USA Northeast & Canada 2009Vintage transports and warbirds
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Taking my chances on the autumn weather, I visited parts of the US Northeast, as well as crossing the border for a few days in Canada. Serving various priorities, what I saw and recorded was by no means all the vintage aviation activity in this area. A number of museums or preservation groups I could not visit, there just wasn't enough time or commitment, perhaps for another day. Still, there is plenty to enjoy on these pages I think. |
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Driving north from Allentown,PA and heading for Greenwood Lake,NJ a sign to an airfield made me turn the wheel. I don't go chasing all airfield signs, but there was a feeling here... Also, it was a brilliant day and I was making good time for my destination, so a little detour would do me no harm. This was how I got to the Aeroflex-Andover Airport,NJ. This airport is not atc controlled and I found myself walking across runway 03/21 in order to get to the buildings and, more importantly, to the Boeing B75N1 Stearman I noticed parked in the hangar...
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In North America, Canadian World War II veteran Welland Wilford "Weldy" Phipps is generally credited with being the first using the balloon-size tires, overcoming landing problems in Canada's northern territories. He used a Piper Super Cub equipped with oversized tires he crafted himself, Phipps opened much of Canada’s high arctic to air transportation. Later, operating a fleet of 19-seat de Havilland Twin Otters also furnished with balloon tires, Phipps brought airline service to Resolute Bay, Grise Fiord and numerous other remote Inuit communities. Read more... In her book "Flying the Frontier", Shirlee Smith Matheson dedicated a chapter to Weldy Phipps. |
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 Piper J3C-65 N6114H, serial 19275 Manufactured in 1946! |
 Those 'tundra tires' are better suited for landing on grass here than on the runway |
And anno 2017 it is still there! |
 Driving throuh the Adirondacks (06Oct09), we stumbled on something here. I noticed people working around that seaplane and stopped the car. I got to talking to the guys: they were transferring from a truck to that seaplane buckets of small brook trout and were restocking several lakes in the area with some 17.400 (!) brook trout that day. For this they used that morning 2 Cessna floatplanes and a helicopter. They were flown by local people, who were well acqainted with the area. The restock program attempts to fight the dwindling number of brook trout in these lakes. The young ones are in a 50 - 50 mix of locally raised and imported from a lake in Canada. |
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| Driving NYS 28 and 28N, from Adirondack Lake to Long Lake (where we would continue west on NYS 30), we arrived at Helm Seaplane Base (Airnav.com on NY9) |
 Helms Aero Service: office closed. We went for lunch across the road, but that delay did not create ... |
 ...the opportunity for a scenic flight. The weather also changed for the worse. |
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A rather rare bushplane in which I would have loved to have made a scenic flight, is this Cessna 195. From a distance it could be mistaken for a deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver. Unfortunately we found the office closed.
Mr Rasmussen also owns Cessna 180H
N26PR, which is of 1966 vintage. N26PR was registered to his name on 02Feb2001.
The Cessna 190 and 195 Businessliner are a family of light single radial
engine powered, conventional landing gear equipped, general aviation
aircraft which were manufactured by Cessna between 1947 and 1954.
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 The Jacobs engines fitted to the 190 and 195 became well-known for their oil consumption... The aircraft has a 5 gallon oil tank, with 2 gallons the minimum for flight! Typical oil consumption with steel cylinder barrels is two quarts per hour. The A factory-produced floatplane version was equipped with a triple tail for improved lateral stability. The tail resembles that of the Lockheed Constellation |
 Gananoque, Ontario Oct.07th we crossed the border into Canada. I intended to check out a small airfield at Gananoque, north of town. There is this dilapidated hangar. A skydiving club is based here. And the "Gananoque Ghost". The 'Gananoque Ghost' is Consolidated PBY-5A 'Canso A/2F' CF-NJL, which has been calling Gananoque its home since 1975. Story is that it's been taken out for a wash and some engine running only once a year! It hasn't actually flown since it has been here. |
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 Note the usual large observation 'blisters' have been replaced by a small domelike contraption. |
 Manufactured at Canadian-Vickers in Montreal, hence the Canso A/2F designation. [Source: Canadian Military Aircraft Serials, RCAF 11051 to 11100] In Sep.2018 I came across this online article: warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/the-ghost-of-gananoque-a-flying-boat-in-a-barn.html
UPDATE FB/Aviation Wrecks and relics (posted by Dan Kirkby, 09Oct23)- |
 Small fry also found in the hangar. |
| Kingston Airport, Ontario; 08Oct09 |
AJ693/67, the rudder showing wear
North American Harvard Mk.2 AJ693 (cn 76-3663).  Crashed into Lake Ontario in Jan. 1944, recovered in '83! |
 In Memoriam, Lt. Robert Hampton Gray, VC DSC |
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The next day we drove north, route 15 (on the way I noticed a T-6 Harvard preserved in a park, but we couldn't stop and I forgot to make a note where it was), to Arnprior. I had trouble finding my destionation: Ed's Autoparts & Salvage. Before I knew it I was driving into town. not a place to have a salvage yard... I had been recommended to check out the airport here and thought I could do that since I had to backtrack anyway. But it wasn't signposted and I was misdirected, loosing more time in huge traffic works. So by the time I got to the airport, I only took this photo of Stinson 108-3 C-FLAU, got back in the car and drove off. As I was on a deadline.  CF-LAU was registered to its owner, Maxwell Garvie (Kanata,Ont.) on 25Jul91. The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, brother to Katherine Stinson. After five years of business ventures, Stinson made Detroit, Michigan the focus for his future flying endeavors. Stinson found Detroit's business community receptive to his plans. A group of local businessmen — the Detroit Board of Commerce's Aviation Committee — supported Stinson's plans to establish the Stinson Aircraft Syndicate in 1925 at a site southwest of Detroit, where today's Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is located. Stinson Aircraft Corporation sold 10 SM-1 Detroiters in 1926. Business was steadily increasing, and Stinson delivered 121 aircraft in 1929. At the height of the Depression in 1930, Stinson offered six aircraft models, ranging from the four-seat Junior to the Stinson 6000 trimotor airliner. Eddie Stinson did not live to enjoy the success of his company. He died in an air crash in Chicago, Illinois on January 26, 1932, while on a sales trip. At the time of his death at age 38, Stinson had acquired more than 16,000 hours of flight time — more than any other pilot at the time. The Stinson name did not last much past the end of World War II. Eddie Stinson's death accelerated the assimilation of Stinson Aircraft Corporation into larger corporate entities: first by Cord Corporation, then by Aviation Corporation (AVCO), and later by Consolidated Vultee. By 1950 the Stinson company was sold to the Piper Aircraft Corporation, which continued to produce 108s for a limited time. [Wikipedia] |
 While driving around Arnprior, it occurred to me that the salvage yard could close at 5 pm. Then I found the Google Maps screendump which I had printed, was incorrect: the salvage yard was further out of town. Adrenaline pumping I drove up the correct muddy path, a turn out of Upper Dwyer Hill Road (parallel to Highway 417 South) at 4.55 pm! Brad, son of Ed, drove me down to where the two aircraft were located. My reference works were outdated, as DC-3 C-FGKZ reported here was long gone. I got confusing tips of where it might have gone to. |
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Ken Swartz sent me images, taken in 2005 at Carp, of C-GDUL, C-GGNZ and one unmarked - which I |
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Richard Church, specialist on the HS.748, summarized the situation of the 748s with First Air (Jan.2010): "First Air have pulled out of Carp completely. Their head office is now at Kanata, while their main engineering base is now at Ottawa's Macdonald-Cartier Airport (with secondary engineering bases at Iqaluit & Yellowknife). The last two 748s to be withdrawn were retired to Trois Rivieres, namely C-GJVN (with registration still current) and C-GTLD (with registration cancelled 23Dec08). First Air have just one 748 still flying: C-GFNW. It had a Period Check performed by Premier Aviation Overhaul Centre Inc at Trois Rivieres, rather than in house, from late Jun09 before a period of storage and it is now based in Iqaluit effective from 18Sep09. The last 748s to be withdrawn at Carp were C-GBFA on 05Nov02, C-GDUL on 05May04 and C-GGNZ 21Jan05, while C-GYMX was withdrawn at Carp on 21Mar03 and handed over to the RCMP as an exercise hull." (See the update on Photos by Friends & Guests #28) |
 Click on the image for a larger size image With the sun setting fast (disadvantage of autumn: shorter days) I said my thanks to Brad and drove off to Ottawa. Did not give myself time to check out the airport at Carp, leave that for another day. Ken Swartz sent me photos taken at Carp in 2005 of these HS.748's - see Photos by Friends & Guests 23 Ernie Szelepcsenyi wrote me in Nov.2010: "I flew over Ed's Salvage yard on 06Nov10 and saw that both C-GBFA and C-GDUL are still there (45°23'2.31"N 76°17'2.82"W). I can confirm that it is BFA for sure. For one I used to work at First Air back in the late-1980's/early 90's and second, the stripe down the fuselage had curve up the vertical stabilizer unique to this airframe. See Ernie's photos. Ernie also sent photos in Nov.2020 (two photos on Friends & Guestst #61) |
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See for my visit to Ottawa's Canada Aviation Museum HERE.. |
Junkers W 34f/fi, CF-ATF  |
See for my visit to Ottawa's Canada Aviation Museum HERE.. |
Canadair C-54GM North Star 1 ST, 17515 (c/n 122)
 17515 was manufactured in 1948 and served with No. 426 Squadron (RCAF) until 1962. It was transferred to the Museum in 1966. |
Crossing the border of Ontario province into Quebec province, but actually only a short drive from downtown Ottawa, I visited the Canada Vintage Wings at Gatineau Airport. Click the link for MY REPORT... |
The visit to Montreal was not much of a success. The Montreal-Mirabel IAP was a 'ghost airport', deserted except for a Fedex 727 and DC-10, grass growing through the ramps. I had intended to have a look at a seaplane base, but had marked it incorrectly on my Google Maps printout and did not bother to turn back. |
Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport (IATA: YHU, ICAO: CYHU) is located in the Saint-Hubert borough of Longueuil, Quebec, near Montreal. This is Piper PA-23-250 N33ZS (c/n 273284), which in spite of its N-number is registered to Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc (Trustee), of Cornwall, UK. |
 Lake LA-4-200 CF-BOQ (c/n 521) |
 Beech E50 C-FUZE (c/n EH-43) |
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My reason for visiting this airport were the three propliners stored here.. I had read that members of the Fondation Aérovision Quebéc were working on setting up a museum here. Accommodations would be found in buildings which were to be vacated by the military. But the museum seems to be a long way off... The view from the road was disheartening, how would I be able to get close to that DC-3 and Vickers Viscount?  |
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In June 2016 Jan Koppen visited this location and published a report on his website; from his images I noticed that the DC-3 had been worked on: the lh-side had the red cheatline removed, the starboard side still had the red cheatline but looked scrubbed clean. Kenneth 'Ken' Swartz came across 'DTD again, in may 2016, and shared a photo (the DC-3 now devoid of any colours) on his gallery on my website HERE... Plus a little more explained on how these planes ended up here. No trace of the Vickers Viscount on Jan's report. See the 2016 update below. UPDATE Dec.2018: C-FDTD was being auctioned as '1944 Douglas C-47A / DC-3C #12253 - D-DAY and Market Garden Veteran' with a current bid (less than 7 days to go): US$12.500,00.
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Note the photo shows tailnumber N6225C applied, but at this time that registration is assigned to a Cessna T210N... Actually, N6225C was at some time assigned to a Lockheed Constellation, last seen at Lancaster-Fox Field,CA and scrapped in 1972. Photos of C-FTID on
Airliners.net
In Dec.2009 I received a reply from Andre Verret of Fondation Aerovision Quebec Inc:
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 Consolidated 28-5A Canso A (a.k.a. Catalina) C-FPQK (c/n CV-264) was flown by the Provincial Government for fire-fighting duties. It is now stored here, waiting to be displayed by the Quebec Air and Space Museum here at Saint-Hubert. Alas, that museum never was realized. |
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Photos on Airliners.net C-FPQK, while still mentioned as a project on the aerovision.org website (28Mar17) has been noted as '..exported to USA per 08Mar2017". The Catalina of the 'Fondation Aérovision Québec' remained out in the open at St Hubert all these years and, while the dream may not be dead, the museum of failed
to start Note that N938CF has been reg'd to 'CCT OF 1979 B-17 Series LLC PBY Series' of Stow,Mass. |
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The website on Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Numbers has the following information on this airframe:
Consolidated designed the Catalina PBY-5A, but Canadian Vickers of Montreal had a series license-built, whch were dubbed the
Canso. C/n 264 is a Canso A/2R and saw its 1st flight on 31Jul1943. To Canada Car and Foundry for repairs on 29Sep49. Had 789:00 airframe time then. On 26Sep61 to Crown Assets Disposal Corporation for disposal. Sold to Foundation Aerovision of St. Hubert, PQ on 01Jun94, latest Certificate of Registration issued on 18May98 as C-FPQK. Source: Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Nubers, RCAF 9801 to 9844 Because space at Vickers' Montreal shipyard was limited, the first 25 Cansos were assembled at St. Hubert airport, across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal. So it seems logical an effort was made to establish an aircraft museum here. Update on the disassembly of C-FPQK was provided by Ken Swartz on Photos by Friends & Guests (49) Anno 2019 stored in a hangar
of Aero Services at New Smyrna Beach Mun'l Airport,
noted 08Mar19, sans markings, wings, etc.; restoration halted since Collings Foundation has bought PH-PBY. The future of C-FPQK is again most uncertain! |
From St.Hubert it was only a short drive to St.Mathias-sur-Richelieu. I visited the airstrip and maintenance base here, plus the seaplane base across the road.
I have compiled a seperate webpage to this visit on 11Oct9, click HERE... |
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 deHavilland DHC-6-200 N223AL (c/n 223)..... |
 ... Registered to Win Win Aviation, Wake Forest,NC 20Oct03. Manufactured 1969. |
Of much older vintage are the two Beech 18s here!C-FZNH (c/n CA-275) is a Beech 3NM registered to Parachutisme Nouvel Air Inc. on 27Apr1994. Jan Koppen noted C-FZNH on his june 2016 trek through Quebec and saw it stored, lacking various parts (a.o. rudder, engines). He wrote the following history: "CF-ZNH was constructed in 1952 as Beechcraft D-18S for the RCAF. After her military duties were over this Beech was transferred to Canadian Forces Aircraft Technicians School at Border during 1968. She went into storage awaiting sale at Saskatoon, Sask. during Jan1970. Three months later she was sold to G. Provencher of Montreal and registrated as CF-ZNH. Later owners included R. Shaw of Ottawa, Ottawa Sports Parachutists and M.R. Aviation of Laval. Her last owner was Parachutisme Nouvel Air Inc. of Farnham." |
 C-FBKD is a Beech E18S (c/n BA-196) and registered to Parachutisme Nouvel Air Inc. since 15Apr05. Further details of its histery would be welcomed! EMAIL Jan Koppens update did not include a sighting of C-FBKD; when I checked Transport Canada's CCAR in august 2016 I noticed it still reg'd to Parachutisme Nouvel Air Inc. at Farnham. UPDATE 2017: Thomas Setter acquired it and reg'd it as N3717S per 03May17. |
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| Next we crossed the border into the United States again and headed to Auburn-Lewiston,Maine where we arrived on 12oct09. A unique restoration project is going on here since Lufthansa has purchased 3 -almost extinct- Lockheed L.1649A Starliners (of which 2 are here at Auburn) and one will be brought to airworthiness! Have a look at my page dedicated to this visit: Lufthansa's Lockheed Starliners at Auburn. |
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From Auburn we drove to Sanford,ME that same day, to have a look at PBY-5A Catalina N483CV (c/n CV-483).In its career it saw use by SLAFCO, based at Moses Lake,WA and registered N3202. During the mid-1990s it was reported for sale. Anno Apr02 it was still sale at Moses Lake. Buffalo Airways bought it on 10Jul03, registering it as C-GFFC. The ferry flight to Red Deer (Alberta), after extensive maintenance, took place late 2004. Only to be put in storage again, and for sale. It was reported on 13May05 at Red Deer, stored and the engines removed.. On my 27Jun06 visit to Red Deer I found it in preparation for delivery to a new owner. Registration C-GFFC was cancelled per 31Oct06, but prior to that date it was ferried to Sanford,ME for new owner Jim Knowles. Tailnumber N483CV was assigned on 04oct07 for Jim's Flying Cat Aviation LLC. The tank for its firebomber task has been removed, the hull has been reskinned over where the bombdoors had been, blisters have been put back on and as one can see on these photos: N483CV looks in splendid shape. I don't know if it has actually been flown, I couldn't ask as I found no one present at the hangar and had to make do with these images through the fence.
(A change of adress, 26Aug015, Flying Cat Aviation LLC now at Lee, NH.) |
| On Oct.13th we woke up to a dismal day, it was pouring with rain, as if the sluices of Heaven had opened! The bad weather had finally cought up with us. It even brought snow in the mountains. We drove the rain soaked byroads of New Hamsphire in search of an airstrip near Mason. |
| Mason Airfield proofed difficult to find. I drove pas a dirtroad twice, before I decided this dirtroad had to bring me to the airfield, which cannot be viewed from the 'main road' NH13. I came to a fork in the 'road', opted for the left fork, continued past a dumpsite (I think) and stopped to turn around, confused. At that point I backed the car into a gate, to answer a call of nature. Standing at the gate, I looked out on the DC-3!  The gate was closed, but easy to pass around it. The rain had slowed down to a light drizzle, but I got thoroughly wet by the soaked shrubbery next to the gate. Oh well, when the going get tough, the tough get going! See my page dedicated to this visit, featuring more photos and information, click HERE... |
We woke at Hyannis, Cape Cod and found wednesday 14th of October to be a sunny day! So maybe the bad weather had blown over during the night, lucky us. After an excellent breakfast at our motel (Hyannis Travel Inn), we drove at a leisurely pace to Provincetown and had lunch there.
When I introduced myself and explained my intentions, a gent in the office asked me to spell my name; when I did, he shook my hands, told me he regularly visited my website and we had exchanged emails before. Small world ! I rather like that mill in the background, another Dutch touch to this roadtrip, having been to Amsterdam,NY at the start of this tour! See my page dedicated to this visit: Mills Air Service at Cape Cod - 14oct09. |
Thursday 15Oct09 we crossed, by carferry, from New London,CT to Orient Point on Long Island. When we disembarked, it started to rain. It would continue to rain all day.  We drove the entire length of Long Island, traffic delayed us, the area was bland and uninteresting. The rain made it worse and slowed us down even more. Around noon we arrived at Farmingdale's Republic Airport and made our way to the American Airpower Museum. |
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After the brief visit to the American Airpower Museum, we plodded on in the rain, foregoing lunch as I wanted to keep my appointment at Floyd Bennett Field and, unbelievable, not passing any drive-thru for a quick bite and/or a much needed dose of caffeine We did have a spot of bother to find Hangar B where the BAHF and HARP are located... The airfield is on Flatbush Avenue, near the Belt Parkway. Coming from the Belt Parkway, we saw see the airfield on the left but turned left too soon and no access to the ramp. It is NOT the hangar you see near the fence on Flatbush Avenue. We continued on Flatbush Avenue and spotted the entrance on our left, proceeding almost to the toll booth onto the bridge. So we turned left and found the Park Ranger booth empty. We continued straight on (Aviation Road), but had to turn back. We found that once you pass the entrance gate, you have to make the first left, drive down a spacious main runway (!) for a few hundred feet, then turn right and continue down that runway to the end. The hangar is ahead of you on the right, and houses both the BAHF and HARP. If you want to learn who are behind these acronyms, follow THIS LINK. |
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The next day we enjoyed an upgrade by Delta Airlines to business class and flew home in style. Thank you Delta and many thanks to all who warmed us by their hospitality and kindness  |
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Photos © R.Leeuw
