Photos © Ruud Leeuw
Photos © Ruud Leeuw
In the evening the weather suddenly cleared and so these photos are a fitting start to this account. With the sun out, my mood improved considerably. |
 Now these I like better than the Cessna: the deHavilland Twin Otter DHC-6-300 C-GMAS (c/n 438), because it is such a well-proportioned, powerfull bushplane ! This Turbo Prop was registered to Air Tindi on 22sep05; it was manufactured in 1974. In the top right corner one can see another aircraft approaching, coming in to land. Map Yellowknife (external link, in Acrobat Reader format)
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 Noorduyn Norseman Mk.V, CF-SAN (c/n N2929)
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I had been looking forward to meeting this icon of Arctic North Aviation, Joen McBruyan, since his reputation for aviation history and love for vintage planes (and automobiles!) is well-known; his company has been around for so long (founded in 1970), a commendable achievement in itself. C-GWCB/140 is Beech B95 c/n TD369, registered 08Dec94, manufactured 1960. |
 I stood and waited in the open hangar until the rain subsided a little. This is C-GPNR, C-47A c/n 13333. It had become clear to me that since Joe and his son weren't around, and with only 3 days of stay for me here in Yellowknife, there wouldn't be much of a chance to join a flight (which I had been secretly hoping for). But there were of course some very interesting planes to explore here. So let's get on with it! |
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Here is Buffalo Airways' website, check it out!
This was posted on Facebook 11Nov23-
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Two DC-3 cargo flights were scheduled that day, both were on hold due to the weather on their destinations. One was to go to the Echo Bay Mine, at Port Radium,NWT.
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Another thing I learned in a 'Plane Savers' video (YouTube) is that 'JKM is able to carry about |
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When WW2 ended it was handed over as N90414 to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) on 13Nov45. American AL bought it on 08Apr46 and named it "Flagship America”. But such a typical military transport could not last long and it went to Aircaft Sales Ltd on 02Apr49. It found new purpose in Australia, as VH-EBN operating for QANTAS (named "New Guinea Trader"), on 09Jul49. After a considerable career it was leased as VR-SEA to Malayan Airways (renamed “ Albatross”), which started on 10Sep58. During April 1960 it was returned, reregistered as Ron Cuskelly wrote me the following correction: "there was no DC-4 registered EBD or EDN, the TAHS book is incorrect! It should be VH-EBN, then VH-EDB."(VH-E Register in .pdf) See also Ron's page: www.adastron.com/aviation/definitive/def-his-006.htm It ended its career here in Feb77 when it was stored at Sydney.
C-GPSH was assigned for the first time for Calm Air Int'l in March 1982. It returned to the US Register as N7171H for Ernst & Young Inc on 10Aug90, soon finding a new owner with Int'l Airline Support Group (Dec90). And during Jan91 it finally became C-GPSH for Buffalo Airways (1968) Ltd. |
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Ooopsss...
Carat Lake is in Nunavut Territory. Here is more about that mine there- August 18, 2006 - CARAT LAKE, Nunavut -- With a lone caribou on site bearing witness, Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially opened Nunavut's first diamond mine Thursday. There is a June 2009 photo of C-GPSH by 'Jason' on my page Photos by Friends & Others, page 20. A 2017 update by Dirk Septer on his gallery, on my website |
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It was delivered as
42-72548 to the USAAF on 03Apr45; the US Army Air Force was renamed US Air Force
(USAF) and its registry was revised acordingly on 18Sep47.
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N87591 was its first civil identity, being registered for Westair Int'l upon it spurchase on 26Dec74. Hillcrest Aircraft Company obtained it on 09Jan76 and a few years later, on 23Mar81, it was bought by Conifair Aviation; thus it became C-GBPA and was converted for the use as tanker/sprayer, receiving the large '16' on its tailfin. During Oct96 it was reported to be stored at Quebec City; Conifair had ceased operating in Oct94. C-GBPA was bought by Buffalo Airways on 30May02, but it doesn't seem to be doing a whole lot here either. My Yellowknife Day2 page has photos of the interior, which shows 'Papa Alpha' still has the tanks installed.
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| Things were disturbingly quiet with Buffalo Airways during my visit, but others did seem to be doing brisk business, such as this DHC-5 Buffalo (what's in a name..!) of Arctic Sunwest. This is C-FASY, DHC-5A c/n 107. Its aviation history is well documented on the Buffalo Roster, on that useful website www.dhc4and5.org/BuffaloRev3.pdf (Note that this is an Acrobat Reader file). Update 2015: in 2013 Arctic Sunwest Charters of Yellowknife was incorporated into Summit Air; both C-FASY & C-FASV made the moved to Summit Air.
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 Now, what is this, sticking out of a.... tent? It does seem to be a makeshift hangar.... These guys certainly have a way with creative solutions! I bet it is cold to work here in winters, though.  |
This C-46 suffered a broken back.. This happened about 3 years ago when it slipped off the runway and in the manouvre of applying power to get the tailwheel back on the runway, the sideway movement (it had a full load in the cabin) caused this 'hernia'.. A photo on Airliners.net by Ralph Pettersen clearly shows the damage. Martin A.Cooper seems to have found the date of this event, he wrote: "I found a local newspaper report for Yellowknife/NWT that said C-FAVO was involved in an incident at Yellowknife on the 19th May 2004 when the tail wheel left the runway whilst the Commando was being taxied into position for take off." Normally this would have been fatal for such an old airframe, but that is clearly not an attitude that sits easily with Joe McBryan! So, fortunately, we see a slow but steady progress in its repairs. Nov.2009 update provided by Jerry Vernon (C-FAVO had been returned to operational service): N4860V is a stripped ex-Nordair derelict hulk at Fairbanks,AK (owned by Everts Air Cargo). In 2005 it had wings but no fin, rudder, tailplane or elevators. Jerry found 2 photos on the internet, one dated May 2009, of a chunk of damaged C-46 rear fuselage, painted as N4860V, in the Buffalo Airways scrapyard at Hay River, while a 2007 photo of N4860V at Fairbanks showed the entire rear fuselage, aft of the cargo door, had been cut off and removed! See N4860V on my Fairbanks 2003 page. |
| Here are more photos of C-FAVO on Airliners.net
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Here is info about Avgas on Wikipedia.org |
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In April 2007 Howard Thomson sent me following recollections: When Transport Canada reinstated Buffalo's 'Operating Permit' in Jan.2016, the cargo flights were started immediately but passenger flights needed preparation and training (e.g. cabin staff) and Buffalo postponed it until march.
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The following was published on Northern News Services-
Yellowknife (28Jun06) - The last NWT charter airline using space at the Yellowknife International Airport has opted to set up its own terminal for passengers.
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This fine looking Douglas C-54E has c/n 27281.
I did regret it that most Buffalo planes were down and out upon my visit... Only on the monday, when I sat in the terminal's cafetaria waiting for my flight, I saw a Buffalo DC-4 depart.
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 C-FBAJ is an early Douglas C-54A; it has c/n 3088.It sat in the back of the hangar, but I did not see any work done; perhaps C-GCTF had been given priority. I forgot to ask what maintenance it was undergoing. This C-54A started too as a "warhorse":
41-37297 for the USAAF and delivered on 13Jul43.
Dirk Septer came across C-FBAJ in July 2009, stored, at Hay River |
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For the Teccies: here is something written on Wikipedia.org about Piston Engines Here are some photos on Airliners.net of C-GCTF in an awkward position : |
C-GPNR was assigned to do the daily run to Hay River,NWT (across the Great Slave Lake). I had a look inside C-GPNR before it boarded the passengers.
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 C-GPNR departured a little after 5pm because a party of passengers arrived with some delay; a number of employees also boarded 'November Romeo'. During weekdays it leaves at around 5 pm and the following morning it will operate the route in reverse, bringing in people on time for work here. See BuffaloAirways.com passenger schedules. Engine startup proceeded with surprisingly little smoke. The bad weather took away all the light quite early in the afternoon and so I decided not to try to board this flight as I would have no photo opportunity at Hay River.
This concluded my visit here for this friday and I took a cab back to my pleasant B&B in the Old Town.
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Continue to ... Day 2 at Yellowknife !
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Europe! AAarrrggghh!!!
