Festival 2018
With CF-ZMX not ready in time to participate in this years festival we had no Norseman arrive for the flypast! Also, sometimes logistics come into play during the busy summer flying season and it can be a challenge to have aircraft in the right place at the right time so only three floatplanes were present. In another twist, all three were De Havilland DHC-3 Otters, but with different powerplants;
Superior Airways (Ex. Chimo Air) C-GYYS, original R-1340 600 HP engine.
Superior Airways (Ex. Chimo Air) C-FODQ, PT6 turbine engine.
At the tail end was Lac Seul Airways/Amik Outposts C-FHXY with a PZL 1,000 HP engine.
Next year should see a return of a couple Norseman to the line up.
On a brighter note, the expanded Superior Airways water operations were busy giving rides over the festival site in Centennial park and around the townsites in De Havilland DHC-2 piston Beaver C-GEZU and Otter C-GYYS carrying a total of some 100 passengers over two days.
Restoration work has started on CF-DRD and the fuselage on floats could be seen at the former Chimo Air yard located at the head of Howey bay.
On June 20, DRD’s wings were trailered to Northland Aircraft Service in Ignace, Ontario for refurbishment. Gord Hughes and Duane Riddell discuss their condition. Note Gord’s yellow Mk IV Norseman CF-DTL in the background.
CF-LZO, Serial 535 sits dormant at the Red Lake airport as a Ontario CL-415 water bomber takes off in the background for a mission.
Further sleuthing around town turned up the only full metal Mk VI Norseman, C-FOBE.
It last flew in July of 2004 until grounded by an accident.
The main wing metal structure can be seen in the following photo. See Metal Makeover from July 2016 for more detail.
