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1958 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk. I, c/n 1249, C-FAOP, Empress of Ganges, Saltspring Air; 1959 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 339, C-FHAX, “313”, Harbour Air; and 1953 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 21, C-FRNO, “301”, Harbour Air at Vancouver International Water Airport (CAM9), Moray Channel, Richmond, B.C., immediately adjacent to South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 11:25 PST
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1959 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 339, C-FHAX, “313”, Harbour Air (Harbour Air Seaplanes/Harbour Air Ltd. dba), 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.
- 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 floats, scenic windows and Vazar bubble windows
- 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
- 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), Palmer, Alaska, USA since recovery from accident
- sold to Harbour Air 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 on January 25, 2006
- active
1953 de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Turbine Otter, c/n 21, C-FRNO, “301”, Harbour Air (Harbour Air Seaplanes/Harbour Air Ltd. dba), 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.
- 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 floats, scenic windows and Vazar bubble windows
- 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
- first six ordered by RNoAF in 1953
- order year and construction number became the RNoAF serial number
- delivered as 53-21, O-AD to RNoAF (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret/Royal Norwegian Air Force) on March 2, 1954
- Bristol 7200 (Edo-designed Model 324-7200) amphibious floats
- third of ten Otters delivered to RNoAF, third in batch of first six (DHC-3 Otters c/n 18, 53-18, O-AB, later XJ-S; c/n 20, 53-20, O-AC; c/n 21, 53-21, O-AD; c/n 29, 53-29, O-AE, later XJ-T; c/n 30, 53-30, O-AF, later XJ-U; c/n 31, 53-31, O-AG, later JT-R) formally handed over on March 2, 1954 and then shipped in crates from Downsview Airport (YZD/CYZD) to Oslo, Norway and arriving in Oslo Harbour on April 8, 1954
- last four ordered and delivered with two in 1960 (c/n 395, 60-395, O-AH, later XJ-V; c/n 397, 60-397, O-AI, later XJ-W), one in 1961 (c/n 423, 61-423, O-AK, later JT-X), and one in 1964 (c/n 441, 64-441, JT-S)
- assembled by maintenance personnel from Widerøes Flyveselskap A/S, Oslo, Norway and tested at Kjeller Air Base, Kjeller, Norway
- (?) No. 335 Light Transport Squadron, RNoAF, based at Gardermoen AS (Air Station), Gardermoen, Norway
- Congo (former Belgian Congo) gained independence from Belgium on June 30, 1960, resulting in the Congo Crisis
- ONUC’s mission in the Congo from July 1960 to June 1964
- crated and shipped in Operation “Safari” by USAF Douglas C-124 Globemaster II from Gardermoen AS to Congo in July 1960
- under agreement with the Congolese government, Belgium retained control of Kamina Air Base until October 1960 when base was taken over by UN/ONU (United Nations/Organisation des Nations unies)
- 304, Elisabeth, Support Wing Air Squadron, ONUC (Opération des Nations unies au Congo/United Nations Operation in the Congo), UN/ONU, based at Kamina Air Base, near Kamina, Congo in July 1960
- on loan to United Nations, operated by RNoAF officers
- fixed conventional landing gear and tailwheel
- transport, communications, and general utility tasks
- control of Kamina Air Base went to Congolese Armed Forces, Democratic Republic of the Congo in early 1964
- Yemen entered into a state of civil war in 1962
- UNYOM (United Nations Yemen Observation Mission), UN/ONU from July 4, 1963 to September 4, 1964
- flown from Kamina Air Base to airfield in Sana’a, Yemen arriving on October 2, 1963
- 304, No. 134 ATU (Air Transport Unit), RCAF operated on behalf of UNYOM, UN/ONU and manned by RCAF personnel
- based either at airfield in Jizan, Saudi Arabia or airfield in Najran, Yemen
- fixed conventional landing gear and tailwheel
- reconnaissance
- No. 134 ATU became a detachment of No. 115 ATU, RCAF operated on behalf of UNEF (United Nations Emergency Force), UN/ONU on December 15, 1963
- based at airfield in Najran, Yemen
- flown to UN airfield at El Arish, Egypt in January 1964
- El Arish on western side of ADL (Armistice Demarcation Line) about halfway between Gaza City, Gaza Strip and Suez Canal
- withdrawn from use and stored at El Arish awaiting disposal
- handed over for disposal to Norway’s de Havilland agents Halle & Peterson, Oslo, Norway
- sold to Aero Leasing (G. Rae MacLeod), Montréal, Québec, Canada on May 26, 1964 but registered as N128F, Ferrer Aviation Inc. (Frank Ferrer), Miami, Florida, USA who ferried N128F and DHC-3 Otter, c/n 164, N127F back to Canada
- fixed conventional landing gear and tailwheel
- ferried still in UN all-white colour scheme from El Arish via Ringway Airport (MAN/EGCC), Ringway, Manchester, England and Prestwick Airport (PIK/EGPK), Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland on June 21 & 22, 1964; and via Keflavík International Airport (KEF/BIKF), Keflavík, Iceland; Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK/BGBW), Narsarsuaq, Greenland; and RCAF Station Goose Bay/Goose Bay Airport (YYR/CYYR), Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada to Aéroport international Dorval de Montréal, Dorval, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- upon arrival N128F re-registered as CF-RNO and N127F re-registered as CF-RNP both to G. Rae MacLeod
- imported in 1964
- CF-RNO, Pacific Western Airlines (Pacific Western Airlines Ltd.), Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Sea Island, Richmond, B.C., Canada from June 1964 to December 1968
- Edo 7200 amphibious floats
- accident at Schaft Lake, B.C., Canada on December 13, 1968
- repaired
- C-FRNO, Trans-Provincial Airlines (Trans-Provincial Airlines Ltd.), Terrace, B.C., Canada in 1969
- Edo 7200 amphibious floats
- Trans-Provincial Airlines purchased by Jim Pattison Industries in 1979
- C-FRNO, Jim Pattison Industries (Jim Pattison Industries Ltd.), Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada on May 14, 1979 and cancelled on June 2, 1988
- operated in Trans-Provincial Airlines markings and colour scheme
- Edo 7200 amphibious floats
- ownership of Trans-Provincial Airlines by Jim Pattison Industries ended in October 1986
- C-FRNO, Trans-Provincial Airlines (Trans-Provincial Airlines Ltd.), Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada on June 2, 1988 and cancelled on May 13, 1993
- Edo 7200 amphibious floats
- Trans-Provincial Airlines purchased by Harbour Air in 1993
- registered to Harbour Air on May 13, 1993
- Vazar turbine conversion
- Edo 7490 floats
- commenced new scheduled service from Langley Regional Airport (YNJ/CYNJ), Langley, B.C. to Victoria Inner Harbour Airport (YWH/CYWH), Victoria, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada on November 1, 2006
- Wipline 8000 amphibious floats
- the only amphibious scheduled service in the region for a long time
- Harbour Air grounded this service on May 20, 2011 due to low passenger numbers and fuel price surges
- returned to Edo 7490 floats
- active
An “airprox” incident was recorded on November 1, 2005 involving C-FRNO and 1979 Sikorsky S-61N Mk. II, c/n 61-821, C-FXEC, Executive Transport Airways (Executive Transport Airways Ltd.), Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada; quoting from the incident summary: “The Executive Air Transport helicopter operating as JBA 903 for Helijet was maintaining three thousand feet on an IFR flight plan in IMC about ten nautical miles south of the Vancouver VOR en route from Vancouver Harbour to Victoria Harbour. The crew was advised of traffic at 12 o’clock, four miles at 2,400 feet. Shortly thereafter the crew observed the Turbo Otter on floats pass close to their left side, about one quarter mile and four hundred feet below. The Turbo Otter was operating as HR 301 from Victoria Harbour to Vancouver Harbour, VFR at 2,500 feet. The pilot reported that visibility was reduced in rain but was still VFR. He reported that he saw some cloud and climbed to two thousand seven hundred feet to clear it, then observed the helicopter at 10 o’clock high. He reported that he was not on a collision course with the helicopter and that no evasive action was necessary”.
de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter: A History by Karl E. Hayes, CD-ROM Update 2 (Correct to January 1, 2007); edited by Stephan Alexander Scharnberg
[Nikon Coolpix L20 point-and-shoot 10 MP digital camera, Nikkor 38–136-mm f/3.1–6.7 lens]
© Copyright photograph by Stephan Alexander Scharnberg, January 2013
