Quebec Bush-planes 2016
Canada Aviation Museum at Ottawa-Rockcliff Airport
By Jan Koppen
Canada Aviation & Space Museum
Canada has a long and rich history of bush-planes. The artifacts collected, preserved, and displayed in the Canada Aviation & Space Museum showcase this history. Each artifact tells a fascinating story of innovation and illustrates how their technology have contributed to the transformation of Canada. Find out more about many of these artifacts below.
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DeHavailland DHC-2 CF-GHB of Norcanair.
The DHC-2 prototype, construction number 1, at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa. The prototype was test flown in 1947 and given the registration CF-FHB in honour of Frederick H. Buller who was the designer of the aircraft. CF-FHB worked for 32 years in coastal and northern regions with operators such as; - Central B.C., Pacific Western, Northward Aviation and B&B Aviation. FHB was handed over to the museum in 1980 and wears the colors of its final operator, Norcanair of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. |
The Beaver was designed and built in response to the demands of Canadian bush operators. With its all-metal construction, high-lift wing, and flap configuration, the Beaver was a robust aircraft with excellent short take-off-and-landing capability even with heavy loads. In addition to its success in Canada, the Beaver found acceptance in as many as 60 other countries all over the world. Although not ordered by the RCAF, some 980 served with distinction in the US Army and US Air Force. About 1600 were made.
Built in 1947, this aircraft is the prototype, or first, Beaver to be built. Used as a bush plane in Western Canada for thirty-two years, it was purchased by the Museum from Norcanair in 1980. Its serial number, CF-FHB, incorporates the initials of Frederick Howard Buller, one of the Beaver’s two designers.
Remarkably, during its final flight, between Lac la Ronge and Rockcliffe airport, this aircraft crossed paths in Sault Ste. Marie with the second Beaver built, CF-OBS. Russ Bannock, who flew CF-FHB for a portion of its last flight, had also been its test pilot. The preservation of Canada’s first Beaver has been made possible by donations from the Molson Foundation and from de Havilland Canada.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Built in 1947, this aircraft is the prototype, or first, Beaver to be built. Used as a bush plane in Western Canada for thirty-two years, it was purchased by the Museum from Norcanair in 1980. Its serial number, CF-FHB, incorporates the initials of Frederick Howard Buller, one of the Beaver’s two designers.
Remarkably, during its final flight, between Lac la Ronge and Rockcliffe airport, this aircraft crossed paths in Sault Ste. Marie with the second Beaver built, CF-OBS. Russ Bannock, who flew CF-FHB for a portion of its last flight, had also been its test pilot. The preservation of Canada’s first Beaver has been made possible by donations from the Molson Foundation and from de Havilland Canada.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Noorduyn Norseman VI QT787 of the RCAF
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Noorduyn Norseman VI 787 / QT-787. Built in 1943, this was the first Norseman VI used by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
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The Norseman VI was flown by No. 3 Wireless School in Montreal during the Second World War, and was used to train wireless operators. Between 1945 and 1950, it served as a communications, search-and-rescue, and transportation aircraft across Canada. In 1950, it served with No. 121 Communications and Rescue Flight, still bearing the RCAF markings from its last year of active service. The aircraft was transferred to the Museum in February 1964 and presently on display at the Canadian Aviation Museum, Ottawa.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
From Norseman to Stinson Reliant
The Stinson Reliant SR was designed for private operators and small charter companies. Although it was the type of airplane suited to Canadian bush operations, only one was imported before Second World War. A second Reliant entered Canada in 1953. This airplane was not retired until 1973. About 190 Reliant SRs were produced.
Built in 1933, this Reliant's first owner was William Lear (founder of Learjet Corporation). Registered as NC13464, the aircraft had a number of private American owners until 1948, when it was purchased by Leithold Seaplane Service of Minnesota. This company converted the Reliant to floats in 1949.
The aircraft became the second (and likely the last) SR registered in Canada, when it was purchased in 1953 by I. I. Handberg and registered as CF-HAW to Lac la Croix-Quetico Air Service of Lac la Croix, Ontario.
By 1957, the Reliant had had a few different owners and was changing hands as scrap metal rather than a working aircraft. It was then in storage until 1963, when it was purchased by J. E. Culliton of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and restored by Northland Aircraft Service. The cabin was enlarged and lined with aluminum sheet; new cabin doors were installed and a pilot's door was added. The original plate-glass windows were replaced by Plexiglas and a new full-instrument panel was added.
After restoration and until 1974, the aircraft was owned by Leslie G. Martin of Barrie, Ontario. It was then acquired by Gordon H. Hughes of Northland Aircraft Service, who restored the Reliant a second time. In 1981, Akela Aircraft Repair of Whitefish, Ontario purchased the aircraft, selling it two years later to the Museum, where it arrived, on floats, in June 1983.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
The aircraft became the second (and likely the last) SR registered in Canada, when it was purchased in 1953 by I. I. Handberg and registered as CF-HAW to Lac la Croix-Quetico Air Service of Lac la Croix, Ontario.
By 1957, the Reliant had had a few different owners and was changing hands as scrap metal rather than a working aircraft. It was then in storage until 1963, when it was purchased by J. E. Culliton of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and restored by Northland Aircraft Service. The cabin was enlarged and lined with aluminum sheet; new cabin doors were installed and a pilot's door was added. The original plate-glass windows were replaced by Plexiglas and a new full-instrument panel was added.
After restoration and until 1974, the aircraft was owned by Leslie G. Martin of Barrie, Ontario. It was then acquired by Gordon H. Hughes of Northland Aircraft Service, who restored the Reliant a second time. In 1981, Akela Aircraft Repair of Whitefish, Ontario purchased the aircraft, selling it two years later to the Museum, where it arrived, on floats, in June 1983.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
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Stinson SR Reliant C-FHAW of Akela Aircraft Repair.
The Stinson Reliant SR was powered by a Lycoming R-650 E-3, 300 hp, 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine. |
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Bellanca Pacemakers were renowned for their reliability and weight-lifting attributes, which contributed to their successful operation in the Canadian bush. Canadian-operated Bellancas were initially imported from the United States, but later six were built by Canadian Vickers in Montreal and delivered to the RCAF, which used them mainly for aerial photography.
The Museum's aircraft is one of only two surviving Bellanca CH-300/CH-300 Pacemakers in the world. Built in 1929 by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation, it was sold to El Paso Air Service in Texas. Its Wright engine was replaced with a more powerful Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engine in 1945. This CH-300 operated commercially in Texas, Mexico and Alaska almost without interruption between 1929 and 1964. It was still airworthy when the Museum purchased it in 1964, after twenty-eight years of bush flying in Alaska.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
The Museum's aircraft is one of only two surviving Bellanca CH-300/CH-300 Pacemakers in the world. Built in 1929 by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation, it was sold to El Paso Air Service in Texas. Its Wright engine was replaced with a more powerful Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engine in 1945. This CH-300 operated commercially in Texas, Mexico and Alaska almost without interruption between 1929 and 1964. It was still airworthy when the Museum purchased it in 1964, after twenty-eight years of bush flying in Alaska.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
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Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker CF-ATN.
Its power plant is a one Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr., 450 hp, 9-cylinder radial engine. |
The Junkers W34 continued the line of all-metal Junkers aircraft going back to the Junkers J.I. With its good flying characteristics and rugged construction, the Junkers W34 was considered by many to be the best bush plane of the 1930s and early 1940s. Only nine were imported to Canada due to the high cost of its metal construction and the heavy tariff imposed on German aircraft. Canadian Airways was the primary Canadian operator.
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Junkers W.34F/fi CF-ATF of Canadian Airways.
The Junkers W34 was powered by one Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1 Wasp, 600 hp, radial engine. |
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Made in 1931, this Junkers W34 was registered to Canadian Airways in December 1932. In its early years, it was based at Oskélanéo, Quebec, from where it mainly served the mining industry in the Chibougamau area. In the summer of 1939, it was sent west to Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, where it was flown mostly in the Red Lake area. Over the next twenty years the aircraft changed hands several times, until it was finally sold in 1962 to the widow of James A. Richardson, founder of Canadian Airways. Muriel Sprague Richardson donated the aircraft to the Museum on September 17, 1962. The aircraft was flown from Kamloops, British Columbia to the Museum. The aircraft's handover ceremony marked the last flight of any of the Junkers F13/W33/W34 family of aircraft.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Fairchild FC-2W-2 G-CART of Canadian Transcontinental
Unable to find a suitable aircraft for their aerial-survey business, Fairchild designed a tough, simple aircraft of their own, the Model FC-1, which was shortly improved upon by the FC-2 and subsequent versions. Created to operate in remote areas, this aircraft series suited the Canadian environment. The RCAF used Fairchilds chiefly for photographic surveys and communication. Civil use in Canada involved largely freight and passengers in the north, and passengers in the south.
Much of the work to open up Canada᾿s north in the 1920s and 1930s was performed by Fairchild FC-2s, 2Ws, and 2W-2s. FC-2W-2s flew Canada’s first international passenger service between Montreal and New York. In 1928, two Canadian FC-2W-2s were the first to reach the Junkers W.33 Bremen, which had crashed in the Strait of Belle Isle after the first east-to-west trans-Atlantic flight. The Fairchild’s wings fold back for convenient storage, which meant that in the Arctic the airplane could be put undercover with a small snowfence and a tarpaulin.
This FC-2W2 was manufactured in 1928 by Fairchild Airplane Manufacturing Corporation in the United States. It was purchased in the same year by Brock and Weymouth Incorporated, a U.S.-based company that was acquired by the Aero Service Corporation the following year. The aircraft was used for aerial surveys until the early 1940s. It was then purchased by an aircraft broker but, following an engine failure on take-off and damages from the ensuing forced landing, it remained with the Aero Service Corporation. In 1962, the company's founder and president, Virgil Kauffman, donated the aircraft to the Museum. It has been restored in the markings of a Canadian Transcontinental Airways FC-2W2.
This FC-2W2 was powered by one Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp B, 420 hp, radial engine.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Much of the work to open up Canada᾿s north in the 1920s and 1930s was performed by Fairchild FC-2s, 2Ws, and 2W-2s. FC-2W-2s flew Canada’s first international passenger service between Montreal and New York. In 1928, two Canadian FC-2W-2s were the first to reach the Junkers W.33 Bremen, which had crashed in the Strait of Belle Isle after the first east-to-west trans-Atlantic flight. The Fairchild’s wings fold back for convenient storage, which meant that in the Arctic the airplane could be put undercover with a small snowfence and a tarpaulin.
This FC-2W2 was manufactured in 1928 by Fairchild Airplane Manufacturing Corporation in the United States. It was purchased in the same year by Brock and Weymouth Incorporated, a U.S.-based company that was acquired by the Aero Service Corporation the following year. The aircraft was used for aerial surveys until the early 1940s. It was then purchased by an aircraft broker but, following an engine failure on take-off and damages from the ensuing forced landing, it remained with the Aero Service Corporation. In 1962, the company's founder and president, Virgil Kauffman, donated the aircraft to the Museum. It has been restored in the markings of a Canadian Transcontinental Airways FC-2W2.
This FC-2W2 was powered by one Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp B, 420 hp, radial engine.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
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Boeing 247D CF-JRQ of Chevron Standard Ltd.
This aircraft was manufactured as a 247 in 1934 by Boeing Aircraft Company and was converted to a 247D model in July 1935. It flew for more than ten different operators, including United Air Lines, the RCAF, Quebec Airways and Canadian Pacific Airlines. It was donated to the Museum in 1967 by its last operator, California Standard Oil of Calgary, Alberta. It is one of four complete 247s still existing; the others are located in the United States and the United Kingdom. Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum. |
The 10A, Lockheed’s first all-metal design, was a relatively small twin-engine transport which followed the trend set by the Boeing 247. The Lockheed 10A was used by a number of airlines in the United States and abroad. The two Lockheed 10As that began service in 1936 with Canadian Airways on the Vancouver-Seattle route were Canada’s first modern airliners. Trans-Canada Air Lines bought these two aircraft and ordered three more. These and other 10As were acquired by the RCAF during Second World War, and later sold to private operators.
Manufactured in 1937, this Electra was the first new aircraft purchased by Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA). Transferred to the RCAF in 1939, it was then used as a transport plane for six years, with a brief interruption in 1941, when it was loaned back to TCA for six months. From 1946 to 1962, it was owned by a number of individuals and companies, both in Canada and the United States. Lee Koepke purchased this aircraft in 1962. It was rebuilt, and then flown around the world by Ann Pellegreno to commemorate Amelia Earhart’s fatal 1937 flight. Air Canada acquired the aircraft in 1968, restored it and donated it to the Museum.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Manufactured in 1937, this Electra was the first new aircraft purchased by Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA). Transferred to the RCAF in 1939, it was then used as a transport plane for six years, with a brief interruption in 1941, when it was loaned back to TCA for six months. From 1946 to 1962, it was owned by a number of individuals and companies, both in Canada and the United States. Lee Koepke purchased this aircraft in 1962. It was rebuilt, and then flown around the world by Ann Pellegreno to commemorate Amelia Earhart’s fatal 1937 flight. Air Canada acquired the aircraft in 1968, restored it and donated it to the Museum.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
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Lockheed 10A Electra CF-TCA of Trans Canada Airlines.
Its power plant were two Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr., 450 hp, radial engines. |
Douglas DC-3 C-FTDJ of Goodyear.
This DC-3 was manufactured in 1942 by Douglas Aircraft Company Incorporated. It was completed as a DC-3 airliner after to the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and later served with the U.S. Army Air Forces as a C-49J. In 1945, it was sold to Trans-Canada Air Lines, becoming the first DC-3 operated by that airline. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company bought the aircraft in 1948 and refinished it for VIP transportation. It served with Goodyear until 1983, when the company donated it to the Museum.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
During the museum visit it was pouring with rain. Photographing the airplanes outside on the museum ramp appeared a real challange and, despite all efforts, I got soaked.
The North Star was a Canadian development of the Douglas C-54/DC-4, with some features of the DC-6. The aircraft were equipped with Rolls Royce Merlin engines. The North Star served dependably with Trans-Canada Air Lines, Canadian Pacific Airlines, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), and the RCAF. The final version of the North Star was the C-5 with radial engines. Only one was built. Many North Stars continued to fly with small commercial operators after retirement from major carriers. RCAF North Stars were retired in 1966.
Civilian North Stars were pressurized while RCAF versions were not. Passengers found them very uncomfortable because of the noisy exhaust system of the original in-line engines. A special cross-over exhaust was developed by T.C.A. in a partially successful attempt to lower noise levels. The RCAF made no attempt to quieten their North Stars.
This North Star was manufactured in 1948 by Canadair Limited in Montreal, Quebec and was delivered to the RCAF in March of that year. It spent its entire career with No. 426 Squadron.
Starting in 1950 the aircraft was used in Operation Hawk to transport supplies across the Pacific during the Korean War. On these missions, it flew from McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington to Shemya, in the Aleutian Islands and then Japan.. The aircraft was also used for Red River flood relief in Manitoba, in northern resupply efforts and in UN peacekeeping missions during the 1950s. It became a transport trainer in 1962.
This North Star was one of two that took part in a ceremony to mark the official "stand down" of the type in December 1965. It was retired and transferred to the Museum in 1966. It is the only North Star left.
This North Star was powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin 622, 1760 hp, Vee engines.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Civilian North Stars were pressurized while RCAF versions were not. Passengers found them very uncomfortable because of the noisy exhaust system of the original in-line engines. A special cross-over exhaust was developed by T.C.A. in a partially successful attempt to lower noise levels. The RCAF made no attempt to quieten their North Stars.
This North Star was manufactured in 1948 by Canadair Limited in Montreal, Quebec and was delivered to the RCAF in March of that year. It spent its entire career with No. 426 Squadron.
Starting in 1950 the aircraft was used in Operation Hawk to transport supplies across the Pacific during the Korean War. On these missions, it flew from McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington to Shemya, in the Aleutian Islands and then Japan.. The aircraft was also used for Red River flood relief in Manitoba, in northern resupply efforts and in UN peacekeeping missions during the 1950s. It became a transport trainer in 1962.
This North Star was one of two that took part in a ceremony to mark the official "stand down" of the type in December 1965. It was retired and transferred to the Museum in 1966. It is the only North Star left.
This North Star was powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin 622, 1760 hp, Vee engines.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
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The Argus was a radical redesign of the Bristol Britannia featuring a new, unpressurized fuselage and powerful piston engines. The redesign increased the low-altitude range and provided space in the aircraft for weapons and electronic equipment. Thirteen Mk.1s were built. The remaining 20 were Mk.2s, with upgraded electronics and a smaller radome (radar dome). Argus aircraft operated successfully over Canada’s ocean boundaries. They were retired from the Canadian Armed Forces(CAF) in 1982.
The Argus was equipped with a powerful radar, underwater listening devices, electronic countermeasures equipment, and a magnetic anomaly detector, which at low altitude could detect deformations in the earth’s magnetic field caused by metal objects as small as a boat’s engine. For night visual identification, a remote-controlled 70-million candlepower searchlight was located on the wing. Equipped with four bunks and a galley, the Argus could accommodate two crews for 24-hour-plus flights. In its early years, the Argus was undoubtedly the finest anti-submarine patrol bomber in the world. Maximum range was 8,190 km (5,089 mi). The Argus was powered by four Wright R-3350 TC981 EA-1 Turbo Compound, 3,700 hp, radial engines. Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum. |
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This Argus was the last one built. It was manufactured by Canadair Limited in Montreal, Quebec in 1960. It operated with No. 405 Squadron RCAF in Greenwood, Nova Scotia from 1960 to 1978, when it was transferred to Canadian Forces Base Summerside in Prince Edward Island. It served there until 1982 and was then retired and transferred to the Museum in a May 17, 1982 ceremony. The Argus is the largest aircraft in the collection and the Museum's hangar doors were designed to accommodate it.
After helping to precisely map much of Canada through radar remote sensing for decades, the Government of Canada’s long-serving Convair 580 C-GRSC joint the Canada Aviation and Space Museum’s collection.
The storied aircraft landed at Rockcliffe Airport neighbouring the Museum today, carrying a precious cargo of scientific equipment. The Convair 580’s radar remote sensing equipment contributed to gaining a better understanding of the Canadian landscape and seascape, and yielded great benefits to sectors as diverse as forestry, agriculture, geology, hydrology, oceanography, ice studies, environmental protection, cartography, oil and gas operations, mineral exploration, and arctic navigation.
Originally used as an executive transport aircraft by the Johnson & Johnson company in the 1950s, from 1974 until 2012 it served as an experimental radar remote sensing platform for various Government of Canada departments and agencies, such as Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada, and the National Research Council of Canada. The rugged aircraft flew diverse research missions in Canada’s High Arctic as well as for the European Space Agency.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
The storied aircraft landed at Rockcliffe Airport neighbouring the Museum today, carrying a precious cargo of scientific equipment. The Convair 580’s radar remote sensing equipment contributed to gaining a better understanding of the Canadian landscape and seascape, and yielded great benefits to sectors as diverse as forestry, agriculture, geology, hydrology, oceanography, ice studies, environmental protection, cartography, oil and gas operations, mineral exploration, and arctic navigation.
Originally used as an executive transport aircraft by the Johnson & Johnson company in the 1950s, from 1974 until 2012 it served as an experimental radar remote sensing platform for various Government of Canada departments and agencies, such as Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada, and the National Research Council of Canada. The rugged aircraft flew diverse research missions in Canada’s High Arctic as well as for the European Space Agency.
Info credit: Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
After the museum, I visited Lachute airport, some 30km west of Montreal. Lachute airport was used by BM Aviation in 1973 to store, overhaul and sell 64 DHC-2 Beavers, which they bought from the U.S. Army. Unforetunately nothing remembers of their business venture at this airport.
The weather forecast for the coming days were rain, rain and rain. So I decided to end this 'Quebec bush-plane hunt' and headed for Montreal-Dorval Airport where I had to say goodbye to 'General Lee'. That same evening I boarded a high-tech KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Airbus 330-300 with destination Home.
The weather forecast for the coming days were rain, rain and rain. So I decided to end this 'Quebec bush-plane hunt' and headed for Montreal-Dorval Airport where I had to say goodbye to 'General Lee'. That same evening I boarded a high-tech KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Airbus 330-300 with destination Home.
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