Festival Flypast 2017

This years flypast was a local affair with Red Lake’s Chimo Air providing five aircraft, Viking Outposts and Green’s Trout Lake Lodge each providing one for a total of seven bush planes flying over Howey bay.

Here was the line-up;

Green’s Norseman CF-ZMX leading the way,

followed by Chimo Air Norseman CF-KAO

Chimo Air Cessna 180 CF-SMS

Viking Outposts’ De Havilland DHC-2 piston Beaver C-GGMB

Then a trio of Chimo Air De Havilland DHC-3 Otters;

R-1340 powered C-GYYS and turbine Otters, C-GRRJ and C-FODQ

The 25th anniversary Norseman festival was a great success in many ways, although the committee worked hard to attract more Norseman to the flypast, there is a slow realization that even the most Canadian of Canadian bush planes (DHC-2 lovers relax!) is fading from the scene. Most of the last generation that were expert at woodwork, fabric and radial engines are now gone and new pilots today often skip the bush and are more attuned to iPads, flight management systems and standard operating procedures.

As noted in the last blog, commercial Norseman flying is almost rare now, but the type will continue to fly with private enthusiasts, museums and associations.  For the foreseeable future it should still be possible to hear, feel and ride in a Norseman, you just may have to travel farther to do so!