Fred Barnes wrote me:
"Just read through your 'Vancouver Island 2010' update, and noticed your photo of DHC-3 Otter c/n 59.
I visited the area in 1999 when the two AAS Otters were in use, N2634Y and N357AS, and even had a flight. Here is a photo of N2634Y at Friday Harbour 14JUN99."

Update Feb.2016:
Reregd'd N708AK 23Dec15 for Kenmore Air, expect turbine conversion to near completion!

Dennis Fisher sent me this image last August; the CASA 212 is on its way to become a classic skytruck...

CASA 212 C-FDKM (c/n 196) was registered to Fugro 01Jun2004; Fugro collects, processes and interprets data related to the earth's surface and the soils and rocks beneath and provides advice based on the results to clients in many sectors.

Dennis wrote: "Fugro is in town these days, likely looking for some rich mineral deposit.
Saskatchewan is just coming alive in the resource world! Uranium, Potash, Kimberlite, all hot markets....
We have one mine, Cigar Lake, the ore is 85% Uranium, but too hot to handle and will be mined using robotics!"

During the late 1960s, the Spanish Air Force was still operating the already outdated Junkers Ju 52 and Douglas C-47, unpressurized and non-turbocharged piston-powered three- or two-engined aircraft.
CASA developed the C-212 as a more modern alternative using the lighter and more reliable turboprop engine, with the first prototype flying on March 26, 1971.
In 1974, the Spanish Air Force decided to acquire the Aviocar to update its fleet.
A great many variants have been built of this versatile transport, in all series (-100, -200, -300, -400); more on Wikipedia.

On 02Apr11 Dennis sent me the following sad tidings from Saskatoon...
"Casa 212 C-FDKM ain't no more. Had a power failure last night, near the airport and wanted to land on a street. Street too busy with traffic and he went in and struck a large concrete sound barrier wall.
Happened about half mile from where we live....
Here is an image for you":

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=121474

Walter A. Soplata, aged 87, of Newbury, passed away 05Nov2010; he was born 27Oct1923, in Cleveland,OH.

Mr. Soplata enjoyed going to air shows, anything to do with aviation and transportation and going to flea markets and antique car shows. People referred with a little mystery to his collection of aeroplanes, as apparently it was almost impossible to gain access to the area, it wasn't an exhibition of any sort. Some also classified it as hoarding, as there was effectively little done in terms of preservation and no restoration. But the fact remains that many a unique airframe has survived to this day thanks to Mr Soplata's collecting, saving it from scrappers, saving it for possible future restoration into a museum collection perhaps.
We'll have to see what will become of this collection.
Photographer: unknown.

In 2017 news came aboutthe B-25 here in Ohio being saved..
"Kevin Hooey, of Corning, New York, has acquired non-airworthy VB-25N Mitchell USAAF Serial No. 44-86708, an airframe that hasn’t flown in many decades. He intends to conduct a restoration to airworthy condition on the Mitchell, to full World War Two combat configuration as a stock B-25J."

"Famed collector Walter Soplata, of Newbury, Ohio, acquired the aircraft in 1980, and it remained with him, even after it was sold to Steve Detch, of Apparetta, Georgia nineteen years later in 1999. Detch never moved the aircraft, and so the B-25 remained in Newbury with the rest of Mr. Soplata’s collection until Mr. Hooey recently transported it to Corning, where much of the restoration will take place.
While not much is known of its civilian career after being sold surplus, its un-touched condition suggests it was never converted for use as an aerial tanker, or as an executive transport, and it still wears the paint scheme it would have worn when last operated by the USAF."
More on warbirddigest.com/warbird-news/2017/09/11/1114/

Update by an email dated 19Sep2019:
"Earlier this year, the team and I were invited to Northeast Ohio to visit the Soplata airplane sanctuary.
Walter Soplata was the son of Czech immigrants who discovered a passion for aviation history and for preserving old planes. Right after WWII, as he worked in a Cleveland scrapyard junking surplus warplane engines, he made a choice to do what he could to preserve the history of these incredible machines. He purchased property and over time amassed about 20 planes.
MotoArt PlaneTags acquired some of the Soplata Collection planes and we will be releasing exclusive, very limited edition PlaneTags of some of the Soplata collection planes - beginning with the B-36 Peacemaker."
Blog on - planetags.com/blogs/planetags-blog/the-soplata-collection-preserving-planes
Dave Hall, CEO & Founder PlaneTags / MotoArt.

Andre Cantin sent me some images this summer...

"Here are a few photos of the Amphibious Otter N9758N which I flew from Canada to France, in 2000, to commemmorate the century of flight in France.
First photo was taken at Place Bellecour in Lyon, France
Another photo has me on the right with the promoter of the project, Mr R De Lassus.
Bottom right: in the Grand Canal at the Chateau de Versailles.
Top right: at La Ferte Alais airport, with the balloons.
Ahh, and there was that take off from the Loire river...

I had a great time flying the Otter in France!"
Andre.

[N9758N DHC-3 c/n 440; it was deregistered from A D M S E INC (registered Wilmington,DE) for being destroyed, on 01JUL2000 at Didier la Forêt (France). - Webmaster]

See for another photo, at Nantes, Photos by Friends & Guests (33)

Martin "Joe Joe" Prince Jr sent me this and other images last July, taken 25Jul10.
NC13822 is a Stinson SM-2 Junior c/n 8774, manufactured in 1933!
Note the huge cargo door, like a barndoor...

Stinson Aircraft had introduced their large high-winged six-seat SM-1 Detroiter in 1927.[1] The SM-1 was sold successfully to airlines and other commercial operators, but it was too large to appeal to private owners.
Stinson therefore redesigned the aircraft with shorter span wings, shorter fuselage and a choice of less powerful engines as the SM-2 Junior.
The various Stinson Junior models were in production between 1928 and 1933, being bought by both wealthy private flyers and commercial enterprises. A total of 321 Juniors were built, of which 27 survived in 2001 and several of these were airworthy in private hands.
[Wikipedia, more..]

See here for more photos by Martin Prince Jr of this date and many more!

Roger Soupart sent me these images, C-47s at Valkenburg in 12Oct2010. The story behind the wreckage can be read on Photos by Friends & Guests (26). And the history of PH-ALR, until recently displayed in bright orange livery, can be read on my Aviodrome Aviation Themepark pages, like HERE..

Update on C-47B 42-100847:
In May 2013 it became known that while this C-47B had served a purpose as a prop outside the theatre (performing 'Soldaat van Oranje'), it would again be used as a prop but this time in a film, titled 'Oorlogsgeheimen' (=War secrets). The film is to be shot in Belgium, in the Ardennes.
Later this year, after the filming has been completed, it is expected that this veteran is to be scrapped but parts will be put to good use...

See my update on Photos by Friends & Guests (47)

Who can help to identify this plane wreck at Yellowknife, a propliner...?

Andrew Gibson wrote me the following in Oct.2010:
"We spent two nights up in Yellowknife and had a tour around Buffalo Airways, it was marvellous to see the Old Props.
On the active airfield looking across from Buffalo/Air Tindi was the wreck in the attached photo; it looks to be in basic Buffalo colours and the person that showed us round at Buffalo seems to remember one of their aircraft being put out there for some sort of training but could not shed any light on it...
Can you identify the aircraft type and more importantly the aircraft registration?"

Andy Martin identified it as 737-200 C-GNWI, which crashed on approach to Yellowknife in 2001. There's a photo of it here:
http://jetphotos.net/

Peter C. Hill had a look from space ('Starship Enterprise'?) and had success in locating C-GNWI (Aug.2023):

Source: satellites.pro/Canada_map (62.461991,-114.429592,19)
+
Google Maps:

LINK

"N223CM is an ex/ RCAF Beech 18 that we finished for a customer. She is a custom bird, with modern avionics, but still retains her classic appeal.
We also built her up with new engines, propellers, exhaust and pretty close to everything forward of the firewall was a new old stock part. This is probably the last time we will be able to do this as the parts are getting harder and harder to come by.
Here is a link to a forum post about the Beech with lots of photos before, during and the end result photos of Charley Mike:
http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=38210".

The next project here at Vintage Aircraft was to save an old WWII Navy Patrol bomber and former air tanker 101 from being cut up for scrap...
This Lockheed PV-2D Harpoon N6657D, one of 35 -D model Harpoons built, was on land which had been sold and the aircraft needed to go as the new land owners didn’t like old aircraft like we do!
The old Warbird had been sitting here since 1994 and had become the home to many different creatures over the years. She was buried in the ground past her axels and the belly tank was resting squarely on the ground; a sad sight indeed!
The awesome crew here at Vintage Aircraft packed up our Twin Beech full of tools, parts fuel and oil and made 12 trips to the Harpoon to get her out of that dusty old ranch and bring her to her new home.
We are going to fix her up and restore her back to her original combat configuration.
Here is a link to thread about our new PV-2D Harpoon:
http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=38160

Here are two videos of the flight out of her resting place for the last 16 years. We put three video cameras on the aircraft; one on the top of the left vertical stabilizer, one in the right gear well and one in the cockpit. Between these cameras and another one that Vince used from our photo Twin Beech we came up with some very interesting shots. The video is in two parts:
Part one http://www.youtube.com/user/twinbeechdotcom
Part two http://www.youtube.com/user/twinbeechdotcom#p/a/u/1/UxYWGxK5vmI

It was real rewarding for all of us to have been able to save this great old Warbird. Keep checking in to watch her progress either at www.twinbeech.com or on the WIX forum thread above.

Here are more YouTube videos of other projects we have been working on at Vintage Aircraft here: http://www.youtube.com/user/twinbeechdotcom#p/u

I can’t express just how proud I am of Rick, Steve, Crystal, Cade and Vincent. The crew at Vintage Aircraft is a great gang of talented and hard working folks as you can see in the photos and videos above.
Did I happen to mention how proud I am?"

Fokker F.VII H-NADP seen in Syria during the 1930s.

Fokker F.VIIa H-NADP was flown in the 2nd long-range flight Amsterdam (Holland) to Batavia (present day Jakarta in Indonesia) in 1927. The American millionaire Van Lear Black had flown Fokker aircraft on several charters and decided for this historic flight. The first Holland - Batavia flight had been made in 1924, using Fokker F.VII H-NACC.
H-NADP took off on 15Jun1927 and after overcoming technical complications, sand storms and primitive airfields, arrival was recorded on 23Jul1927.
KLM started its regular service Amsterdam - Batavia in 1930.

Jacques Hémet has a collection of Fokker images and these will gradually be added to his portfolio on my website.
Dutch aviation history can also be found on my Aviodrome webpages.

Mike Bursell sent me these photos and wrote me:

"Thought you might be interested in some pictures of a seldom seen Dakota, which still survives at the former Zeljava air base on the Croatia side of the Croatia-Bosnia border...
The aircraft is still in its position as gate guard at this long neglected base and is accompanied by two F-84G Thunderjets.
Zeljava was a massive base, housing 3 squadrons of MiG-21s in an underground facility, built to withstand a nuclear explosion! The base was destroyed during the war by the retreating Yugoslav National Army on 16Jun92.
The aircraft wears the serial 71212 and the swan badge of 677 TRAE, Yugoslav AF.
Its previous history and identity are not known and the c/n plate has been removed...."

I remember picturing this bird in Oct.1992 at Fort Lauderdale (FL) as N99857, with 'NAVSTA Midway'-titles; the restoration by Charles Clements was still very much in progress.
Having been delivered as an ordinary C-47, with c/n 16619/33367, after conversion to R4D-8 it was reassigned c/n 43332. The above link will provide you with more history details.
It blew an engine in 2003 and its restoration was delayed until 2005, as when seen at Tamiami on 22Apr05 rebuilding had started once more.
N99857 of 'Super Three Inc.' was ferried during 30Apr-04May09 to Anchorage for the new owner. And registered on 04Jun09 to Transnorthern LLC.
The missing engine was used for Transnorthern's N851M. Hopefully N27TN will join Transnorthern's working fleet soon.

Here is an external link that allows a look at the other side:
www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/492653L.html

Updates on my USA 2012: vintage planes - Oregon and Alaska as well as Photos by Friends & Guests #65.

Robert Lavigne sent me this photo in Oct.2010, he wrote:
"Here are some pictures of a DHC-2 Beaver which you photographed at Sioux Lookout, in 2007.
I found this Beaver C-GAJU beside a maintenance building last week, on 02Oct10, at NAKINA airport in northern Ontario.
(The history of C-GAJU has been detailed on my webpage, follow link above).

Ian Beatty wrote on Yahoo's DHC-2 forum:
"I believe this was the one that went down early in the spring one year not too long ago - 2008 maybe.
Plane was operated by Pickerel Arm Camps, pilot was the only person on board and was doing some recurrent training. Just after takeoff the engine quit and crash landed in some trees. Pilot was seriously injured.
Cause was fuel related."

"Poza Rica, Veracruz, August 1979 (taken from the control tower): Douglas DC-6B Tanker 444 C-GHCA & DC-6B Tanker 447 C-GICD.
It was challenging work, hot and dangerous as we had to execute precise spray patterns at 50 feet above the water so functioning dual radar altimeters were part of the go/no-go checklist...."

If you want to read more, follow this link to Don McDonald remembering his propliner days.

Ron Mak sent me this photo, with which he wrote:
"I noticed the nice pictures of deHavilland Dove PH-MAD on your website and remembered my very first flight! That was in another Martin's Air Charter (MAC) deHavilland Dove (the PH-MAC) in May 1960, from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
My incomplete history on PH-MAC is as follows: De Havilland DH 104 Dove (c/n 04020) was leased from T.D Keegan Ltd (ex G-AMVV ) by MAC for the period May 1958 - May 1960; it was returned to T.D Keegan, reregistered G-AMVV and sold as D-IBYC.
The scenic flight I made may well have been the last one PH-MAC made.
I'd welcome further details on the history of this Dove."
EMAIL

Martin's Air Charter became Martinair (Holland) and in 2010 announced that passenger operations would cease after 53 years in 2011, the company continueing as Martinair Cargo. See also my Martinair page in my gallery Changed Liveries.

SEE ALSO RON'S PROPLINER PAGES ON THIS WEBSITE: PAGE 1 + PAGE 2

C-GEAI, the BT67 sister ship of C-GEAJ.
Dirk took these photos on 25Jun07 and 29Jun07 Yellowknife airport.
C-GEAI was flying geophysical surveys for/chartered by a Texas-based company. These flight would last up to 7-8 hours and required extremely calm weather for that entire period; so there was a lot of sitting around at the airport there, waiting for the conditions be just right...
C-GEAI was involved in October 2002 in an incident: it was damaged in a windstorm at Patriot Hills Base Camp in Antarctica. A year and a half later it was repaired and flown out by Cox Aviation. Here's a pictorial report!
C-GEAI was involved in another, more serious incident on Antarctica; details & photos on Photos by Friends & Guests #39!

MORE PHOTOS BY DIRK SEPTER ON THIS WEBSITE: HERE (Caribbean) AND HERE (Canada)

The Douglas DC-3 (c/n 12679) on display here, N242AG, was purchased from the US Navy (designated an R4D-5, serial 17174) by Hollywood actor Clark Gable (1956 - 1963). The flightlogs show that many celebrities have flown this DC-3: John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan (when he was still a young actor)!
In 1986 this classic aircraft made its last flight, from the USA to Venice,Italy.

Caproni Borea C-308 I-MOLA (c/n 006) of Ala Littoria at Khartoum, during the 1930s.
I-MOLA was written off during Feb.1938, according to this website http://aerobernie.ae.funpic.de/Ala%20Littoria.html

Ala Littoria was the Italian national airline that operated during the 1930s and 1940s. It was formed by a merger of Società Aerea Mediterranea (SAM), Società Anonima Navigazione Aerea (SANA), Societù Italiana Servizi Aerei (SISA) and Aero Espresso Italiana (AEI) in 1934.
The airline created by this merger was owned by the Italian government and predominantly featured the Italian flag on its aircraft.
Ala Littoria flew to destinations across Europe and Italian colonies in Africa. During the WW2, Ala Littoria acted as a transport service for the Italian military. However the airline did not survive the war and was disbanded. [Wikipedia]

Ala Littoria: the images, by Andreu Carles López Seguí.