Monday, April 27, 2009
Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes
Check out another Otter that was originally operated by Hudson Bay Air Transport Ltd., of Flin Flon, Manitoba. She "made the rounds" and still is in the workforce 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 439
Otter 439 was delivered to Hudson Bay Air Transport Ltd of Flin Flon, Manitoba on 24th May 1963, registered CF-PEN. The manufacturer's plate on the aircraft says its manufacture was completed on 11th April 1962, so it was evidently in storage for just over a year before it was delivered. Also delivered to the company the same day was number 438 CF-PEM. These two Otters were ordered as replacements for Otters CF-JOR (212) and CF-KTI (269) which had both been destroyed in a fire at the company's hangar at Flin Flon on 4th April 1963.
These two Otters flew alongside the company's surviving Otter CF-MIQ (336) until the need for bush aircraft diminished during the early 1980s. CF-PEN was sold in January 1983 to Lac Seul Airways Ltd of Ear Falls, Ontario, becoming C-FPEN and flew alongside Lac Seul's other Otter C-FHXY (67), flying tourists and guests to fishing lodges during the summer season. The Otter was to fly for Lac Seul Airways for twenty years. After the summer 2003 season, Lac Seul Airways decided to sell PEN and continue operations with HXY. Otter PEN was sold to Fast Air Ltd of Winnipeg, a company which operated Piper Navajos, King Air 200s and IAI-1124 Westwind executive jets. Fast Air had decided to diversify and had negotiated a joint venture contract on which the Otter would be used up north.
In early February 2004, PEN arrived at Vernon, BC where it was converted to a Texas Turbine Otter by Kal Air, and also had the 'Yukon Door' modification and panoramic windows installed. It was also re-painted into Fast Air's blue and white colour scheme and registered to its new owners on 31st March 2004. It departed Vernon on 25th April '04 to Lethbridge and made it direct from there to Winnipeg. At that stage of its career, it had 10,689 hours on the airframe. At Fast Air's hangar at Winnipeg it had avionics fitted, and an arctic owl emblem painted on the side, named 'Ookpik'. It was put on wheel-skis and on 12th May '04 departed for the long haul north to Baker Lake, Nunavut its new base. Here it is used in support of mineral exploration year round, and for tourists during the summer months.
*** LATEST UPDATE!***
Otter 439
January 1st, 2008. C-FPEN. This Otter was sold by Fast Air to North Star Air Ltd of Pickle Lake, Ontario to whom it was registered 29th August 2007. Texas Turbine.
- by Karl E. Hayes
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Still flying out of "Pickle Lake", sporting a Garrett!! Her "story" is far from over........
- CF-PEN of Hudson Bay Air Transport at its Flin Flon, Manitoba base September 1980 (Karl Hayes)
- C-FPEN of Lac Seul Airways at Ear Falls, Ontario September 1991 (Anthony J. Hickey)
- C-FPEN of Fast Air at Winnipeg May 2004 about to depart for Baker Lake, Nunavut (Karl Hayes)
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 439
Otter 439 was delivered to Hudson Bay Air Transport Ltd of Flin Flon, Manitoba on 24th May 1963, registered CF-PEN. The manufacturer's plate on the aircraft says its manufacture was completed on 11th April 1962, so it was evidently in storage for just over a year before it was delivered. Also delivered to the company the same day was number 438 CF-PEM. These two Otters were ordered as replacements for Otters CF-JOR (212) and CF-KTI (269) which had both been destroyed in a fire at the company's hangar at Flin Flon on 4th April 1963.
These two Otters flew alongside the company's surviving Otter CF-MIQ (336) until the need for bush aircraft diminished during the early 1980s. CF-PEN was sold in January 1983 to Lac Seul Airways Ltd of Ear Falls, Ontario, becoming C-FPEN and flew alongside Lac Seul's other Otter C-FHXY (67), flying tourists and guests to fishing lodges during the summer season. The Otter was to fly for Lac Seul Airways for twenty years. After the summer 2003 season, Lac Seul Airways decided to sell PEN and continue operations with HXY. Otter PEN was sold to Fast Air Ltd of Winnipeg, a company which operated Piper Navajos, King Air 200s and IAI-1124 Westwind executive jets. Fast Air had decided to diversify and had negotiated a joint venture contract on which the Otter would be used up north.
In early February 2004, PEN arrived at Vernon, BC where it was converted to a Texas Turbine Otter by Kal Air, and also had the 'Yukon Door' modification and panoramic windows installed. It was also re-painted into Fast Air's blue and white colour scheme and registered to its new owners on 31st March 2004. It departed Vernon on 25th April '04 to Lethbridge and made it direct from there to Winnipeg. At that stage of its career, it had 10,689 hours on the airframe. At Fast Air's hangar at Winnipeg it had avionics fitted, and an arctic owl emblem painted on the side, named 'Ookpik'. It was put on wheel-skis and on 12th May '04 departed for the long haul north to Baker Lake, Nunavut its new base. Here it is used in support of mineral exploration year round, and for tourists during the summer months.
*** LATEST UPDATE!***
Otter 439
January 1st, 2008. C-FPEN. This Otter was sold by Fast Air to North Star Air Ltd of Pickle Lake, Ontario to whom it was registered 29th August 2007. Texas Turbine.
- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Still flying out of "Pickle Lake", sporting a Garrett!! Her "story" is far from over........
- CF-PEN of Hudson Bay Air Transport at its Flin Flon, Manitoba base September 1980 (Karl Hayes)
- C-FPEN of Lac Seul Airways at Ear Falls, Ontario September 1991 (Anthony J. Hickey)
- C-FPEN of Fast Air at Winnipeg May 2004 about to depart for Baker Lake, Nunavut (Karl Hayes)
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
