Sunday, March 02, 2008
Steve's "Otter Of The Week"!......by Karl E. Hayes
Here is an Otter I know "personally". I hear she may be "moving" to a different locale, so I thought I better "show her off" before she leaves. Great history in this "old 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
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Otter 314
Otter 314 was delivered to the United States Army on 3rd February 1959 with serial 58-1700 (tail number 81700). It was assigned to the 17th Aviation Company, Fort Ord, California until June 1964, when it joined the Otter Transition School, which was also based at Fort Ord, and where it served until February 1966. It was then assigned to another unit, identity unknown, until November 1968 when it was transferred to the 16th Combat Aviation Group, Vietnam. The Otter, and a Beaver, flew for the Group Headquarters, based at Chu Lai. It continued with this tasking until August 1969, when it was taken on charge by the 142nd Transportation Company, Da Nang and prepared to be shipped home. It arrived at the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California in January 1970 and was stored there until February 1973, when it was deleted from the Army inventory and put up for disposal as military surplus.
81700 was one of four Otters stored at Stockton which were 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 81700 was $6,500. 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 $6,500 for 314) 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. There they restored 314 to flying condition and then sold it on to Nipawin Air Services Ltd of Nipawin, Saskatchewan. A temporary Certificate of Registration as C-GCDX and flight permit were issued on 24th June 1974 to Nipawin Air Services, to allow for the importation of the Otter into Canada from Latah, Washington. The Otter was then formally registered to Nipawin Air Services on 15th July 1974.
C-GCDX was to fly for Nipawin Air Services for nearly four years. Its career with this operator came to an end on 4th May 1978 when it crashed at Otter Lake, Saskatchewan, landing on a strip 2,500 feet long and 75 feet wide. Directional control was not maintained after the tailwheel touched down on the landing roll. The Otter veered off the runway and down an embankment. Considerable damage was caused and two of the three on board sustained minor injuries. After repair, the Otter was sold to Bearskin Lake Air Service of Big Trout Lake, Ontario, to whom it was registered in 1980.
The Otter recorded another incident on 15th March 1982 at McDowell, Ontario. The pilot was flying circuits and landings in an attempt to pack the snow on a ski-strip. On the fifth landing, the left ski link bracket failed and the aircraft settled onto the left wing. The damage was repaired and CDX continued in service with Bearskin Lake Air Service until sold to Allen Airways Ltd of Sioux Lookout, Ontario in August 1993. It flew for that company until sold to Selkirk Air Service Ltd of Selkirk, Manitoba in 1995. They arranged for it to be re-engined with a Polish PZL one thousand horse power engine. Selkirk Air purchased a conversion kit from Airtech Canada and carried out the conversion themselves at their Selkirk base.
On 30th June 2001 at Wrong Lake, Manitoba, CDX was started up and pushed away from the dock. A gust of wind swung the aircraft around and the pilot applied engine power to try to compensate. The combined engine power and wind pushed the aircraft into trees and rocks, causing damage to the right float, right wing tip and propeller. The damage was repaired and the Otter continued in service with Selkirk Air.
*** LATEST UPDATE!***
Otter 314
January 1st, 2008. C-GCDX. Selkirk Air Services, Selkirk, Manitoba. PZL
- by Karl E. Hayes
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-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by Rich Hulina
I saw the aircraft when she was "crippled" in 2001. The "mishap" was actually at Eardley Lake, which is just south of Wrong Lake. The damage was unbelievable! Let me tell you, she never flew out of the lake under her own power! Glad to see she was rehabilitated and continues to "auger" through the skies!
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
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 314
Otter 314 was delivered to the United States Army on 3rd February 1959 with serial 58-1700 (tail number 81700). It was assigned to the 17th Aviation Company, Fort Ord, California until June 1964, when it joined the Otter Transition School, which was also based at Fort Ord, and where it served until February 1966. It was then assigned to another unit, identity unknown, until November 1968 when it was transferred to the 16th Combat Aviation Group, Vietnam. The Otter, and a Beaver, flew for the Group Headquarters, based at Chu Lai. It continued with this tasking until August 1969, when it was taken on charge by the 142nd Transportation Company, Da Nang and prepared to be shipped home. It arrived at the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California in January 1970 and was stored there until February 1973, when it was deleted from the Army inventory and put up for disposal as military surplus.
81700 was one of four Otters stored at Stockton which were 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 81700 was $6,500. 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 $6,500 for 314) 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. There they restored 314 to flying condition and then sold it on to Nipawin Air Services Ltd of Nipawin, Saskatchewan. A temporary Certificate of Registration as C-GCDX and flight permit were issued on 24th June 1974 to Nipawin Air Services, to allow for the importation of the Otter into Canada from Latah, Washington. The Otter was then formally registered to Nipawin Air Services on 15th July 1974.
C-GCDX was to fly for Nipawin Air Services for nearly four years. Its career with this operator came to an end on 4th May 1978 when it crashed at Otter Lake, Saskatchewan, landing on a strip 2,500 feet long and 75 feet wide. Directional control was not maintained after the tailwheel touched down on the landing roll. The Otter veered off the runway and down an embankment. Considerable damage was caused and two of the three on board sustained minor injuries. After repair, the Otter was sold to Bearskin Lake Air Service of Big Trout Lake, Ontario, to whom it was registered in 1980.
The Otter recorded another incident on 15th March 1982 at McDowell, Ontario. The pilot was flying circuits and landings in an attempt to pack the snow on a ski-strip. On the fifth landing, the left ski link bracket failed and the aircraft settled onto the left wing. The damage was repaired and CDX continued in service with Bearskin Lake Air Service until sold to Allen Airways Ltd of Sioux Lookout, Ontario in August 1993. It flew for that company until sold to Selkirk Air Service Ltd of Selkirk, Manitoba in 1995. They arranged for it to be re-engined with a Polish PZL one thousand horse power engine. Selkirk Air purchased a conversion kit from Airtech Canada and carried out the conversion themselves at their Selkirk base.
On 30th June 2001 at Wrong Lake, Manitoba, CDX was started up and pushed away from the dock. A gust of wind swung the aircraft around and the pilot applied engine power to try to compensate. The combined engine power and wind pushed the aircraft into trees and rocks, causing damage to the right float, right wing tip and propeller. The damage was repaired and the Otter continued in service with Selkirk Air.
*** LATEST UPDATE!***
Otter 314
January 1st, 2008. C-GCDX. Selkirk Air Services, Selkirk, Manitoba. PZL
- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by "Me"
-photo by Rich Hulina
I saw the aircraft when she was "crippled" in 2001. The "mishap" was actually at Eardley Lake, which is just south of Wrong Lake. The damage was unbelievable! Let me tell you, she never flew out of the lake under her own power! Glad to see she was rehabilitated and continues to "auger" through the skies!
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
