Selkirk
Selkirk
The Selkirk base is situated on the North edge of the city along the Red River. The Selkirk floatplane base is a pleasant location and has good photo opportunities. The roadside parking is a raised area above the water level which is great for taking pictures. The storage and parking yard is across the road and does not have a fence. Taking pictures is usually no problem but perhaps it would be better to report in at the Selkirk hanger and state your intentions. Many more Cessna and Piper (30+) floatplanes are parked in the yard but are not listed. Riverside Aircraft maintenance AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE & SERVICING OVERHAUL & REPAIR OF FLOATS AIRCRAFT STORAGE-SUMMER & WINTER LAND & SEA BASE-FUEL AVAILABLE Dock: C-FSJX DHC-2 Sabourin Lake Lodge C-GFLM Cessna 206 C-GYER Cessna 206 Sabourin Lake Lodge Hangar 1: C-FOFX Cessna185 C-GVUT Cessna 180B C-FYNW Cessna 172 Hangar 2: CF-ZMX Noorduyn Norseman CF-IGX Noorduyn Norseman Open storage: C-FLEA DHC-3 ex Green Airways C-FODJ DHC-3 ex Green Airways C-GBZS DHC-2 private C-GPHI DHC-2 private C-GFIQ DHC-2 Sandy Lake Seaplane Service C-GMXS DHC-2 Plummers Lil Amik C-FSRE Beech 18 Excellent Adventures C-FCUE DC-3 wing only C-FSFH Beech 18 Selkirk Air (wreck No reg. Norseman ex Edmund Lake Lodge (CF-BSB) |
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C-FSJX
DHC-2 C-FSJX, manufactured in 1965 and its first employer was the mining firm Diamond Equipment. During 1984 ‘Juliette-Xray’ was bought by Sabourin Lake Lodge Ltd. of Winnipeg and currently she is still operating for this company. The aircraft is modified with bubble window in the cargo doors and has been equipped with the Baron MK2000 Special edition STOL kit, as can be seen by the drooped wing tips. The carburetor air scoop mounted high on the cowling, intended to minimize dust intake on gravel airstrips, also works fine on floatplane Beavers to keep water out. During our visit at Selkirk we stumbled across this hard working Beaver and within 10 minutes after this picture was taken she was on her way out for a departure from the Red River. According to Garry Polunik, owner of Riverside Aircraft Maintenance, her destination would be most probably Sabourin Lake to re-supply the camp. |
C-GVUT
Inside the hangar, Cessna 180B C-GVUT was nearing the end of an overhaul and looks to be repainted in a stunning blue white livery. The friendly engineers explained that their clients aircraft are maintained to the highest standards, as the area in which they operate is very remote and safety is paramount |
Thanks to Garry Polinuk, the owner of Riverside Maintenance, who showed us around his premise, we found Noorduyn Norseman CF-ZMX in a hangar. CF-ZMX This airframe left the factory at Montreal in 1945. After the war it was bought by Bruce Hallock, based in Texas and outfitted to haul lobster from British Honduras (Belize). Later she was sold to missionaries in Peru and registered there as OB-M-249. The Norseman was imported back into Canada in 1971 and was damaged at Yellowknife on April 22, 1981. Take off was attempted in a restricted area and the aircraft hit a boat and dock. She was shipped to Calgary, Alberta for repair but donated to the Calgary Aerospace Museum when the cost of repair was found to be too high. The museum traded the Norseman with Joe McBryan of Buffalo Air for a Sikorsky helicopter in 1987. Somehow the Norseman was repaired to flying status and registered to Trout Lake Lodge, Red Lake, Ontario in July 2000. During these years she was often moored at the docks of Green Airways. Gordon Hughes of Northland Aircraft Service has rebuild the Norseman to her 2001. Some reports mention that Jack Green of Green Airways is present owner of this pristine Norseman. |
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CF-IGX In June, 1942, CF-IGX was handed over to the RCAF. She was sold as surplus to a bush plane operator after the war. Her C of A expired in 1965 and was not renewed until September 1990, when she was rebuilt by Gordon Hughes. Subsequently ‘Gulf-Xray’ was registered to a Mr. Olsen. Presently CF-IGX is registered to David Lindskog and Robert Polinuk, who is the father of Garry Polinuk, the owner of Riverside Aircraft Maintenance. |
C-FSFH Beechcraft 18 C-FSFH was built in 1943 as C-45B Expeditor for the US military but diverted to RCAF. She was sold out of service and registered C-FSFH. The Beaver served with Ontario Central Airlines under this registration until sold to Enterlake Air Services Ltd. (Selkirk Air) in November 1996. On June 05, 1995, she was badly damaged during a landing gear failure at Bradburn Lake, Manitoba. During the float-equipped aircraft's take-off run, the pilot noticed a yaw to the left. The pilot corrected the yaw, but it recurred and worsened. The left float separated from the aircraft, the left wing struck the water and the aircraft capsized, coming to rest on its left wing tip in about 15 feet of water. The pilot and the six passengers were not injured; they exited the aircraft and swam to shore. ‘Fox-Hotel’ was salvaged and transported to Riverside Maintenance. |
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C-GBZS C-GBZS, this Beaver left the factory in 1965 for delivery to an outfit in the Middle East. It was returned to Canada in 1983 and served several Canadian bush plane operators. On June 26, 2007, ‘Zulu-Sierra’ was damaged after an aborted takeoff in Bryants Raft Pond, a small lake in Newfoundland. The plane hit the beach at about 30 miles an hour and slid up into the spruce trees. The floats were ripped off, the belly and the wings were severely damaged but the pilot and passengers walked away. Gillam Air Services (1985) Ltd, of Manitoba bought the wreck and Sealand Aviation Ltd. of Campbell River restored the Beaver to her present pristine condition. Modifications include a Sealand cabin extension and the three-bladed Hartzell propeller, which offers a quieter ride than the longer two-bladed prop. Its smaller diameter, sustains less damage from water spray and the brightly polished spinner provides uniform engine cooling. The exhaust tailpipe, containing the heat exchanger tube, which provides heat for the cabin, somewhat reduces the noise factor of the engine. Rectangular and bubble windows allow excellent viewing for its passengers. Note, the float ladder on port side. |
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C-GPHI Enterlake Air Service De Havilland Beaver C-GPHI. Note the nose extension, it is longer than most. This is the DHC-2 Holmes Extended Engine Mount. Due to the original aircraft’s design, most Beavers flying today at gross weight are far from legal when it comes to the aft C of G. All the baggage extensions and gross weight increases have only made this worse. The Extended Engine Mount moves 917 lbs. nearly ten inches forward of its original position, putting the empty weight C of G at the forward limit so that all loading has a chance to stay within limits. It stands to reason that a loaded Beaver, which is normally wallowing around, dragging its ass, would benefit from having the C of G moved forward. From the maintenance perspective, anyone who has tried to change a mag or starter, or adjust points or find an oil leak will love this modification. Also flight-testing shows a number of advantages of the Extended Engine Mount; -The time from throttle application to the aircraft on the step appears to be cut in half, the aircraft climbs faster, an increase in cruise airspeed is apparent and there is no need for cruise flaps. As a civilian version, this Beaver has lower air induction and an exhaust tailpipe extension. She was manufactured in 1955 for delivery to the U.S. Army. When her military career was over, she was parked in the Arizona desert at Davis-Monthan. During 1976 it was imported to Canada and by next year she became C-GPHI. ‘Hotel-India’ sustained substantial damage when a float hit rocks on landing at Zig-zag Lake, Ontario on October 18, 1979. Fortunately, there seemed to be no damage on a DHC-2 Beaver which could not be repaired! This Beaver is advertised for sale by Henri Lauriault for CAD 325.000,- and it has an airframe TTSN of 16,120 hours. |
C-GFIQ The history of this DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1 reads as follows; - In 1955 she was, like so many DHC-2 delivered to the US Army. When her military career was over, her civilian life started in the US, but she was exported to Canada in 1981 and registered as C-GFIQ for Enterlake Air Services (Selkirk Air). Present she is owned by Sandy Lake Seaplane Service Ltd. Sandy Lake is located 20 minutes flight time form Red Lake. This Beaver is also advertised for sale by Henri Lauriault. The price is CAD 350.000,- and the airframe TTSN is 10,487 hours. ‘India-Quebec’ has Hamilton 2D30-237 props and is sitting on EDO 4930 floats with compartments. |
C-GMXS This Beaver left the factory in Downsview in 1951 on delivery to the US Army. After her military career she was sold to civilians in the US but it became C-GMXS when imported to Canada during 1980. After having been operated by many Canadian outfits, fate hit a blow on September 25, 2001, when it crashed near Big Stone River, Manitoba. Fortunately it was not fatal and 'Xray-Sierra’ was repaired. Plummer's Lodges bought her and owner Warren Plummer is using her to service his sports fishing lodges. |
C-FSRE Twin Beech C-FSRE is a 1966 built Beech 3N of Excellent Adventures Outposts & Air Service Ltd. which is bases at Ear Falls, Ontario. This Beechcraft once served for well known Northwestern Flying of Nestor Falls. C-FSRE was registered to Excellent Adventures in 2005 and no doubt is here at Selkirk for long term storage. ‘Romeo-Echo’ is advertised for sale by Lauriault Aviation for CAD 89.900,- and it has an airframe TTSN of 12,800 hours. |
CF-BSB Constructed in January 1946 and delivered to Eldorado Mining and Refining, Toronto, Ontario as CF-BSB. Next operator was Rainy Lake Airways Ltd. of Fort Frances who operated this Norseman form 1964 until 1982. From 1982 the aircraft began changing hands often. Presently she seems to be registered to God’s Country Air Service but we could also still vaguely discern the titles Edmund Lake Lodge. |
Luscombe aircraft was a United States aircraft manufacturer from 1933 to 1950. Donald A. Luscombe founded the Luscombe aircraft company in 1933, in Kansas City, Missouri. Luscombe had already made his reputation as an aircraft designer with the Monocoupe series of light aircraft, but he felt that thetube-and-fabric method of construction was too expensive and inefficient. He planned to create a light aircraft that was all-metal monocoque construction.
The new company's first aircraft was the Luscombe Model 1, commonly known as the Luscombe Phantom. This was a high-wing, two-place monoplane of all-metal construction (except for the fabric wing covering). The Phantom was tricky to land, and was never a financial success. In the winter of 1934/35, Luscombe Aircraft moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and was incorporated as the Luscombe Aircraft Development Corporation. Shortly afterwards, the Luscombe School of Aeronautics opened. Trainees from the school worked in the Luscombe factory, and the school helped support the aircraft company for many years. In 1936, the company designed and began flying a simplified version of the Phantom known as the Luscombe 90, or Model 4. The Luscombe Aircraft Corporation was re-formed as a New Jersey company in 1937, and a new design was begun. The Luscombe 50 (Model 8) became the company's most famous product. The Type Certificate for the Model 8 is A-694 and is now held by Good Earthkeeping Organization, Inc. of Corona, California, USA. In 1946, Luscombe also introduced the four-place model 11, designed to specifications produced by the Flying Farmers of America. The firm was bankrupt in 1948 and its assets were purchased the following year by Temco. |
Green Airways Otters These (former) Green Airways Otters, parked at Riverside maintenance at Selkirk, Manitoba, have been converted to the PZL 1000 hp Polish built engine. It is a nine cylinder radial with 400 more hp than the original Pratt & Whitney R-1340, greatly improving take off and climb performance. The engine drives a four bladed propeller. The Otters are mounted on EDO 7850A floats as required for this conversion. |
CF-LEA
Destined for Eastern Provincial Airways Ltd (EPA) of Gander, Newfoundland CF-LEA rolled off the assembly line 1958. CF-LEA continued in service with EPA until 1970. In service with her next owner the Otter met with an accident at Hopedale, Labrador on July 19, 1976. After take-off from the runway at Goose, the pilot of the Otter, which was on amphibious floats, did not retract the wheels, causing the Otter to nose over on landing in the water at Hopedale and coming to rest with the left wing in the water. The aircraft then capsized and sank. It was repaired and sold in 1978. Another incident occurred on May 17, 1979 at Matagami Airport, Quebec. The aircraft drifted off the runway during take-off in a strong, gusty, crosswind. The pilot attempted to continue rather than abort and the left wheel-ski collapsed on striking a gravel hummock beside the runway. After repair the Otter was sold to Green Airways Ltd of Red Lake, Ontario, to whom it was registered in July 1980 and it was painted in the company colors of yellow overall with a green cheat line. It suffered another mishap at Gullrock Lake, Ontario on February 21, 1984. The pilot was on the return leg of a charter from Papoanga Lake to Red Lake when the Otter experienced a partial power loss. During a forced landing on the ice covered Gullrock Lake, the right main gear collapsed. The gear failed when it struck a snowdrift after touchdown. The power loss was due to a cylinder head failure. Another accident occurred when on April 14, 1999, the Otter had landed at Peisk Lake, Ontario with a group of fishermen. During the taxi to a suitable fishing area, one ski and gear leg broke through the ice. Minor damage to the gear and wing tip was reported, which was repaired. With Green Airways, ‘LEA’ flew alongside Otter C-FODJ, which the company acquired in 1985. Both Otters have been converted with the Polish PZL one thousand horse power engine. We came across ‘Echo-Alfa’ at Selkirk, Manitoba, where she seemed stored. According several bush plane drivers from the Red Lake area, both Otters are for sale and when checking the net I found her advertised by Lauriault Aviation for CAD 665.000,-. Her total time since new is 24.716 hours. |
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C-FODJ This aircraft left the factory in 1953 for delivery to the Ontario Provincial Air Service, as C-FODJ. This Otter was extensively used for aerial photography and is believed to have been the only Otter in the world with an extra porthole behind the rear door to facilitate photography. ‘Delta-Juliette’ served OPAS, for an incredible 32 years. When the Ontario Otters were disposed of during the mid-1980s, she was sold. The new owner being Green Airways Ltd. of Red Lake, Ontario, to whom the Otter was registered in November 1985. With its new owners it continued to provide a full range of bush services, flying out of Red Lake on floats during the summer and on wheel-skis in winter. C-FODJ has been re-engine with the Polish PZL 1,000 hp engine as has Green Airways other Otter C-FLEA . The work on the engine change was carried out by Airtech Canada at their Peterborough, Ontario facility during January/February 1995. The Otter is sitting on EDO 7850’s, has a Baron Stol kit and a JCM improved boarding ladder kit. We spotted both Otters stored at Selkirk and this Otter is advertised for sale by Henri Lauriault for CAD 665.000,- and it has an airframe TTSN of 17,177 hours. |
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The Orenda OE600 aircraft engine intended to re-introduce piston power
Next to this Polish PZL engine, there were other engine modifications liker the Orenda OE600. Read the next article from Wiki for more details.
The Orenda OE600 is a 600 hp-class liquid-cooled 8-cylinder V-block aircraft engine intended to re-introduce piston power to aircraft normally powered by the famous Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop. The piston engine offers much better fuel economy, which Orenda Aerospace felt would be attractive for older aircraft whose engines were reaching the end of their lifespan. However, changes in Orenda's business in the post-9/11 time frame led to the project being canceled.
Design and development
The engine traces its history to the "Generation 2" Chevrolet Big-Block engines of the 1960s. In 1969, General Motors adapted the engine to use a new aluminum block and pistons rather than cast iron, creating the ZL1. Originally, only 50 examples were produced in 1969 so they could be homologated for the CanAm series. Additional copies were produced to equip high-end versions of the Corvette, bringing the total production to 71.
In the late 1970s, Richard MacCoon, an aviation entrepreneur, and his brother, Grant MacCoon, owner of a Southern California automotive aftermarket products company, contacted Lee Muir, a racing engine builder, about adapting the ZL1 for aviation use. Eventually, a brand new engine, based on the linerless Reynolds 390 alloy Chevrolet used in the CanAm series, was designed and a small number of prototype engines were built. In addition to the engine components, a propeller reduction gear drive and accessory drive gear section were designed by Richard Lyndhurst, of Santa Ana, CA. The engine package included twin turbochargers and a liquid-to-air aftercooler.
Testing
Early testing and development took place at the Shadow racing team facility in Marina, CA, near Monterey. The result, known as the Thunder Engine, was shown around the general aviation market during the 1980s. In about 1986, BKM, an automotive R&D consulting company in San Diego, CA, was contracted to continue development. Static ground tests and design refinement continued there for several years. However, financial difficulties led to the project being abandoned after a reported investment of some $5 to $10 million. The engine proved to be difficult to adapt to the long-running high-reliability aviation needs.
Orenda took over development of the engine in 1994. According to their engineers, the engine as it was simply wasn't capable of running at cruise power for extended periods, and required a huge amount of additional development. They completed the certification process in March 1998 as the OE600A. The OE600's "natural" target was the PT6, the most popular turboprop engine of all time. Although a turboprop has a superb power-to-weight ratio, it is also very "thirsty" for fuel, and its performance drops off linearly with altitude. The OE600 offered better fuel mileage, as well as considerably improved climb rates (even though it was heavier) and cruise speeds, all suggesting a lower overall cost of operation. On the downside, any piston engine is much more complex than a turbine, so the OE600 initially had a time between overhauls of only 1500 hours, compared to 2000-6000 for the PT6 (with hot section inspections required at between 1000-2250). Orenda expected to increase this to 2500 hours by collecting in-service reliability information.
Applications
Orenda and a number of third parties also started the process of developing modification certifications for various popular aircraft. It was tested as a potential replacement engine on a number of aircraft, including the Air Tractor 300 and 400 Series, de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and DHC-3 Otter, the Beechcraft C90 King Air, Aero Commander 500 series, and AEA Explorer 500R. Basically any widely used aircraft with an engine around 600 hp was considered as a potential target, which Orenda calculated at about 30,000 flying examples with the PT6, Pratt & Whitney R-1340, Wright R-1820, and various Eastern Bloc engines of similar power. Several new aircraft were designed around the engine as well, including the TAI ZIU, Hongdu N-5, LZ-400 Rhino and the Lancair Tigress.
Orenda opened a new service depot known as Orenda Recip at the former CFS Debert in Debert, Nova Scotia. Here they intended to install and service the OE600. At the time they offered a supplemental type certificate conversion for the Otter, planning to follow this with the King Air. They were also interested in smaller and larger versions of the engine, floating a trial balloon at a 750 hp size (the OE750) before deciding on a naturally aspirated 500 hp version instead.
Cancellation
Unfortunately, the events of 9/11 required Orenda to re-focus entirely on their military projects, and the OE600 project was canceled. The design was later purchased by a group of investors who intend to sell the engine under the Texas Recip brand, but it is unclear if this project is continuing. On August 29, 2006 the president of Texas Recip, Paul Thorpe was sentenced to 3 years and five months for defrauding investors, telling them the money was being invested in the engine project, or other investments, when it was actually being used to pay off investors in a previous scheme.
TRACE Engines
More recently the project has been picked up by TRACE Engines of Midland, Texas and is certified by the FAA. Yorkton Aircraft is handling Canadian installations in agricultural aircraft. A Canadian DHC-2 has received a temporary certificate with the engine in 2012 during a complicated registration process.
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Gimli
Gimli
The town and municipality of Gimli are located in the Interlake region of south-central Manitoba, Canada. Situated on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg (the 13th largest freshwater lake in the world) and about 75 kilometers north of the provincial capital Winnipeg |
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Gimli has a thriving commercial fishing industry, which began 120 years ago. In 1875, when the first Icelandic settlers arrived in the Canadian West, Manitoba was a tiny "postage stamp" province approximately 33,280 square kilometers . To the north of Manitoba's boundaries lay the vast unsettled wilderness of the North-West Territories, an area that originally included most of present-day Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Into this area the newcomers from Iceland went to found a colony on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg. Called "New Iceland", the colony was one of the earliest group settlements in the West. Today, the reserve of land originally homesteaded by the Icelandic pioneers is part of Manitoba's Interlake region.
Gimli Industrial Park Airport, is a former military field located 2 NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) west of Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. The field is now operated as a civilian airport, with one of the original parallel runways decommissioned and now a significant portion of Gimli Motorsport Park. Current flying-related activities here include use by Manitoba Provincial Government's water bomber squadron, the Regional Gliding School (Prairie), and two private flying schools. The RCAF station Gimli was first used during 1943 to train aircrew for Second World War operations using the Avro Anson. During the Cold War Gimli became a jet aircraft training station. Most commonly aircraft used was the T-33 Jet Trainer. The Gimli Glider is the nickname of an Air Canada aircraft which was involved in an infamous aviation incident. On 23 July 1983, a Boeing 767-200 jet, Air Canada Flight 143, ran completely out of fuel at 41,000 feet (12,500 m) altitude, about halfway through its flight from Montreal to Edmonton. The crew was able to glide the aircraft safely to an emergency landing at Gimli Industrial Park Airport In 2003 First Nations Transportation Inc. had set up base at Gimli airport, operating a fleet of Douglas DC-3’s and Curtiss C-46 freighters. Until the demise of FNT in 2009, the company served all of the remote communities in Manitoba and northwest Ontario with air service. C-GIBX Curtiss C-46F FNT CF-QHY DC-3 FNT No reg. Saunders ST-27 (ex C-GYAP) C-GMFY/257 CL415 Prov. Manitoba |
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CF-QHY CF-QHY a Douglas Commercial C-47B-5- DK was delivered by Douglas Aircraft Company in September 1944 to the RCAF. She entered the civilian register as CF-QHY and worked for company’s such as; Bradley Air Services, Northwest Territorial Airways, Sioux Narrows Airways and Plummer's Arctic Lodges of Great Bear Lake. She has been stored at Selkirk for a while around the year 2006. |
C-GIBX C-GIBX a Curtiss Commando C-46F-1-CU had been delivered in 1945 to the military. After the war she was first registered civilian as N74171 and flew for Pan American World airways from September 1948 to January 1953. Other operator of this venerable Curtiss were; Transocean, Ortner Air Service, Active Air and C-46 Parts Inc. of Miami. Then this C-46 moved to Canada as C-GIBX for Northland Air Manitoba Ltd of Winnipeg and in 1994 she was sold to Air Manitoba Ltd. For a brief spell it moved abroad, to Kenya, as 5Y-IBX for Relief Air Transport from August 1994 till March 1996. In 1996 Commando Air Transport Inc. of Gimli was registered as owner, which lasted until 2003. Finally FNT First Nations Transportation Inc , registered the Commando in September 2004. |
The Saunders ST-27 The Saunders ST-27 regional airliner was built in the 1970s by the CanadianSaunders Aircraft Company in Gimli, Manitoba, Designed as a conversion of the earlier de Havilland Heron, the ST-27 was the most radical De Havilland Heron conversion program, featuring two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprops and a stretched fuselage. Despite its promise as a regional airliner, the project collapsed when Manitoba government funding was withdrawn. Using 13 surplus de Havilland Herons, Saunders created a conversion with some engineering input from Aviation Traders (Engineering). The remanufactured design was based on a stretched fuselage to accommodate 23 passengers, a lengthened nose to fit a radar, reshaped vertical tail (also increased in size) and two Pratt and Whitney PT6A turboprops replacing the original four Gipsy Queen piston engines, along with other minor changes. Originally based in Quebec, the Saunders operation moved to Manitoba in 1971 when substantial government start-up funding was obtained. Only 12 ST-27s were built. Although the improved performance of the turboprops was appreciated by prospective customers, the lack of a US certification limited potential sales. With only meager sales success due to the certification issue and with old Herons becoming more expensive, the company decided to manufacture a new version based on the original ST-27, compliant with US Federal Aviation Regulation. The first ST-28 was manufactured at the Gimli, Manitoba factory. Although superficially similar to the earlier ST-27, the new aircraft benefited from the experiences flying the earlier airliner in regular service. Larger cabin windows, an increased rudder size, four-bladed propellers and a host of other enhancements were incorporated in the ST-28. The first flight of the prototype,C-FYBM-X took place on July 18, 1974. While testing was taking place towards an American certification, the Saunders Company had plans for series production but no firm orders and a tremendous drain on available funding. The precarious financial situation eventually led to a review by the Manitoba government and the withdrawal of funding in 1976. The company was forced to wind down operations and sold all assets. By the early 1980s, the sturdy airliners began to fade from service with the last ST-27 being retired during this period. The only one build ST-28 is still found at Gimli in a derelict and abandoned condition in a reclamation yard owned by the Western Canada Aviation Museum. |
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