Monday, May 12, 2008
Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes
***INTERNET "FINALLY" UP AND RUNNING!*** "Yee-haa!" I am "wired" again, folks! (To the "Net", that is. No "liquid intellect" yet!) Anyways, here is an Otter I saw today, and have only met recently. She was once owned by Art Gaffray from Silver Falls, Manitoba, father of my good buddies Steve and Ed Gaffray. She was waking up the neighbours today.........
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 276
Otter 276 was delivered to the United States Army on 17th July 1958 with serial 57-6131 (tail number 76131). It was allocated to the 12th Aviation Company, Fort Sill, Oklahoma and in August 1961 it flew north to Alaska when the Company was re-assigned there to join the Yukon Command. The Company was based at Fort Wainright, Fairbanks but maintained a platoon at Fort Richardson, Anchorage and 76131 alternated between the two bases while it flew for the 12th Aviation Company throughout the 1960s.
In June 1971 the Otter was re-assigned to the Alaska National Guard, based at Bethel, and served there until October '71 when its military career came to an end. It was ferried south to Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona where it was put into storage in the Sonora Desert 'boneyard', one of five US Army Otters to be stored there. It had flown south alongside Otter 81685 (291), also retired from the National Guard at Bethel at the same time and also put into storage in the 'boneyard'. Inventory code of 81685 was UA002 and for 76131 it was UA003.
None of these five US Army Otters remained in storage for long. The following year, 76131 was allocated to the University of Wisconsin, registered N1UW in September 1972and based at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It remained in use with the university until sold in 1979 to Art Gaffray of Silver Falls, Manitoba. He arranged for it to be flown to his base at Silver falls, where it was overhauled and registered C-GYYS. He then sold it on in May 1979 to Northwestern Flying Services Ltd based at Nestor Falls, Ontario. In December 1987 there was a change of title to Northwest Flying Inc. It flies alongside the company's Beaver C-GEBL and Beech 18 C-FNKL, operating during the summer months, flying fishermen and tourists.
The Otter was badly damaged in an accident while landing at Sabaskong Bay at Nestor Falls, Ontario on 3rd June 1998. As the accident report states: “The pilot did not see the hydro power lines that were strung between the mainland and a group of islands. The pilot knew the power lines were there, and had flown in and out of the same bay many times. He believed that he had flown past the wires, which did not have any markers. The Otter hit the power lines, which folded the aircraft's right wing back against the fuselage and tore off the rudder. The Otter struck the water upright and the pilot taxied the aircraft to the shore”. YYS was trucked to Recon Air at Geraldton, Ontario for repair, after which it re-entered service with Northwest Flying Inc.
*** LATEST UPDATE!***
Otter 276
January 1st, 2008. C-GYYS. Northwest Flying Inc, Nestor Falls, Ontario. R-1340.
- by Karl E. Hayes
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Pretty amazing to land upright after the "power line episode". The aircraft "occupants" all should have bought Lotto tickets after they "disembarked".....
- photo by Peter Kirkup
- photo by Rich Hulina
- photo by Steve Taylor
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 276
Otter 276 was delivered to the United States Army on 17th July 1958 with serial 57-6131 (tail number 76131). It was allocated to the 12th Aviation Company, Fort Sill, Oklahoma and in August 1961 it flew north to Alaska when the Company was re-assigned there to join the Yukon Command. The Company was based at Fort Wainright, Fairbanks but maintained a platoon at Fort Richardson, Anchorage and 76131 alternated between the two bases while it flew for the 12th Aviation Company throughout the 1960s.
In June 1971 the Otter was re-assigned to the Alaska National Guard, based at Bethel, and served there until October '71 when its military career came to an end. It was ferried south to Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona where it was put into storage in the Sonora Desert 'boneyard', one of five US Army Otters to be stored there. It had flown south alongside Otter 81685 (291), also retired from the National Guard at Bethel at the same time and also put into storage in the 'boneyard'. Inventory code of 81685 was UA002 and for 76131 it was UA003.
None of these five US Army Otters remained in storage for long. The following year, 76131 was allocated to the University of Wisconsin, registered N1UW in September 1972and based at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It remained in use with the university until sold in 1979 to Art Gaffray of Silver Falls, Manitoba. He arranged for it to be flown to his base at Silver falls, where it was overhauled and registered C-GYYS. He then sold it on in May 1979 to Northwestern Flying Services Ltd based at Nestor Falls, Ontario. In December 1987 there was a change of title to Northwest Flying Inc. It flies alongside the company's Beaver C-GEBL and Beech 18 C-FNKL, operating during the summer months, flying fishermen and tourists.
The Otter was badly damaged in an accident while landing at Sabaskong Bay at Nestor Falls, Ontario on 3rd June 1998. As the accident report states: “The pilot did not see the hydro power lines that were strung between the mainland and a group of islands. The pilot knew the power lines were there, and had flown in and out of the same bay many times. He believed that he had flown past the wires, which did not have any markers. The Otter hit the power lines, which folded the aircraft's right wing back against the fuselage and tore off the rudder. The Otter struck the water upright and the pilot taxied the aircraft to the shore”. YYS was trucked to Recon Air at Geraldton, Ontario for repair, after which it re-entered service with Northwest Flying Inc.
*** LATEST UPDATE!***
Otter 276
January 1st, 2008. C-GYYS. Northwest Flying Inc, Nestor Falls, Ontario. R-1340.
- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty amazing to land upright after the "power line episode". The aircraft "occupants" all should have bought Lotto tickets after they "disembarked".....
- photo by Peter Kirkup
- photo by Rich Hulina
- photo by Steve Taylor
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
