Dirk Septer's vintage propliners in Canada

Dirk Septer's vintage propliners in Canada.

Photos © Dirk Septer

Dirk Septer shares my interest in vintage aircraft and aviation history. His focus includes the large multi propellor aircraft as well as the undefeatable bushplanes.
Various visits by him to the exotic Caribbean, resulted in a first page. But this page has propliners closer to home - but not in all instants as easy to get to.
Dirk added: "I have been travelling the Arctic for almost 20 years for at least one trip, sometimes two, a year. Always pick a different final destination, but always travelling through the hubs of Yellowknife and/or Rankin Inlet/Iqaluit.
I do it the hard/cheap way: two days on the bus Campbell River-Hay River and again two days back from there. On the 2009 trip, for example, I camped out 10 nights in 7 different locations. Tiresome, but the bottom line is that it's cheap.
Over the years, I've developed a network of friends and contacts where I can get free coffee in the morning, a shower when needed or a couch when weathered/snowed out."

First Air HS.748 landing at Qikiqtarjuaq

C-GTLD landing on the dusty dirt strip at Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut (CYCY) 21Jun06

Dirk looks back on a bit of aviation he participated in:
"Between the early 1990s and 2009, First Air/Bradley Air Services operated a fleet of Hawker Siddeley HS-748s (commonly referred to as 'Hawkers') out of Iqaluit, Nunavut (CYFB ) and Yellowknife, N.W.T. (CYZF)
The fleet included:
Tail nos. 401 C-FBNW (s/n 1759); 402 C-GBFA (s/n 1781); 403 C-GDUL (s/n 1578); 404 C-GDUN (s/n 1581); 406 C-GGNZ (s/n 1690); 407 C-GTLD (s/n 1722); 408 C-GYMX (s/n 1665); C-GCUK (s/n 1762) and C-GJVN (s/n 1640) and one with a larger loading door C-GFNW (s/n 1758; fleet no.405, but I've never seen it applied to the aircraft).
Gradually First Air replaced the Hawkers with more modern ATR-42s; C-GTLD and C-GFNW were the last two Hawkers operating out of Iqaluit, with the latter still there in 2008.
I have colour slides of all of the above, but since I only acquired a digital camera in 2006, I only have digital shots of these last two.
On 06Jun05, I happened to be a passenger on the very last revenue flight of C-GJVN, flying from Igloolik (CYGT) via Hall Beach (CYUX) to Iqaluit. The aircraft had just enough cycles left to eventually fly back to First Air's home base of Carp, Ontario awaiting disposal.
The flight crew was so kind as to sign one of the aircraft's safety cards for me as a souvenir of the historical last commercial flight segment!"

HS.748 C-GTLD First Air
C-GTLD at Iqaluit 29Jun07

HS748 C-GFNW First Air
C-GFNW at Iqaluit 29 jun 07

Safety Card with crew signatures

"Bob Baglow, the publisher/editor of the discontinued aviation magazine Aviation Quarterly and later renamed Aviation Canada, has started a web site www.CanAero.ca on which he posted the work of the previous writers and photographers of his magazine.
The articles and photography include my ATR-42/HS-748 photography ('Swansong of the Hawkers'), as well as excellent shots by Rich Hulina!"

As Air-Britain’s specialist on the HS748, Richard J. Church wrote his comment on Dirk's article.

"Their first 748 (C-GTLD) entered service out of Iqaluit on 10th September 1979 after its Certificate of Airworthiness was issued three days earlier.
The type inaugurated service between Ottawa and Montréal-Mirabel on 13th March 1981 and between Ottawa and Boston on 17th November 1984. Ottawa was also linked with Rouyn and Val d’Or in the early HS748 days. However in 1990 all scheduled services with the type ended out of Ottawa.

Iqaluit was subsequently linked by the HS748s with Cape Dorset, Clyde River, Coral Harbour, Hall Beach, Igloolik, Nanisivik, Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, Qikiqatarjuak, Rankin Inlet and Resolute Bay while internationally Nuuk and Kangerlussuak were served.
Yellowknife was linked with Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Holman Island, Kugluktuk, Pelly Bay and Taloyoak and also to the Ptarmigan Airways destinations of Fort Simpson, Hay River and Whitehorse.
All these destinations were served on a scheduled basis. Regular charter flights were flown servicing the DEWline stations from Alaska to Greenland at one time together with many ad hoc charter flights.

With your fleet list I have a few comments and a few queries.
"C-FBNW also had the larger loading door. I have always shown C-GJVN with the fleet number 406 rather than C-GGNZ but am open to correction.
I never traced a fleet number for C-GGNZ. C-GCUK was never quoted as having a fleet number but that was only leased for a relatively short time as also were F-ODTX (s/n 1764), C-GLTC (s/n 1656) and C-GRXE (s/n 1783).
Other HS748s owned by Bradley Air Services/First Air were C-GDOV (s/n 1582) and C-GFFA (s/n 1789) while C-GDUI (s/n 1577) was obtained for spares use only.

I think that First Air must have had second thoughts on the retirement of C-GJVN.
At 27th January 2005 it had amassed 60,012 hours and 54,701 cycles. When it eventually ferried to Trois Rivières, QB (First Air had pulled out of Carp by this time) on retirement on 30th April 2007 it had flown 62,521 hours and completed 56,413 cycles.
This was and still is the highest recorded time 748 throughout the world.

The First Air HS748 era finally came to end when C-GFNW ferried from Iqaluit to Trois Rivières, QB on 15th February 2011 for honourable retirement and possible onward sale."

Richard J. Church.

And Dirk's reaction to the above:
"GGNZ: I have never seen a number of '406' applied on this aircraft; I have a July 1998 slide showing 406, but unfortunately it does not show the registration of the aircraft. All later slides of GJVN do not show 406, rather the 'JVN registration.
I do not remember where I got the info as GGNZ being 406, so I cannot argue about your info as 406 actually being GJVN.
GCUK leased from Air Inuit? A July 1994 slide shows the aircraft with First Air titles and also shows the larger cargo door; later slides show GCUK with Air Inuit titles."

ZS-ASN at Smithers
Dirk wrote: "I came across this unusual South African-registered DC-3 ZS-ASN at Smithers, in 1997."

You'll find that registration 'ZS-ASN' was previously used on a Lockheed Lodestar; more on this and the history on this peculiar Basler BT-67 HERE...

Dirk wrote the following on this remarkable 'Dak':
"The DC-3, for obvious reasons nicknamed 'Pinnochio', showed up at the Smithers airport (CYYD) during the late winter of 1997.
Four years earlier, this 1947-vintage Dakota had been converted to twin PT-6 Turbo engines at the Basler plant in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. During the conversion, the aircraft's fuselage was strengthened and extended. Its owner, Spectrum Air of Johannesberg, South Africa, was quite tight-lipped about the project.

But according the company's Chief Pilot, Australian Peter Hall, Smithers would be used as a base while the company trained some pilots and to work out some bugs in the systems of high-tech sensors for aerial mineral exploration.
Though the DC-3 had already been used for aerial geological survey work for about two decades, more and more up-to-date equipment had been added inside and outside the aircraft's fuselage.
Flying slowly low above the ground, the aircraft acts as a large antenna/receiver, soaking up both magnetic and electrical fields. Parameters measured from the DC-3 would include the earth's magnetic and gravity fields and conductivity as well as radiation, such as gamma rays from uranium and potassium.

The photograph shows the Hudson's Bay Glacier (a known location of a large molybdenum (moly) in the background.

Beech 18 C-FWWV has come full circle by returning to Yellowknife from a long period in northwestern Ontario.This picture was taken at Yellowknife on July 16, 2010.
The aircraft is now owned by a tenant, who rents space in Adlair's hangar/FBO at Yellowknife, which in turn is owned by the son of the original owner of WWV, the late Willie Laserich.
(Note- CF-WWV was registered to David Mathieson of Yellowknife, on 18Mar11; Mathieson is part owner of Summit Air, which now operates a fleet of seven Dorniers and two Skyvans).

In 2010, with some 50,000 flying hours with a perfect safety record in the Canadian Arctic, Laserich was inducted in Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame.
During his 50-year aviation career, he flew more than 3,000 medevacs, had six babies born in flight on his aircraft and was involved in more than 100 aerial search and rescues in this hostile northern environment, earning him the moniker, 'King of the Medevacs'.

Conair waterbombers 64, 67 and 68 on station at Whitehorse, Yukon (July 23th, 2010).
Conair Firecat C-GABC / T67

Dirk Septer sent me these images 05Jul10 of N877MG; he wrote;
"Finally something interesting at Campbell River!
Note the WW II 'Hump' symbol underneath the wing...
And that nosejob...?!
Also, interesting that serial 4193 is not mentioned in Air-Britain's "The Douglas DC-3 and its predecessors".
The DC-3 is registered to 'Historic Flight Foundation'. "

EXIF data on the images sent show date 05JUL2010.

One can read the details on that serial and the story behind the nose, 'hump'-badge, a.o. on my page More Gooney Birds.

I came across N877MG myself upon my visit to Campbell River on 14SEP2010.

RCAF CC-109 Cosmopolitan (Canadair CL-66), N4AX at Calgary (15JUL2009)
CL-66 N4AX

Dirk wrote on the CL-66;
"When Convair terminated production of their successful CV-440 turboprop, Canadair acquired the rights to the design, jigs and tooling, as well as three unsold 440s.
Based on the Convair 440 and powered by Napier Eland turboprops, Canadair built 13 aircraft designated as the CV-540. The Royal Canadian Air Force, which purchased 10 of these, would be the only customer and no further aircraft were built.
The RCAF purchased the 'Cosmo', as the aircraft became known, to replace their ageing Douglas C-47 and North American B-25 for VIP transport and light transport duties. Entering service in 1960 as the CC-109, the last of these was retired in 1994.
As the Napier engines proved to be unreliable and somewhat underpowered, the RCAF re-engined the aircraft with Allison 501s in 1966-67.
In the early 1990s, the Cosmo was phased out to be replaced by the CC-142 Dash 8 and CC-144 Challenger."

See also my webpage dedicated to a visit to Saskatoon, where two more CL-66's are stored, their history very much linked with N4AX...

Early August 2009 Dirk wrote me: "As the heatwave continues, with temperatures in the 30s up to 40, the country is ablaze with forest fires... The two Convair waterbombers based here at Campbell River are constantly flying over my house, to drop their loads somewhere on fires on the mainland.
Also a photo of the long-time project Yak at Sealand in Campbell River."

Convair CV580 C-FKFB (c/n 57), converted to Airtanker ('47') by Kelowna Flightcraft (?) and Conair.
[30Jul09]

And here is it in May 2011, nearing the first flight:
Yak 52 C-GGBK at Sealand

Dirk wrote: "Ran into Niels (remember that young Dutchman at Sealand?), he was putting the finishing touches on that long-term Yak project, which they hope to take for a first test flight soon. Unfortunately Niels probably won't see it fly as he'll be returning to Holland within a few weeks from now, for good..!"
[You'll find a photo on my Visit to Sealand 2010 page too]

Dirk sent me these in July 2009, writing: "Just back from my latest trip to the Arctic: Hay River-Yellowknife-Rankin Inlet-Iqaluit and Cape Dorset...
Here are a few you might be interested in."
C-FGET Air Inuit

Avro 748-244 series 2 C-FGET (c/n 1724) of Air Inuit on 10Jul09 at Iqaluit.

Basler BT-67 'Turbo Dak' C-GJKB (c/n 13383) on 10Jul09, also at Iqaluit (... is the territorial capital and the largest community of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, see Wikipedia)

While many of the remaining Dash 7s are used for special transport needs in remote areas, this is what the airplane was designed for. Some Dash 7s have been specially modified to accomplish special missions such as aerial surveying and reconnaissance.
The Canadian Ice Service uses the one and only Dash 7IR-150 for ice surveillance in the Canadian Arctic. It is operated for Ice patrol by Bradley Air Services / First Air for the Canadian government. From January to March the aircraft is based at Summerside PEI, patrolling the Gulf of St. Lawrence. From early April the Straight of Belle Isle, Labrador coast, and northern Newfoundland are patrolled from Gander. June is a maintenance period as there is no sea ice in open shipping areas. From July to October the arctic is monitored from Iqaluit (Frobisher Bay, YFB) with sub-bases at Resolute Bay, Inuvik, Fairbanks, and Thule AB (Greenland).
The primary support is to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and its fleet of icebreakers who in turn support all shipping in canadian waters. A secondary role is iceberg surveillance as part of Canada's contribution to the North Atlantic Ice Patrol.
On deployment the aircraft has an aircrew of pilot, co-pilot, and engineer, with a mission crew of 4 ice service specialists and an electronics technician. Maintenance in done in the field with the aircraft coming back to Ottawa only between seasonal deployments, at which time any required major servicing is performed.

C-GCFR (s/n 102) was the first 150 series made. It was delivered in May, 1986 and holds 18,000 lb. of fuel (with two 4,000 lb. auxiliary tanks inboard of the #2 and #3 engine nacelles.) Fuel dumping is available for the auxiliary tanks to attain maximum landing mass in case of emergency. For normal operations only around 14,000 lb. of fuel are loaded.
The aircraft can stay airborne for almost 16 hours with VFR reserves. Due to the extra equipment its operating mass of 31,000 lb. is slightly higher than the usual airline version.
It has an Observatory dome on top of the fuselage and bubble windows out each side and. A SLAR (side looking airborne radar) can take a continuous picture 100 miles wide. (50 miles on each side of the aircraft). The SLAR can see the ground or icebergs through cloud and at night. Radar and camera images can be sent to ground stations and CCG icebreakers via an S-band downlink transmitter. A glass bottom bay holds a Zeiss large-format mapping camera to take pictures out the bottom of the aircraft.
Additionally, it has a drop chute in the back to drop AXBTs (airborne expendable bathytherms that measure and transmit sea temperature from surface to floor) as well as beacons used to measure sea ice and iceberg drift. It has NATO type hard points under the wings but these are not normally used.
An APU is fitted in # 4 engine nacelle. Further equipment includes dual IRS and GPS (Omega and Loran C were fitted but have been removed), airborne management computer and peripherals, HF fax transmitter, M-Sat(voice & data). This aircraft reportedly cost the Canadian government 38 million dollars to build. (Info by Paul Hobson & Canadian Ice Service)
[Source: http://members.aon.at/~slenz/dash7.html]

Not much left of C-54G C-GXKN c/n 36090 (13Jul09)
There is a story to this of course, Dirk wrote: "this Four was involved in a mishap at Norman Wells, YT on 05Jan06. The aircraft was later transported back to Yellowknife on a barge over the Mackenzie River. In August 2007 and its nose section was used to replace the one on C-GPSH, which had been damaged at Carat Lake in December 2006." See also my Photos by Friends & Guests, page 8

Hay River,NWT is a base for Buffalo Airways; aircraft are stored here for future (spares) use and no doubt maintenance can be done here too.
Dirk visited Hay River during early July 2009 and sent these photos.
Tanker 56 is C-GBNV, a Douglas C-54G (c/n 35988/382).
Tanker 14 is C-GBAJ, Douglas C-54E (c/n 27328,linenumber 274). I'd seen it at Red Deer in 2006.
The white/2-tone blue one is Douglas C-54G C-FBAM (c/n 36009/403), stored with its engines dismantled

C-FBAJ is an early Douglas C-54A; it has c/n 3088.
Its history is described on my page YELLOWKNIFE 2006

C-GCTF is seen temporarily out of service, due to an unwilling engine no.2, AT YELLOWKNIFE 2006
And so here it is at Hay River, taken out of service?

Tanker 13, Buffalo
Tanker 13 is C-FBAK (c/n 10613), although that tailnumber is not on the aircraft to be found.
Jason 'Jspitfire' pineau has a selection of Hay River propliners on his Flickr.com pages

Dirk added: "Strictly speaking, tanker 13, 14, 16 and 57 are not tankers, just maybe potential ones..."

CF-UAW Catalina firebomber
Consolidated-Vultee PBY-5A C-FUAW (CV-302) was reported for sale in 2004.

Buffalo Airways finally sold this last PBY Canso to Bob Dyck of Victoria, BC. On November 3rd, 2010, the aircraft (with 12,919.5 hours TT) left Hay River, NT via Prince George, BC to her new home base of Victoria.
Dyck plans to operate the aircraft in full passenger configuration to give flying tours; the name to look out for: Pacific Flying Boats Ltd.

The Canadian authorities record the manufacturer’s serial number (or constructor’s number) as CV-201 (CV being Canadian Vickers). However, the actual identity is CV-302!
Quite why Transport Canada have misquoted it for years as CV-201 is not clear, but Canadian Vickers Canso c/ns started at CV-240, so it is clearly not correct. (Thanks to David Legg for this explanation.)

"C-FBAP Tanker 15; during the 2009 forest fire season this one, and C-FBAJ, were active and ready to go. C-GCTF Tanker 58 was also based at Hay River, acting as a spare plane."

Some images of aircraft Dirk photographed in Pond Inlet,Nunavut in 2008: C-GEAJ Enterprise Airlines
Douglas DC-3 C-GEAJ (c/n 14675/26120) has been converted by Basler to turbo power and has now type designation 'BT-67'. It has a badge on the tailfin: ALCI, which is short for Antarctic Logistics Centre International. C-GEAJ crashed in Antarctica 05Jan09, and it was feared to have been written off.
But a team of Kenn Borek Air made repairs on the spot and it was flown back to Canada!
Enterprise Airlines / ALCI seems to have ceased operations.
C-GEAJ was registered to Kenn Borek Air on 01Oct2009.

Here is the video of the 2009 salvage action on Antarctica: YouTube
-+-

C-GEAJ BT-67

Arnold Begeman sent me an image dated 10Jul11 which shows C-GEAJ at Calgary IAP in a nice colourscheme

Buffalo Airways at Hay River; these were taken in 2008.
Tanker 57 C-FIQM

C-54G C-FIQM (c/n 36088/482), tanker 57.

C-FBAJ Tanker 02

C-FBAK tanker 13

Dirk faced the wintry cold of Canada's high North, in Nov.2008, and took these images at Yellowknife,NWT
- home of Buffalo Airways - Bufalo Airways, winter 2008 Yellowknife

Douglas C-54G C-FIQM (c/n 36088/482)

Curtiss C-46D C-FAVO (c/n 33242)

Douglas C-54E C-GCTF (c/n 27281/227)

Lockheed L.188AF Electra C-FBAQ (c/n 1039)

Registered to Buffalo Airways 03Jul07
Former identities:
VH-RMA N356Q N355WS N356Q N356CE N356Q OE-ILB

Lockheed L.188AF Electra C-GLBA (c/n 1145)

Registered to Buffalo Airways 03Jul07.
Former identities:
N9746C CF-IJJ N5767 N9746C LN-MOI LN-FOH OE-ILA

Douglas C-54D C-FBAA "Arctic Expeditor" (c/n 10653/384)

'Big Doug' airtankers of Buffalo Airways at Hay River in 2007

C-54A C-FBAJ (c/n 3088/30) Tanker 02	C-54G C-GBNV (c/n 35988) Tanker 56
Line up: C-FBAM, C-GBAJ, C-FBAP	C-54E C-GBAJ (c/n 27328) Tanker 14

C-54G C-FBAM (c/n 36009) was sold by Aero Union in 2005 to Buffalo Airways, having had them for 19 years. Aero Union had trouble in licensing the aircraft for use of an aerial firefighter since it was US registered (N4958M) in an experimental category.

Tanker 13 has faded tailnbr C-FBAK

PBY-5A CF-UAW (c/n CV301) at Hay River

C-54D C-FBAA at Yellowknife

C-GBPA is Tanker 16, stored at Y'knife

See also my report on a visit to Yellowknife in 2006, page 1 and page 2

C-GEAI, the BT67 sister ship of C-GEAJ.
Dirk took these photos on 25Jun07 and 29Jun07 Yellowknife airport.
C-GEAI was flying geophysical surveys for/chartered by a Texas-based company. These flights would last up to 7-8 hours and required extremely calm weather for that entire period; so there was a lot of sitting around at the airport there, waiting for the conditions be just right...
'Enterprise Airlines' failed in later years and C-GEAI (c/n 33053) was registered on 28Sep09 to Kenn Borek Air of Calgary.

MORE PHOTOS BY DIRK SEPTER ON THIS WEBSITE: HERE (Caribbean)

Kenn Borek's sister ship C-FMKB taken at Yellowknife,NWT on 30Jun07.
BT67 C-FMKB Ken Borek Air

PT6A engines-configured BT-67 C-FMKB.
Cconversion was performed by Basler Turbo Conversions, in Oshkosh (WI), of Douglas C-47A c/n 19560.
The history has been detailed on my page Photos by Friends & Guests (5)

Here are a couple of shots of two chartered foreign C-130s replacing First Air Hercs, taken at Yellowknife, 22Aug06.
I love that first shot with the skidoo and two quads in foreground....

L-382G N406LC (c/n 4676) - Lynden cargo

L-100-30 EI-JIV (c/n 4673) - Air Contractors

15Dec2010: DHC-3 C-GHAG after a recent mishap (details?). This is at Campbell River, B.C.
See C-GHAG in undamaged form at the dock, in Sep.2010 HERE...

Dirk wrote: "VIA's Beech 'GNR is now flying daily, having to do all their flying since Otter GHAG was damaged several weeks ago in accident at Kingcome Inlet. The pilot, Larry Langford ( VIA's owner), was caught in a severe outflow wind downburst on take off, which rendered his rudder control ineffective and spun him into a piling and cost him a wing...
According to Langford, it all happened in about two seconds.
It looks like GHAG will need a new wing and some fuselage repairs, luckily no one was hurt.
As of 15Dec2010, the Turbo Otter is still sitting at the Spit; as it was being leased from its owner Harbour Air, it will probably be shipped to Vancouver for repairs."

In july 2011 Dirk sent me this photo-proof of C-GHAG fully restored, not a wrinkle in sight! (15Jul2011, Victoria's Inner Harbour).

DHC-3T C-GHAG fully restored

'Kenn Borek's new Basler DC-3 C-GVKB c/n 12300, taken at Iqaluit, Nunavut on 11Jul2011 where it is based.
Interesting paint scheme on top of the wings following that of the fuselage.'

CL-215 C-FAYN Buffalo Airways

Bufallo Airways has acquired two new (used) Canadair CL-215 waterbombers, formerly operated by the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government. The machines, both manufactured in 1987, are still in that province's striking colours. Tail number 280 (below) still shows their logo as well.
I took these two shots at the Yellowknife airport on 8Jul2011:
C-GDKW (c/n 1095) tail number 280 and C-FAYN (c/n 1105) tail number 282. They were registered to Buffalo 03Aug10 and 08Sep10 resp.).

CL-215 C-GDKW Buffalo Airways

C-FBAQ Buffalo

Two shots here I taken at the Yellowknife airport on 08Jul2011 of Buffalo Airways' Lockheed L-188 Electras:

C-FBAQ (c/n 1039) has a small forward cargo door.
C-GLBA (c/n 1145) showing the large cargo door and custom-built ramp.

In 2010, Buffalo acquired a third Electra registered C-FIJX (c/n 2010), this L-188C (formerly registered N2RK) is probably stored at Red Deer, Alta. as I didn't see it at Yellowknife. (See the photo by John Olafson on my page Photos by Friends & Guests (29) -Webmaster)

C-GLBA

This is a photo of a Dornier Do-27B-1 in Israeli Air Force colours that I recently (Sep. 2011?) took at the Juneau Int'l Airport, inspite of the driving rain!
It was built in 1956, s/n 103, currently registered as N776AX (former registrations: D-ENAT, AS-901 and
55-01).
More details about the history of this interesting bird welcome.
EMAIL (please include link to this page for quick reference)

Over the years Dirk Septer has written many articles for a variety of aviation publications.
MARTIN MARS GIANT FLYING-BOATS in Aeroplane Monthly (March 2007) -Acrobat Reader .pdf format

Dirk Septer's showcase of propliners in the Caribbean

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