer Air Force U-1A Otters by Dr. Joe F. Leeker

Scroll down to Page 3 and read about Otter 200......

Fate: ground looped on landing on 2 July 73, while operating outstation; total loss
(Air America’s Phnom Penh Station monthly report for July 73, in: UTD/CIA/B39F1).

WOW! Amazing story of old "Reliable 327".....

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-04-29T18:12:00.002-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #104" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Bell P-59 "Airacomet", America's first jet fighter. Lance wins the "sailboat fuel"! I have to say, though, Lance, that must have been one good "ganja stick" you were smoking during your deductions and conclusion regarding the clue in the photo name. "Hey", you got the right answer, though! Ha ha!

Cheers,

Steve

CHECK OUT - Gorillas Wearing Derbies, Flying Planes, Smoking Cigars......

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-04-27T19:03:00.005-05:00

Check out another Otter that was originally operated by Hudson Bay Air Transport Ltd., of Flin Flon, Manitoba. She "made the rounds" and still is in the workforce today..........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 439

Otter 439 was delivered to Hudson Bay Air Transport Ltd of Flin Flon, Manitoba on 24th May 1963, registered CF-PEN. The manufacturer's plate on the aircraft says its manufacture was completed on 11th April 1962, so it was evidently in storage for just over a year before it was delivered. Also delivered to the company the same day was number 438 CF-PEM. These two Otters were ordered as replacements for Otters CF-JOR (212) and CF-KTI (269) which had both been destroyed in a fire at the company's hangar at Flin Flon on 4th April 1963.

These two Otters flew alongside the company's surviving Otter CF-MIQ (336) until the need for bush aircraft diminished during the early 1980s. CF-PEN was sold in January 1983 to Lac Seul Airways Ltd of Ear Falls, Ontario, becoming C-FPEN and flew alongside Lac Seul's other Otter C-FHXY (67), flying tourists and guests to fishing lodges during the summer season. The Otter was to fly for Lac Seul Airways for twenty years. After the summer 2003 season, Lac Seul Airways decided to sell PEN and continue operations with HXY. Otter PEN was sold to Fast Air Ltd of Winnipeg, a company which operated Piper Navajos, King Air 200s and IAI-1124 Westwind executive jets. Fast Air had decided to diversify and had negotiated a joint venture contract on which the Otter would be used up north.

In early February 2004, PEN arrived at Vernon, BC where it was converted to a Texas Turbine Otter by Kal Air, and also had the 'Yukon Door' modification and panoramic windows installed. It was also re-painted into Fast Air's blue and white colour scheme and registered to its new owners on 31st March 2004. It departed Vernon on 25th April '04 to Lethbridge and made it direct from there to Winnipeg. At that stage of its career, it had 10,689 hours on the airframe. At Fast Air's hangar at Winnipeg it had avionics fitted, and an arctic owl emblem painted on the side, named 'Ookpik'. It was put on wheel-skis and on 12th May '04 departed for the long haul north to Baker Lake, Nunavut its new base. Here it is used in support of mineral exploration year round, and for tourists during the summer months.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 439

January 1st, 2008. C-FPEN. This Otter was sold by Fast Air to North Star Air Ltd of Pickle Lake, Ontario to whom it was registered 29th August 2007. Texas Turbine.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Still flying out of "Pickle Lake", sporting a Garrett!! Her "story" is far from over........

- CF-PEN of Hudson Bay Air Transport at its Flin Flon, Manitoba base September 1980 (Karl Hayes)

- C-FPEN of Lac Seul Airways at Ear Falls, Ontario September 1991 (Anthony J. Hickey)

- C-FPEN of Fast Air at Winnipeg May 2004 about to depart for Baker Lake, Nunavut (Karl Hayes)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-04-22T10:56:00.005-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #103" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Beech BE-58 "Baron"! "Anonymous" wins the "sailboat fuel"!

***BONUS MATERIAL!***

Check out a great vid about "The Baron"..... and "Billy Joe", brought to us by none other than that famous American storyteller, .....Johnny Cash!

VIDEO -

The Baron

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-04-20T10:16:00.004-05:00

We, as pilots, all know the inherent dangers of an overloaded aircraft. Bush Pilots have developed a keen sense of weight "estimation" due to limited equipment and facilities at some of their "points of call". No one can ever estimate cargo weight right to the "pound", but an experienced pilot can be very close, regularly within 5% of the actual weight. The poor pilot in this next story was either a poor estimator, he had an incompetent ground crew, or he was the victim of "kilos" instead of "pounds" syndrome, which is uncommon, but not unheard of.

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 83

Otter 83 was delivered to the United States Army on 21st January 1956 with serial 55-3245 (tail number 53245). It was one of the batch of six Otters delivered to the 937th Engineer Company (Aviation) for use on the Inter American Geodetic Survey (IAGS) as explained in relation to number 82. It continued to serve on IAGS duties for more than 14 years, until placed into storage in Panama in July 1970. In November 1970 it was flown back to the United States, arriving at the Army Garrison, Fort Eustis, Virginia but the following month it continued on to the Flight Detachment, Fort Meade, Maryland where it was to be based for some time in the operational support airlift role.

An incident was recorded on 4th May 1972 in Virginia. The summary of the report reads: “Insufficient rate of climb to clear trees, so aborted the take-off. The aircraft slid one thousand feet into a gravel-covered over-run until the main wheels entered a large section of badly deteriorated concrete”. That incident ended its flying career for a short time, but it was repaired at a depot in July 1972 after which it was flown back to Panama in August '72 and entrusted to the Logistics Support Command, Canal Zone. By that stage, the IAGS had relinquished most of its aircraft and was winding down its activities. Nevertheless, in October 1972 53245 was assigned to Headquarters, US Army, IAGS and became the very last Otter to be operated by the IAGS. It continued flying on IAGS duties until September 1975 when it was again put into storage in Panama.

It was deleted from the US Army inventory in January 1976 and the following month was transferred to the Government of Venezuela and registered YV-2270P, although what use was made of it in Venezuela is unknown. The registration was cancelled on 26th November 1985 when the Otter was “donated to the Government of Saint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, to be operated by the Foundation for Assistance in Distress, Saint Maarten”. Two days later however by a Sale Agreement dated 28th November 1985, the Island Territory of St.Maarten sold the Otter for $30,000 to a private company called Indep Line Inc of Carolina, Puerto Rico to whom the Otter was registered N778L. The next development was that in September 1986 the aircraft underwent major overhaul and alterations at San Juan, Puerto Rico and was restored to flying condition. A cargo interior was installed and the “cockpit door jettison gear” removed, this being a mandatory modification to convert a military U-1A to civilian DHC-3 configuration.

N778L then entered service with Indep Line Inc but sadly its service was to be short lived. Only a month later, on 29th October 1986, at 1310 hours local time, the Otter crashed on take-off from the Isla Grande Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico killing the pilot and seriously injuring the other occupant. It was a typically hot Caribbean day, with a temperature of 82F. Witnesses stated that the Otter used most of the runway to take-off, reached an altitude of sixty feet, then pulled up to clear an embankment. However, the aircraft struck a tall palm tree and crashed beside Baldorioti de Castro Avenue, near an intersection where it merged with another road. The Otter was consumed by a postcrash fire.

The cargo was removed from what was left of the aircraft and weighed. Computations showed that the maximum allowable gross weight of the aircraft was exceeded by 1,928 pounds. The Otter had 6,289 hours on the airframe at the time of its destruction.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

A "ton" overloaded, when the actual payload should have been probably about a "ton". This sounds more and more to me to be a case of "pounds vs. kilos", but the pilot, the final authority, cannot say, as he is presently participating in the "Big Sleep"....

OTTER 83 - Accident Report

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

Steve's Video Of The Day: My New "Beer Opener"!

2009-04-18T20:12:00.002-05:00

30*C, day is done, time for a beer, "Where the hell is my opener"?

VIDEO -

My New "Beer Opener"!

FLOOD! "Cockpit" and "Otter" Return Next Week!

2009-04-16T19:45:00.007-05:00

Due to 84 hours of "straight organized pandemonium" and "moments of sudden terror", for 84 hours straight (no sleep), regular Blog entries return next week. "We saved my house", and "the town"!

(Click the pics, they appear full-screen)

The "aftermath".......

My house.........

"Adios"!

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-04-08T17:19:00.005-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #102" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Husky "Norseman II"! Lots of "sailboat fuel" in the "pot" for next week!

Husky Norseman II C-FCPP on the "White Mud River", also known as the "Icelandic River", downstream from my house, April 5, 2009. - photo by Steve Taylor

This aircraft is owned by my friend Jack Monkman, a Lake Winnipeg Commercial Fisherman. He landed on the river this fine day to attend the Lutheran Church Service, which is just a short walk from the river. - photo by Steve Taylor

- photo by Steve Taylor

- photo by Steve Taylor

- photo by Steve Taylor

"Cheers"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-04-07T09:14:00.002-05:00

We have read previously about Otters that served well during their time with foreign military entities. Here is one that served with the R.C.A.F.. Unfortunately, this Otter was lost shortly after her 1st birthday, and never had the chance to build a long, storied history.

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 391

Otter 391 was delivered to the RCAF on 21st September 1960 with serial 9414. It was assigned to 438 Squadron at St.Hubert, Montreal and served with that unit until destroyed in an accident on 12th October 1961 at St.Hyacinthe, Quebec in the course of a training detail. The pilot lost directional control during an attempted maximum performance climb on an overshoot, but he continued the overshoot anyway. He did not apply full power, however, and when he tried to abort the over-shoot, he crashed into a silo. Fortunately no-one was injured but the Otter was a total loss.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, who put that damn silo there?"

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-04-01T12:17:00.003-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #101" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the McDonnell XP-67 "Bat"! By the way, folks, every week there is always a clue in the name of the cockpit photograph. This photo was named "wonderboy". Wonderboy was the "bat" Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) used in the great baseball flick "The Natural". Lots of "sailboat fuel" next week! "Cheers"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-03-31T17:20:00.003-05:00

U.S. Army "Vet", served in the "National Guard", trained "missionary pilots", then "perished" during "civilian life", this Otter has a fine "service history".

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 291

Otter 291 was delivered to the United States Army on 30th October 1958 with serial 58-1685 (tail number 81685). It was allocated to the 12th Aviation Company, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In August 1961 it flew north to Alaska when the Company was re-assigned there to join Yukon Command. 81685 was based at Fort Wainright, Fairbanks with the 12th Aviation Company and continued to fly with the Company until June 1967, when it went to the 568th Transportation Company, also based at Fort Wainright, to be prepared for service with the National Guard.

In January 1968, 81685 was assigned to the Alaska National Guard, based at Bethel. It was painted in a silver/red colour scheme with “ALAS-NG” on the tail. It flew in support of the 2nd Scout Battalion and operated on floats during the summer months and on wheel-skis in winter. It was joined at Bethel by 76131 (276) in June 1971, and in October 1971 both of these Otters flew south into retirement at the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Centre (MASDC), Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona. 81685 was allocated inventory code UA002 and 76131 was allocated UA003. They were two of five US Army Otters to be placed into storage at MASDC.

81685's period of storage in the desert 'boneyard' was not long. In October 1972, together with 53315 (179), another of the Army Otters in storage, it was allocated to the School of Bible and Music, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Vocational schools such as this were authorised to receive surplus military equipment. The School, which had recently opened an aviation section to train pilots and mechanics who would work in the field of missionary aviation, took full advantage of this entitlement, and received the two Otters and also four Beavers. These aircraft were flown from Davis-Monthan AFB to a small airfield at Fremont outside Grand Rapids, Michigan where they were civilianised and made ready for use by the School. 53315 was registered N432GR and 81685 was registered N433GR, the 'GR' of the registrations standing for Grand Rapids.

Unfortunately N432GR was damaged in a storm while at Fremont and it was decided not to repair it. It was trucked to Newaygo Airport outside of Grand Rapids, where the School's Aviation Division was based and over the following years, it was used for maintenance training and parts were taken from it to keep the other Otter flying. N433GR however was civilianised and entered service with the School, based at Newaygo Airfield and used for pilot training. Of the four Beavers which the School had received, two were used as ground instructional airframes and two were used for flying training, and were also in use to transport small music groups from the School around the country, even as far south as Florida. The Otter was considered too expensive for such a task and was only used for pilot training. Many of the pilots who trained at the School went on to become missionary pilots in under-developed countries. In 1978, due to rising fuel costs, the School decided to sell its Beavers and Otters, which were replaced with more economic Cessna 172s and 182s, better suited to the training role. Otter N433GR was sold to Yute Air Alaska and set off for its new base at Dillingham, Alaska. It joined the Yute Air Alaska fleet, which comprised several single Cessnas and Pipers, a Navajo, a Widgeon and an Evangel 4500.

Alas, the Otter's time with Yute Air Alaska was not long. It was destroyed in the course of an air taxi passenger flight near Togiak, Alaska on Sunday 3rd August 1980. N433GR had flown from Dillingham to Togiak, a forty minute flight, and was returning from Togiak with the pilot and nine passengers on board when the crash occurred. In a “continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions” type accident, the pilot flew into a valley but lost visual contact due to heavy fog. He endeavoured to reverse his course, but in the attempted climbing turn, flew into a hill. The Otter crashed and burned, killing one passenger and seriously injuring two others. Six others were treated in hospital for minor injuries. N433GR was totally destroyed.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, when there is a case of "aircraft vs. mountain", the aircraft is always the "underdog". Unbelievable that people survived this crash, a testament to the Otter's "robustness"..........

- 81685 formerly of the Alaska Army Guard in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona August 1972 (Arnold Booy)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-03-25T23:06:00.002-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #100" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the French-built Bloch "MB 220"! Basically, France's "DC-3" comparison! "Sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-03-24T17:41:00.006-05:00

Here is an early Otter whose first "region" of employ was Norway, and saw time in the Antarctic during "Operation Penguin". She returned to Canada eventually, and continues to "fly the bush" to this day, in her original "persona"!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 31

Otter number 31 was the last of the first batch of six of ten DHC-3 delivered to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, as explained in relation to Otter number 18. The batch of six were delivered in crates by ship and formally handed over on 2nd March 1954. The ship arrived in Oslo Harbour on 8th April '54, the Otters being assembled at Kjeller Air Base, Oslo. The Otter took serial 5331 and code O-AG. The Otter originally joined the Communications Flight at Jarlsberg Air Base in July '54, moving to Gardermoen Air Base in November '54. In May 1955 it joined the Communications Flight at Bodo Air Base in northern Norway.

Otter number 31 deployed to the Antarctic on “Operation Penguin” from October 1958 until March 1959, as explained in relation to Otter number 30. After its exploits in the Antarctic, it was reassembled at the Horten Marine Base and joined 7192 Stotteving (Support Flight) at Orland Air Base in May 1959. In June 1964 it joined 7193 Support Flight at Bodo Air Base. In January 1966 this unit was re-designated 719 Squadron and in December 1966 the Otter received its new squadron code XJ-U. In April 1967 the Otter moved south to Orland Air Base, joining C Flight of 720 Squadron and it continued to fly for that until 16th June '67 when its military career came to an end and it was struck off charge, having flown 4,177 hours in Air Force service. As with all the other Royal Norwegian Air Force Otters, it was handed over to Halle & Peterson, Oslo the DHC agents in Norway for disposal.

The Otter was sold to Wideroes Flyveselskap A/S to whom it was registered LN-LMM on 22nd June '67. For the next four years, the Otter flew on Wideroes scheduled services linking the remote communities of northern Norway, until replaced by the Twin Otter. LN-LMM was one of the last three Otters flown by Wideroes, all three of which were sold to Laurentian Air Services Ltd of Ottawa. LN-LMM became CF-APR, the other two being CF-APP (138, ex LN-BDD) and CF-APQ (201, ex LN-BIB). By this stage of its career, LN-LMM's total airframe time had risen to 8,150 hours. The Bill of Sale for all three aircraft is dated 19th October 1971. The three Otters were shipped back to Canada and re-assembled at Laurentian's Ottawa base.

All three Otters entered service with Laurentian Air Services, which was a large operator of the DHC-3. Over the years, it operated 14 Otters. Although based at Ottawa, most of the company's flying was done in Quebec and Labrador. CF-APR continued in service with Laurentian until sold in 1977 to Bearskin Lake Air Services Ltd of Big Trout Lake, Ontario, the registration by that stage having been changed to C-FAPR. It was to fly for this operator for the next eight years, one incident being recorded, on 19th December 1979 at the aircraft's base at Big Trout Lake, where the outside air temperature was a sharp -20C. This extract from the report: “Prior to commencing take-off from the ice strip, the pilot selected an abort point. On take-off the aircraft passed the selected point, but the pilot continued, thinking that the aircraft would soon lift off. The Otter did become airborne but the gear struck a pile of snow. The pilot continued and landed at a land strip to inspect the damage”.

In April 1988 the Otter was sold to Ignace Airways Ltd of Ignace, Ontario, being re-registered in August 1996 to Ignace Airways (1996) Ltd. C-FAPR supports fly-in fishing camps during the summer months.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 31

January 1st, 2008. C-FAPR. In service with Ignace Airways (1996) Ltd, Ignace, Ontario. R-1340.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Lots of history in this aircraft, even flying for the fabled "Bearskin Airlines", started by my friend Henri Boulanger, along with his pals Johnny Heglund and Bert Cone........

C-FAPR of Bearskin Lake Air Service at Calgary February 1980 with signs of structural repairs to the undercarriage following its December 1979 incident (Anthony J. Hickey)

C-FAPR of Ignace Airways August 1995 (Rich Hulina)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

Steve's Video Of The Day: Wright 3350 "Radial"!

2009-03-19T17:36:00.003-05:00

I have stated before, during my "bush flying" career, that "farm kids" make the best pilots I have ever "checked out". This video bears testament to why! You can put a "Wright 3350" in a tractor!

VIDEO -

Wright 3350 "Radial"!

"Yeeeee-haaaaa"!

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-03-18T22:26:00.002-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #99" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Mitsubishi A6M2 "Reisen" ("Zero")! Bruce wins the "sailboat fuel", good job!

Steve's "Otters Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-03-18T17:46:00.003-05:00

Hudson Bay Air Transport Limited, a subsidiary of Hudson Bay Exploration and Development Company Limited, was the "air" arm of the company, and had a number of aircraft to support prospecting operations. Check out the first Otter they had, and the "first" Otter delivered to a customer...........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 4

Otter number 4 was delivered to Hudson Bay Air Transport Ltd (HBAT) as CF-GBX on 11th November 1952, becoming the first Otter delivered to a customer. HBAT were based at Flin Flon, Manitoba. Formed in 1939, the company supported mineral exploration and development and during its 43 years of operation flew fifteen different aircraft, including six Otters, which proved ideal for the company's work. They could fly in personnel and equipment to establish exploration camps in remote northern areas, move the camps and keep them supplied.

CF-GBX was to faithfully serve HBAT for five and half years. It was based for a time at Jeff Lake in the Yukon, supporting the company's S-55 helicopters at a drill camp. In March 1957 it was joined by the company's second Otter CF-JOR (212). In June 1958 the two Otters were engaged in the Reed Lake area in central Manitoba, to the east of Flin Flon, moving drilling camps. On 6th June '58 an unfortunate accident befell GBX. As the pilot later recounted:

“I was engaged in moving camp supplies and drill from Camp 72 (Radar Lake) to Camp 84 (Foot Lake) that morning. I moved one load of groceries and one passenger. The second load comprised of boxes of groceries, containers of kitchen equipment and drill and camp equipment. I took off from Camp 72 at 1100 and docked at Camp 84 fifteen minutes later and tied up. I walked to the tent to write up my flight reports and my helper started to unload. He said there was something burning in the machine. I ran to the aircraft and had the pyrene extinguisher on the flames within seconds. However, the fumes and smoke became so thick I couldn't remain in the cabin. The fire took hold and the cabin started to burn”.

The fire was seen by the pilot of Otter JOR, who raised the alarm, but the fire continued to burn, causing very substantial damage to GBX. It transpired that gasoline had spilled from an out-board motor and had come into contact with a battery. That was the end of the Otter as far as HBAT were concerned - “total destruction by fire”. The wreckage was sold, purchased by Superior Airways Ltd of Fort William, Ontario. The new owners were not convinced of the aircraft's “total destruction” and set about rebuilding it. This took quite a time, seven years in fact, but on 12th May 1965 the Otter was registered to Superior Airways and entered service with them. For the next 14 years it flew for Superior Airways, based at Pickle Lake, Ontario.

In 1979 CF-GBX was sold and was registered to its new owners, Central Air Transport, of Sioux Lookout, Ontario on 17th September '79. Its time with Central Air Transport was not long, for on 24th May 1980 the Otter was destroyed in an accident. GBX had flown from its base at Sioux Lookout to Carling Lake, Ontario. It was taking off from Carling Lake with the pilot and seven passengers on board when engine failure occurred. The Otter ran up on the lake shore, and although all the occupants evacuated the aircraft, it was consumed by a post-impact fire.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Pretty amazing, to recover from one fire, to "perish" 22 years later in another fire.

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-03-11T16:16:00.003-05:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #98" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Grumman HU-16 "Albatross"! Michael from "Oz" wins the "sailboat fuel"! Good job!

Steve's "Otters Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-03-10T13:00:00.005-05:00

Here is an Otter that flew Canada's "bush", and was then donated by the Canadian government to India. Apparently now it is on display at Delhi-Palam Air Base, India. I was just thinking.... "Too bad we couldn't get them to donate it back......"

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 55

Otter 55 was delivered to the RCAF on 30th November 1954 with serial 3688. It was delivered to No.6 Repair Depot, Trenton and put into storage as a reserve aircraft, returning to DHC at Downsview in January 1956 for incorporation of All Up Weight modifications. Upon completion of the work in July 1956 it took a trip to the Canadian National Exhibition Centre in Toronto, where it was on display as part of a recruiting campaign. It then went back to DHC who prepared it for assignment to 105 Communications & Rescue Flight at Namao Air Base, Alberta, which it joined later that month of July 1956.

With the unit it served alongside Otter 3691 and several C-47 Dakotas. During March 1957 it deployed north to Whitehorse in the Yukon together with C-47s 587 and 971 and took part in an extensive search for a missing Okanagan Helicopters Bell 47 CF-FDN, flying alongside the Whitehorse Station Flight Otter 3689. It is mentioned in the Unit's diary taking part in 'SAR Koessler' on 22nd September '57, searching for missing aircraft N3151C, alongside Otter 3691 and Dakotas 224 and 971, all of 105 C&R Flight. The two Otters were dispatched by Vancouver Rescue Co-Ordination Centre to carry out a track crawl along the route Bear Lake - King Mountain - Dease Lake. The aircraft was spotted on King Mountain Lake and the survivors at Dease Lake, from where they were evacuated by 3691.

During October 1957 the Alberta Department of Public Health requested an aircraft to take nurses to Loon Lake, where a whooping cough epidemic had broken out. Between 3rd and 10th October, Otter 3688 shuttled between Peace River, Seba Beach and Loon Lake with the nurses and serum. On 18th November '57 3688 became overdue on a flight from Namao to Horshoe Lake, but eventually arrived safely. It again experienced communications difficulties on 6th February '58 on a flight from Namao to Wainright. The next day it took part in 'SAR Hicks', the search for Cessna 195 CF-JVQ missing on a flight from Snowdrift, on the east side of Great Slave Lake to Campbell Lake, seventy miles northwest of Fort Reliance. The missing Cessna was located by Dakota 224 and Otter 3688 picked up the survivors and flew them to Yellowknife.

The following month, March 1958, 3688 left 105 C&R Flight and was flown to the Canadian Pacific Airlines depot at Lincoln Park, Calgary where it was stored as a reserve aircraft until October 1958, when it arrived at the Cold Lake Station Flight, Alberta on amphibious floats. It had a somewhat eventful training detail on 24th July 1959, sustaining three fairly heavy landings on water and a fourth on the runway. The fuselage was found to be buckled in an area recognised by the manufacturers as weak. The damage was repaired. 3688 continued serving the Cold Lake Station Flight until June 1962, when it went back to No.6 Repair Depot, Trenton, into storage again. The following year it was one of five Otters selected by the Canadian government to be donated to India. In March 1963 the five were removed from storage, and sent to DHC at Downsview for packaging and shipment to India.

On arrival in India the Otter joined the Indian Air Force, with serial BM-1000. It served for the next 18 years until withdrawn from use in August 1981 and put on display at Delhi-Palam Air Base. It had served with 41 Squadron at Palam since 1976, coded C.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yup", time to mount an expedition to return this Otter home, and put her "back into the air"!

- BM-1000 code C of 41 Squadron, Indian Air Force on approach to Delhi-Palam (Peter Steinemann/Skyline)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-03-05T08:51:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #97" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Vickers "Vimy"! Good old boys Alcock and Brown, two honourary "Newfies", made it across the Atlantic and "bellied-in" in a bog in Ireland! "Sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

Steve's "Otters Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-03-03T16:43:00.004-06:00

Just like another world famous "icon", the Canadian hockey player, the old Otter could survive just about any "incident", and with a little help from the "trainer" be "back in the game"! Check out this Otter, she had a few "scrapes" and was "traded" more times than Mike Sillinger, but still is active today!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 218

Otter 218 was delivered to the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) on 29th April 1957, registered CF-ODT. It was one of the large fleet of OPAS Otters, based at Sault Ste.Marie, serving the Ontario bush country. Its career with OPAS came to an end on 26th June 1961 when it was badly damaged in an accident at Dogtooth Lake, some twenty miles south east of Kenora, while water bombing a forest fire.

The pilot circled the fire, located on an island. He selected a suitable area to pick up water and flew downwind. At about 500 feet above ground, a medium turn to the left was made with more than normal power because of the wind conditions. Near the completion of the turn, the left wing and nose of the aircraft dropped. The pilot applied power and right rudder, but despite this corrective action the aircraft struck the water. The accident report concluded that “while approaching to land in a strong gusty wind condition, the pilot lost control of his aircraft which collided with trees and then struck the water in a nose down attitude”.

The pilot managed to get out as the aircraft sank and made his way to the shore. Subsequently an OPAS salvage crew working off a barge raised the Otter, salvaged what they could, including the wings, and allowed the fuselage to sink back into the lake. It would appear that the salvage rights were then sold, and a more determined effort managed to retrieve the fuselage from the lake. It was later noted at the Ontario Central Airlines hangar at Reddit, north of Kenora. In due course, the Otter was rebuilt, using another set of wings, and entered service with White River Air Services, still registered CF-ODT. The original wings which had been removed by the OPAS salvage team were returned to the base at Sault Ste.Marie where they were found to be only moderately damaged. They were repaired and put into storage. They were used many years later by the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in the rebuild of Otter C-FODU (369) at Sault Ste.Marie.

Otter ODT was registered to Sault Airways Ltd, White River, Ontario for the summer of 1974 but reverted to White River Air Services Ltd as C-FODT in 1975. It was repainted into the striking yellow, red and black colour scheme of Austin Airways, an associated company of White River Air Services, and flew for Austin Airways on amphibious floats. It continued to fly for this operator until sold to Pickle Lake Air Services Ltd of Pickle Lake, Ontario in July 1983, moving on to V.Kelner Airways Ltd also of Pickle Lake in March 1986. It headed east two years later, being registered to Waasheshkun Airways Ltd, Baie-du-Poste (Mistassini Lake) Quebec in July 1988. This was a Cree Indian owned airline serving northern Quebec, where ODT joined Otter C-FDIO (452) and Beaver C-GAXL. ODT continued to fly for Waasheshkun Airways until June 1994, when it was registered to Expeditair (1989) Inc based at Alma, Quebec, and then in September 1999 it joined Air Saguenay's large fleet of Otters, based at Lac St.Sebastien, Chicoutimi, Quebec.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 218

January 1st, 2008. C-FODT. Air Saguenay, Chicoutimi, Quebec. Texas Turbine.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

She now has a "stovepipe and fan" for an engine. "Hey", I bet there aren't too many Otters that can say they have been to the bottom of Dogtooth Lake....... "twice"!

- CF-ODT of White River Air Services at White River, Ontario September 1975

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-02-25T13:09:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #96" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Sikorsky "S-42", which would become one of the famed "Pan-Am Clippers"! Aboard are Captains Ed Musick and R.O.D. Sullivan. Mike wins the "sailboat fuel", good job! I tell you, that is a "man's cockpit"!

Steve's "Otters Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-02-24T15:38:00.003-06:00

The de Havilland Otter has a "rich" recorded history. Unfortunately, "scant" details are known about some of the individual Otters. Here are two of them......

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 317

Otter 317 was delivered to the United States Army on 27th February 1959 with serial 58-1701 (tail number 81701). It was assigned to the 17th Aviation Company, Fort Ord, California. It was delivered from Downsview to the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California before continuing on to Fort Ord. It was still flying for the 17th Aviation Company when it was destroyed in an accident during May 1962, details unfortunately unknown. It was deleted from the Army inventory the following month.

Otter 321

Otter 321 was delivered to the United States Army on 23rd March 1959 with serial 58-1706 (tail number 81706). It was assigned to the 18th Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas and deployed with the Company to Vietnam in January 1962. It was destroyed in an accident at Hang Buc, Vietnam on 1st July 1963. The following extract is from the 18th Aviation Company history: “On 1st July 1963, this unit sustained its first fatal accident, when Captain Stackbauer was killed at Hang Buc in gusty turbulence on take off from the airstrip, which has an elevation of 4,000 feet and is about 1,200 feet long. This airfield was subsequently closed to Otter operations. He was not wearing either helmet or shoulder straps and was the only one of the six on board to be killed. The others walked out although one passenger had a broken leg from the crew chief's flying tool box. The aircraft 81706 was totalled, also the first for the unit”.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

In "memoriam" of Capt. Stackbauer..... "R.I.P."

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-02-18T22:37:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #95" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Boeing KC-97 "Stratotanker"! The "Stratotanker" was an aerial refueling tanker variant of the Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter", which in turn was the militarised version of the Boeing 377 "Stratocruiser". So, I have to give this one to Sippo, I hope he has some use for "sailboat fuel" during winter! "Cheers"!

Beautiful photo, Misha!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-02-17T11:45:00.005-06:00

I always figured you would need a special aircraft to survive and navigate around "The Rock" and "Labrador". Well, the Otter fit the bill, although there were a few mishaps along the way. Check out this "Newfie" Otter............

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 398

Otter 398 was delivered to the RCAF on 31st October 1960 with serial 9418. It was allocated to 418 Squadron, Namao. It sustained 'B' category damage on 14th September 1961 in the course of a training flight. On landing back at base at Namao, the student levelled off too high and stalled in. The heavy landing badly damaged the landing gear. As the accident report summarised: “The student misjudged his height above the ground and the captain failed to take over in time to avoid the accident”. The Otter was trucked to the Canadian Pacific Airlines depot at Lincoln Park, Calgary for repair, where it arrived on 29th September 1961. After repair it was re-issued to 418 Squadron, Namao on 11th January 1962. During 1963 it was involved in two SAR missions, in February '63 for Howard DGA N58856 and in September '63 for Cessna 175 CF-LBF. On both of these missions it flew alongside 418 Squadron Otter 9417 (396). It continued flying for 418 Squadron until it met with another 'B' category crash on the airbase at Namao on 15th October 1967.

Circuits and landings were being practiced. After a landing using full flap, the flap was pumped to the climb position and the next circuit was started. On the downwind leg, the pilot decided to carry out a practice forced landing. At a point on final approach, approximately eight feet above the ground and at 65 knots, the Otter banked rapidly and struck the ground heavily. The accident report found that the aircraft was established on final approach with the flaps still in the climb position and with the flap selector still in the up position. At an altitude of approximately eight feet, the pilot elected to put down more flap. Without repositioning the selector, he operated the hand pump, but instead of the flaps going down as he intended, they came up. The aircraft sank rapidly and although full throttle was applied, the descent could not be arrested and some serious damage was caused to 9418. That accident ended its RCAF career, during which it had flown 2,127 hours.

The damaged Otter was put into storage at Namao and in September 1968 was moved to the Mountain View depot in Ontario and put up for disposal, in its damaged condition, through the Crown Assets Disposal Corporation. It was one of three damaged Otters sold on 8th February 1971 to Gander Aviation Ltd of Gander, Newfoundland. The three aircraft were trucked from Mountain View to Weston Aircraft Ltd, Oshawa, Ontario where they were rebuilt for Gander Aviation. On 13th May 1971, as the rebuilds were in progress, marks were allocated for the three Otters, CF-QOQ (46) ex 3685, CF-QOR (375) ex 9409 and CF-QOS (398) ex 9418. Two of the aircraft, QOQ and QOR, were sold on but QOS was registered to Gander Aviation Ltd in June 1971, intended for operation by the company. On 3rd July '71 William Bennett, the owner of Gander Aviation, performed a fifty five minute test flight at Oshawa in QOS, and on 6th July he flew the Otter to Carp, Ontario where Bristol amphibious floats were fitted. On 8th July he set off on the Otter's delivery flight, routing that day from Carp to Fredericton, New Brunswick and the following day via Charlottetown to Gander, total flying time for the delivery flight being 8 hours 50 minutes. QOS then entered service with Gander Aviation Ltd.

The Otter was used for general charter work around both the island of Newfoundland and in mainland Labrador. It also supported outpost fishing camps in Labrador, at Michael River and Sand Hill River. It was used to fly freight and personnel to Baie d'Espoire, Newfoundland where a power station was being built. Another task was to bring patients in from outlying nursing stations to St.Johns. It was on such a flight that QOS crashed on landing at St.Johns on 11th January 1972. The Otter was flying under charter to the Department of Health. There were seven souls on board, including two pilots and a medical attendant. Two stretcher patients had been picked up at Burgeo, and two more at Harbour Breton. The Otter landed 300 feet short of runway 29 at the St.Johns International Airport, shortly after 5pm that afternoon. The accident report cited as a factor the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft. The Otter came down on rough gravel and was badly damaged, although no one was injured. The ambulances which had been waiting at the airport for the arriving patients drove to the scene and were able to take the patients to hospital.

The Otter was shipped to Montreal for repair, after which it returned to Gander and continued in service with Gander Aviation until August 1974. It had flown 1,304 hours while in service with Gander Aviation. It then went to the mainland for structural modifications before being sold to Direquair Inc of Chibougamau, Quebec in 1975, registered C-FQOS. It was based at Lac Cache and served alongside the company's other two Otters C-FDIO (452) and C-FAPQ (201). There was a change of name to Air Mistassini Inc in 1981. The following year, Air Mistassini went bankrupt and the Otters were lying at Lac Cache for a time. QOS was sold to Air Melancon Inc of St.Anne du Lac, Quebec to whom it was registered in August 1983. It was to fly for Air Melancon for many years and in 1992 was converted to a Vazar turbo Otter.

QOS continued in service with Air Melancon until June 1998, when it was sold to Labrador Airways Ltd, trading as Air Labrador and moved to its new base at Goose Bay. The owners of Air Labrador had an associated company called Tamalik Air, used primarily to support hunting and fishing camps, and QOS was assigned to Tamalik Air and painted in its striking red overall colour scheme. When not flying for Tamalik Air, it flew as part of the Air Labrador fleet. For example, during April 2001 it was heavily tasked flying fuel in barrels and groceries from Goose Bay to Border Beacon as the native Innu were moving there from Davis Inlet.

QOS continued flying for Air Labrador/Tamalik Air until an accident on 12th September 2001, which occurred as the Otter was taking off from Otter Creek at Goose Bay en route to a fishing lodge. The pilot reported he was in climb mode when the aircraft pitched forward and then nosed up before entering an uncontrollable nose-down descent, although it did not exhibit characteristics normally associated with an aerodynamic stall. It impacted the water hard, resulting in structural failure of the float supports and extensive damage to the fuselage. “Lab Air 911”, a Twin Otter medevac flight bound for Nain witnessed the incident and raised the alarm. The pilot and three passengers were rescued by boat, but QOS sank in 55 feet of water. It was raised up, and the wreck sold to aircraft dealer Glen W.Ernst of Temecula, California.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 398

January 1st, 2008. C-FQOS. Vazar. Following its crash in September 2001 at Goose Bay, Labrador while operated by Air Labrador, the wreck of the Otter was sold to aircraft broker Glen W. Ernst of Temecula, California. The Otter somewhat disappeared from view until July 2007 when during a visit to the Kenai Airport in Alaska it was noted in a hangar there under rebuild.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow, a visit to "Davey Jones' Locker", and soon will be flying the "wilds" of Alaska! The old Otter sure has "penned" many a great story..........

- C-FQOS of Air Labrador/Tamalik Air at Goose Bay April 2001 (Karl Hayes)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-02-12T20:45:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #94" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Fairchild F-11 "Husky"! Another aircraft like the Otter that should have had at least "1,000 Ponies" since day 1! Curt wins the "sailboat fuel", good job Curt!

U.S. Airways "Retrofit".........

2009-02-10T18:02:00.004-06:00

Personally, with 14,200 hours flying, 14,070 hours PIC, and 9600 hours on "Floats", I believe this new "retrofit" being performed by U.S. Airways on it's "Heavies" is long overdue. "Float" manufacturers are "tooling up" to "boost" production, hire thousands of new employees, lead North America "out" of the "recession", and return us to the "glorious age" of the global "Clippers"! "Hey", I am serious............

"Thanks", Clive!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-02-09T18:58:00.003-06:00

Here is a fine specimen that "resided" in Canada her whole life, serving the north year-round, until that "hot" summer day in 2002........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 402

Otter 402 was delivered to the RCAF on 5th December 1960 with serial 9421. It was assigned to 424 Squadron at Hamilton, Ontario. It served with this unit until February 1964, when it was transferred to 400 Squadron at Downsview, where it was to serve for the remainder of its military career. It also flew for 411 Squadron, the other Downsview-based unit.

On 22nd June 1973, 411 Squadron set off for summer camp deployment to Fort Churchill, Manitoba, as it had done the previous year. Part of its task was to construct a community centre at the northern community of Baker Lake, a futuristic geodesic-domed building which could be built out of material that could easily be flown up to the remote community. During the summer camp, a Hercules and 411 Squadron's Otters carried all of the pieces of the dome, ready to be assembled, into Baker Lake. The 1973 Churchill summer camp was known as Exercise Aurora II and during the two week period, various detachments of the squadron visited other northern settlements as well, such as Pelly Bay, Igloolik, Gjoa Haven, Gladman Point and Whale Cove. They carried out census, survey and environmental work for Northern Region Headquarters. 9421 was part of this deployment and its flights included: 25 June '73 Churchill-Eskimo Point-Whale Cove-Baker Lake, returning Baker Lake to Churchill the next day. On 16th July '73 it routed Churchill-Baker Lake-Cambridge Bay in ten hours fifty minutes, returning to Churchill on the 18th.

9421 continued in service at Downsview until 26th August 1981, when it went into storage at the Mountain View depot. It was put up for disposal through the Crown Assets Disposal Corporation and was one of a number of Otters sold at auction in February 1982, advertised as having total airframe time of 8,182 hours. The purchaser was Nahanni Air Services Ltd of Norman Wells, Northwest Territories to whom the Otter was registered C-GUTQ in February 1983. Nahanni Air Services had also purchased two other ex Canadian military Otters, 9406 (365) which became C-GUTL and 9423 (405) which became C-GUTW. A company in Colombia agreed to purchase all three Otters from Nahanni Air Services. The proposed purchaser had the exotic name of Aerolineas de la Orinoquia & Amazonia Limitada and early in 1984 paid a deposit and obtained Colombian registrations for the three Otters. C-GUTQ (402) was to become HK-3049X. The three Otters were made ready for delivery but the final payment was never made and nothing further was heard from the would-be purchaser.

After the sale to Colombia fell through, UTQ was registered to St.Louis Aviation Inc, Hangar 4, St.Jean Airport, Quebec who overhauled the Otter and it was then sold to Air Saguenay (1980) Inc of Chicoutimi-Lac St.Sebastien, Quebec in June 1986, joining the Air Saguenay Otter fleet. It suffered a minor incident at St.Honore, Quebec on 16th March 1987. En route, the aircraft lost a ski and landed at St.Honore. Inspection revealed that the axle on the ski had broken. UTQ was to continue in service with Air Saguenay for many years, but went on lease to Northern Lights Air Service Ltd, Goose Bay, Labrador during the summer of 1996, before returning to the Air Saguenay fleet.

C-GUTQ continued flying for Air Saguenay until destroyed in an accident on 30th June 2002. It had just taken off from Lac Cojibo, Quebec with three souls on board and a full load of freight, destined for a fishing camp. It was a hot summer's day and the pilot found he could not maintain a rate of climb due to the temperature and the weight he was carrying. Unable to climb, he flew into a valley but could not clear rising terrain and crashed into the top of a mountain. Those on board escaped injury, but the Otter crashed and burned and was consumed by the fire.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Talk about a "fiery end". Yup, like I stated before, the old Otter should have had "1,000 Belgians" from "Day 1"!

- C-GUTQ of Air Saguenay at Chicoutimi, Quebec April 1993 (Anthony J. Hickey)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-02-04T21:58:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #93" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Convair B-58 "Hustler"! Lance wins the "sailboat fuel"! Good job!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-02-03T17:30:00.004-06:00

Here is another proud RCAF "Veteran", having served with Winnipeg's "402 Squadron", Saskatoon's "406 Squadron", and Downsview's "400 and 411 Squadrons". Whatever became of her after her military service.......?

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 394

Otter 394 was delivered to the RCAF on 26th October 1960 with serial 9416. It was allocated to 402 Squadron, Winnipeg and for the first few years of its RCAF service its career would parallel that of 9415 (393). Both Otters were transferred to 406 Squadron, Saskatoon in January 1961 and both went back to 402 Squadron, Winnipeg in March 1964. 9416 continued to fly for 402 Squadron until November 1975, when it was transferred to Downsview, for use by 400 and 411 Squadrons. It continued to fly from Downsview until 17th February 1981 when it went into storage at the Mountain View depot. It was disposed of through the Crown Assets Disposal Corporation, one of a number of Otters sold at auction in February 1982, advertised as having a total airframe time of 7,592 hours. It was one of seven Otters purchased by Newcal Aviation Inc of Little Ferry, New Jersey, to whom it was registered N3125N in June 1982. These Otters were ferried from Mountain View to an airstrip at Decatur, Texas where they were put into open storage. It appears that the market for Otters was poor at that time, as these Otters were to spend several years in store at Decatur before being sold on.

The purchaser of Otter 394 was 40 Mile Air Ltd of Tok, Alaska. They arranged for the Otter to be overhauled and prepared for service for them by Victoria Air Maintenance Ltd of Victoria, BC. The Otter was ferried from Decatur to Victoria and in January 1988 was registered C-FAXD to Victoria Air Maintenance. This was necessary, as the company could only certify a Canadian registered aircraft. When the work was completed, the Otter reverted to N3125N and was registered in May 1988 to 40 Mile Air and was delivered to its new base at Tok, Alaska. It was in service only a few weeks when it crashed at Eagle, Alaska on 1st June 1988. The pilot was attempting to land the heavily loaded Otter on the gravel strip at Eagle. Upon touchdown, the airplane veered slightly to the right. The pilot unlocked the tail wheel centering device and attempted to correct to the left, into the prevailing crosswind. The Otter continued to the left, however, out of control and went down a steep embankment before coming to a stop.

N3125N was lifted from the crash scene by helicopter but was dropped in the process, sustaining further damage. It was dismantled and transported by train and truck back to Victoria Air Maintenance at Victoria. The wings were further damaged en route as they were rubbing together, having been badly packed. As a result the Otter needed a complete re-build at Victoria. While this work was going on, the Otter was re-engined with a Polish PZL 1,000 horse power engine. Airtech Canada sent their technicians to do this work at Victoria. When the work was completed, N3125N re-entered service with 40 Mile Air. It met with another accident on 27th April 1999, landing on a remote airstrip thirteen miles northeast of Healy, Alaska. The Otter was flying from Fairbanks, transporting building supplies and workers to the area. It was landing at Daniels Strip, 1,500 feet long but only ten feet wide. It was a 'one way' airstrip, with landings performed towards the west. The airstrip was flat for half its length and then proceeded uphill. According to the pilot, on the third landing of the day, at about 1315 hours, he touched down on the main landing gear. Before the tail wheel touched down, a gust of wind pushed the aircraft off the left side of the strip. The leading edge of the left wing struck a tree, damaging the wing. The damage was repaired and N3125N was restored to service.

While flying for 40 Mile Air, the Otter was usually based at Tok, supporting mineral exploration camps in the bush, and flying hunters during the summer. It also spent much of its time based at Prudhoe Bay, and at a nearby camp called Kavik. The work out of here was supporting 'cat trains' and exploration camps, continuing the work which had been performed by other 40 Mile Air Otters, for example N1037G (77). Other Otters operated by 40 Mile Air were N5056Q (296) and N2899J (425). Eventually the users in Prudhoe Bay insisted that they wanted turbine equipment, so Otter N3125N could no longer be used. The loss of the Prudhoe Bay contract meant that 40 Mile Air's Otter operation was no longer viable, as the work out of Tok was insufficient to support the Otter. Reluctantly, a decision was taken to sell the aircraft, bringing to an end over twenty years of DHC-3 operations by 40 Mile Air. N3125N was sold in October 2003 and flown to Anchorage for overhaul. It was registered to its new owners, Alaska Air Taxi LLC, on 3rd December 2003. It had a BARON/STOL kit installed and a gross weight upgrade to nine thousand pounds, and entered service based out of Anchorage. In November 2004 the Otter was advertised for sale by Alaska Air Taxi, with an asking price of $780,000. At that stage of its career, it had 14,166 hours on the airframe.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 394

January 1st, 2008. N3125N. Alaska Air Taxi, Anchorage, Alaska. PZL. Following an accident on 2nd September 2006 at Wainright, Alaska the Otter was returned to Anchorage on board a Lyndon Air Cargo Hercules and was under rebuild during 2007 at Anchorage.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

A real fine "specimen"! 15,000 hours and still not ready for "retirement"...........

- N3125N of 40 Mile Air at Tok, Alaska July 1990 (John Kimberley)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-01-30T11:46:00.005-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #92" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the de Havilland DH.87 "Hornet Moth"! Nice try guys! "Sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-01-25T18:18:00.005-06:00

When I first started my aviation career flying "trappers" and "rice-pickers" in the Little Grand Rapids - Pauingassi - Deer Lake - Poplar Hill - Pikangikum area 25 years ago, there was an Otter I would hear regularly in the summer "flogging" north to Dogskin Lake Lodge and associated outcamps. She used to operate from Bird River near Lac du Bonnet, and I always wondered what happened to her. Well, I just found out.............

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 438

Otter 438 was delivered to Hudson Bay Air Transport Ltd of Flin Flon, Manitoba on 24th May 1963, registered CF-PEM. Also delivered to the company the same day was number 439 CF-PEN. These two Otters were ordered as replacements for Otters CF-JOR (212) and CF-KTI (269) which had both been destroyed in a fire at the company's hangar at Flin Flon on 4th April 1963. They had replaced the destroyed Otters less than two months after the tragic fire, an indication of the importance of the DHC-3 to the Hudson Bay Air Transport operation.

These two Otters flew alongside the company's surviving Otter CF-MIQ (336) until the need for bush aircraft diminished during the early 1980s. CF-PEM was sold in April 1983 to Tall Timber Fly-In Service of Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba with a change of name to Tall Timber Aviation Ltd in March 1992. It was sold on to Thunderbird Aviation (590730 Alberta Ltd) of Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan in May 1994 and carried Athabasca Fishing Lodges titles. The company also operates a Cessna 206 and is a division of Blackmur's Athabasca Fishing Lodges. Both the Otter and the Cessna are used to service the company's lodges, which are located in the vicinity of Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 438

January 1st, 2008. C-FPEM. Thunderbird Aviation, Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan. R-1340. The Otter flies for Athabaska Fishing Lodges.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow! Glad she is still in Canada, and still "sporting" her 1340. There is something about the "lines" of the "Standard Otter"........

- CF-PEM of Athabasca Fishing Lodges (Anthony J. Hickey)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-01-22T13:51:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #91" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Fouga CM-170 "Magister"! Sippo wins the "sailboat fuel"! Greetings from Manitoba, Canada, Sippo!

I'm Mighty Proud Of That "Ragged Old Flag"......

2009-01-20T22:49:00.005-06:00

Congratulations to our good friends in the U.S. on the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, and I was overjoyed to see the surviving members of the famed "Tuskegee Airmen" present! Obama's amazing story can be directly traced to my favourite American, "Honest" Abe Lincoln. What a story! The grandson of an African "goatherd" becomes "Leader of the Free World"! Hopefully his presidency brings "honour" to their "Ragged Old Flag"......

LINK - "Tuskegee Airmen"!

VIDEO -

"Ragged Old Flag"

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-01-18T12:03:00.004-06:00

Ain't life "funny"!? Start your career overseas in a hostile environment, serve well, make a "trans-Atlantic" flight to get back home, only to "expire" shortly thereafter in your own "backyard". Ain't life a "bummer" for some..........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 430

Otter 430 was delivered to the Ghana Air Force on 25th July 1962 with serial G310. It was the eleventh of an order for twelve Otters, all of which were packed into crates and shipped to Ghana, where they were re-assembled and entered service. They were based at Takoradi Air Base. During 1970, Lambair of Manitoba negotiated with the Ghana Air Force with a view to purchasing a number of their Otters, including 430 and marks CF-ZFO were reserved but no deal was concluded and G310 remained in the service of the Ghana Air Force. The Otters continued in service until 1973, when they were withdrawn and put up for sale.

As explained in relation to Otter number 418, eight of the Ghana Air Force Otters were acquired by brokers Masin Aircraft of Cologne and Otter 430 was registered to Joseph V. Masin of Rodenkirchen, West Germany as N17688. These eight Otters together with a former US Army Otter which Masin Aircraft had acquired, were sold to Air Craftsmen Ltd of St.John, New Brunswick, a company which specialised in buying, refurbishing and selling on ex-military Otters. On 26th April 1974 Air Craftsmen Ltd reserved Canadian marks for all nine Otters. Marks C-GLCT were reserved for 430. Together with C-GLCO (420, ex G304), C-GLCT routed from Gibraltar to Marseille on 15th June 1974, in the course of the long ferry flight from Ghana to Canada. On 17th June both Otters arrived at Biggin Hill airfield near London. Also arriving at Biggin Hill that day from Germany was Otter C-GLCV (189), the former US Army Otter which Air Craftsmen had bought from Masin Aircraft. All three Otters were fitted with ferry tanks for the trans-Atlantic crossing and departed together for Prestwick, Scotland on 21st June '74. They then continued together across the Atlantic via Iceland and Greenland to the Air Craftsmen Ltd base at St.John, New Brunswick.

C-GLCT then continued on from St.John to Oshawa, Ontario and was registered to Eclipse Consultants Ltd of Oshawa, a company that was working in association with Air Craftsmen Ltd on the ex-Ghana Otters. At Oshawa, the Otter was overhauled and civilianised on behalf of Eclipse Consultants by Weston Aircraft Company Ltd. On completion of this work, by Bill of Sale dated 12th July '74, the Otter was sold by Eclipse Consultants Ltd to B.C.Yukon Air Services Ltd of Watson Lake, Yukon and entered service with them. It continued in service until sold to Bannock Aerospace Ltd of Toronto on 17th December 1976, another company which traded in Otters, and on 21st February 1977 it was leased to Patricia Air Transport Ltd of Sioux Lookout, Ontario.

C-GLCT flew for Patricia Air Transport until an accident at Pickle Lake, Ontario on 25th August 1977. The Otter was to fly a round trip to Bearskin Lake, transporting cargo and passengers. The pilot elected to take on a full load of fuel because of strong headwinds and a limited refuelling capability en route. He did not compensate by off-loading cargo and the take-off was attempted 800 pounds overweight. Shortly after becoming airborne, the Otter struck trees and the shoreline. The pilot had not used all of the available take-off distance. There were no injuries to the three on board, but the Otter was destroyed.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

This story is another example of why the old Otter should have had "1000 Clydesdales" from Day 1..........

- C-GLCT, ex-Ghana Air Force, at Prestwick, Scotland on delivery back to Canada (MAP)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-01-14T22:54:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #90" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Avro "Lancaster", an Allied "heavy" bomber. Lance wins the sailboat fuel!

Time For A "Toque"........

2009-01-14T09:08:00.005-06:00

Self-explanatory! So cold you could "freeze the balls off a brass monkey"!

METAR CYWG 141400Z 30010KT 15SM SKC M36/M40 A3054 RMK VIS E 6 BR SLP380=

Good "Manitoba boys" are still "flying the bush", though, in these temps!

- photo by Jason "Spanky" Henkel

- photo by Jason "Spanky" Henkel (pictured)

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-01-13T15:32:00.004-06:00

A number of years back, in the early 1990s, Jim Johnson, Northway Aviation owner and my employer, and I, weighed the "pros and cons" of suppyling his Beaver, C-FQQG, to a company doing an engine conversion. The engine was a V-8 piston automotive racing engine adapted for aviation. Knowing the "bureaucratic barbed-wire" and "government minefields" we would have to navigate, we decided against making QQG available, as the "Float Season" was fast approaching. It was a wise decision. There were many delays encountered in certifying the engine for aviation, and when the conversion was finally done, an Otter was used instead of a Beaver. The engine was the "Thunder" engine, which later became the Orenda OE-600. Check out the prototype "Orenda-powered" Otter, and the "rest of the story"...........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 19

Otter number 19 was delivered on 21st September 1954 as CF-EYY to Miron et Freres Ltee of Montreal, a construction company. It was delivered on floats and based at St.Augustin near Montreal, being used to move construction crews in the bush country of Quebec. The company also operated a C-47 and a Canso.

By 1957 'EYY had joined the fleet of Wheeler Airlines of St.Jovite, Quebec. As well as using their fleet of Otters to support the northern DEW Line sites (as described in relation to Otter number 2), Wheeler also had Otters flying from its St.Jovite base to service the Quebec interior. The scene of operations at St.Jovite was Lac Ouimet, one of the many lakes in the Mont Tremblant Provincial Park region of the Laurentian Mountains, an area well known to sportsmen for its excellent hunting and fishing. Here was located a 3,000 foot airstrip with hangarage and airport facilities, a seaplane dock and the Lac Ouimet Club, a sporting and recreational resort which functioned as the main base for Wheeler's network of fishing and hunting camps served by aircraft.

CF-EYY was based here, serving the Quebec bush. Hunting and fishing trips (to as far away as James Bay, where goose hunting camps were located), fire patrols, survey and exploration work, sightseeing flights and general charter work formed the major part of the company's day to day operations for the Otter, as well as the company's Beavers and Norsemen. The Otter was used for the larger parties, but was also prized by hunters as a moose could be accommodated within its cabin.

In January 1960 EYY went to Austin Airways Ltd of Timmins, Ontario, on lease from Ray McLeod of Montreal. It then served the bush regions of Ontario, just as it had done before in Quebec. It returned to Quebec when acquired by A.Fecteau Transport Aerien of Senneterre and by 1970 had joined the fleet of another Quebec operator, Northern Wings Ltd (Les Ailes du Nord) based at Sept Iles. This company was the main operator serving the small communities along the North Shore of the Gulf of St.Lawrence. A subsidiary of Quebecair, it included Otters in its fleet throughout the 1960s/1970s, alongside DC-3s, Cansos, Beavers, Cessnas etc. Scheduled passenger and cargo services linked Havre St.Pierre, Natashquan, Kegaska, Gethsemanie, Harrington Harbour, La Tabitiere, Old Fort Bay, St.Paul, Blanc Sablon, Whalehead, St.Augustin, Riviere au Tonnere, Mingan and the base at Sept Iles. The Otters were also used on charters.

On 17th July 1974 EYY on floats suffered a hard landing at La Romaine, Quebec due to the pilot's delay in initiating a go-around. By 1979, then registered C-FEYY, the Otter was again operated by Air Fecteau, which became part of Propair Inc, to whom the Otter was registered in May 1982. On 12th October '82 it was damaged at Lixi Pond, Newfoundland. During the landing, the right float struck a submerged rock. The right float then failed and rolled outboard to be under the wing. Stress corrosion was found in the strut. A Service Bulletin by DHC had recommended inspection of the struts every twelve months, but over four years had elapsed since EYY had been inspected. The damage was repaired and the Otter returned to service.

Over the following years, EYY continued to serve the Quebec bush country with Propair, until June 1988 when it was sold to Alexandair Inc of Sept Iles, one of a number of Quebec carriers to fly the aircraft. On 27th February 1991 at Chevery, Quebec the pilot lost control on take off, the Otter leaving the runway and striking a fence, causing quite an amount of damage. The Otter lay at Chevery in its damaged condition for some months, while negotiations took place on its future. An agreement was eventually reached with Air Wilga Inc of Laval, Quebec to purchase turbine Otter CFJFJ (147) and Air Wilga took the damaged Otter EYY in part payment. EYY was registered to Air Wilga in June 1991 and was loaded on a boat and taken to Rimouski and then towed behind a jeep to the Air Wilga base at Laval St.Francois airfield outside Montreal, where it was rebuilt. Air Wilga was a leasing company which specialised in leasing out Otters to operators. EYY was leased to Aviation Boreal (1988) Inc of Val d'Or, Quebec in November 1991 and the following month, on 12th December '91 it was damaged again at Lac Mollet in northern Quebec when it hit a snowbank on take-off from the frozen lake, damaging the landing gear.

The Otter was repaired again during the winter of 1991/92 and was then leased by Air Wilga to a number of Quebec operators, Air Wemindji of Wemindji to whom it was registered in December 1992 and then Aero Golfe Ltee of Havre St.Pierre to whom it was registered in May 1994. In February 1998 it returned to Air Wilga, for conversion as the prototype Orenda-engined Otter and work commenced on the aircraft at Laval St.Francois airfield. Air Wilga commissioned Airtech Canada Aircraft Services of Peterborough, Ontario to carry out the engineering for the project and for this purpose EYY was trucked from Laval to Peterborough. The Orenda OE-600A engine was fitted to C-FEYY at Peterborough and the Otter made its first flight from there with the new engine on 9th November 1998, after which test flying for the certification process commenced.

In the course of the certification, it transpired that the McAuley propeller had not been certified for use with the Orenda engine. Accordingly, in March 1999 Otter EYY was flown to Dayton, Ohio where McAuley carried out this certification. As the aircraft had to be tested with wind coming from different angles and as a particularly calm period of weather was being experienced in Dayton at that time, an ATR-42 airliner had to be used to provide wind blown at the Otter on the ramp at Dayton, to provide the required test data. EYY then returned to Peterborough.

There were a number of mishaps during the testing phase, the first of these on 5th April 1999 at Smith Falls - Montague (Russ Beach) Ontario. The Otter was loaded to maximum gross weight, with the C.of G. at the aft limit. While conducting the flutter and vibration portion of the test flight, the pilot placed the Otter in a dive from 7,000 feet, increasing the aircraft speed by 10 mph increments, with the intention of attaining a speed of 213 mph. At 205 mph the control column produced a sharp, longitudinal control buzz for a period of six seconds. Engine power was reduced and the aircraft was levelled from the dive. Flight control checks were carried out and after determining that the aircraft was responding to control inputs, the pilot returned and landed at the Smith Falls airport. Ground inspection revealed that the left elevator servo tab had separated from the aircraft in flight, which tore away the elevator trailing edge skin for the full length of the servo tab.

Another much more serious incident occurred on 13th June 1999 at Riviere des Prairies, Montreal still in the course of the test programme for the new engine. The Otter on floats was being taxied to the service dock when flames were noticed coming out of the cowl flap in front of the windshield. The engine was shut down and secured. The pilot discharged the portable extinguisher into the opening. It took a few minutes to get the crew to the shore and to use the other extinguisher to fight the fire. The City firemen showed up some nine minutes later. The aircraft sustained damage forward of the firewall, at the rear of the engine installation, as a result of a broken fuel fitting. The damage was repaired and EYY returned to the flying test programme on 13th September '99. The Orenda engine was ultimately certified by Transport Canada on 17th January 2000.

With their first Orenda-engined Otter now available for use, Air Wilga arranged a lease of EYY to Johnny May's Air Charter Ltd, based at Kuujjuaq in remote northern Quebec, to whom the Otter was registered in March 2000. An hour into the delivery flight from Laval to Kuujjuaq, it had to make a precautionary landing on a frozen lake, but was able to continue and it entered service with Johnny May's Air Charter on 17th March 2000, on wheel-skis. It continued flying based out of Kuujjuaq until an incident on 20th June, when the Otter suffered engine failure and had to make forced landing. It transpired that it had been wrongly fuelled with jet fuel. It was flown back to Laval St.Francois where the engine was replaced with another Orenda engine on loan from the Orenda company and EYY then returned to Kuujjuaq on 15th July on floats, where it continued to fly for Johnny May's Air Charter until the end of October 2000. It then returned to Laval St.Francois where it was in storage over the winter of 2000/2001.

For the summer season of 2001 it was to undertake “an aggressive commercial schedule in the Canadian north”, according to a press release put out by the Orenda Recip company, who were very keen to promote the project. Air Wilga arranged a lease of EYY to Aero Golfe Ltee based at Havre St.Pierre on the north shore of the St.Lawrence, to whom the Otter was registered on 19th July 2001 and it was delivered from Laval to Havre St.Pierre. Aero Golfe were familiarising themselves with the Otter when on 22nd July, only three days after its delivery, it was again in difficulties. EYY had just taken off from Lac des Plaines at Havre St.Pierre, enroute to Lac Foie-de-Veau, when it experienced difficulty in climbing. It struck a mound of earth at the lake shore with the floats, and came down in an adjacent swamp, scraping a wingtip and damaging the cowling. After temporary repairs on site, it was flown back to Laval for permanent repairs, before it returned to Havre St.Pierre to resume the lease to Aero Golfe.

Aero Golfe flew the Otter north to Puvurnituk, where it was used for one hundred hours flying in support of mining prospectors. It was then used by Aero Golfe based at Riviere Portneuf for tourist sight seeing flights until 1st October 2001, when it was returned off lease to Air Wilga and again stored at Laval St.Francois for the winter of 2001/2002. There was no lease customer for the Otter for the summer of 2002, and so EYY was made available to Orenda Recip Inc to be exhibited at the Oshkosh Air Show in July 2002. For that purpose the Otter was registered to Propair Inc and flown from Laval to Oshkosh, where it was exhibited. It was advertised as “The world's most affordable and advanced high power reciprocating engine. Complete firewall forward kit for US$229,000. Turbine power for piston price”. At Oshkosh the Otter was parked beside an Air Tractor agricultural aircraft, which had also been converted with an Orenda engine, at the Orenda Recip display area.

EYY then returned to Laval, and while it remained registered to Propair Inc it was operated for Air Wilga, based out of LG4 in northern Quebec during the caribou hunting season of August/September 2002, after which it returned to Laval for storage for the winter of 2002/2003. A lease was then arranged to Waasheshkun Airways of Mistassini, Quebec to whom EYY was registered on 4th February 2003 and it headed north to St.Felicien, Quebec. It was to join Waasheshkun's own Otter C-FDIO (452) flying in support of native trappers and diamond prospectors in the remote northern bush country of Quebec, but before it got started on this business, disaster struck.

In December 2002, the owners of the Orenda Recip Inc company decided to close the company down, as it had failed in commercial terms to successfully exploit the Orenda engine. Even though the engine had been certified for use in the Otter by Transport Canada, the fact that the manufacturer of the engine was no longer in business and was no longer in a position to support the engine and accept responsibility for it, led to the withdrawal of certification and to the grounding of the two Otters which had been converted to the Orenda engine, EYY (19) and AZX (458), both owned by Air Wilga. EYY was stranded in St.Felicien, Quebec, where the wings were taken off and the engine removed, and it was put into storage pending a decision on its future. Otter C-FVVY (410) was chartered from Big River Air to fulfill the commitments which EYY should have undertaken. As at June 2004, EYY was still stranded at St.Felicien.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 19

January 1st, 2008. C-FEYY. This was one of the two Orenda engined Otters, grounded since December 2002 following the closure of the company which manufactured the engine. EYY was in storage since then, with the engine removed, at Dolbeau/St.Felicien, Quebec. In June 2007 the Otter was sold to Harbour Air and it departed St.Felicien on 29th June 2007 loaded into a truck for the long cross-country drive to Vancouver. Over the following months it was converted by Harbour Air as a Vazar and given fleet number 316. It was registered to Harbour Air as C-GHAZ on 23rd August 2007, their sixteenth turbine Otter.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, you can't keep a "good girl down"! Back in the air, flying the "Wet" Coast! The "Thunder/Orenda" engine? Like a "phoenix", from the ashes......

LINK - Trace Engines L.P.

- C-FEYY with Orenda engine at Dayton, Ohio March 1999 (Donald Berube)

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2009-01-07T09:39:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #89" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Blohm und Voss BV.222 "Wiking"! It was a six-engined German flying boat! Double the "sailboat fuel" for next week!

Steve's Video Of The Day: "The Low Pass!"

2009-01-05T16:33:00.004-06:00

Isn't "human nature" grand? Give someone the ability to "soar" high above the earth, and they will envariably "don spurs" and return to the "close confines" of "immoveable ground"! "Hey", this is experience talking! "Been there, done that...."

VIDEO -

"The Low Pass!"

***BONUS MATERIAL!***

The "backing" music on the above video was performed by one of my "Top 3" favourite bands, "The Who"! The song is entitled "Baba O'Riley" and was written by Pete Townshend for a "rock opera" entitled "Lifehouse", that was never completed. Check out "The Who" and "Baba O'Riley", ......"LIVE"!!!

VIDEO -

"The Who"... and "Baba O"Riley"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2009-01-04T16:57:00.004-06:00

Yes, January in Manitoba! Tonight's "low" in Gimli is forecast to be -35*C! Well, the old Otter was certified under ICAO Transport Category D requirements, able to operate in temperatures from +50*C to -50*C. So, seeing as how we have been in a "deep-freeze" for over a month, I figured I would look for another Otter that survived "the Antarctic", returned to North America, and still "lives and breathes" today! Here she is..........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 30

Otter number 30 was one of the first six of ten DHC-3 delivered to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, as explained in relation to Otter 18. The batch of six were delivered in crates by ship and formally handed over on 2nd March 1954. They arrived in Oslo Harbour on 8th April '54 and were assembled at Kjeller Air Base, Oslo. The Otter took serial 5330 and code 0-AF. On 16th July '54 it joined the Communications Flight at Jarlsberg Air Base, which in November '54 moved to Gardermoen Air Base.

Otter number 30 was one of two Norwegian Air Force Otters (the other was number 31) selected to support a Norwegian scientific expedition to the Antarctic during the International Geophysical Year of 1958/59. One of the Expedition's tasks was to map large sections of Queen Maud Land, for which the Otters were to be used. The aircraft unit was given the designation Support Flight 7070. In March 1958 the Otter deployed to Tyin for winter training for the Antarctic mission. The two Otters had to undergo some modifications to equip them for the mission. Additional fuel tanks were installed in the cabin to increase range. A radio compass, gyrosyn remote compass, sun-compass, directional gyro, radio altimeter, periscope drift measuring equipment, HF radio and camera equipment were all installed. This work was undertaken at the Horten Marine Base, where the two Otters were crated and loaded aboard ship.

The deployment was code named “Operation Penguin”. The expedition left Oslo on board the vessel Polarbjorn on 1st November 1958. Nearly two months later they arrived in the Antarctic. The two Otters were unloaded on the ice and re-assembled. An automatic radio beacon was positioned at the base as a navigation aid. For five weeks missions were flown for photographic purposes in the area 70 to 74 degrees South, 0 to 15 degrees East. When the mission was finished, the aircraft were disassembled and shipped back to Oslo on board the Polarbjorn, arriving home on 5th March 1959 after a successful job. The Otters were again unloaded at the Horten Marine Base and re-assembled there.

In May '59 the Otter joined the 7193 Stotteving (Support Flight) at Bodo Air Base in northern Norway. It was to continue to serve with this unit until April 1965, making periodic trips to the Horten Marine Base, Kjeller Air Base and Wideroes at Fornebu for depot maintenance. After overhaul at Fornebu in April '65 it was assigned to 7192 Support Flight at Orland Air Base, and was to serve at Orland for the remainder of its military career. On 1st January 1967 7192 Support Flight was redesignated 720 Squadron at Orland, the Otter joining the Squadron's D Flight. On 25th January '67 the Otter made its first flight with its new squadron code of JT-R. On 30th May 67 its military career came to an end when it was struck off charge, having flown 5,293 hours in Air Force service. As with all the other Royal Norwegian Air Force Otters, it was handed over to Halle & Peterson, Oslo the DHC agents in Norway for disposal.

The Otter was sold to Varangfly A/S of Kirkenes, to whom it was registered LN-IKI, the registration date being 31st May 1967. The Otter was to serve this operator for the next 15 years, although the company underwent several changes of name, becoming Varangfly-Norwings A/S on 1st April 1971 and Norving A/S on 4th July 1975. The company specialised in passenger and cargo and air ambulance work in northern Norway. During its years of service with Norving, LN-IKI was used for air taxi and ambulance work. It suffered a taxying accident at Varanger on 11th July 1970 but was repaired. A somewhat more serious accident occurred at Ornes on 25th October 1972 when the Otter landed on the water on amphibious floats with the wheels down, but despite substantial damage was repaired and returned to service.

By 1980 this hard-working Otter had put up more than 10,000 flying hours, and by that stage was the last active Otter in Norway and indeed the only active Otter in all of Europe. It was then based at Bodo. Operating Europe's only active Otter from a base in remote northern Norway was not without its problems. As Norving observed :”The engine is a thirsty devil and parts are unbelievably costly. It will be a sad day when our company will have to sell the Otter. An era will then be over and a very fine flying machine will then forever be lost from our country. It is sad because this machine was one of the very first to pick up scheduled flights after WW2. It served our part of Norway with a regularity only next to seagulls. Thousands of people in northern Norway still remember the green machine turning finals two feet above the water in their familiar harbour, bringing news, people and post to and from” (this being a reference to the Wideroe Otter operation which started in 1954).

Norving continued to fly LN-IKI until July 1982, when it was sold to another Norwegian operator, Sirdalsfly A/S of Tjorhom, along with two Beavers. LN-IKI was registered to its new owners, who traded as Transit Air, on 26th July '82 and was based at Stavangar-Sola. It was re-painted in an attractive colour scheme of white undersides, red cheat line and blue upper fuselage with “Transit Air Inter City Sky Taxi” on the tail, indicating its use. The Otter remained in service with Transit Air for nearly a year, until the operation went bankrupt. On 11th April 1983 the Otter was put up for sale by auction in the course of the bankruptcy, but a bid of 105,000 crowns was rejected by the bank who had a charge on the aircraft. On 2nd June 1983 it was registered to the Oslo Handelsbank, the main creditor. There was a second auction on 20th June '83 and it was sold to Norronafly A/S of Rakkestad and on 4th July '83 it was registered to its new owners. During July it was transported from Norway to Stockholm, from where it sailed to the United States. The Norwegian registration was officially cancelled on 18th August 1983. That left Europe without any active Otters, a situation that was to obtain for the next seven years until two Otters (274 and 406) arrived in Sweden.

The purchaser of Otter number 30 was Dodson Aviation Inc of Ottawa, Kansas who reserved registration N4683K on 7th February 1984 and registered the Otter with these marks the following month. The period from August 1983 to March 1984 when the aircraft was without a registration represented the time it was in transit by sea from Europe to the US and its re-assembly in the US. The Otter remained registered to Dodson Aviation for two and half years, until sold to Newcal Aviation Inc of Little Ferry, New Jersey in September 1986. Newcal Aviation are a major supplier of parts and equipment for DHC aircraft.

In July 1988 the Otter was sold on to a Mr Eugene Q.Weiler of Anchorage, Alaska, who was well familiar with Otters, being an Instructor Pilot on the type with the Alaska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. He leased the aircraft to Diamond Aviation, based out of Wrangell, Alaska. N4683K was noted at Vancouver on 10th August 1988. Diamond Aviation supported a gold mine in the mountains of northern British Columbia, flying in fuel and supplies and flying out the gold concentrate. Their first Otter was N61LC (393) operated from August 1987 until it crashed in November '87. This was replaced by N55CX (139) operated from December 1987 until it crashed in July 1988. N4683K was acquired as the replacement and remained in service with Diamond Aviation from August 1988 until June 1992, when support of the mine was taken over by another operator.

N4683K was sold on to Waglisla Air Inc, trading as Wagair of Bella Bella, BC. It arrived at Vancouver on 15th June '92 on delivery to Wagair, to whom it was registered as C-FWAF on 20th July '93, after overhaul and repaint into their colours. Wagair were one of several Canadian native-owned First Nations operators which were formed during the 1980s. C-FWAF joined their fleet, painted in their striking yellow and green colour scheme and for two years provided charter services along the BC Pacific coast from its base at Bella Bella, flying alongside the company's other Otter CF-MPY (324) and also C-FRHW (445) which flew out of Prince Rupert.

Sadly, things did not work out for Wagair which ceased trading during 1995. The fleet was disposed of, Otter WAF being sold to Edward K.Kiesel, trading as Ward Air, based at Juneau, Alaska to whom the Otter was registered N63354 on 26th April 1996. Ward Air was a business which had been formed in 1974 by Ken Ward to provide a bush charter service out of Juneau serving the Alaskan panhandle, and had previously operated Otter N62355 (262). Mr Kiesel took over the business in 1993 and added Otter N63354 to the fleet of Beavers and single Cessnas in April 1996. As its website proclaims: “Ward Air offers unmatched excellence in floatplane and amphibious air charter service for Juneau's outlying wilderness areas. Aircraft such as the Otter, Beaver or Cessna 185 provide the flexibility for Ward Air to travel almost anywhere within Southeast Alaska”.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 30

January 1st, 2008. N63354. In service with Ward Air, Juneau, Alaska. This Otter arrived Vernon, BC on 4th October 2006 for conversion to a Texas Turbine by Kal-Air and to have a new interior installed. This work was carried out over the winter of 2006/07 and N63354 departed Vernon on 7th April 2007 returning to its base at Juneau as a Texas Turbine and re-entered service with Ward Air.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

From Norway to the Antarctic, to British Columbia, to Alaska, this Otter knows how to operate in "frigid climates"!

- photo by Bjorn Olav Mojord, 1982.

- photo by John Kimberley at Vancouver, BC.

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-12-31T18:04:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #88" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Republic "Seabee"! Good job, guys, "4 for 4", and the "sailboat fuel" goes to Curt!

LINK - Seabee AMPHIBIAN!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2008-12-30T20:47:00.003-06:00

Fortunately, the Otter was built in enough numbers and was durable enough that she wasn't a "short-lived" aircraft, and has built a great history, and continues to do so. Unfortunately, a few Otters have "faded to oblivion" leaving few details behind. Here is one such Otter, another "Vietnam Vet"........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 323

Otter 323 was delivered to the United States Army on 14th April 1959 with serial 58-1708 (tail number 81708). It was assigned to the 18th Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas and deployed to Vietnam with the Company in December 1962. The Otter continued to fly for the 18th Aviation Company until May 1966 when it was returned to the United States for depot level maintenance at the ARADMAC Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas. On completion of the work in July '66 it was returned to Vietnam, joining the 54th Aviation Company, with whom it served until March 1969. It was then shipped home, arriving at the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California in September '69 and being transferred the following month to the Atlanta, Georgia Army Depot, where it was put into storage. In January 1971 81708 was assigned to Yuma, Arizona as a test support aircraft and continued flying from Yuma until damaged in an accident in November 1972. The damaged aircraft was scrapped.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Passed on" far too young............

- photo by George Downer, circa 1963-64. Flight of two Otters off Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. Pictured aircraft, Otter 323, on a test flight, George in right seat of unknown numbered Otter. Both from 18th Aviation Company, Nha Trang.

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-12-24T09:34:00.004-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #87" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Gippsland GA8 "Airvan"! Duncan, you are "the man"! Enjoy the "sailboat fuel"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2008-12-22T16:24:00.008-06:00

We all know that the Otter served the Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario well. Here is an Otter that "served", went on loan to help out in other provinces, and is a veteran "water-bomber". She served "The Ministry" for 31 years, then went back to the "private sector". She stayed in Ontario for a number of years, before migrating to Alaska, where she still is today, and spends some of her time "fishing". Check out "Norville's Otter".........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 15

Otter number 15 was delivered to the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) as CF-ODL on 28th May 1953, registered to the Department of Lands & Forests, as were all the OPAS Otters. It performed the same duties as its sister ships, as described for number 13. The OPAS Otters were also available to other provinces in need of assistance. In August 1961, CF-ODL undertook a three day ferry flight through high winds and rainstorms to Newfoundland. On its first day of operation, 14th August, assigned to protect fishing outposts from a 400,000 acre fire near Traverse Brook, the Otter dropped 38 loads in 6 hours 40 minutes. The next day, assigned to a three mile section of fire line in a combined assault with ground crews, the Otter flew nearly 11 hours, dropping 94 loads. In 1963 ODL was involved in an interesting salvage operation, when it flew to Algonquin Park to assist in the retrieval of a historic Fairchild KR-34 CF-AOH, which had crashed there. The frame and floats of the Fairchild were attached to the Otter's floats and flown back to Sault St.Marie.

As with all the OPAS Otters, number 15 was re-registered in September 1972 to the Province of Ontario, Ministry of Natural Resources, becoming C-FODL. It continued serving the provincial government for 31 years, until sold in December 1984 to Slate Falls Airways Ltd. As with many of the former OPAS Otters, it remained in Ontario, its new base being at Sioux Lookout, where it was to remain for many years. As the Trans Canada highway runs through Ontario, route 72 heads off to the north, and at the end of this road is Sioux Lookout, ideally placed to serve the interior of the province. ODL joined C-FITS (90) with Slate Falls Airways, both Otters being re-registered to Slate Falls Airways (1987) Ltd following a re-structuring of the company that year.

In May 1989 C-FODL was sold on to Sioux Air Ltd, with whom it flew for three years and in July 1992 it was registered to Sioux Lookout Fly-In Camps, all the while remaining based at Sioux Lookout. In May 1993 it was sold on to Matt's Air Service Ltd, also based at Sioux Lookout, painted in a most attractive two-tone blue colour scheme with white trim. One minor incident was recorded, on 31st March 1995. The Otter, with only the pilot on board, departed from an ice strip at the Slate Falls Reserve, returning to its base at Sioux Lookout. Shortly after take-off, the pilot noticed a decrease in the aircraft's performance and saw that the left wheel-ski had become partially detached from the aircraft, being supported only by its check cables. The pilot diverted the flight back to the Slate Falls Reserve, and landed without further incident. ODL sustained minor damage to the left wheel-ski, which was repaired and the aircraft returned to service.

ODL continued in service with Matt's Air Service until sold to Bishop Aviation Inc in June 2001. It was flown south to the base of the new owner in Decatur, Texas where it was converted to turbine power with the Garrett TPE-331 engine, becoming the third such conversion. It was registered N150BA on 3rd July 2001 to Texas Air Cargo Inc of Decatur, replacing the crashed prototype of this conversion, N120BA (115). It became the Texas Turbines demonstrator. In February 2003 it was advertised for sale: “Texas Turbines 1000hp 'Super Otter' demonstrator is for sale for less than it cost to buy an airplane and do the conversion”. It had a new paint scheme and 100 hours since the factory engine had been installed. According to Texas Turbines, they had enough satisfied customers, didn't need a demonstrator any more and word of mouth was their best advertising. Prices quoted were $775,000 on wheels without radios, $805,000 with radios and $955,000 on Wipline 8000 floats with radios.

The Otter was sold in May 2003 and on 2nd June 2003 was registered to Kenai River Xpress LLC of Soldotna, Alaska. This is the company of Alan Norville, a commercial land developer based in Arizona, but who bought the Otter for travel around Alaska during the summer months, on sightseeing, fishing trips etc. The Otter was named “Norville's Otter”, which was painted on the nose, and it was flown all the way from Decatur, Texas to Soldotna, Alaska. It then arrived at Vernon, BC in late October '03 for the installation of a new customised interior, with plush leather seating in the cabin, and to be fitted with bubble windows for greater viewing, the work being undertaken by Kal Air at Vernon. The Otter then returned to Alaska, where Mr.Norville has a second home on the Kenai River in south central Alaska.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 15

January 1st, 2008. N150BA. In private use with Kenai River Xpress, Soldotna, Alaska named “Norville’s Otter”. Texas Turbine.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Otter is "renowned" for her "robust" airframe, sure glad the "turbine conversions" are extending her service life another "50 years"........

-photo by Rich Hulina

**CHECK OUT A RECENT PICTURE OF** - "Norville's Otter"!

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-12-17T18:13:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #86" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" (Sturzkampfflugzeug)! The "sailboat fuel" doubles next week!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2008-12-16T14:33:00.004-06:00

Here is a "fine-looking" 52 year old "lady" that continues in the workforce to this very day. She has worked overseas, but came back to live in Canada. She had a serious injury earlier in her life, but she "rehabilitated and recovered" and returned to "100%". She is still today in her "original configuration", no "liposuction" or "botox" for this "Canadian girl"!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 157

Otter 157 was delivered to the United States Army on 5th September 1956 with serial 55-3301 (tail number 53301). It was assigned to the 3rd Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas and moved with the Company when it deployed to Illesheim, Germany in July 1957. The Otter was noted visiting Croydon Airport, London on 13th March 1958. When the 3rd Aviation Company disbanded in November 1959, 53301 was assigned to the 2nd Aviation Company, based at Verdun, France where it continued to serve until March 1964. In May '64 it arrived at the New Cumberland Army Depot, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where it underwent depot level maintenance and then storage. In September 1966 it was put into storage at Fort Sam Houston, Texas until February 1968, when it was transported to Vietnam and joined the 54th Signal Brigade. It served with that organisation until July 1969 and was then entrusted to the 520th Transportation Battalion, who prepared it for shipment home. It arrived at the Army's Forest Park, Atlanta, Georgia depot in September 1969 where it was put into storage until May 1972, when it was deleted from the inventory and put up for disposal as military surplus.

It was acquired by Kyro's Albany River Airways of Thunder Bay, Ontario, to whom a Certificate of Registration as CF-DAK and Flight Permit for Importation Flight from a location in Minnesota was issued on 24th April 1973. Quite how it got from Atlanta to Minnesota is not known. It was formally registered to Kyro's as CF-DAK on 6th June 1973. Over the years that followed, it was to be operated by quite a number of bush carriers in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. Its next operator, in 1974, was Green Airways Ltd of Red Lake, Ontario and it was to serve them for twelve years as C-FDAK. It then went through a succession of operators - Pickle Lake Air Services Ltd of Pickle Lake, Ontario (1986); V.Kelner Airways Ltd of Pickle Lake, Ontario (1987); Parsons Airways Northern Ltd of Flin Flon, Manitoba (1988); Mid Canada Sky Services Ltd of Lynn Lake, Manitoba (1990) and Pourvoierie de la Seigneurie du Lac La Croix Inc of St.Ann de Sorel, Lac La Croix, Quebec from June 1992.

In August 1994 it was registered to Air Saguenay (1980) Inc of Lac Sebastien, Chicoutimi, Quebec with whom it was to serve for many years. On 26th September 2001 at Riviere Chateaugua, 170 miles north of Schefferville, Quebec, while cruising at 400 feet under a low ceiling, the engine began to vibrate strongly. Application of power produced explosions of flame. The pilot made an immediate landing on a small lake but due to the low altitude from which the descent was made and the wind, this resulted in a heavy landing on the water. The engine was torn from its mounts, as were the floats, part of the float attachment entering the cabin and causing minor injuries to one of the occupants. Subsequent examination did not reveal any defects in the engine, but conditions at the time were favourable to carburettor icing. The Otter was repaired and returned to service with Air Saguenay.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 157

January 1st, 2008. C-FDAK. Air Saguenay, Chicoutimi, Quebec. R-1340.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Typical "jouneyman" Otter still serving the "Canadian bush". The "plummet" from 400' reminds me of an incident I had in 2007, will write about it soon.........

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-12-10T12:24:00.004-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #85" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Grumman S2F ("Stoof") "Tracker"! Duncan wins the "sailboat fuel", good thing, he lives right beside Lake Winnipeg! "Honourable mention" to Lance, Duncan had a quicker "trigger finger" this time. Thanks for taking part, "guys"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2008-12-09T11:54:00.004-06:00

South America, Antarctica, a "jump-plane", to Alberta, then British Columbia, up to the Yukon, “El Caballero Rojo” had "one helluva' history"!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 447

Otter 447 was delivered to the Argentine Air Force, the Fuerza Aerea Argentina, on 10th February 1965, with serial P-11. It was one of two Otters delivered that day, the other being number 448, serial P-12. Both were acquired for survey work and were equipped with aerial cameras. Whereas the basic price of an Otter at that time was $96,000, with their additional cameras and equipment, each of the Argentine aircraft cost $170,000. They were painted in a red overall colour scheme, with day-glo paint on the front of the engine cowling, the tail and wing tips. They certainly stood out on the snowy ramp at Downsview, which was of course the intention behind the high visibility colour scheme. They departed together for the long delivery flight south to Argentina, a flight of 7,850 miles.

The two Otters were assigned to the 1 Brigada Aerea, based at El Palomar. The aircraft and crews spent most of 1965 training and testing equipment in preparation for their Antarctic mission. This training was carried out on the Upsala Glacier in the Province of Santa Cruz on the mainland, an area similar to the Antarctic in terms of climate and topography. In November 1965 both Otters deployed to the Benjamin Matienzo Air Base, Antarctica where they joined the Grupo Aereo Antarctico 1. The Otters flew in a utility role, transporting personnel and cargo, including air-dropping supplies. P-12 had additional fuel tanks installed, which increased its endurance to thirteen hours. Unfortunately this aircraft was only in service a few months when it suffered an accident at the Benjamin Matienzo Air Base in early 1966 and was shipped back to El Palomar where all useable parts were salvaged and the remains broken up.

P-11 continued to give sterling service, and was very active in November 1966 on photographic sorties during a solar eclipse. In October 1967 the Otter returned to the mainland and participated in exercises in the Provinces of Chaco and Formosa in the north eastern part of the country, with 1 Brigada Aerea. It also conducted further exercises in the Upsala Glacier area in May 1968. It again returned to the Antarctic for the 1968/69 season. P-11 was declared surplus to requirements in July1971, having been replaced by the DHC-6 Twin Otter. Its camera equipment was removed and on 25th August 1972 the Otter was donated to the Fuerza Aerea Paraguaya (FAP), the Paraguayan Air Force, with which it adopted serial T-05. It was reportedly intended for use by the President of Paraguay for fishing trips, but in any event was attached to the “Transport and Training Air Group” (Grupo Aereo de Entrenamiento y Transporte/GAET) of the FAP, used for general transport tasks within Paraguay. It still retained the overall red/day-glo colour scheme in which it had been delivered, and was known in Paraguay as “El Caballero Rojo" (“The Red Gentleman”).

By the late 1970s, the cabin seats had been removed and it was in use for parachuting. In 1980, the aircraft was re-serialled 0209, when all FAP aircraft received four digit serials. In 1981, on take off from Nu-Guazu Air Force Base near Asuncion on a parachute sortie, it crashed. Although the cockpit section was badly damaged, the pilot and passengers survived. The damaged aircraft had the wings removed and was stored in a hangar at Nu-Guazu Air Base. There the Otter lay until 1991 when it was sold by auction to a local businessman for scrap. However, he must have retained it in one piece, as the Otter was later purchased by Mr Randy D'Aoust/Quality Aircraft Sales of St.Albert, near Edmonton, Alberta where it arrived in a crate early in 1997. The Otter was sold on to Vazar Aerospace, promoters of the Vazar Turbo Otter and Otter 447 arrived at the Aeroflite Industries facility at the Vancouver International Airport in July 1997, having been trucked there from Edmonton. The damage to the airframe was repaired.

In the event, the Otter was not rebuilt at that time, but was transported to Mr. Dara Wilder's farm at Aldergrove, BC (he is the principal of Vazar Aerospace) where it was stored. In November 2002 it was trucked to the facilities of Volant Technica at Portland, Oregon for engineering work on a new window configuration for the DHC-3. It was then returned to storage in the Vancouver area, awaiting rebuild. It was advertised for sale in October 2004 as a rebuild project. The advertisement noted that the aircraft had been stored since 1981 and had never been on floats. It went on: “We will build to your specification and have ready Spring 2005. Tell us what mods/engine/configuration you want and we will quote. Your choice of engine - Pratt, Garrett, Walter”. The Otter was advertised as having 5,900 hours on the airframe and after rebuild would be delivered with the 9,000 pound high gross weight kit installed, as well as BARON STOL kit, on wheels or floats. Other modification options included a 16 seat interior and window modification kit. After more than 20 years on the ground, Otter 447 was near to resuming its flying career.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 447

January 1st, 2008. C-FDJD. Otter 447 was originally delivered to the Argentine Air Force in February 1965 for operation in the Antarctic and it served with the Fuerza Aerea Argentina with serial P-11 until August 1972 when it was donated to the Paraguayan Air Force, serial T-05. It was named “El Caballero Rojo” (The Red Gentleman) as it retained the all-red colour scheme from its days in the Antarctic. It was re-serialled 0209 and used for parachute work until an accident at Asuncion in 1981, after which it languished in a damaged state in a hangar at Nu-Guazu Air Base for many years. In 1991 it was sold for scrap but by good fortune it was purchased by Mr Randy D’Aoust/Quality Aircraft Sales of Edmonton, Alberta where it arrived in a crate early in 1997. It was sold to Vazar Aerospace and used for tests on a new window configuration before being sold to Recon Air of Geraldton, Ontario in February 2005 as C-FDJD, the first time this Otter had carried a Canadian registration. It was advertised for sale as a rebuilt Otter with low airframe time of only 5,900 hours, stored since 1981, with whatever engine the buyer specified.

The Otter was sold to 39649 Yukon Inc of Whitehorse, Yukon to whom it was registered C-GZCW on 18th January 2007. It was for operation by Black Sheep Aviation & Cattle Company, based at Whitehorse, who also operated Otter C-GMCW (108), a Texas Turbine conversion. Otter 447 C-GZCW was also converted as a Texas Turbine at Geraldton and in March 2007 was delivered to Whitehorse and entered service with Black Sheep Aviation & Cattle Company.

Tragically its career was very short, as it crashed and burned at Mayo Airport in the Yukon on 2nd June 2007, killing the pilot, the only occupant. It had only flown 240 hours since rebuild. At the time of writing the accident report has not been published but it appears that the Otter had just taken off from Mayo with a load of timber when it made an emergency return to the airfield and crashed on landing.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tragic". A new "lease on life", but she "expires" prematurely, along with her "valiant" pilot.

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-12-03T22:25:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #84" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Fairey "Swordfish", similar to the ones pilots Lieutenant Percy Gick and Sub-Lieutenant John Moffat flew and disabled "The Bismarck"! Mike wins the "sailboat fuel"!

"Induct Reginald Joseph Leach into the Hockey Hall of Fame" Petition

2008-12-01T09:37:00.001-06:00

Hey folks, click the title or the link below, "have a read", sign if you like, forward the link! Thanks for your time!

Cheers,

Steve

LINK - "Induct Reginald Joseph Leach into the Hockey Hall of Fame" Petition

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2008-11-30T16:48:00.004-06:00

Hey, the old Otter even made "trans-Atlantic" flights. Alcock, Brown, and Lindbergh would be "proud" of this old Otter! Later on she crashed in "sea ice", survived, but then met a "fiery" end!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 189

Otter 189 was delivered to the United States Army on 19th December 1956 with serial 55-3321 (tail number 53321). It first served with the 3rd Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas and moved with the unit when it deployed to Germany in July 1957, establishing at Illesheim. The 3rd Aviation Company disbanded in November 1959. 53321 was then assigned to the 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion, Sembach Air Base, Germany where it continued to serve until February 1966. After a few months at the depot at Mannheim, the Otter was assigned to US Logistics Group, Turkey (TUSLOG), Detachment 4, based at Sinop Army Airfield.

Also based at Sinop were a pair of Beech U-8 Seminoles which, together with the Otter, served this remote outpost. Detachment 4's aviation section became known informally as “Esek Airlines” (an esek being a Turkish donkey). The Otter replaced a U-6A Beaver. Initially the Otter was painted in standard Army olive drab and carried the logo “Esek Airlines - Stumblin' Stud” on the engine cowling. Later the Otter was painted in the red/white colour scheme. 53321 took the honour of being the very last active US Army Otter in Europe. The remaining Army Otters, which were all based in Germany, eight of them, were withdrawn from service during 1971 and sold on the civilian market in December 1971. They had all been flown back to Canada during January/March 1972, leaving 53321 still serving in Turkey until May 1972. It passed through Athens Airport, Greece on 7th June 1972 on its ferry flight from Sinop to the Depot at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany where it was put into storage. It remained on Army charge until December 1972 and was then offered for sale. For a long time, it sat forlornly at Coleman Barracks, parked in the long grass, surrounded by no less than 86 U-6A Beavers which were also awaiting disposal. The Otter was still in the red/white colour scheme and had been 'zapped' with a small TWA Airlines sticker on the tail.

The Otter was sold during 1973 to brokers Joseph V.Massin of Rodenkirchen, Germany and registered to them as N93441. By 15th January 1974 the aircraft was parked at Maastricht airfield in Holland and by 6th May '74 was at Bonn-Hangelar airfield, Cologne, Germany. Massin Aircraft had also purchased eight Otters from the Ghana Air Force, and these eight Otters as well as N93441 were sold to Air Craftsmen Ltd of St.John, New Brunswick, a company which traded in Otters. On 21st May '74 marks C-GLCV were provisionally allocated to the Otter and a ferry permit issued for a flight from Cologne to St.John, New Brunswick. On 17th June '74 C-GLCV flew from Bonn-Hangelar to Biggin Hill airfield, near London. Also arriving at Biggin Hill that day were two of the former Ghana Air Force Otters C-GLCO (420) and C-GLCT 9430), which had flown up from Africa via Gibraltar and Marseille. All three Otters were fitted with ferry tanks for the transatlantic crossing and departed together from Biggin Hill for Prestwick, Scotland on 21st June '74. All three set off for Reyjkavik, Iceland the following day and successfully completed the transatlantic flight to St.John.

C-GLCV underwent a major inspection and conversion to civilian configuration at St.John and flew to Oshawa, Ontario during August 1974 for further work, returning to St.John. On completion of the work, it made a test flight on 12th January '75 and was registered to Air Craftsmen Ltd on 27th January '75. Its total time at that stage was 4,691 hours. The Otter was sold on 5th February '75 to Les Fonds Nordic Ltd of Sept Iles, Quebec, a leasing company, and leased by them to Air Gava Ltee, based at Schefferville, Quebec, to whom it was registered on 27th March '75. For nearly a year, LCV served the bush country of northern Quebec, until it met with an accident on 3rd February 1976. The Otter was flying from Payne Bay to Fort Chimo. Twenty minutes after departure, the weather deteriorated rapidly. The pilot did not turn back, hoping to find better conditions ahead. He continued at 11,000 feet in cloud for several hours. With darkness approaching, he descended until he had visual contact and made an approach to land, through blowing snow and in twilight, on the rough sea ice of Ungava Bay, twenty miles south of Koartac. The whiteout conditions made it impossible to judge altitude and the Otter landed heavily on the rough surface, being substantially damaged in the process. The two on board were rescued two days later by a Survair DC-3.

Temporary repairs were made on site, and a ferry permit issued for a flight on 24th February to St.Jean airfield, Montreal where St.Louis Aviation repaired the Otter, which had suffered damage to the main gear, propeller and engine mount. The Otter was soon back in action, but only a few days later, on 12th March 1976, it was destroyed by a fire at Sept Iles, Quebec on its way back from Montreal to Schefferville. At 0515 hours that morning, the pilot was preparing the Otter for departure from Sept Iles airport. An electrical fire originated in the baggage compartment, where there was a ten gallon fuel drum and a tarpaulin. The smoke was noticed some minutes after the main switch had been selected on and while the pilot was turning the propeller by hand. Unfortunately the fire took hold, and there were no emergency services on duty at the airport at that early hour of the morning. Sadly, Otter C-GLCV was totally consumed by the fire.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tough" environments for the "old girl" from "Day 1", unfortunately which she "didn't survive"..........

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-11-26T13:01:00.004-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #83" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Messerschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe" (Swallow)! The German pilots called the aircraft "Sturmvogel" (Stormbird)! Lance wins the "sailboat fuel"!

(*EXTRA!* Please take time to read the petition below, sign if you like, forward the URL, and thanks for your time!)

SEND - Reggie "The Rifle" Leach to "The Hall"!

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2008-11-23T14:20:00.004-06:00

THE VIRGIN

Lambair will always hold the #1 spot in the Manitoba aviation "Hall of Fame", in my eyes. The Lambair story is spell-binding, and a "blueprint" of hard work and "real" men. Anyways, they operated 13 Otters during their days, but they only bought one that was new, straight from de Havilland. Here is the story of Lambair's only "virgin" Otter...........

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 446

Otter 446 was delivered to Thomas Lamb Airways Ltd of The Pas, Manitoba on 29th May 1964, registered CF-DCL. This company, later re-named Lambair, was a major user of the Otter, with no less than thirteen Otters registered to it over the years, but number 446 was the only Otter it purchased new from DHC, all its other acquisitions being pre-owned. This was a family business run by Thomas Lamb and his children. DCL stood for Douglas Carl Lamb. CF-DCL was fitted with amphibious floats, and was acquired to support an initial one year contract for the Department of Northern Affairs, based out of Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island in the Northwest Territories.

As Jack Lamb, one of the sons of Thomas Lamb, later wrote: “These floats cost $25,000, which was a quarter of the price of the brand new Otter they were fitted to. Due to the high cost of the floats, we filed a separate tariff of $205 per hour to help recoup this extra cost. In July 1964 I had to fly to Ottawa, spending two days explaining to the Rates & Fares Department how I arrived at the amphibious float figure. That fall, after spending the summer servicing all the settlements on Baffin Island, I took the Otter two thousand miles back to home base at The Pas. We used this Otter on local trips but only charged the normal float rate, as the amphibious configured floats were not required. The Air Transport Committee auditor noted that we did a trip with DCL but did not charge the amphibious rate. I wrote back that we had substituted DCL on that trip because there wasn't any other Otter available. They wrote back wanting my assurance by Statutory Declaration that the air was let out of the tires on the amphib floats thereby making sure we would not be able to use the amphib float configuration. This gives a brief idea as to the mind-set of the people who were in charge of Canada's aviation policies in those days”!

The following year, on 17th November 1965, flown by Conrad Lamb, DCL was damaged on take-off from Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories en route to Whale Cove and Churchill. There were five passengers on board and the Otter was on wheel-skis. During the take off run in a strong cross wind, the aircraft turned to the right and struck a runway light post. It then crashed onto the frozen surface of a small lake off the end of the runway and suffered damage to the left undercarriage, left wing and propeller. The airstrip that was being used was 3,800 feet long and 150 feet wide. Runway lights at the side of the runway were attached to metal pipes embedded in the ground which rose to a height of four feet. When the tail wheel left the ground, the Otter turned sixty degrees to the right into the strong crosswind. The pilot reported that when he observed a runway light in his path, he was committed to continue the take off and applied full power and additional flap to climb over the light. The tail gear struck the light, which ripped the gear from the aircraft. The Otter began to stall, swung into the wind and the left wheel struck the ground, which caused it to collapse. The accident report concluded that the pilot had “attempted to take off in unsuitable conditions”. Damage was not that extensive and company Otter CF-MEL (222) flew up from The Pas with a repair party.

DCL continued in service with the company, which was re-named Lambair in December 1968. In May 1969 the Otter went on lease to Norcanair for some months, returning to Lambair after the summer. It suffered another accident at Grace Lake, The Pas, Manitoba on 12th July 1970. The Otter, with nine passengers on board and two hundred pounds of baggage, had just taken off en route to Norway House. It started to settle and came down in dense willows on the shore of the lake, fortunately without injury to anyone on board. On 16th July '70, after temporary repairs at the site, it was ferried via Saskatoon to Calgary for repair by Field Aviation. It then returned to Lambair and continued flying for them until sold to Athabasca Airways Ltd, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan by Bill of Sale dated 28th December 1974.

The Otter was put on floats and went to work in northern Saskatchewan. It continued flying for Athabasca Airways until destroyed in an accident on take off from Emma Lake, Saskatchewan on 1st June 1976 on a flight to Patuanak. Prior to the flight, the Otter was loaded with four passengers and their baggage, boxes of canned goods, fresh meat, tool kits, plus four steel road-grader blade components, each eight feet in length. The pilot checked the weight and balance by “guesstimating” the weight and ensuring the floats “looked good”. On the first take off attempt the aircraft failed to get airborne. On the second attempt, the aircraft managed to get airborne, however, insufficient distance remained to the shore line and the take off was aborted. “Being persistent, and oblivious to the obvious” as the Accident Report puts it, the pilot taxied back into a small inlet to gain more room. On his third and final take off attempt, the aircraft got airborne but unable to climb, it crashed into the trees on the far shore and burned. One passenger subsequently died from severe burns. The pilot and the other three passengers were seriously injured. The Otter was destroyed.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

What a story! Can you believe the " 'Air Transport Committee wanting a Statutory Declaration that the air was let out of the tires on the amphib floats thereby making sure we would not be able to use the amphib float configuration.....?' " Yes, our tax dollars at work! Canada's "regulators" in the aviation industry have always been "adversarial", too bad, surmising "what could have been"...........

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-11-20T16:57:00.003-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #83" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Avro "Anson"! The "sailboat fuel" doubles for next week!

Oh, the Crane may fly much faster
Inside she may be neat,
But to me the draughty Anson
Is very hard to beat.
Her plywood may be warping,
Her window glass may crack,
But when you start out in an Anson.
You know that you'll come back.

-Andy, No. 7 SFTS (Fort Macleod) 1943

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2008-11-17T16:04:00.011-06:00

Recently I had a request to detail the history of one specific Otter. Here is the comment that was left on my Blog.........

Hey Steve,
please pick C-GYKO (River Air's Otter) as your "Otter of the Week". I'd love to know about her history.

Bruce
Mtka. MN
-----------------------

Good choice, Bruce, as I personally have met this Otter a number of times just this past year. I always knew she had a fine "pedigree", but who would have known that "she" could be mentioned in the same "breath" as Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, George S. Patton, Omar Bradley, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, and Norman Schwarzkopf? Yes, this Otter served honourably at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for 15 years, making a valued contribution to "The Long Gray Line"!

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 287

Otter 287 was delivered to the United States Army on 17th October 1958 with serial 58-1682 (tail number 81682). The Otter was allocated to the US Army Military Academy at West Point, New York, where it was to spend the entire of its military career. It was delivered from Downsview directly to West Point. The Otter was operated by the 2nd Aviation Detachment, which also had a UH-1A Huey helicopter, Cessna 0-1 and a Beech U-8D and a U-8F Seminole on strength. All these aircraft were based at Stewart AFB in upstate New York, but operated for the nearby Academy. At Stewart, the Detachment had taken over an old Air Force alert hangar, where they housed the Otter and other aircraft. The mission of the Detachment was the support of training of the West Point cadets, and for this purpose the Otter flew demonstration flights and parachute drops and flew freight. 81682 was in standard Army olive drab scheme, but sported the Academy crest on the tail.

The Otter continued in service until April 1973, before commencing the long cross-country flight to Tucson, Arizona where it entered the storage compounds of the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Centre (MASDC) at Davis-Monthan AFB on 10th June 1973, being allocated inventory code UA005. It was the fifth and last Army Otter to be stored there and its period of retirement in the Sonora Desert was less than a year. It left on 11th April 1974, having been allocated to the University of Tennessee Space Institute at Tullahoma, Tennessee to whom it was registered N22UT in April 1974. The Otter was substantially damaged in a crash at the Franklin County Airport, Winchester, Tennessee on 17th March 1975. In the course of a short field take off, during the initial climb in a left turn, the left wing dropped, the aircraft stalled and crashed back to the ground. The pilot, the only occupant, was seriously injured. That ended the Otter's career with the University of Tennessee, although they did obtain a replacement Otter, N2750 (261).

The Otter was purchased by Ontario Central Airlines of Winnipeg, Manitoba who brought the wreck to Winnipeg and rebuilt it. On 24th January 1977 a temporary Certificate of Registration as C-GYKO was issued, and a permit to test fly. Formal registration to Ontario Central Airlines was on 28th June 1977 and C-GYKO entered service, based at Gimli, Manitoba. Over the years that followed, YKO has been operated by quite a number of Canadian bush carriers. It was registered to Central Air Transport Ltd of Sioux Lookout, Ontario in 1980; Gold Belt Air Transport Ltd of Sioux Lookout in April 1987; Ashuanipi Aviation Ltd of Labrador City - Little Wabush Lake in December 1988 and Alexandair Inc of Sept Iles, Quebec in August 1990. On 5th October 1990, while flown by Alexandair, during climb out, at an altitude of two hundred feet, a loss of engine power was experienced. A forced landing was made in an alder grove one mile west of Lac Sale, Quebec. The damage was repaired. It was again registered to Ashuanipi Aviation Ltd in February 1993 and to Walsten Aircraft Parts & Leasing Inc, trading as Mandair, of Kenora, Ontario in September 1994. In June 1996 it was sold to River Air Ltd of Pistol Lake, Minaki, Ontario.

As its website proclaims: “Based in Minaki, just fifteen air miles south of the English River, is River Air, the charter service owned and operated by George and Gene Halley. Their red and white planes provide a scenic transport to whichever fly-in camp you are going to. Once there you may wish to arrange a daily fly-out fishing trip for Lake Trout, Muskie or Smallmouth Bass or to one of the more than thirty outlying lakes where we have cached boats and motors”. During 2002, the Otter flew down to Salina, Texas where it was converted to turbine power with a Garrett TPE-331 engine, becoming the fourth Texas Turbine conversion. Flown by George Halley, the return routing from Salina was via Sioux Falls, South Dakota-Mount Video, Minnesota-International Falls, Minnesota-Minaki, where it re-entered service with River Air.

*** LATEST UPDATE!***

Otter 287

January 1st, 2008. C-GYKO. River Air, Minaki, Ontario. Texas Turbine.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

- 81682 of the US Army Military Academy, West Point (its unit crest is on the tail) in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB Arizona April 1973. Inventory Code UA005 is carried -photo by Arnold Booy

- C-GYKO of River Air with the Texas Turbine engine conversion at Minaki, Ontario May 2004 -photo by Karl Hayes

-photo by Steve Taylor, 10/08/08

Yes, she sure is one "proud soldier".......

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-11-12T22:18:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #82" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY UNSOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Stinson V-77 "Reliant"! Lots of "sailboat fuel" up for grabs next week! "Adios"!

What a "beaut"!

"Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour"......

2008-11-11T20:54:00.005-06:00

.....and the guns fell "silent". The "War to End All Wars" was over. Well, history shows us this wasn't the case, unfortunately, as man is such a "faulty being". WWII would follow, Korea, and "our finest" are in "harm's way" again today in Afghanistan. Today I attended the Remembrance Day Ceremony at Camp Morton, along with my son, Cadet Sergeant Shane Taylor, and Korean War Veteran and proud PPCLI soldier Corporal Ernie Fontaine. We all took pause to honour the brave that made the "supreme sacrifice". I would ask that all pause to remember, and be thankful for the greatest asset our fighting men and women passed on to us....."FREEDOM"! I feel I have a great "spiritual kinship" for some reason with the WWII Veterans, alive and departed, even though I arrived 40 years too late to be a member of the Allied "Bomber Command". Anyways, no lengthy "post" today, just join me in listening to a "voice of hope" from a "difficult time", as she kept up the morale of our fighting soldiers and their Allies. Enjoy! Here is.........."VERA LYNN"!

VIDEO -

Vera Lynn: "White Cliffs Of Dover"

Corporal Fontaine and Sergeant Taylor "remember".............

Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes

2008-11-09T12:15:00.005-06:00

There are many "events" and "moments in time" that an Otter experiences as it builds it's own personal "history", some of which we can "imagine" in our minds, although the accuracy could be "suspect". I am just thankful that the pilots who flew (and fly) the Otters, and others, decided to capture many images in photos of the "grand old girl" as her "legend" grew. Check out the next Otter and photo, "mesmerizing".

All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:

De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otter 259

Otter 259 was delivered to the United States Army on 1st May 1958 with serial 57-6123 (tail number 76123). It was one of sixteen Army Otters delivered from Downsview to Addison, Texas for work to be done on them by Collins Radio Corporation. Most of these Otters were then delivered to Europe and by 1959 76123 was attached to the 572nd Engineer Platoon (Topographic Aviation) based at Wheelus Air Base, Tripoli, Libya. By January 1962 it was serving with the Corps of Engineers in Iran. It continued with this unit until April 1967 when it was damaged in an accident. It remained on charge until it was deleted from the inventory in April 1968, having been scrapped.

- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Not a "lengthy history", but check out this "moment in time" and accompanying description sent to me be Karl Hayes.

- photo provided by Don Bailey

Subject: Don Bailey getting a shave & haircut from local barber. (Gravity spike camp- Chah-Bahar, Iran) "Redwood" (Otter- 76123) in background. 1967.

FYI:

A local barber would walk about 1 mile (from Chah-Bahar village to the local airport) to give our Gravity spike camp crew (5) a haircut and a shave ...for just a few rials (15-20 cents U.S.). The barber's chair was an empty 20 litre AVGAS can. The barber carried his barber tools and a bottle of water to prepare shaving cream in a small, black satchel similar to one used by a doctor in the U.S.

DB
-----------

Like I said, an "unbelievable moment in time".......

CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes

It's Time To Play..... Otterflogger's "Name That Cockpit"!

2008-11-05T12:13:00.002-06:00

OK, "Ladies and Gentlemen", time for "installment #81" in our "cockpit series", which will be a continuing "brain-strainer".

This is the "cockpit" of "the" ......................

***MYSTERY SOLVED!***

This is the cockpit of the Ryan "NYP" monoplane, the "Spirit of St. Louis", that Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic! "Anonymous" wins the "sailboat fuel"! Not much forward "vis", Bruce, but it had a periscope! Unreal! "Adios"!