WORDS & WINGS: Harbour Air Seaplanes

1944 Grumman G-21A Goose, c/n B-101, CF-VFU, FIFT. Dockside somewhere up Knight Inlet, B.C., Canada in spring 1969.

[1959 Kodak Retina IIIS (Type 027) rangefinder 35-mm roll film camera, s/n 86125, with Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon 50-mm f/1.9 Synchro Compur lens, s/n 6841319; Kodak Plus-X Pan (ISO 125/22°) 36-exposure black & white negative film]

“The whole history of the Canadian North can be divided into two periods—before and after the aeroplane.”

Hugh L. Keenleyside, Deputy Canadian Minister of Mines and Resources, October 1949

Showing posts with label Harbour Air Seaplanes. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

1959 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 339, C-FHAX, “313”, Harbour Air Seaplanes

1959 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 339, C-FHAX, “313”, Harbour Air Seaplanes at docks of Harbour Air Seaplanes Passenger Terminal and Flying Beaver Bar & Grill, Vancouver International Water Airport (CAM9), Moray Channel, Richmond, B.C., adjacent to South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 11:28 PST

1959 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 339, C-FHAX, “313”, Harbour Air Seaplanes (Harbour Air Ltd.), South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada, based at Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH/CYHC), Coal Harbour, Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, B.C.

titled HARBOUR AIR in new colour scheme
powered by one 750-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprop engine with constant-speed, full-feathering reversible-pitch, three-blade Hartzell propeller
pilot, 14 passengers, STOL (short take-off and landing) utility transport
Edo 7490 straight floats, Vazar bubble scenic cabin windows, bubble rear cabin windows, ventral fin under tail
built by The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, Downsview, Ontario, Canada at Downsview Airport (YZD/CYZD), Downsview, Ontario
built as DHC-3 Otter, powered by one 600-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-S1H1-G Wasp supercharged nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial piston engine with constant-speed three-blade Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller
delivered as U-1A-DH Otter, s/n 58-1720 to US Army on November 6, 1959
fixed conventional landing gear and tailwheel
N41755, Woods Air Service (Woods Air Service Inc.), Palmer, Alaska, USA
based at Palmer Municipal Airport (PAQ/PAAQ), Palmer, Alaska
fixed conventional landing gear and tailwheel
certificate of airworthiness issued on March 29, 1974
accident with substantial damage caused by an inflight fire in the engine’s accessory drive assembly and the rough uneven forced landing, on a domestic non-scheduled passenger flight, pilot and one passenger, no injuries nor fatalities, en route between Nikolai Airport (NIB/PAFS), Nikolai, Alaska and Silvertip Lodge, Soldotna, Alaska, occured near McGrath, Alaska, USA on July 22, 1992 at 15:30 AKDT (Alaska Daylight Time)
tt 10,587 hours
stored outside at Palmer Municipal Airport (PAQ/PAAQ) since recovery from accident
sold to Harbour Air Seaplanes in November 2005
N-registration cancelled on January 24, 2006
imported in 2006
trucked from Palmer Municipal Airport (PAQ/PAAQ) to South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR)
rebuilt and Vazar turbine conversion by Aeroflite Industries Ltd., South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR) in winter 2005–2006
registered to Harbour Air Seaplanes on January 25, 2006
active

[Nikon Coolpix L20 point-and-shoot 10 MP digital camera, Nikkor 38–136-mm f/3.1–6.7 lens, s/n 51002451]

Thursday, April 11, 2013

1956 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 105, C-GVNL, “304”, Harbour Air Seaplanes

Westward view of Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre docks with seaplanes seen from public waterfront promenade of West Building, Vancouver Convention Centre at 11:05 PST

After a year of refusing to relocate due to safety concerns of exposure to wind and waves, Harbour Air Group (Harbour Air Seaplanes/West Coast Air/Whistler Air) reached an agreement with Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre and PavCo (British Columbia Pavilion Corporation) on September 10, 2012 and relocated in December 2012, from their temporary location adjacent to Harbour Green Park, to the new Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre, Unit #1 Burrard Landing, 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH/CYHC), Coal Harbour, Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Departure of 1956 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 105, C-GVNL, “304”, Harbour Air Seaplanes at 11:05 PST

1956 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 105, C-GVNL, “304”, Harbour Air Seaplanes (Harbour Air Ltd.), South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada, based at Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH/CYHC), Coal Harbour, Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, B.C.

titled HARBOUR AIR
powered by one 750-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprop engine with constant-speed, full-feathering reversible-pitch, three-blade Hartzell propeller
pilot, 14 passengers, STOL (short take-off and landing) utility transport
Edo 7490 straight floats, Vazar bubble scenic cabin windows, bubble rear cabin windows, ventral fin under tail
built by The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, Downsview, Ontario, Canada at Downsview Airport (YZD/CYZD), Downsview, Ontario
built as DHC-3 Otter, powered by one 600-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-S1H1-G Wasp supercharged nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial piston engine with constant-speed three-blade Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller
delivered as U-1A-DH Otter, s/n 55-3261 to US Army on April 12, 1956
fixed conventional landing gear and tailwheel
14th Army Aviation Company (Fixed Wing—Tactical Transport), Fifth US Army, US Army, based at Fort Riley, Kansas, USA
14th Army Aviation Company assigned to Third US Army on May 1, 1956
14th Army Aviation Company assigned to US Army Infantry Center on May 10, 1956
14th Army Aviation Company temporarily based at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, USA from June 1, 1956 to October 1, 1956
14th Army Aviation Company redesignated as 1st Army Aviation Company (Fixed Wing—Tactical Transport) on August 15, 1956
1st Army Aviation Company based at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA from October 1, 1956 to June 21, 1962
U-1A-DH Otters flew with 1st Army Aviation Company until 1961 when it converted to the de Havilland Canada CV-2A-DH (DHC-4) Caribou
as test support aircraft at US Army Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, USA from 1961 to April 1976
minor accident at Yuma Proving Ground on February 26, 1974 on take-off with a gusty crosswind, became airborne prematurely and settled, one wheel touched runway and propeller damaged on contact with runway
repaired and returned to service
transferred to CAP (Civil Air Patrol), United States Air Force Auxiliary (civilian auxiliary of USAF), Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama, USA in April 1976
N5341G, Texas Wing, Southwest Region, CAP, Wichita Falls, Texas, USA in June 1976
imported in 1978
C-GVNL, Air Saguenay (Air Saguenay Inc.), Chicoutimi, Québec, Canada on March 16, 1978 and cancelled on December 5, 1984
based at Hydroaérodrome Lac St-Sébastien (CTD3), St-David-de-Falardeau, Lac St-Sébastien, Québec
Edo 55-7170 straight floats, ventral fin under tail/skis
leased to Cargair (Cargair Ltée), St-Michel-des-Saints, Québec, Canada on May 19, 1978 for the summer season
based at Hydroaérodrome Lac Kaiagamac (CSF8), St-Michel-des-Saints, Québec
returned to Air Saguenay
Air Saguenay (Air Saguenay Inc.) renamed as Air Saguenay (Air Saguenay 1980 Inc.) in 1980
involved in an incident during a proficiency flight check at Hydroaérodrome Lac St-Sébastien (CTD3) on May 13, 1980 when on final approach for a simulated engine failure with throttle retarded, pilot rounded out the aircraft too high, check pilot did not recognise the error in sufficient time to take corrective action, damage to aircraft structure in the hard landing that followed
repaired
C-GVNL, CEPAL (Centre d’Expédition et de plein air Laurentien), Jonquière, Québec, Canada on April 11, 1985 and cancelled on July 28, 1998
based at Lac Kénogami, Jonquière, Québec
while in cruise flight an emergency landing on Lac Manouane, Québec on July 10, 1990 when an engine cylinder failed and engine was shut down
C-GVNL, Air Bellevue (Air Bellevue Inc.), St-Félicien, Québec, Canada on July 28, 1998 and cancelled on March 16, 2001
based at Aéroport de Dolbeau-Saint-Félicien (YDO/CYDO), St-Félicien, Québec
fixed conventional landing gear and tailwheel
ferried along with 1956 DHC-3 Otter, c/n 135, C-FIUZ, Air Bellevue from Aéroport de Dolbeau-Saint-Félicien (YDO/CYDO) to Calgary International Airport (YYC/CYYC), Calgary, Alberta, Canada by Air Bellevue pilots arriving on March 14, 2001, stayed overnight, then the next day to Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR) by Harbour Air Seaplanes pilots
Vazar turbine conversion for both Otters by Harbour Air Seaplanes at the Aeroflite Industries Ltd. hangar, South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR)
registered to Harbour Air Seaplanes on March 28, 2001
active

[Nikon Coolpix L20 point-and-shoot 10 MP digital camera, Nikkor 38–136-mm f/3.1–6.7 lens]

1978 Cessna A185F Skywagon II, c/n 185-03482, C-GZSH, Harbour Air Seaplanes

At 11:17 PST

1978 Cessna A185F Skywagon II, c/n 185-03482, C-GZSH, Harbour Air Seaplanes at Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH/CYHC), Coal Harbour, Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, B.C., Canada on Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 11:22 PST

1978 Cessna A185F Skywagon II, c/n 185-03482, C-GZSH, Harbour Air Seaplanes (Harbour Air Ltd.), South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada, based at Vancouver International Water Airport (CAM9), Moray Channel, Richmond, B.C., adjacent to South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR)

titled HARBOUR AIR
powered by one 300-hp Teledyne Continental IO-550-D9 fuel-injected six-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled piston engine with constant-speed three-blade McCauley propeller
pilot, five passengers, utility transport
Edo 628-2960 straight floats, ventral fin under tail
built by Cessna Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas, USA at Pawnee Plant, Wichita, Kansas
built, powered by one 300-hp Teledyne Continental IO-520-D fuel-injected six-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled piston engine with constant-speed two-blade McCauley propeller
C-GZSH, Duncan Helio Flight Services Ltd., Duncan, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada cancelled on September 12, 1983
based at Quamichan Lake, North Cowichan, Vancouver Island, B.C.
registered to Harbour Air on April 26, 1984
active

[Nikon Coolpix L20 point-and-shoot 10 MP digital camera, Nikkor 38–136-mm f/3.1–6.7 lens, s/n 51002451]