This update was added on 27Feb2017:
deHavilland DHC-3 C-FSUB (c/n 8) of Air Mount Laurier at Sainte-Veronique (27May2016)
Air Mount Laurier has a float plane base in the Village of Sainte Veronique in the Rivière Rouge area.
The bush flying service has 6 fly-in camps on isolated lakes north of Sainte Veronique for hunting, fishing and wilderness adventures.
www.en.airmontlaurier.com/outfitters-packages-quebec-canada
The company also has a float plane base at LG4, which is a northern logistics hub serving Hydro-Québec's James Bay Project. The name refers to the the La Grande-4 hydroelectric generating station on the La Grande River.
The air service also has a remote caribou hunting camp in the far north of Quebec.
Sainte-Veronique is located 62 km north of St Jovite (now part of Mont-Tremblant) and 192 km Northwest of Montreal, Quebec.
Lake Ouimet in St Jovite was the site of the famous Grey Oaks resort founded by the Wheeler family in a wilderness area north of Montreal.
Grey Oaks resort was one of the first companies in Canada to use aircraft to fly guests to remote hunting and fishing camps, and Grey Oaks was one of the first Canadian resorts to have an airstrip and invite US pilots in the 1930s to fly directly to the resort for a holiday.
Wheeler Air Service operated a large fleet of floatplanes in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s to serve its guests and for charter to natural resource industries and government agencies.
Wheeler was a major contractor supporting construction of early warning radar lines in northern Canada in the 1950s and a prime contractor on the massive budworm spraying contracts in New Brunswick in the 1950.
After the Second World War, the Wheeler family helped develop the Mount Tremblant resort which ultimately became a bigger attraction than Grey Oaks.
The grass airport Wheeler build at Lake Ouimet still exists but float planes are no longer allowed on the lake and the famous Grey Oaks resources burnt down in the last decade...
No Bush planes or Propliners can be found at Lake Ouimet today, but Air Mount Laurier to the north carries on a tradition that Tom Wheeler began in the 1920s!
Karl E. Hayes wrote a lengthy article on Otter c/n 8 in his DHC-3 monograph, like 3 pages of text. I have cut it down a bit.
Msn 8 was delivered to the RCAF with serial 3662 on 28th March 1953, the same day as 3661, the Force's first Otter.
Its first assignment was to 408 Squadron, Rockcliffe, carrying the unit's MN code, the squadron history recording that by 2nd April '53 3662 was engaged on local pilot familiarisation flights. It was transferred to 102 Communications Unit, Trenton in September 1953.
Subsequently, date?, it joined 111 Communications & Rescue Flight at Winnipeg, taking that unit's PW code. It was involved in the rescue activity for USAF B-47 tail number 17013 which crashed in the Big Sandy Lake, Saskatchewan area on 12th February 1955
The Otters operated out of Winnipeg on wheel-skis during the winter, and on floats from Lac du Bonnet during the summer; 3662 continued in service with 111 Communications & Rescue Flight at Winnipeg until September 1957, when it went to No.6 Repair Depot at Trenton for storage as a reserve aircraft.
It was sold to DHC in June 1965, who converted it to civilian configuration.
The Otter was then sold to Coast Range Airways Ltd of Atlin,BC to whom it was registered on 7th February 1966 as CF-SUB. Atlin is in the northern part of the Province, near to the Yukon border. The Otter was hauling fuel, diamond drills and supplies for mining and exploration camps.
In the spring of 1967 Coast Range Airways was purchased by Trans North Turbo Air Ltd of Whitehorse, Yukon principally for its helicopter charter licence and its one Bell 47G helicopter.
Otter SUB continued to serve the mining industry, remaining registered to Coast Range Airways, then a subsidiary of Trans North Turbo Air. At that time, it was the only Otter in the vicinity of the Yukon and
was much in demand.
It was also used during the summers of 1966 and 1967 for water-bombing forest fires with a 'torpedo-type' tank hung under the fuselage. On 16th November 1967, the Otter received some damage at its Atlin base but was repaired.
In the fall of 1967, Trans North Turbo Air sold the fixed-wing portion of their fleet, a Super Cub, Beaver and the Otter SUB to Great Northern Airways Ltd of Calgary.
The Otter was reg'd to Great Northern Airways on 17th July 1968 and painted in a blue colour scheme with red cheat line.
During the summer of that year, a blown jug caused a forced landing onto Margaret Lake, a small lake north of Mayo in the Yukon. After the necessary repairs were made to the engine, the take-off was not so successful and the Otter went careening into the bush at the end of the lake, tearing the floats off and doing much damage to the fuselage.
The aircraft had to be slung out in pieces to a nearby strip and bushrepaired, using parts from a steel bed frame to re-enforce it for the ferry flight out. It headed south to Field Aviation, Calgary for repair and was then temporarily fitted with a set of borrowed amphibious floats, so that it could finish the season based out of Inuvik in the Northwest Territories.
CF-SUB continued to fly for Great Northern Airways until that carrier went bankrupt in December 1970. Its assets and licences were bought by International Jet Air Ltd of Calgary.
Their main interest was the 'E'-category licence which Great Northern had held, which enabled International Jet Air to establish a scheduled and charter service over the routes Great Northern had operated, using a fleet of Lockheed L188 Electras.
On 5th April 1971 Otter CF-SUB was registered to International Jet Air, but it was not operated by them and was kept in storage at Calgary.
They sold on the 'D'-licence (for DC-3 operations) to Northward Airlines of Edmonton, and the 'A-', 'B-' and
'C-'licences which Great Northern Airways had held (for operation of aircraft in the Cessna 185 up to Otter category) to Trans North Turbo Air, and included in the sale were four Beavers, two Aztecs and Otter SUB.
The Otter was registered C-FSUB to Trans North Turbo Air (1971) Ltd on 4th May 1972 and painted in an all yellow colour scheme with red trim.
The Otter was operated by Trans North Turbo Air alongside a fleet of Beavers and Turbo Beavers for the next seven years. For winter 1972 it was based out of Inuvik on wheel-skis, for reindeer management, seismic and oil exploration support.
During the summers it flew from Schwatka Lake, Whitehorse on floats.
During this period of operation with Trans North Turbo Air, there were a few incidents recorded but damages were repaired.
In 1978 Trans North Turbo Air decided to get out of single-engined fixed wing bush flying.
Otter C-FSUB was sold in the fall of 1978 to a Vancouver man named Walter Davidson, who was in the logging business, but its next operator was Tyee Airways Ltd of Sechelt, BC to whom it was registered on 23rd April 1979.
The Otter flew down to Sechelt, which is just north of Vancouver, where it joined the Tyee fleet of Beavers and Cessna 185s. Sechelt is a native word for 'place of shelter from the sea'.
The Otter did not stay long with Tyee Airways, and its next posting was in fact back to Whitehorse in the Yukon, where it joined the fleet of Air North Charter & Training Ltd, to whom it was registered on 12th June 1980, named 'Bert'.
Air North are one of the major operators in the Yukon and C-FSUB resumed its charter operations throughout the Territory, flying alongside Air North's other Otter C-FQOQ.
Only one incident is recorded while SUB was flying for Air North, exact date unknown, but it was not long after the Otter entered service with them. The accident site was about 250 miles from Dawson City. The Otter landed on a section of the Dempster Highway, which also served as an airstrip, but had run off the strip, causing considerable damage to the propeller, engine mount, cabin roof and a bent right wing.
The repairs were carried out by Denny McCartney, the whole episode being well described in his excellent book 'Picking Up The Pieces'. This book is a great and recommended read!
After 4 years of service in the Yukon with Air North, 'SUB returned to the Vancouver area when it was purchased by Harbour Air Ltd. It arrived in Vancouver on 4th October 1984
It emerged from the hangar on 21st March 1985 in full Harbour Air colours, on floats. It was registered to Harbour Air on 30th April 1985.
It flew with them for that summer, before heading north up the BC coast to Prince Rupert, where it was registered to North Coast Air Services Ltd on 1st November 1985. It joined their fleet of 4 Beavers, a Fairchild Husky and a Grumman Mallard and flew for North Coast for nearly 2 years.
Having served all of its commercial existence thus far in Western Canada, it then moved eastwards, where its next operator was V.Kelner Airways of Pickle Lake,ONT to whom it was registered on 3rd June 1987.
It flew that summer out of Pickle Lake and then moved further east, when it was acquired by Cargair Ltee of Quebec, to whom it was registered on 1st October 1987.
Since then, SUB has served with Cargair, based at St.Michel-des-Saints during the summer months on floats, being put into storage each winter.
The Otter was used to fly tourists, hunters and fishermen into the beautiful wilderness areas of Quebec. It also supports exploration camps in the James Bay area.
During the caribou hunting season of August/September each year, the Otter flies out of the LG-4 base on the La Grande river, flying the hunters to the James Bay region in search of their prey, before returning to St.Michel-des-Saints for winter storage.
As of May 2001, the Otter had accumulated 21,000 airframe hours.
'
SUB was noted in the hangar at St.Michel-des-Saintes on 4th May 2004 having just had a new R-1340 engine installed. It entered the water the following day for the first flight of the 2004 summer season.
In 2007 the bush aircraft division of Cargair, including the Otter, was purchased by Air Mont Laurier (1985) Inc of Ste.Veronique, Quebec to whom C-FSUB was registered on 5th April 2007.
Air Mont Laurier also operate Otter C-GGSC (366), both Otters still with their original R-1340 engines. |
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deHavilland DHC-3 C-GGSC (c/n 366) of Air Mount Laurier; also at Sainte-Veronique (27May2016)
Karl E. Hayes wrote a lengthy article on Otter c/n 366 in his DHC-3 Otter monograph. I have cut it down a bit to fit the purpose of this website and –page. It describes nicely its history and use over the years.
Otter msn 366 was delivered to the United States Army on 25th March 1960 with serial 59-2222.
It was allocated to Fort Riley,KS as an operational support aircraft and in April 1962 it joined the 17th Aviation Company, Fort Ord, California.
In February 1966 92222 joined the Otter Transition School at Fort Ord, CA where it acquired the nick name 'Quad Deuce'. Its role was to transport soldiers to and from Travis AFB and to transport VIPs and cargo to other military installations, notably Crissy Field, San Francisco.
Also included was aerial medical evacuation for wounded soldiers returning from Vietnam and participated in air shows and displays throughout California and Nevada.
92222 continued flying for the School until it closed. With the withdrawal of the Otter from service in Vietnam in the early part of 1971, there was no longer a need for an Otter Transition School.
In May '71 'Quad Deuce' moved to Fort Lewis, Seattle,WA as an operational support aircraft. In July 1972 its official record describes it as being loaned out for non-military use, which was the Environmental Protection Agency survey project.
This lasted until February 1976, when it joined the Army Electronics Command at Lakehurst NAS,NJ as a test aircraft.
In August 1976 'Quad Deuce' headed west, crossed the country to its new base at Fort Huachuca,AZ where it served as a test aircraft supporting the Electronic Proving Ground. The Otter continued flying from Fort Huachuca until its military career came to an end in April 1979.
On 24th April '79 it was transferred to the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) registered N5072F and assigned to the CAP's Southwest Region,TX.
It was put up for sale the following year, and by Bill of Sale dated 1st May 1980 was sold by the CAP to Waggoner Aircraft Inc of Wiley Post Airport, Bethany,OK.
At that stage of its career, it had 6,116 hours on the airframe.
On 8th July 1980 it was sold on by Waggoner Aircraft Inc to Air Ranger Ltd of Winnipeg. It appears that the Otter had remained in Texas, as it was ferried from there to Winnipeg, where it was overhauled by Manwest Aviation and registered C-GGSC to Air Ranger.
It was then sold to Raecom Air Ltd and headed north to its new base at Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.
For the next seven years it flew out of Yellowknife, on floats during the summer and on wheel-skis in winter.
It was sold in August 1987 to Air Mont-Laurier (1985) Inc of Ste.Veronique - Lac Tiberiade,QUE.
At that stage, its airframe hours had increased to 8,272 and it was described as being in 'rough condition', after many years service in the harsh conditions of the Northwest Territories.
Between 5th and 7th August 1987 it was ferried Yellowknife-Stony Rapids-Thompson-Pickle Lake-Val D'Or-Laval for complete overhaul.
On 27th May '88 it arrived at its new base at Ste.Veronique and entered service with Air Mont Laurier.
Air Mont Laurier is a family business run by Norman Ouellette together with his wife and two sons, both bush pilots. As well as the Otter, the fleet comprised two Beavers and a Cessna 206. The aircraft were active during the summer months only, May to end September and were used to bring fishermen and hunters into the bush country to the north of Ste.Veronique. The company runs 4 fishing camps, the furthest away at Lac du Male, a flight of one hour 15 minutes.
Each year, from mid August to end September, the Otter heads north to Fort Chimo, Quebec for the annual caribou hunt, before returning to base where it is stored for the winter.
As at April 2001 the total time had increased to 13,031 hours. The Otter was still in service during the summer of 2004 and as we can see continues to do until the present day (2016).
Source: 'DHC-2 Otter - a history' by Karl E. Hayes (published 2005, with subsequent updates in 2007 & 2008).
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Douglas DC-3 C-FDTD at St Hubert (YHU) - 21May2016
Note that the DC-3 is painted grey and only on this side; apparently it had graffiti all over it.
Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport (IATA: YHU, ICAO: CYHU) is located in the Saint-Hubert borough of Longueuil, QUE..
The airport is located 16 km (9.9 mi) east of Downtown Montreal. [-Wikipedia]
The original plan was to establish a museum and Aerovision acquired a DC-3, Canso and Viscount.
The museum plans suffered a set back when the St Hubert air base was sold.
Fondation Aérovision Québec (FAQ) shifted its focus to the creation of a Quebec aviation hall of fame and the Viscount was sold to a college in Laval.
The DC-3 and Canso are still stored at St Hubert airport.
See how I found these aircraft on my US-Canada 2009 trip.
Here's how 2017 progress is made for another restoration effort:
C-FDTD Douglas DC-3 MSN 12253, Avialogs - Saint-Hubert, QC - CYHU - 20-05-2017. pierregillard.zenfolio.com/Phase 1 restoration - unfortunately it did NOT work out..
See also www.pierregillard.com/blog/
This project did not work out and in Dec.2018 C-FDTD was put on eBay: buy or it gets scrapped!
See my item on Photos by Friends & Guests #56 (Dec.2018)
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Convair CV580 N??? at Rickenbacker Airport (LCK),OH (05Mar2016).
Anyone with an idea of its identity & owner? N589X has been suggested as most likely candidate: EMAIL
I thought N584E to be a candidate (reported Opa Locka/KOPF 10Nov2010, all white and no titles), but that one was reported in 2011 as "On 11/03/2011 it left for Guadalajara, Mexico MMGL and was subsequently parked there still in an all white colour scheme. During January 2012 it was re-reg as XA-UPL and reportedly about to join the Airlink fleet."
N581P (c/n 29) was all white in 2014, but reportedly stored at Opa Locka.FL ( 2014 image).
Next I thought N582P a candidate, but I have that one as 'at Columbus-LCK 28Sep2007 minus tail'. Then I looked down at the next photo and there it is on this very page (repaired!).
And N585P? Can't be because Kenneth Meegan has it ( here, a/w & stored in 2014) on Flickr and during the same visit had the unmarked also, here.
The AoC of Air Tahoma revoked in Jan.2009, after a CV580 crashed on a post-maintenance test flight (probably N587X 01Sep08 - see ASN report) and subsequent audit.
I ran out of 'stored @LCK' Convair on the ATDB.aero database... Anyone?
See below copied thread of Classic-Propliners where N589X was offered a candidate!
On Yahoo's Classic-Propliners forum a thread was started 07Feb17, with the following report posted and query by 'Bell47g3' (alias for Ken Swartz):
I photographed 8 Convair airframes in a fenced compound at LCK Rickenbacker International Airport, Ohio on 05Mar16. Assume most are ex-Air Tahoma.
I've managed to ID seven of the eight aircraft, three of which had no tails. Still need to identify the all white CV580 freighter parked between between N582P and N585P?
East Side of Compound
Convair CV580, N582P, intact, white with blue/red cheat line, engine cowlings, no props, (ex-RCAF)
Convair CV580, ????, intact, all white, engine cowlings, no props, parked between N582P and N585P
Convair CV580 N585P, intact, all white, engine cowlings, no props
Convair CV580 EC-GSJ, no US reg visible, DHL red/white c/s & titles, no engines, cowlings or rudder
West Side of Compound
Convair C-131A, N882P?, white/blue/red, on landing gear, but wings and tail cut off
Convair CV580, N73104, white with blue/grey cheat line, but wings and tail cut off (markings matched to photo)
Convair N13126, white with blue/grey cheat line, but wings and tail cut off
Convair VT-29B, N156PA, white/blue/red, on landing gear, but with outboard wings cut off and no rudder
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................
George Armstrong suggested on C-P: "The all white one I think is N589X, through a process of elimination. Mexico sale did not come to pass ('ntu'). Re-regd to N589X Inc, as N589X, date 19Jun14."
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................
Chris Trott posted:"N589X was supposed to be flown to Mexico as the spares aircraft for N584E and N588X (which became XA-UPL and XA-TRB)."
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A little bit of history on N589X c/n 459 from my (RL/webmaster) files
Ex/C-GGWF, dlvd to EAT/DHL 22Jan1988 reg'd OO-DHL; current in 1996.
Leased to Swiftair may00 as EC-HMS.
Ln NCE 10Dec01. Ln @A.net 27Dec03 DHL @BRU.
Rr 22Aug06 N589X (=Air Tahoma) N589X. Passed thru SNN 15Sep06.
Ln Rickenbacker,OH ..Sep06 in DHL c/s.
Reg canx 21Oct08, sold to Mexico XA-...
Reg N589X current on FAA's N-inquiry website, R19Jun14; no mention of exported. ./end.
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Convair CV580 N582P (c/n 475; ex/CF-LMN -once ex/ RCAF) at Rickenbacker Airport (LCK),OH (05Mar2016)
I came across N582P in 2006 at Vancouver Int'l Airport, while being unloaded.
This aircraft was completed by Canadair as a CV540 with Napier Eland turboprops
The Electric Boat Company bought of Groton,CT bought Canadair Ltd. from the Canadian Government after the World War Two.
Electric Boat Company and Canadair became the nucleus around which General Dynamics Corp was formed in 1952.
General Dynamics owned Convair and Canadair.
When Convair cleared out the CV440 line in San Diego to build the CV880, the unsold CV440 and production tools and jigs were acquired by Canadair.
Three inherited Convair 440s became Canadair CL-66s (CV540s) and completed with 3,500 hp Napier Eland turboprop engines
These were CF-LMA, CF-LMN and CF-MKO …
These aircraft made extensive demo tours of North and South America and in Europe.
One was also flown experimentally by Allegheny Airlines.
And the two or three aircraft were later flown by Quebecair in 1961 and 1962.
The three early civil aircraft were returned to Canadair in 1962 or 1963 and then flown by the RCAF as serial 11161 (CF-LMN), 11162 (CF-LMA) and 11163 (CF-MKO)
CF-LMN and CF-MKO were sold to Allison, re-engined with 501s turboprops and sold to North Central Airlines.
The third, CF-LMA was sold to a broker, re-engined and sold to Avensa in Venezuela
The RCAF ordered 10 new CL-66s delivered with Napier Eland turboprop engines which were extremely unreliable.
Seven of the 10 new CL-66s were later re-engined with Allison 501s.
Two others 11155 and 11158 were used for spares and 11153 was destroyed during an oxygen fire during maintenance.
(One can find info & fate of these CL66s on my page dedicated to my visit to Saskatoon in 2007).
Information Source: Canadian Aircraft Since 1909 by K.M Molson and H.A. Taylor, Putnam, 1982 |
Convair CV580 (N??) EC-GSJ (ex/ C-GGWG) at Rickenbacker Airport (LCK),OH (05Mar2016)
Ken wrote: "This aircraft apparently received an N-number when it arrived in the US from Europe, but I
could not see it on the airframe. I first saw this aircraft when it was in service with Air Ontario."
A.Avrane: "EC-GSJ was reg'd N590X 14aug06 but never applied."
Convairs N73126 - N882P - N73104 at Rickenbacker Airport (LCK),OH (05Mar2016)
I have N73126 (CV580 c/n 63) as 'Ln Columbus, Ohio/Rickenbacker in various states of disrepair ..Sep03.'
And while it was reported also on 02Aug05 I have 'B/u aug09, reg canx 01Dec10.' Hmmm, not quite broken up.
N882P: a photo on Airliners.net + Flickr confirm the identity of this Convair C-131A Samaritan (240; c/n 53-23).
It is an ex/ USAF bird: 52-5803 and was reg'd 21may84 Condor Aviation of Spanaway,WA. In 2000 it was
reported operating for Air Tahoma, based here at LCK. On 19Sep04 already reported @LCK: no tailtip, no engines..
.
And N73104 is CV580 c/n 4, flew passengers (then CV340-31) with Renown Aviation. Ended up in 2000 with
Air Tahoma; noted @LCK in disrepair during Sep.2003, and I have it as 'B/u aug09 - reg canx 01Dec10.'
Well, almost but
not quite. |
Screendump (29Feb2017) of ATDB.aero depicting Air Tahoma's fleet:
N588X (c/n 52) went to Air Tribe (XA-TRB) and N584E (24) was also listed by ATDB with Air Tribe (XA-UPL)
More on Air Tribe and its owner, Noel Rude, see further down this item.
George Armstrong supplied this helpful aerial look through Google Earth:
I wondered how come N589X was reg'd in 2014 to (to N589X INC, but that was the signature of Air Tahoma’s operations) while Air Tahoma ceased operations in 2009.
Chris provided a likely explanation: "Air Tahoma closed, but not because of bankruptcy. The airplanes were all owned outright by the Rude family business(es), and Air Tahoma ran as debt free as possible anyway, so I’m sure that small amount of time between closing it and getting Air Tribe going wasn’t a big issue for them. I’m sure now the payment for storage of the remaining airframes is being paid from that operation anyway."
Googling I came across the Linked In page of Noel Rude: "Owner, Air Tahoma, Inc. - Air Tribe Arizona State University Columbus,OH, USA." Subitems: Owner Air Tribe sep. 2011 – present / Air Tahoma, Inc. may 1996 – present / Owner R&R Holdings jun. 1990 – present / Owner Cool Air jun. 1986 - President Flying Fireman sep. 1985 – present." That 'Arizona State University' is where he got part of his training (MBA 1984-85).
On a forum I found quoted: "Guadalajara, Mexico,- USMX AirLink (www.usmxairlink.com) announced today that it has formed Air Tribe; a new division dedicated to air cargo and specializing in ACMI and ad-hock [sic] regional cargo.
Air Tribe will start by offering small jet and large turbo prop solutions throughout Mexico and its surrounding neighbors.
Air Tribe will be headed by Noel Rude, a long time veteran of the aviation industry, with the stated goal of making Air Tribe the leading regional cargo carrier in Mexico.
Since 1994, USMX AirLink has built a global reputation for providing reliable cost effective air cargo services. Today, AirLink’s reputation as one of the industry’s most reliable ‘solutions providers’ with their own fleet, has earned the company a growing client base of international freight forwarders and logistic companies."
[Airlink Executive quotes several types of aircraft at its disposal: Hawker800XP,
Citation III, Lear Jet 40XR, Lear Jet 25D, Beechjet 400A & Pilatus PC-12].
The link between Airlink and Air Tribe/N.Rude is probably the first invested in the latter. While Noel Rude is CEO of Air Tribe, one Jesus Hernandez is the CFO.
Mr Hernandez has his business, USMX Airlink, also reg'd in the USA: US-MX Airlink L.C. is a Nevada Domestic Limited-Liability Company filed on January 19, 1999. The company has 4 principals on record. .... Jessica Faubert from Carson City NV, Jesus Hernandez Campos from Carson City NV, Monica Faubert from Carson City NV, and Raymond H Faubert from Carson City NV. (A lot of 'Fauberts'..!)
From http://dev.worldpossible.org:81/wikipedia_en_all_2016-02/A/Air_Tahoma.html (only in part copied here):
Note that last sentence 'In 2011 Noel Rude resumed cargo operations under new company name Air
Tribe currently based in Guadalajara, Mexico.'
ATDB lists
as Air Tribe's entire current (Feb.2017) fleet:
XA-TRB (c/n 52, ex/ N588X) and XA-UPL (c/n 24, ex/ N584E). |
Convair CV640(F/SCD) XA-UMI (c/n of T.S.M. (Aeronaves TSM) seen at Louisville,KY (SDF) on 28Feb016
A few notes from my (RL /webmaster) files:
Delivered new to Braniff in 1953 and N3417 went through various owners, ended up with Zantop Int'l Airlines, at Detroit-Willow Run,MI. By now a freighter, converted from CV340-32. Note the Rolls Royce Dart 542 engines.
Zantop ceased operations in 1997.
In Nov.1997 N3417 was reg'd to Century A/l, operated as C & M Airways (homebase El Paso,TX).
I have a report on 18Mar02 at El Paso,TX as probly stored. Again on 07Oct02 still at El Paso, reported all C&M CV640s stored/forsale and airworthy.
Similar reports on 20Feb04 'std El Paso' and 15Nov07 'std El Paso', same 29Jun08.
Then, as miracles do happen:
sold to Aeronaves TSM, rr XA-??? by Frontera Flight Holdings 07Jul09 made official as reg'd 21Aug09 to XA-UMI.
XA-UMI seems in splendid working order!
Rolf Larsson sent me in Mar.2017 a photo of PH-CGD in Martinair livery, during the 1960s. It is another aircraft presently operating with Aeronaves, as XA URL. Photos by Friends & Guests (48).
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Lockheed L18 N119J at Bowman Field,KY (KLOU/LOU) on 27Feb2016.
W.L Paris piloted this Lockheed L.18 N119J on its last flight into Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky on July 22, 1975.
The aircraft was originally a corporate aircraft owned by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft or United Technologies (?). W.L Paris is the general manager of Central American Airways FBO, a family owned business at Bowman Field.
N119J (c/n 18-2359) was stored by Casablanca Airlines.
The Lockheed has sat on the FBO ramp now for over 40 years! |
Douglas C-47A (c/n 12295) C-GRSB, now owned by Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (YMH, 19Mar2016)
A few notes from my (RL /webmaster) files:
C-GRSB was noted stored at an inactive airfield, FB Uplands (nr Ottawa) during the early-1990s.
'RSB went to Innotech Avtn/Canadian Center for Remote Sensing and reported at Ottawa in march 1997.
It was used for investigating the SWR111 MD11 crash in Sep.1998, though I have no details of what that would have entailed for this DC-3.
At some point it was donated by Environment Canada to Canadian Warplane Heritage; it is an actual D-day C-47!
It participated at Normandy as FZ947 (RAF) named 'Kwicherbichen'; in Sep.1947 it joined RCAF 437 Sqdn, later became 12945 CAF with no.424 Sqd @Trenton.
Probably ferried in 2014 to the museum.
Kenneth Swartz wrote me the following update (30Mar17):
"REF: Douglas C-47A (c/n 12295) C-GRSB, now owned by Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (YMH, 19Mar2016)
The use of this C-47 as a government airborne research platform between ca.1985 and 2014 is not very well documented and it carried several colour schemes during its years of service.
After leaving RCAF service, this C-47 was first operated by the Department of Energy Mines and Resources as an airborne Remote Sensing platform (note "RS" in registration) alongside a Falcon 20 C-GRSD and a Convair 580
C-GRSC from an aircraft hangar located in the 'Uplands' area of the airport, on Hunt Club Road (which is now used by SGL, Sander Geophysics Ltd)
Department of Energy Mines and Resources previously flew a Short Skyvan CF-GSC (the registration refers to Geological Survey of Canada) and a Beech 65-B80 C-FWSG that were retired in the early 1980s (needs confirmation).
Innotech Aviation received a contract in the mid-1980s to manage the flight operations and maintenance of the Department of Energy Mines and Resources DC-3, Falcon and Convair fleet based in Ottawa, while Canadian government scientists continued to utilize these aircraft for their research work.
Canada was a pioneer in the airborne use of magnetometers to detect ore bodies. This gave rise to a large airborne geophysics industry which developed other airborne systems to detect mineral deposits, map vegetation, arctic ice flows and pollution such as oil spills.
I believe that Environment Canada absorbed the Department of Energy Mines and Resources in the mid-1990s which may have expanded the scope of the missions flown by the aircraft to include anti pollution patrols.
'Uplands' refers to north end of Ottawa's MacDonald Cartier International Airport, which was established by the Ottawa Flying Club (which has been in continuous operation since 1928) and became part of the RCAF Uplands air force training base during the Second World War.
The current Ottawa airport terminal and longer runways were built a couple kilometers to the south of the original Uplands area of Ottawa the airport, but the two parts are connected by a taxiway."
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Photos © Ken Swartz
B-17 Flying Fortress 'Yankee Lady'
