N1018U taxies in in order to unload a group of passengers. It is probably less than 20 minutes by cab from here to Sea-Tac Int'l Airport.

N1018U has construction number 1381 and was manufactured by DeHavilland Canada in 1959. FAA has it registered to Westlake Marina LLC since 09Oct02.

More on DHC-2.com

N17598 enjoys the break among the ever watchful ducks... This seaplane base of Kenmore Air saw brisk business,
it was a constant coming and going of these vintage DeHavilland DHC-2 Beavers.
N17598 is a DHC-2 Mk.1 with c/n 1129; it was registered to Kenmore Air 05Apr68, so one can label this Beaver a faithful servant!
DeHavilland Canada produced this DHC-2 in 1958.
More on DHC-2.com and Airliners.net

They come ...

... and they go!

Climbing out here is c/n 504 with tailnumber N9766Z.

It was delivered on 08Jun53 as 52-6121 to the USAF (type: L-20).
Tailnumber N13454 marked its introuduction to commercial, being registered to Webber Air Inc but I have no date for this.
N9766Z was first assigned to Kenmore Air Harbor Inc. in ca. 1970.
But it crashed on 04Oct99 at Winslow,WA; the aircraft was flying low for aerial photography when it stalled and struck trees… It sustained substantial damage; fortunately there were no fatalities.
It was reported at Kenmore again in May 2001, fully restored and in great shape.
Info and more photos: www.dhc-2.com/id221.htm

The link www.warbirdalley.com/u6a.htm has information on the L-20 / U-6A Beaver, but also more interesting links and info on the best book on the DHC-2: Sean Rossiter’s "The Immortal Beaver".

Kenmore Air zero-hours Beaver and Otter airframes and owns dozens of supplemental type certificates (STCs) for aircraft modifications. These modifications are so well-known and desirable in the aviation community that the rebuilt Beavers are often called "Kenmore Beavers" or listed as having "Kenmore mods" installed. A 1950s Beaver that originally sold for under US $50,000 can now be seen for sale at prices reaching US $500,000.
From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-20_Beaver

AND THEY MADE A SONG ABOUT IT...IT IS GREAT !!
The Beaver Song, by the Fretless Bar Girls (as from the Sealand Aviation website)
The Fretless Bar Girls originally performed "The Beaver Song" at the deHavilland Beaver 50th Anniversary Conference held in Victoria, B.C. in October, 1997.
Bill Alder at Sealand Aviation liked the song so much that he asked Annemarie Kock & Elizabeth Harvey, the Fretless Bar Girls, to record it for posterity.
The Bar Girls can be reached at Box 286, Sointula BC, Canada; Their email address is "bargirls -at- north.island -dot- net"

MP3 - Click to play or "Right Click" then "Save As" to download

WMA - (Windows Media Audio) Click to play or "Right Click" then "Save As" to download

Seen arriving with passengers is DHC-2 N1018F.

C/n 710 was delivered on 19Oct54 as 53-7902 to the US Army.
It seems the acquisition costs were: $72,047.08
It had travelled overseas as we find it for sale in Germany Feb74 with a total flying hours 4,369.0
In 1980 it was registered as N1018G for Kenmore Air Harbor Inc.
A year later it went to Alaska Coastal Construction. Next, without a date, it went to Temsco Helicopters Inc. of Ketchikan,AK.
Terry R. Wills of Ward Cove,AK became the next owner (date?). I have no dat efor the move to Group III Aircraft Inc. of Bellevue,WA.
It was reregistered as N62SJ in Aug95. Disaster hit when it crashed on 02Sep95 at Blakey Island,WA. (read more on the NTSB Report: SEA95LA202).
It was reported in Sep95 at Kenmore Air Harbor (Kenmore,WA) in wrecked condition; at that time there were no intentions to rebuilt it. But true to the Beaver’s immortality, it was restored and registered again as N1018F (a 2nd time this tailnumber was issued) for Kenmore Air Harbor Inc on 01Apr96.
More on www.dhc-2.com

A truly fantastic book to read on aviation pioneering in general and Kenmore Air Harbor in particular, is the book written by C.Marin Faure (foreword by DHC-2 owner & driver Harrison Ford), "Success on the Step", subtitled 'Flying with Kenmore Air'.
Kenmore Air Harbor has a long standing reputation of rebuilding bushplanes, including the Republic SeaBee and the deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver. Here is a quote from that book which I found interesting:
"We disassemble the plane completely, take everything out until all we're left with is the basic fuselage shell. We strip the paint and primer and dirt of everything and clean every single part. Then we overhaul all the components and believe me there are a lot of them.The fuel system, the hydraulic flap system, the flight controls, the elctrical system, the instruments, you name it, it gets overhauled or replaced.
While the airplane's apart we make whatever modifications the customer ordered, put in the larger back window, move the battery up forward, stuff like that. If there's a damaged skin panel we either cut out the damaged part and rivet a patch over the hole, or we replace the entire panel with a new one we make in the sheet metal shop. The commercial operators who used to buy most of our Beavers were perfectly happy with patches because they were a lot less expensive to make. The wealthy businessmen and celebrities who buy our Beavers today usually want the entire panel replaced because it looks better.
Then everything that needs painting before it's put back in gets painted or corrosion-proofed. Then we put the plane back together and paint it. It all sounds pretty simple when you describe it this way but it takes 3.500 man-hours or more to turn out an airplane with the kind of quality we want in it."
That is how Kenmore Air Harbor has earned the reputation that you can walk in with a bolt that once fell off a Beaver, and Kenmore will build a plane around it..!

The three-bladed prop and the additional windows are obvious signs of a modified DHC-2 Beaver.

When I checked ATDB.aero database in Aug.2012 it was marked as 'destroyed'. No date.

In 2018 I learned that Roger Brooks had donated it to the Alaska Aviation Museum, where it one day may be preserved and displayed. Reg'd to the museum on 04May2018.

You may enjoy what Jay Carter wrote me:
"I flew mostly out of Anchorage from 1977 to 1984. In particular, the C-119 Boxcar N9027K was one of the airplanes that got my attention.
In the summer of 1982 I flew that one, along with 5 others, that belonged to Jack Gifford's Flying Service.
Late in the season, I was departing Dillingham at about 3 am for ANC. We used to carry up to 24,000 pounds of fish, but we only had about 18,000 this night. It was September, so it was dark at 3 am now. The 30 inch check on run-up came up just a wee bit short of the 2600 RPM that is supposed to show at 30 mg... But it was close.
So we let off the brakes and rolled for takeoff. Right about V1, FO Ken Johannssen, calls out that the number two is failing! It still showed positive BMEP, so there was really no choice but to rotate and go...
Number 2 indeed was working itself backward, so I called for 'Throttle, mix, prop, feather, check for feather, check for fire'. Checklist complete, started my turn back, and Ken says 'yep, she's on fire'...
We had fire bottles on those. It's also incredibly loud at takeoff in a 119, even with one in feather. It climbed, but not much. Went downwind at about 300 ft. I knew the airport well enough to make a visual turn to a rounded base leg. Rolled onto a short final but couldn't see the runway. There is a river on short final so I knew right where I was but couldn't see the runway. Ken and I spotted it about the same time, and I was not lined up exactly right. Ken says better go around. No way! I skidded it over, called for gear down, was in the flare, nose gear still up, said don't worry about the nosegear Ken we are gonna live.., and right as the mains hit, the nose wheel came down and locked!
Made the first turn off.
The Boss was there. He said nice job, but I have one question. I asked what? He said how come you didn't use the Pilot controlled runway lights here at Dillingham that were installed last year? Dunno boss, I never flew here at night. I had made the take off without runway lights before so I wasn't too worried about the TO. But it sure would have helped to land!!
True story."

A quick look at the ramps surrounding Lake Hood; I found Beech 18 N255D here.
N255D is a Beech E18S (construction number BA-16) and was registered on 19Feb04 to Alan G.Foster of Anchorage,AK. It was built in 1954 and still holds its Airworthiness Certificate of 14Nov55.
I would welcome more details on its history.
Bruce McPhillips replied to my cry for info in March 2007:
"I see that you are looking for info on Beech 18 N255D. This plane was owned by Merchant Bank in Indianapolis in the late 1960's. The bank owner, Otto Fressell (not sure of the spelling) used it to bring customers up to Charlevoix,MI for many years.
The plane crashed in 1974 in Atlanta,GA. Here is the link to the NTSB report on that incident
It was later owned by Eagle Wings St. Lucia, FL. Here are a couple of links to photos someone else took of it at Opa Locka:
Airliners.net and Webshots "

Beech 18 N255D

The DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver may be the most famous of bushplanes, but the Noorduyn Norseman stole my heart... This is N225BL (c/n 542) and I hope it will get its feet (uhmm... floats!) wet in other ways than sitting out in the rain!

The FAA Registry has the following info on this UC-64A Norseman: "Registered 27Jan04 Thomas J.Gayer & Steve L.Ingram, Cooper Landing,AK; manufactured 1943".
Kyle Cameron wrote: "That airplane was most definately C-FGUE of Northway Aviation out of Manitoba.
Sometime in the 1980s it passed through Whitehorse enroute to Alaska as it had just been sold."
Kyle also found Ken Stoltzfus' webpage on N225BL, with an extensive report on this fantastic bushplane.
Ken's report dates from 2004 and lists N225BL as owned / operated by Steve and Diane Ingram, of www.ingramsbasecamp.com; when I checked, Steve confirmed their ownership, but this beauty is for sale.
In 2008 N225BL was sold, as reported (including photo) by Martin Prince Jr.

And Martin saw it operational, at Bethel, in August 2008!

A nice website for the Noorduyn Norseman is www.norsemanfestival.on.ca

N225BL suffered substantial damage on 11Jul09 when its engine failed and a forced landing needed to be executed at Akiachuck Village (near Bethel,AK); the pilot did not suffer any serious injuries.
In 2016 I came across a note that it was being rebuilt by Jeff Brooks.

Photos on www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=2961 show scrapped remains in open storage at Bethel in 2016. In May 2018 it was confirmed to me by local Bethel resident, JoeJoe Prince, that those remains are still there.
I did find a part, with CF-GUE registration on it, at Yanks Air Museum in april 2018; perhaps that was the only thing they could use of N225BL for their restoration of a Norseman..?
Update Feb.2020 on Joe Joe Prince's gallery, N225BL anno 2020 preserved in the terminal of Sandton,BC as CF-GUE.

DC-6 N600UA at Kenai is having its no.1 engine being worked on

Universal Airlines: this company had eluded me when I tried to find them on the US Eastcoast last year, overlooking the fact that they had moved years ago to a new homebase in Victoria, Texas. But they have a tradition of being here on contract all summer for fish-hauling flights.
This is N500UA, a Douglas C-118A with c/n 44597. Obviously some maintenance is going on here, not too bad on a day like this; but I am sure they done it in much worse weather (out in the open too).

More on its history can be found on a page dedicated to a return visit to Kenai on June 12th, 2006.

John Maxwell sent me a photo, in June 2011, of N600UA involved in a wheels-up landing at Cold Bay HERE..

N1837M is a Curtiss C-46F Commando and looks much similar to the Douglas DC-3 (2-engined taildragger), but the DC-3 looks distinctly dainty compared to this brute...
Everts Air uses several of these, they operate the largest fleet of these magnificent Skytrucks. N1837M is used for hauling fuel to the many remote communities throughout Alaska. And Kenai seems to serve as a homebase for this plane, nicknamed "Hot Stuff".

UPDATE (June 2022): Times they are a-Changin' - Paul Gross has just returned from Alaska and wrote me that '..at Everts they are looking for a replacement for the DC-6; they are now looking at BAe146s...
It will take a while, they say, but the end seems to be in sight.
But there is still plenty of propliner movement: Desert Air now has 4 Dakotas (including 1 Basler), which fly the tiles off the roof and are again the subject in the PME Legend campaign!
Everts flies from ANC almost exclusively with the MD's, actually no more propliner action there.'

In Homer I had my mind set on doing one of those bearviewing trips in Katmai NP. We'd made a booking but the weather on our destination spoiled things. Also, the salmon run had not started yet, so if we had been going we might not have seen any bears...
Another good reason for visiting Homer is doing a flightseeing trip with Kachemak Bay Flying Service! Bill de Creeft has a vintage 1929 Travel Air S6000B on floats (NC9084) and we enjoyed a unique trip on board his classic bushplane: it is an exhilarating experience to fly in a 1929 airliner in such superb condition!

The engine has no cowlings, the screen get peppered by oil spots

Note the correct spelling here is 'Curtiss-Wright"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_Air_6000

Cabin of Travel Air S6000B N9084

Bill de Creeft wrote me in Jan.2007, having made some decisions:
"I am thinking of retiring, and of selling the Travel Air either this year or next.
If you know of someone who would be interested: let me know... but it will not be cheap !!
I have for it an original Wright Whirlwind from the the late 1920s or early 1930s... one that used to be operated by Reeve, and was overhauled and set aside by him and has never been run since. So the plane would be very original with a complete history and with the 1934 EDO floats and the 1929 skis.
I have removed the constant-speed propellor and reinstalled the original ground-adjustable Hamilton Standard prop.
That is the way I operated it for 30 years!
I'm glad you came here and rode in it, especially if I quit flying... I have just taken my flight physical and am good to go another year... but I am ready to take it easy; I will be 75 this summer !
Let me hear from you if you have any ideas of collectors or museums.
It is, of course, in perfect flying condition."
Bill.

NC9084 was sold in 2008 and registered on 24Nov08 to Pole Pass Airways Inc of Seattle,WA.
Under new ownership it visited the Reno Air Races in 2009: Airliners.net

Bill de Creeft converted his office-on-the-lake to an aviation-themed-cabin-for rent. Bill now flies an Aeronca Sedan (May 2010). He left a message: "We no longer offer Scenic Flights, but you can contact our son, next door, if you desire a flight over the glaciers or need other air taxi services."
Northwind Aviation
907-235-7482
NorthwindAK -AT- gmail DOTcom

A few more photos...
x

Bill DeCreeft and his magnificent classic plane; only 11 believed to survive! (anno 2019)

N1018B of Emerald Air Service in splendid surroundings

DHC-3 Turbine Otter, N104BM

Quintessential Alaska: a floatplane sits on a quiet lake, late in the evening....

This is DHC-2 N102SY, c/n 1367.
Like so many it to started with a military career upon its deliverey on 08Jul59 as 58-2035 to the US Army.
Some 12 years later it was stored at Davis Monthan AFB, 05Feb72 to 19Jun75.
Its civilian career started as N102SY for Syanon Foundation of Marshall,CA but I have no date for this. It was reported on 01Oct82 at Youngstown,OH.
Owners (but no dates) included Henry Braun of Pasadena,CA and Everbrite Electric Signs Inc. (Greenfield,WI).
Jeanne G. Porter of Homer,AK saw it registered to her name on 15 April 1994 and this is still current.
Source: www.dhc-2.com
On 07Dec07 it was registered to Ptarmigan Air of Bethel,AK.

deHavilland Beaver N77BA, homeward bound. This is so Alaska, don’t you think…?

We see N77BA (c/n 1549) here taxying in on Beluga Lake, Homer.
It seems to have been delivered on 10Jun64, but to whom?
In 1979 it was registered as CF-WCA for West Coast Air Services; this was revised to C-FWCA Pacific Aircraft Salvage Ltd. of Richmond, BC (registered and cancelled in 1984)
It became N77BA on 27Jun84, for Jon M. Berryman of Beluga Lake Floatplane Service, Beluga Lake, Homer, AK and this is current to this day (Nov06).
Its Airworthiness Certificate stems from 02Jul84, so I guess it was rebuilt before then.
More on: www.dhc-2.com

We drove a different route to Kenai on our return, which we thought would be a scenic drive: Kalifornsky Beach Road. But the coastline is of course prime real estate, so you have privat grounds between the road and the sea, nothing much to be seen or enjoy. I did find these bushplanes, on a gravel strip.

N2952M: Piper PA-12 Mfr 1947, serial 12-1347; R04Dec87 Gregory W.Tressler of Kasiloff,AK

N4326Z: Piper PA-18 Mfr 1968, serial 18-8643; R21Nov00 Matthew : Owen of Kasiloff,AK

'Northern Air Trophy - Hunting Alaska'

N77191: Cessna 140 Mfr 1946, serial 11653; R16Apr87 John J Bezilla Jr of Kenai,AK

N1837M C-46 Everts Air Fuel

I also met the flightcrew of N1837M 'Hot Stuff' very briefly: they were rushing to make a departure for another fuel delivery flight.
I made a seperate page on this visit to Kenai, please follow the link; there are also interior photographs of cockpits and cabins.
My visit to Kenai

DHC-2 Beaver N314HA at Soldotna

After leaving Kenai I looked for a turnoff for Mackey Lake, which was supposed to have floatplanes as well, but I missed it. Instead I found Lake Ellesmere where I knew High Adventure Air would be based and indeed found N314HA in between assignments.
Again I enquired for a bearviewing trip, but a few disappointed fishermen in the office confirmed the salmon run hadn't started yet. And no salmon: no bears... So my catch of the day remained limited to N314HA: things could have been worse!

This DHC-2 Beaver started life 10Feb56 with its delivery to the US Army as 54-1720; this number is still quoted as its manufacturer's serial by FAA's N-inquiry website. But its actual DeHavilland construction number is 868, a mistake commonly made on FAA's registry.

More info & more photos: N314HA on DHC-2.com

DHC-2 Beaver N314HA of High Adventure Air at the dock

Now, what is this ?? Something with a prop and that makes me stop and have a closer look.
The owner seems to have got the idea, it even has a tailnumber: N01BB (fake, because a
registration has to start with a number 1 to 9).
Funny and remarkable all the same.

We continued our way back to Anchorage.

One more day at Anchorage, only one more day... My brake-neck-itinerary would dictate a flight (one of eleven on this tip) to Juneau the following day.
But one more day at Anchorage, where hospitality hasn't vanished because of the required additional security measures.

Andrea took me to N30TN, of which she is justifiable proud!
Their C-117D (c/n 43159) needed to have both engines testrun and I considered myself lucky to witness this. The photo on the left has no.1 running and all went well.

See more of N30TN (and other aircraft) on my Anchorage 2006 page.

Douglas DC-6N2907F
The history of Northern Air Cargo's N2907F has been written out on my Alaska 2003 page.
It is a former military Douglas C-118A (c/n 44636) which started its career on 21Apr55 as 53-3265.

Northern Air Cargo announced in 2008 that by 30Sep08 the last of their remaining operational Sixes (C-118A N2907F & DC-6A N6174C) were to be retired from active duty; N2907F is almost out of 'airframe hours' before its next major check so it will
probably be scrapped, while N6174C has some 3.500 hrs before its major check so it a good candidate for continued service with another owner.

Other than DC-6A N6174C, none of the DC-6/C-118 aircraft recently sold to Everts by NAC will fly again. They are all time-expired Part 121 aircraft and the deal stipulated that they would not be flown as Part 125 aircraft.

N555SQ DC-6B Mainliner of Everts Air Cargo is heading for the runway

Its history is documented on my page dedicated to my page
My Propliner visit to Anchorage, 2006

Cargo being loaded on N9056R

For more photos and information on my visit to Everts Air Cargo, please see
my page My Propliner visit to Anchorage, 2006

When I had checked into my motel in Juneau I noticed I could see the descending seaplanes (a.k.a. floatplanes) in their approach into town; I photographed some of them with my long telephoto lens, inspite of the considerable distance.


This is DHC-2 c/n 1031 with tailnumber N92AK.

C/n 1031 was delivered on 29Jan57 as 56-0356 to the US Army.
It was entered into the civil registry as N333CD in 1973.
Ten years later, Sep83, it was reregistered as C-GNFR for Rog-Air Ltd. of Port Loring,ONT.
Fate struck a blown when it hit trees during take off on 23Jul88; the tailnumber was cancelled in May 1989 and it was reported written off.
But it was resurrected!
N92AK became the tailnumber for Robert N. Jacobsen of Juneau,AK (probably in 1990 as its Airworthiness Cert. was issued 01Mar90) from there it went to Wings of Alaska / Alaska Juneau Aeronautics Inc., Juneau, AK (date?) and since 11Mar05 it has been registered to Alaska Coastal Airlines (Juneau,AK).
More at: DHC-2.com

The huge cruiseboates dwarf a deHavilland DHC-3 Otter...

For many more photos of Seaplanes / Floatplanes at Juneau see my Juneau 2006 report.

Another great place for Seaplanes is Ketchikan, Alaska...
There is a huge business with these planes going, primarly serving the humongous cruise boats and treating its passengers on a quick scenic flight over the surrounding area; Misty Fjords is a prime destination.

See my KETCHIKAN 2006 Report