Norseman Information Request

The annual update to the airworthy Norseman listing will be out later this summer due to many ongoing changes with the status of the Norseman fleet. Of the 903 Norseman built there are an estimated 75 still existent, but that is including burnt out fuselage bush wrecks to static museum examples to a couple still in commercial service. The active airworthy number has settled to about 13 in the last few years. Canada, the United States and Norway are the three countries with flying examples with two more expected to be flying from the Netherlands in the next two years. (The Norseman designer, Robert B. C. Noorduyn being from the Netherlands).

If you have any current Norseman news to help update the list please contact Rodney at 250 212-2178 or if you prefer to email; c46commando@hotmail.com  Thanks!

MAM Norseman update

Another stop on the island of Montreal during the recent trip was the Montreal Aviation Museum to check on the restoration progress of Mark VI C-FGYY. For a little background on this endeavour see https://www.norsemanfestival.on.ca/mam-norseman-project/  As reported by Mike Alain at the MAM, work is going well and they are not trying to rush the rebuild.

Of note in the above photo is the aft cabin door which appears to open upward instead of being hinged to open in the usual forward fashion. There is a lot of detailed woodwork going on, especially with the doors and this shows a desire to showcase this future static display as original as possible. Over the years most Norseman have had modifications for larger door openings or thinner and lighter doors using aluminium metal. Some Norseman have had a mod to get a 4′ by 8′ sheet of plywood inside.

Again, in the next photo, the instrument panel is looking authentic in relation to when GYY was 43-35353 with the United States Army Air Forces during WW II.

Many thanks go out to local aviation historian Keith Meredith who gave a tour of this impressive museum and drove us around pointing out the history of the now closed Cartierville airport featured in the previous blog.

NORDUYN now Redux

A couple years ago on this blog a post about the present NORDUYN chronicled the companies involved with Norseman production. See https://www.norsemanfestival.on.ca/norduyn-now/

A recent trip to Montreal provided the opportunity for a drive around the former Cartierville airport which now has almost completed build out as Bois-Franc with new homes, shops, offices and parks. The only remnant is the large Bombardier facility, once belonging to Canadair.

Bombardier CS100 (now named Airbus A220-100) fuselage beside the Bombardier building with a smaller Canadair title below.

Not far from where mass Norseman production took place at Cartierville during WW II sits the NORDUYN operation of today primarily producing trolleys, oven racks, shelves, drawers and baby bassinets for worldwide airline customers. There is no longer any involvement with the famous Canadian Noorduyn bush plane and the name dropped one o.

As part of the airport site redevelopment at least some thought was given to the historical significance and a nearby neighbourhood carries the following street names; Rue Noorduyn and Place Noorduyn.

Seasonal Preparations

Mark V Norseman CF-GSR undergoing annual airworthiness inspection prior to another busy flying season with the Canadian Warplane Heritage based at Hamilton airport, Ontario. Being serial N29-47 and originally delivered to Canadian Forest Products in June 1950, CF-GSR is the youngest flying Norseman in the world. Thank you to Ryan Berryman for the photo.

Norseman News Bytes USA

An airplane familiar to Red Lakers from 1993 to 2010, CF-FQI has been stored in Minnesota for a number of years after a complete rebuild. Present owner, Jeff Voigt is in the process of transferring serial 364 to the FAA registry and getting it flying again. Great news for this Norseman that will incorporate the serial number into the new planned registration of N364FQ, thus preserving some of the past Canadian connection too!

 

Another Norseman physically going stateside in the near future is Mark VI CF-GJN. The plan is to move the aircraft by surface transport to southern Minnesota where restoration will begin to take serial 797 back to its USAAF identity as 44-70532. Northland Aircraft at Ignace, Ontario has stored GJN since the last flight some six years ago. Minnesota is becoming the home state for a few Norseman and the trend toward more warbirds continues.

 

Last but not least, a very interesting development is seeing N78691 on wheels in Alaska being used for mail runs! Based in Bethel, the Mark VI shuttles to outlying area communities and is the only commercially operated Norseman outside of Canada. Late next summer when hunting season gets busy this working Norseman with change back to floats.

In 2019 serial 637 still haulin’ the goods at 75 years of age!

 

 

 

CF-FOX For Sale or Lease

Norseman serial 340, CF-FOX is available for lease or sale. Presently stored at Northland Aircraft in Ignace, Ontario the owner is asking $195,000 CAD for the floatplane as is. This Mark VI has rounded cockpit windows like a Mark V so some modifications have been done over the years, including the useful plywood door opening to accommodate cabin loading and panoramic cabin windows.

Contact Neil Walsten at 807-468-0222 for details. Alternately, email me at c46commando@hotmail.com if Neil cannot be reached or any Norseman news you wish to share. Thanks!

Originally delivered to the USAAF as 43-5349, FOX in the sun as summer arrives last June. (2018)

Retro DRD

35mm slides collector Dan Wilch recently came across this rare picture of CF-DRD in 1954 when operated by Ontario Central Airlines. The setting appears to be Howey Bay where OCA had a secondary base in Red Lake while the main focus for flight ops was at Kenora, Ontario. OCA used DRD from 1953 to 1958, then from the late 1960’s until 1973. The DRD colours on display in the Norseman Heritage Park since 1992 and going forward are from the second period with OCA when flown from Red Lake. Next time you see DRD, all that is missing are the big OCA letters on the tail. In fact, many Norseman have had this classic yellow and red cheat-line scheme and this is attributed to the major Norseman operator and former airline. For more detail about DRD’s history see http://norsemanfestival.on.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Rebuilding-DRD.pdf

Many photos of DRD and even model aircraft decals exist for the classic colours below. Thank you Dan for doing research on DRD’s older incarnation and taking the time to share this visual history with Norseman enthusiasts. The people of Red Lake wait with anticipation to see their community symbol return to its perch for the next generation to remember its role in contributing to the area.

Example of the OCA scheme on this Norseman Mk VI used by Grass River Lodge in Manitoba as seen in September 2017.

Keep them Flying?

There are only a couple places left in Canada with a sizeable cache of Norseman airframes and parts. Buffalo Airways’ location at the Red Deer airport, Alberta is presently home to six stripped down airframes salvaged or collected over the years by owner and Norseman aficionado Joe McBryan. Not only does Joe personally fly his Norseman, Mk V CF-SAN in the northern summers, he has worked with Alberta museums to bring the history of the aircraft to the people in recognition of that province helping develop the north through its geographical then infrastructure connections.

Recent Mk VI acquisition C-FFQX, serial 625 is complete with wings and would be a relatively easy restoration project for those in the know.

As someone who loves to see these vintage transports in their airborne element, Joe has also prevented many Norseman from fading into oblivion and would like to see the population of active flying examples increase.

With Red Deer airport only about a 75 minute drive north of Calgary International (CYYC), it is worth checking out the collection if you are in the area and share a passion for the airplane.

If you want a Norseman project to buy or are looking for that elusive part, “Buffalo Joe” likely has what you need at their Red Deer maintenance and storage facility. email buffalo@buffaloairways.com or phone Katherine, communications director at 867-765-6029.

Backed by Joe, in 1994 CF-EIH was recovered from Allen Lake, Northwest Territories after spending some 46 years at the crash site. Serial 94, a Mark IV is immaculate now at the Alberta Aviation Museum in Edmonton.

CF-ECD collecting dust at Red Deer. This Mark V last flew in June 1982. During a forced landing at Dogskin Lake in Manitoba the airplane overturned in the water.

Ghosts from the past. CF-NJK on the left and C-FFQX to the right. Click on the photo to expand it and a small portion of CF-GTM’s structure can be seen in the far left background and CF-NJV’s left main gear in the corner foreground. Get the picture?

This UC-64A (Mark VI), serial 242 eventually became CF-NJK on the Canadian civil register. Note the modification of additional aft windows and the green fuselage airframe of CF-NJV behind.

Look more, Find more

Continuing the theme from the previous post about many inactive Norseman for every flying one, for example here is the present status in the Province of Manitoba, Canada according to my research. Many of these Norseman have already appeared in the blog so this will be a short overview with links provided to said blogs. In no particular order, here we go;

At the Brandon airport, the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum has two Norseman; the fuselage of UC-64A (Mk VI) serial 810 and non-flying Mk V, serial N29-43 registered CF-ECG.

Beside St. Andrews airport the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada has a storage building and adjoining compound; in the building resides Mk IV, serial 29 CF-BTC awaiting restoration for static display. In the compound are two unidentified Norseman in very poor condition.

Not far to the northeast at the Selkirk airport there are four Norseman; airworthy machines CF-BSB, CF-IGX and CF-ZMX. For more details see blogs Born Again BSB, Hibernation, and Showstopper. On April 27, 1970 a Mk VI, serial 478 CF-OBD burnt after an accident (no injuries) and its remains are still behind the hangars to my knowledge.

Moving farther northeast we arrive at the Silver Falls airport; located here in a building is Mk IV, serial 44 that originally went to the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 as #2471.

In northern Manitoba there are five Norseman associated with air charter operator Wings Over Kississing; C-FENB, C-GRZI, C-FSAP, C-FOBR and CF-BHU. See Flin Flon Visit.

Over in Thompson, Manitoba’s “Hub of The North” we find a replica of Norseman CF-BHS. See There’s Three to See for more info.

So this overview counting airframes, a replica to prized flying examples comes to a total of 16 and one or two could still be unacknowledged in the bush or hiding in a farmyard barn. Only five are airworthy; ENB, RZI, BSB, IGX and ZMX. If anyone has more information for this post please email me at c46commando@hotmail.com Thanks!

Serial 44, a Mk IV is a restoration project on hold. Will it grace the sky again? Unlike the models after it, the Mk IV is without a separate motor mount resulting in the longer nose tubing.

 

‘Til Rust Do Us Part

For every active airworthy Norseman in the world there are probably five in various states of non flying status from immaculate museum restorations to fuselage airframes one trip away from the scrapheap.

On March 21, 1995 C-FKAS literally landed in the water after a spreader bar float failure near Chemainus, British Columbia. Unfortunately for serial 367 the salty seawater later caused corrosion in the airframe tubing that made future repairs uneconomical for continued commercial use.

This Mk VI started as a UC-64A with the USAAF (43-5376) and is reported to even have carried U.S. President John F. Kennedy in South America. Other more recent unique features are the oval shaped panoramic windows and having its fuselage skinned with metal at some point allowed for murals to be painted on both sides like seen on semi-trailer trucks!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and NEW YEAR 2019 to ALL!!

Arno van der Holst from the Dutch Transport Museum stands by KAS on November 13, 2018. The frame is near Dryden, Ontario and at the aft bottom of the fuselage can be seen a sliver of a mural. The last commercial operator was West Caribou Air, Savant Lake, Ontario.