Bushplanes in Northwest Ontario -2007-

Photos © Ruud Leeuw

Bushplanes at Sioux Lookout, Ontario

In search of the bushplanes of North America, I made a roadtrip through Northwest Ontario.
After a long drive from Red Lake, via Dryden, we continued north on Route 72 and arrived on Oct. 1st at Sioux Lookout. The first stop was the Seaplane Base (took most photos the next morning though), proceeded to a motel and quickly continued to the airport before the evening would set in.

Slate Falls Airways and Bamaji Air are the principal operatora at the Seaplane base here. First we'll visit Slate Falls Airways and their brightly coloured aircraft: reminded me of CP Air, many years ago, the colours had safety considerations.
The company was founded in 1987 and is run by Rich Hulina (parts of him appear in the photos below..). The company operates (by info from JP Airline Fleets 2007): 2 Cessna U206G Stationair 6 II (C-GGRW & C-GPCR), Cessna T210M Turbo Centurion II (C-GHEG), Cessna 208 Caravan I (C-GSFA), DHC-2 Beaver Mk.I (C-FDIN) and a DHC-3 Turbine Otter (C-FNWX).

Let us have a look...

From Karl Hayes' monograph on the DHC-3 Otter I quote the following history:
Otter c/n 412 was delivered on 28th March 1962, but was retained by DHC as a demonstrator, registered CF-NWX.
It flew for DHC for many years. When it was no longer required as a demonstrator, it remained in use as a test aircraft.
There was a proposed sale to the United States in April 1970 and marks N6225 were reserved, but the sale did not proceed and 'NWX continued in use as a test aircraft, and also as a company transport. It was often flown by DHC test pilot George Neal.
The last trip he recalls flying in 'NWX was to a lake in Quebec with a load of newly hatched fish, to re-stock the lake which senior people in DHC used to entertain customers.
This Otter was eventually sold, being acquired by Austin Airways Ltd of Timmins, Ontario to whom it was registered in November 1978. It was then sold on to Ignace Airways Ltd of Ignace, Ontario and registered to that company in December 1980. It continued to fly for Ignace Airways until a crash at McKenzie Lake, Ontario on 10Oct87...
The purpose of the flight on that day was for the captain to check out the co-pilot on the floatequipped Otter. The aircraft, with the two pilots, one passenger and a cargo of sawdust on board, was near the maximum take-off weight. It took off for a VFR flight to nearby South Smoothrock Lake.
The take-off run and lift off appeared normal. The pilot selected climb flap, reduced engine power and turned to fly along a valley leading away from the lake. The aircraft was at an altitude of 75 to 100 feet and approaching trees near the edge of the lake when it began to lose altitude. The captain applied power but this did not arrest the descent and the aircraft struck the trees and crashed one quarter of a mile from the shoreline... An accumulation of hoar frost on the wing surfaces and downdrafts common in the area led to the aircraft's descent into the trees.
The Otter was taken to Kuby's Aircraft at Kenora, Ontario for a slow rebuild and in May 1992 was registered to Slate Falls Airways (1987) Inc, based at Sioux Lookout, Ontario. In August 1999 the company was reconstituted as Slate Falls Airways (1999) Ltd and it continued to serve the Ontario bush country from its base at Sioux Lookout. On 18Oct04 C-FNWX arrived at Fort Frances, Ontario where it underwent conversion over the winter of 2004/05 to a Vazar turbine Otter, the conversion work being performed by Lakeland Aviation.

Slate Falls Airways does not close for the winter and Rich Hulina showed me the proof when he sent photos of C-FNWX equipped with skis: Photos by Friends & Guests, page 11

Rich published in 2011 an exquisite coffee table photobook titled 'Bush Flying Captured; for more on this book and photos sent by Rich see THIS PAGE dedicated to his bushplanes photography.

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

C-FDIN (a.k.a. CF-DIN) has c/n 68 and its history reads as follows:
Delivered on 27Jun50 as CF-DIN to Aviation Services Ltd. A big leap sees it operated by Lac Seul Airways of Manitoba (27May82) and from 14Nov86 with Red Lake Airways of Red Lake,ONT.
CF-DIN was registered to Kuby's Aircraft Ltd., Kenora,ONT 20Nov86.
Almost 2 years later it was bought by Glen R. Holmes of Fort Frances,ONT (20Jun88).
Then we see it registered as C-FDIN to Slate Falls Airways (1987) Ltd, Sioux Lookout on 14Feb89, revised to Slate Falls Airways (1999) Ltd on 24Aug99.
Source: DHC-2.com which also offers more photos of CF-DIN.

Ian Macintosh came to the rescue with additional details:

Accident pre 1954, detail unknown...

CF-DIN Aviation Services Ltd. Delivered 27jun50 - Canx 6Oct54 & Regd 22Mar63

CF-DIN Norman N Ingeman of Camp Robinson, Ontario; ca, 1967-1968

CF-DIN Lac Seul Airways of Winnipeg, Manitoba; ca 1978 until Canx 27May82

Red Lake Airways of Red Lake Ontario; Canx 20Nov86 (? see below)

Kuby’s Aircraft Ltd. of Kenora, Ontario. Regd 14nov86 - Canx 20nov86 (?)

Glenn R Holmes of Fort Frances, Ontario. Regd 20Jun88. Canx 14Feb89

Slate Falls Airways (1987) Ltd. of Sioux Lookout, Ontario. Regd 14Feb89 & 23Aug99 - Canx 24Aug99

Slate Falls Airways (1999) Ltd. Regd 24Aug99 - Canx 11Mar04; Regd 03May04 - Canx 29Oct04

Slate Falls Airways (1999) Ltd. Regd 20Apr05 - Canx 04Oct05; Regd 13Mar06 - Canx 01Jan07

Slate Falls Airways (1999) Ltd. Regd 22Mar07...

It is obvious it is taken off the Registry (and insurance?) during off-season.

C-GSFA is a Cessna 208 with c/n 208-00212; it was registered to Slate Falls Airways (1999) Ltd on 10Mar05.

Later, while visiting Fort Frances, I witnessed another DHC-3 being fitted with a turbine engine and learned this one would soon join Slate Falls Airways. On 09Oct07 C-FCZP was registered to Rich Hulina's airline.

Slate Falls Airways & Rich Hulina Aviation Photography

Sioux Lookout has a population of 5,336 and an elevation: 1280 ft / 390 m. Known locally as the "Gateway to the North", it is serviced by the Sioux Lookout Airport, Highway 72, and a Via Rail station. Tourism, lumber, and health care are the primary sources of employment in the town. There are a number of fishing camps in the area that allow access to an extensive lake system fed by the English River. Several beaches are nearby including the historical site of Umpreville Park, a historical site that predates the town itself. During the summer months, Sioux Lookout's population rises as American tourists arrive to take advantage of the seemingly infinite amount of lakes and rivers in the area.
The name of Sioux Lookout comes from a nearby mountain and a First Nations story. This mountain was used in the late 1700s by Ojibway Indians to watch for Sioux warriors coming to ambush their camp. A careful eye could see the sun shining off the birch of enemy canoes crossing nearby rapids... Women and children could be led away safely while the warriors could intercept the Sioux in the water.
Present day Sioux Lookout was incorporated in 1912 and was then a terminal point on the National Transcontinental Railway. For many years, Sioux Lookout was simply a railway town. When gold was discovered in Red Lake, Sioux Lookout became one of the leading aviation centers in Canada during the twenties and thirties. During the Cold War Sioux Lookout operated a radar base to monitor any activity from Russia. Now, the Canadian National Railway is a significant employer, but it is no longer the base of the municipality’s economy. The forest industry is an important part of the economy.
Source: Wikipedia

Now let's go over to Bamaji Air...

Also based here at Sioux Lookout, is "Knobby's" C-GFDS of Bamaji Air Inc. Michael Besenthal put me in the right direction for clarifying Knobby's: it refers to Knobby's Sportsman Restaurant; their opening hours are seasonal (May-Sep), closed at the time of my visit.
Imagine, a bushpane as logoplane! [See Ian's info below..]

The history of this DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1 c/n 1269 reads as follows:
Delivered on 22Oct58 to the US Air Army with serial 57-2583 and when its long and fruitful career was over, it was parked in the Arizona desert at Davis-Monthan, from 14Feb72 to 03Feb76.
Its civilian career started with registration N31343 for a private owner in Lincoln,NB upon which it was imported into Canada in 1977. Subsequently registered as C-GFDS for Calm Air Ltd in May of that year.
Sioux Air Ltd. of Sioux Lookout purchased it on 23May89 and to its present owner Bamaji Air Inc. on 30Jul03.
Every owner had it registered for a considerable period so it must be a good plane!
The above info was learned again from Neil Aird's unique and wonderful website: www.DHC-2.com which has also more photos of C-GFDS on offer.

In 2012 I came across C-GFDS at Anchorage!

Ian Macintosh provided more info about Knobby's...
Knobby’s is a fly in fishing camp company, based at Sioux Lake and over the years appears to have used C-GFDS c/n 1269 as a leased aircraft from Sioux Air Ltd, Matt’s Air Service and Bamaji and also C-FHEP c/n 69 with the three companies and in Knobby’s logos from 1990. There is no evidence that Knobby’s have ever directly operated their own aircraft...

Found Brothers FBA-2C1 C-FKAC (c/n 42), registered to Bamaji Air on 22Jul04 (source: Transport Canada). It is quite a unique aircraft, this piston-engined survivor...
Website: Bamaji Air (sound on!)
Found Brothers, the company, was formed at Malton, Ontario in 1948 to produced the Found FBA-1, a 4-seat cabin monoplane designed by Captain S.R.Found. The aircraft was developed into an all-metal version, the FBA-2C. The aircraft entered production and 34 were built. A further improved version the Centennial was developed, this had just gained type certification in July 1968 when the company went out of business (Wikipedia).

Here is the Found Aircraft Production List, as published in an article about this remarkable bushplane, in Air-Britain's World magazine June 2010, by Mike Ody.

C-GIPR is a Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian (c/n 20800343) and has been registered to Bamaji Air on 25Jul03.
Bamaji Air was formerly known as Matt's Air Service (founded 1990). Bamaji Lake is a lake in the area.
The company is still run by Matt Mitchell and has besides C-GIPR also 3 DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1's (C-GFDS, C-FHEP, C-GZBS), the above mentioned FBA-2C1 Bush Hawk-XP (C-FKAC) as well as Cessna A185E Skywagon (C-FXJN).
(Sources: Transport Canada and JP Airline Fleets 2007).

To show how this area particpated in the very earliest days of aviation in Canada I quote a few words from the book Pilots of the Purple Twilight, written by Philip H. Godsell (who had first hand knowledge of Canada's Arctic North and who re-organized the Hudson's Bay Company's Lac Seul to Osnaburg canoe transport in the summer of 1914).
"Commercial flying was emerging from its chrysalis at Sioux Lookout where, in the days of the tribal warfare, Ojibways from nearby Lac Seul ensconced themselves on the lofty rock overlooking the forests to keep watch and ward against invading Sioux war parties. Having staked, and sold, their mining claims in the newly-discovered Red lake mining area west of Lac Seul, and north of the Canadian National Railway, H.A. "Doc" Oaks, who might be justifiably acknowledged as the true pioneer of commercial flying, G.A. "Tommy" Thompson, and S.A. Sammy Tomlinson - that mighty human atom whose knowledge of the North extends from Montreal to the most distant points of the Arctic - pooled their resources in a Curtiss Lark aeroplane, forerunner of the Western Canada Airways.
Organizing as Patricia Airways, they started to fly regular freight and passenger service in the summer of 1926. The vast, flat, forested region bejewelled with countless sparkling lakes made ideal terrain for pontoon-equipped planes and before long, the Curtiss Lark was successfully shuffling mining equipment, supplies, passengers - and even furs - between Sioux Lookout and Red Lake, Woman Lake, Pine Ridge - as the original Hudson's Bay Company outpost was named, being later changed to Gold Pines - and Buck Lake."

Nearby the Seaplane Base (and conveniently located nearby our motel 'Sunset Suites') is a restaurant, named "Desperate Dick's and Durty Nellie's Bar & Grill". This SeaBee sits as a prop outside the restaurant. Inside many vintage (aircraft) photos adorn the walls. Very nice place!
One can still make out part of the tailnumber: CF-FH. That last digit seems to have gone missing. The website www.seabee.info identifies it as CF-FSG however, c/n 919.

The Republic RC-3 Seabee was the brainchild of Percival Hopkins "Spence" Spencer, an early aviation pioneer who built his first hang glider in April 1911, just two weeks after his 17th birthday,
On 22Nov45 the prototype RC-3 Seabee (NX87451) came off the assembly line at Republic's factory in Farmingdale, NY, and on 01Dec45 made its first flight in Farmingdale with "Spence" at the controls.
On 27Dec45 Republic Aviation purchased Aircooled Motors, manufacturers of the Franklin Aircraft engine, to supply and build engines for the RC-3 Seabee.
In March 1946 the first production RC-3 Seabee was completed (NC87457, formerly NX87457), and on 25Jul46 the first Seabee (NC87463, production #13) was delivered at the Republic factory to J.G. (Tex) Rankin of Rankin Aviation Industries of Tulare, CA.
By summer 1947 the Seabee sales had almost stalled and since June 1947 the production had been put on hold, awaiting further sales. By the end of production a respectable 1.060 Seabees had been built.
The Seabees became very popular in the USA and Canada and was also found to be ideally suited for operation in countries with long coast lines, many islands, many lakes and large areas of wilderness. By the time production ended, 108 Seabees had been exported to several countries and dealerships were established in Brazil, Cuba, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Fiji, New Caledona, South Africa, England, Norway, Sweden.
In 2006 over 250 Seabees were still registered and flying, a number that is increasing yearly as new aircraft are assembled from parts and wrecks! A few Seabees are even still operating commercially as bush planes and air taxis. In the history of aviation few aircraft have had longer, or more successful careers than the Seabee.
An RC-3 Seabee appears in the movie The Man With The Golden Gun taking James Bond (Roger Moore) to the island where his enemy Scaramanga lives. The aircraft is destroyed in the film.

I came across another one, N11NW at Chandler,Arizona in May08.

The following article says a lot about living & travelling in these parts (in this case: Quebec). The aircraft concerned is RC-3 SeaBee CF-HPK c/n 576:

The Ottawa Citizen, by Geoff Nixon
Sunday, November 18, 2007
When Guy Morin spotted the five letters painted on the tail of a sea plane lying on the bottom of Lac Simon last month, he knew he'd found what he'd spent more than a decade looking for.
The five letters, CFHPK, were the call sign of a plane that went missing nearly 50 years ago.
"It was like a rising," says Mr. Morin, 39, an electrical engineer who grew up in Gatineau and has lived in Ottawa for the past 12 years. "We knew we were on the spot."
Three hunters -- Tony Chivazza, Louis Hamel, Philippe Ouimet -- and their pilot, Gaëtan Deshaies, were aboard the Republic RC-3 SeaBee when it was last seen on Nov. 21, 1957.
Now, it's been found, sitting over 60 metres below the surface of the Papineau-area lake, covered with decades' worth of silt and sand. It's hoped the plane will hold the answers to its disappearance almost 50 years ago.
The men had been on their way home from Lac du Diable, where they had been hunting.
All told, seven men had taken part in the excursion. Next up, a trip to Schryer Lake to celebrate their success. One problem: the plane could only carry four passengers at one time.
Mr. Morin's second-cousin, Roger Guénette, was among four men who'd already made the trip back to Schryer Lake.
"He suffered from survivor's guilt," Mr. Morin says of his cousin. "He lived 24 years after the event and he was 32 years old when the event happened."
According to records, the weather was less than ideal for a flight. There were high winds and heavy waves on local lakes, and snow squalls that, at times, made it impossible to see. It was so bad, Mr. Guénette's flight even landed on Lac Simon to wait it out.
When the flight carrying the remaining three hunters and the pilot failed to arrive, an urgent search was launched. Transport Canada used 16 planes in the effort, but all they found were two hats and the body of a dog that had been on the plane.
Mr. Morin was a young boy when he first learned about the missing plane.
His family had a cottage near Lac Simon, and one summer his uncle told him the nearby lake contained a monster that once swallowed up a plane and four men.
His parents confirmed part of his uncle's account -- yes, the lake had been the rumoured site where the men had disappeared. They also told him about the family's connection to the mystery.
As he got older, Mr. Morin took up scuba diving, becoming increasingly skilled at water searches. It crossed his mind several times, he says, that he might one day find the missing plane.
Mr. Morin eventually made friends in the diving community, whom he enlisted to help him look for the missing plane that had so captured his attention.
Chris Koberstein of Hudson, Que., and Dan Scoville of Rochester, New York, helped him refine his search, using better technology and more sophisticated techniques in his more than 10-year quest to find the sunken wreck. They used a combination of individual dives, a deep-sea robot equipped with a camera and, eventually, sonar to plumb the lake's vast depths.
On Oct. 2, they got their big break -- a chunk of the plane's main strut. Then, they found the plane itself.
"We hit the wing and then we could see the entire plane," says Mr. Morin. "We started illuminating the plane, sweeping back and forth, and then we realized the thing is intact -- in one piece."
And they found the remains of three men. A pair of boots was all they could find of the fourth man.
The plane is largely intact, with the controls and gauges still in the cockpit. A rifle is tucked beside the pilot's seat.
Mr. Morin and his friends will not say exactly where the wreck is, for fear that someone else will come along and disturb the site before it can be dealt with by the authorities.

A look at the airport, in search for bushplanes...

I only saw a few modern turboprop aeroplanes at the small terminal, but further down I came to an interesting lot: Allen Airways Ltd, 'Cessna Service Centre & Parts sale'.
I have to assume these DHC-2 Beaver belong to the category 'parts sale'...?

One can still vaguely discern the registration C-GDXW as well as the titles 'Sportman's Outfitting Ltd, Armstrong ONT' ...
Former USAF DeHavilland L-20A Beaver 52-6134 (c/n 524) found its way to civilian registry as C-GDXW.

Ian Macintosh provided details of its career:
52-6134 USAF L-20, delivered 13Jul53. Built as L-20A and re-designated U-6A in 1962.
C-GDXW (c/n 524) Robert & Mildred Smith of Armstrong,Ontario: registered 09Jun76, at unknown date cancelled as 'Wfu - without further use', but date unknown... Now stored at Sioux Lookout and while current on CCAR but with an invalid owner address.
This history is far from complete, but it is a start and we would welcome addional information !!

Unfortunately no one was in the office at the time of my visit.

Here is another DHC-2 Beaver (I think) but it would be hard to identify this airframe...

Actually, when I was taking the above photos, I thought they belongend to Northern Airborne Maintenance; but when I went inside their large hangar I was told that they did not belong to them. "Ours are in much better shape and you're welcome to look at them, provided you do not climb on them etc." When I looked puzzled, my advisor pointed at a number of planes which had not been visible from the road!
I lost no time rambling over: more Beavers, more Beeches... how delightful !

DHC-2 C-GATO c/n 330 sits here in winterstorage.
It was registered to Pickerel Arm Camps Inc. on 14Mar05 and is based here in Sioux Lookout.
DHC-2.com has the following interesting details on offer on this De Havilland Beaver:
Delivered on 30Jul52 as 51-16537 to the USAF, designated an L-20. After a considerable career it was registered as N5165G in May 1971 to the Civil Air Patrol Inc. The next year, in June, it was reregistered as N212NY.
Fate struck a blow when it crashed on the Black River South of Dexter,NY... this happened during white out conditions on 08Feb75, with 6 people on board, fortunately without serious injuries. The aircraft was subesequently removed from the ice by dismantling the aircraft: the engine, wings, struts, and horizontal stabilizer and elevators were all removed. The parts were then put on the Watertown Airport,NY and sold as salvage...
C-GATO was imported to Canada 1981 and first registered to Bellevue Air Service Inc. of St-Félicien, QUE. It was based St-Félicien Seaplane Base (SPB) on Norseman (!) floats. It was offered for sale and a total of 10,563 airframe hours were recorded.

I assume it was imported into Canada as a 'whole' aircraft and would like to know its career details between Bellevue Air Service Inc (1981-?) and registration to Pickeral Arm Camps here Sioux Lookout (14Mar05).

Ian Macintosh provided additional details:
About the crash described above: after two missed approaches, fuel exhaustion caused aircraft to crash into icy ground in whiteout conditions in a nose down, left wing low, attitude... Fortunately without serious injuries.
Much of the history is described above and will pick it up from N212NY in June 1972. As we know this airframe is c/n 330: is it a coincidence that the FAA currently records N212NY as U-1A Otter c/n 330 registered to Donald Olson of Golovin, Alaska ???
About its service with Air Bellevue: (Bellevue Air Services Inc. of Roberval,QUE.) registered on 24Apr81 and also on 19Feb02; it was cancelled on 07Jul04.
Registered to Pickerel Arm Camps of Sioux Lookout on 14Mar05.

This is C-GAJU, a DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1 with the following history:
C/n 1169, delivered as 56-0415 on 15Nov57 to the US Army, designated an L-20. It found its way to Europe and after an actice service career was offered for sale at the Coleman Barracks in Mannheim (Germany) during Feb74. It had recorded a total of 4,092.0 airframe hours.
A sale was made and present tailnumber C-GAJU was assigned for M Aviation Ltd. of Lachute,QUE during Dec.1974
A few years later ownership was registered to Canadian Voyageur, in 1978. Next was Pine Air Inc. of Sioux Lookout,ONT to whom C-GAJU was registered on 06Dec83.
Source: DHC-2.com
Meanwhile, the registration was cancelled on 14Jun07, so while C-GAJU sits here high and dry it may be up for sale. See update below.

Ian Macintosh provided this history in detail:

56-0415 - US Army L-20. Delivered 15Nov57. Built as L-20A and re designated U-6A in 1962

56-0415 - Coleman Barracks, Mannheim – Sandhofen, Germany Feb74

C-GAJU - Canadian Voyageur Airlines Ltd., Fort Frances, Ontario ca.1978

C-GAJU - Swanair Ltd., Dryden, Ontario (dates ?)

C-GAJU - Stewart Lake Airways, Vermilion Bay, Ontario. Canx 27May82

C-GAJU - Kuby’s Aircraft Ltd., Kenora, Ontario. Canx 07Apr83

C-GAJU - Stewart Lake Airways, Vermilion Bay, Ontario. Canx 28Jun83

C-GAJU - Pine Air Inc, Sioux Lookout, Ont. Regd 06dec83 & 06jul06 - Canx 14Jun07

It was involved in an accident on 03Nov79 but without fatalities.

And once more it must have been involved in an accident, as Robert Lavigne found its crumbled frame at Nakina Airport,ONT on 02Oct10. See Photos by Friend & Guests (27).

Besides De Havilland Beavers a considerable amount of the indomitable Beech 18 ("Twin Beech") have found a temporary home here.

C-GESW is a Beech C18S Expeditor II, c/n 7911. It is registered to 1163921 Ontario Inc. Clearwater Airways which trades as Sportsman's Landing (a name we've seen earlier on this page) and resides in Emo, Ontario. Date of registration would be 25Jun99, last Certificate of Registration issued on 19Oct99. Source: Transport Canada.
Operator of C-GESW is also quoted as Clearwater Airways, so maybe the reference Sportman's Landing has been abandoned. Another name used is L & M Outposts and L & M Flyin Trips... See the website www.lmflyin.com for more information.
This 'Twin Beech' was built in 1942 as USAAF C-45F, s/n 44-47503. It saw use by the Royal Navy (FT985) but returned to North America and was put on Edo floats; as such it operated for Isle Royale Seaplane Service in Michigan, registered N4858V. Source: Ken Stoltzfus' www.flyinghigher.net

Note 'Yosemite Sam' features on this former Royal Navy Expeditor II (C18S), which also wears the titles "Sky Ranger"

C-FGUE also belongs to Clearwater Airways, a.k.a. L & M Fly-in Outposts. I was fortunate to see these aircraft here, stored for the winter, as their normal base would be at the Dryden Seaplane Base of which existence I had been unaware... It is located a little south of Dryden and the website of L & M Fly-in Outposts ('Directions') shows the exact location. In October most of these Fly-in operators are winding down operations.
While researching this information I found their previous base, Emo (west of Fort Frances on the Trans Canada Highway), I had travelled through unawares too..

History of C-FGUE, again from www.FlyingHigher.net, includes the following details:
Delivered to the USAAF as 44-47699 in 1945, this Beech C18S has c/n 8107. It was put on floats somewhere during the late-1950s or early-1960s. At that time it was registered N8033H and was at some point reregistered as N480DB.
The Transport Canada website presented a registration date of 18May01 to '1163921 Ontario Inc. Clearwater Airways' d.b.a. Sportsman's Landing.
That same website has a year of manufacture as 1943.

The L & M Fly-in Outposts website offers the following interesting information:
L & M Fly-In Outposts is a family owned and operated business: Larry and Mary (L & M) and their 3 sons, Travis, Lucas, and Shane came to Ontario Canada from Iowa (farmers for 17 years). They purchased a fly-in American Plan camp in 1986 and operated that camp until the spring 1992. At that time, Larry studied to get his private pilots license. Commercial flights were done by hiring, and Larry flew around to the outpost cabins doing camp checks. The camp was sold and a store was bought on Clearwater, a commercial charter license was obtained and Larry got his commercial license. Then Travis graduated high school, he worked for his private and then commercial license, too. From there, he went on to become an aircraft mechanic. Now he flies for the company quite a few of the weekends during the season, and holds a job at an airport as chief inspector.
While operating the store and airbase on Clearwater Lake, Lucas ran the store. He and his wife Nikki have a small resort on Off Lake where most of L&M guests have rented a cabin for overnight before they fly out to the outpost. Lucas is also in charge of running the L & M office.
In the winter of 2006/2007, Larry and Mary sold the store on Clearwater Lake in hopes of one day moving the airbase to Dryden, Ontario. As Dryden is a much more centrally located spot to operate and maintain the camps. In the spring of 2007 a deal was struck to move L&M's airbase to Dryden. The 2007 season brought a new era to L&M's story.

De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1 C-GLSA (c/n 1389) sits ready for the snow at Sioux Lookout airport, awaiting a, hopefully, busy season in 2008 for KaBeeLo Airways.

DHC-2.com has the following information on offer about its history:
This DHC-2 was delivered on 08Oct59 as 58-2057 to the US Army, designated a L-20.
When its military career ended is not specified, nor its registration as N94471 and subsequently N4471: when and to whom? Details welcomed.
Imported into Canada during 1980, it was registered C-GLSA for Lac Seul Airways Ltd. of Ear Falls,ONT.
It moved onto nearby Kabeelo Airways, also of Ear Falls, registration took place on 22Oct91. C-GLSA has its summerbase at Confederation Lake,ONT and they have a ramp at Ear Falls (where I tought I had missed them..).
KaBeeLo website.

The entire fleet of KaBeeLo Lodge, dba Kabeelo Airways, was found in winterstorage here and C-GDYT is their other aircraft. The company was founded in 1977 and has their office in Ear Falls,ONT. Their Pratt &W R-985 radial engines will remain silent for the winter, only operating in the May-0ctober season.

We turn to the DHC-2.com website again for a detailed history:
Delivered c/n 1109 on 17Jun57 as 56-4403 to the US Army and an aquisition cost of $72,047.08 was quoted. Almost 20 years later its military career was over and it was offered for sale at the Coleman Barracks of Mannheim - Sandhofen, Germany during Feb74. The airframe had amassed a total of 3,922.0 hours.
It was imported to Canada and during may77 it took on the identity of C-GDYT for Orillia Air Services Ltd. of Orillia,ONT.
Kabeelo Airways Ltd. (at first at Confederation Lake and later at Ear Falls) had C-GDYT registered to its name on 30Jun89.

Please note that the Transport Canada website has a registration date of 08Jun78 for C-GDYT, which leads me to believe Orillia Air Services and Kabeelo Airways are connected. I also noted that both C-GDYT and C-GLSA have a remark added: "Mail has been returned from the Post Office as undeliverable".
Hopefully the company is not in trouble...

UPDATE 07-2024 (Scramble.nl): as C-GDYT c/n 1109 spent W2023 in Anchorage,AK and was reg'd 14Jun24 to JB Leasing.

To end this page, another remarkable Twin Beech...
C-FKAK is a Beech 3T, according to the Transport Canada website. Its serial is quoted as 44-47633, which is of course its USAF serial and not the manufacturer's construction number. The same website offers a registration date of 23sep97 (last certificate of registration issued on 26Jul01) to 1218995 Ontario Inc., trading as Doug's Flying Service.
Googling for this company brought an adress in Ear Falls to light: Box 121 - Ear Falls, ON P0V 1T0 - Phone:807-222-3333 Fax:807-222-3805.
Cerified Aircraft: BEECH 18 (703), CESSNA 182 (703)
But I could not find a website nor the exact location of Doug's Flying Service.

C-FKAK is powered by the same P&W R-985 radial engine as the Beaver, except it enjoys having two of them.

For more details on C-FKAK (or CF-KAK) c/n 8041 we (first) proceed again to www.FlyingHigher.net:
MacDonald Brothers converted Beech (U)C-45 models to Canadian 3T for the RCAF; starting in 1952 some 80 Beech C18s were converted to D18s including the longer nacelle. And C-FKAK is one such example.
44-47633 went to the RCAF in 1944, serial 1418, its military career ending after over 20 years, in 1965. The website offers previous operators: Theriault Air Services of Chapleau,QUE (whose Operating License was cancelled Aug.2002, but was renewed and is as Air Ivanhoe operating Beavers C-GERE & C-GPUS from Foleyet-Ivanhoe Lake,ONT anno 2007) and Ellair Ltd of Thompson,MAN.
Identification RCAF 1418 brought me to the following website for its Canadian service information: www.ody.ca/~bwalker :
Ex USAAF C-45F serial number 44-47633. Served with No. 401 (Auxiliary) Squadron at St. Hubert,PQ, c.1958 to 1965. Later to civil register as CF-KAK, with Theriault Air Services of Chapleau, PQ in 1970s. Subsequent owners included Ellair Ltd. in the 1980s, a numbered Ontario company from 1997, and Doug’s Flying Service, Ear Falls, Ontario since 26 July 2001. Still on registry April 2005.
Taken on strength, first date: 26 December 1944 - Last date: 26 May 1965, struck off, to Crown Assets Disposal Corporation for sale.

Thanks to Alain Rioux (who also roams the area, see his photos on Airliners.net) for showing the way and to Rich Hulina/Slate Falls Airways, Northern Airborne Maintenance & others (who had me unknowingly as a visitor) for having me -and my camera- on their premises.

Bert Veenendaal wrote me in Feb.2010:
"The next time you find yourself in Sioux Lookout, check with the local museum!
I had received an old photo album with many priceless photographs pre-dating the Provincial Air Service - if memory serves me correctly they were taken around 1915-1918. Photos of several HS2Ls being uncrated from the train, drawn by horses to the town beach and then assembled there for survey and mapping work. The Bush Plane museum in the Sault has copies of the pics, the originals "were" in Sioux.
The photo album was found in a garage in Ottawa and were destined for the landfill when discovered. A great piece of aviation history in Sioux Lookout."

The Roads Goes On...Forever :
Kenora
Vermilion Bay
Ear Falls
Red Lake
Dryden
Savant Lake
Ignace
Atikokan
Fort Frances
Nestor Falls

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