80 YEARS!
Quietly, the Noorduyn Norseman recently passed a milestone in longevity. January 1936 saw serial number 1, CF-AYO enter service with Dominion Skyways of Montreal and Rouyn, Quebec only 65 days after its first flight! I believe no other airplane type in the world history of aviation can claim 80 years of commercial flying. The piston powered Douglas DC-3 comes close, taking to the air on December 17, 1935 versus CF-AYO on November 14.
If you have “Norsemania” and would like to see the skeletal remains of AYO make your way to the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. They also have serial 17, CF-BFT on static display to look at and climb in.
Do you find it interesting that the Norseman can be viewed as a museum artifact or a working bushplane in 2016? Such is the enduring lure of this Canadian classic.
Above and left; Mk IV CF-BFT on display in Sault Ste. Marie. Above right; CF-AYO with Dominion Skyways in 1936.