Sunday, October 12, 2008
Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes
"Hey", I bet you didn't know that Otters are quite similar to athletes. Don't believe me? Check out this next "agile" girl, she "laboured" for her employers for years, then was put on "waivers", and then was finally "traded" along with "cash" for a "Twin" Otter! Here is the "saga" of Otter 258, nicknamed "Kerowagi".........
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 258
Otter 258 was delivered to Qantas Empire Airways Ltd on 16th April 1958, registered VH-EAZ. As explained in relation to Otter 241, this was one of four Otters delivered to the Australian national airline for services in the Territory of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Otter was shipped to Australia where it was re-assembled at Bankstown and joined the Qantas fleet in August 1958 named “Kerowagi”. It was one of three Otter landplanes, based at Lae and operated services into the Highlands. With effect from 1st September 1960, the four Qantas Otters were taken over by Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), re-painted into TAA colours and re-registered. VH-EAZ became VH-SBT with TAA, and retained the name “Kerowagi”.
VH-SBT continued in service on TAA's 'Sunbird' services within PNG until 1st November 1966, when it was ferried from Lae to Bankstown airfield near Sydney, where it was soon joined by VH-SBR (247). Both Otters were put into storage awaiting sale. They were traded in to Hawker de Havilland against new DHC-6 Twin Otters. Hawker de Havilland in turn sold the two Otters to Bannock Aerospace Ltd of Toronto, VH-SBT being sold in June 1968. Bannock Aerospace sold the Otter to Air West Airlines of Vancouver, BC on 13th August 19968. At that stage it had 6,109 hours on the airframe. Marks CF-XRI were allocated and it commenced the long ferry flight from Sydney to Vancouver, island-hopping across the Pacific, on 17th September '68.
XRI entered service with Air West Airlines, flying from its Vancouver base, alongside its fleet of Beavers and Twin Otters. Air West became part of Air BC, to whom the Otter was registered in December 1980, by then carrying the marks C-FXRI. A minor incident was recorded on 4th February 1981 at Campbell River when the Otter struck a sub-merged rock during take-off and punctured the starboard float. When it became clear that Air BC's attempt to merge the many floatplane operators it had acquired into a unified airline was not going to work, the process was reversed and they were sold off. CoVal Air Ltd acquired Air BC's Campbell River base on Vancouver Island and aircraft including Otter C-FXRI. The Otter continued flying for this company from Campbell River until 30th April 1986, when it arrived at Vancouver on conclusion of its service with CoVal Air.
The Otter remained parked at Vancouver for a time, until sold to Osprey Wings Ltd of Missinipe, Saskatchewan, to whom it was registered in April 1987. The Otter has been converted to a Vazar turbine by T.C.Aviation at Saskatoon, a company associated with Osprey Wings.
*** LATEST UPDATE!***
Otter 258
January 1st, 2008. C-FXRI. Osprey Wings, Otter Lake, Missinipe, Saskatchewan. Vazar.
- by Karl E. Hayes
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"Island-hopping" across the Pacific to get from Australia to British Columbia in '68.....! If only Otters could speak! "Hey", her pilot could! I wonder if he is still out there with "pics and info"? What are the "odds".....?
VH-SBT of Trans Australia Airlines (Choice Aviation Fotos)
C-FXRI of CoVal Air at Campbell River June 1984, still in basic Air BC colour scheme - photo by John Kimberley
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 258
Otter 258 was delivered to Qantas Empire Airways Ltd on 16th April 1958, registered VH-EAZ. As explained in relation to Otter 241, this was one of four Otters delivered to the Australian national airline for services in the Territory of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Otter was shipped to Australia where it was re-assembled at Bankstown and joined the Qantas fleet in August 1958 named “Kerowagi”. It was one of three Otter landplanes, based at Lae and operated services into the Highlands. With effect from 1st September 1960, the four Qantas Otters were taken over by Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), re-painted into TAA colours and re-registered. VH-EAZ became VH-SBT with TAA, and retained the name “Kerowagi”.
VH-SBT continued in service on TAA's 'Sunbird' services within PNG until 1st November 1966, when it was ferried from Lae to Bankstown airfield near Sydney, where it was soon joined by VH-SBR (247). Both Otters were put into storage awaiting sale. They were traded in to Hawker de Havilland against new DHC-6 Twin Otters. Hawker de Havilland in turn sold the two Otters to Bannock Aerospace Ltd of Toronto, VH-SBT being sold in June 1968. Bannock Aerospace sold the Otter to Air West Airlines of Vancouver, BC on 13th August 19968. At that stage it had 6,109 hours on the airframe. Marks CF-XRI were allocated and it commenced the long ferry flight from Sydney to Vancouver, island-hopping across the Pacific, on 17th September '68.
XRI entered service with Air West Airlines, flying from its Vancouver base, alongside its fleet of Beavers and Twin Otters. Air West became part of Air BC, to whom the Otter was registered in December 1980, by then carrying the marks C-FXRI. A minor incident was recorded on 4th February 1981 at Campbell River when the Otter struck a sub-merged rock during take-off and punctured the starboard float. When it became clear that Air BC's attempt to merge the many floatplane operators it had acquired into a unified airline was not going to work, the process was reversed and they were sold off. CoVal Air Ltd acquired Air BC's Campbell River base on Vancouver Island and aircraft including Otter C-FXRI. The Otter continued flying for this company from Campbell River until 30th April 1986, when it arrived at Vancouver on conclusion of its service with CoVal Air.
The Otter remained parked at Vancouver for a time, until sold to Osprey Wings Ltd of Missinipe, Saskatchewan, to whom it was registered in April 1987. The Otter has been converted to a Vazar turbine by T.C.Aviation at Saskatoon, a company associated with Osprey Wings.
*** LATEST UPDATE!***
Otter 258
January 1st, 2008. C-FXRI. Osprey Wings, Otter Lake, Missinipe, Saskatchewan. Vazar.
- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Island-hopping" across the Pacific to get from Australia to British Columbia in '68.....! If only Otters could speak! "Hey", her pilot could! I wonder if he is still out there with "pics and info"? What are the "odds".....?
VH-SBT of Trans Australia Airlines (Choice Aviation Fotos)
C-FXRI of CoVal Air at Campbell River June 1984, still in basic Air BC colour scheme - photo by John Kimberley
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
Comments:
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Thank you for remarks on Otter 258 VH-EAZ - I have a photo of her on the WAU airstip with my new bride in the foreground as we were to fly to LAE following our honeymoon in WAU, probably first week in July 1960 !!
Do you have any info on the QANTAS float Otter that flew out of Port Moresby along the west papuan coast in 1959-60? (also pic parked at Moresby)
Thanks -- wallaby34
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Do you have any info on the QANTAS float Otter that flew out of Port Moresby along the west papuan coast in 1959-60? (also pic parked at Moresby)
Thanks -- wallaby34
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