Great pic of CC-138 13802 (DHC6-300) based out of Yellowknife with FFH 336 HMCS Montreal in the background.
Thank you again, Viking Air, for keeping these beauties going.
Joint operations: HMCS #Montreal augments NORAD radar coverage and stands by to withdraw troops from #Labrador as weather thwarts airlift pic.twitter.com/5CchL7eaWT
— John Newton (@greatbigseas) August 22, 2017
All I can say about the color scheme is that it is just sooooo right, on so many levels. It screams RESCUE, and just oozes with strong, bold, confidence. That plane has some serious Feng shui going on … big, big, Chi spinning round with those black and white props. I like the cut of its jib
Viking as nothing to do with this airframe…I was flying 802 in Yellowknife in 1978-80. Cheers!
A classic, the bush pilot’s Cadillac 🙂
Oh, I realize that, William. I meant the Twin Otter in general. 🙂
Spent a lot of hours in an otter. Mostly float planes but some wheel gear in the arctic. Was on board when the pilot tipped one into the drink.
Kenn Borek airlines flies a twin into the south pole on rescues.
A great aircraft – along with the Beaver.
For the Layman it’s called a Twin Otter.
More than 40 years ago, I had an offer to work at a certain gas plant near Fox Creek, Alberta. I was flown there, along with several other passengers, in a Twin Otter.
It was quite an experience, particularly since the plane landed at such a steep angle.
You might have known my brother Bob P. I believe he lived in and flew from Yellowknife and points north in the early to late 80s. He has photos of the Twin Otter he flew in Yellowknife. Also had some polar bear encounters. He survived pancaking a Bristol Freighter loaded with corrugated steel that load shifted out of Hay River in 1978(?). Co-pilot died.
Beautiful aircraft. I think it was this type out of CFB Trenton that gave us army types a lift in the early 70s, in and out of lakes west of Petawawa occasionally.
Twin Otters are great aircraft. I’ve flown in one a couple of times out of Resolute, and several times with wife via Harbour Air Vancouver to Victoria. Great aircraft, almost like helicopters. With the Vancouver-Victoria flights, one gets a good view of Mt. Baker, and then a steep descent into Victoria’s inner harbour with the Empress Hotel at one’s toe tips.
Twin Otters are great aircraft. I’ve flown in one a couple of times out of Resolute, and several times with wife via Harbour Air Vancouver to Victoria. Great aircraft, almost like helicopters. With the Vancouver-Victoria flights, one gets a good view of Mt. Baker, and then a steep descent into Victoria’s inner harbour with the Empress Hotel at one’s toe tips.
I flew in one a few years ago during a Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam air tour. Probably one of the few with the air conditioning option.
God bless Canada! You’re the best!
While Viking didn’t build any of the RCAF’s Twin Otter’s they probably wouldn’t be flying now without Viking.
About 15 years ago in the final years of Bombardier ownership buying parts for the Twin Otter was a royal PITA and if you needed engineering support for a structural repair you had best be prepared for a long wait. They didn’t want to hear from owners of the old aircraft.
In the early ’00s BRAD (Bombardier Regional Aircraft Division) decided to concentrate on the -8 exclusively. Bombardier then sold the rights and all the engineering data to every aircraft before the -8 to Viking. If you have a Chipmunk, Otter, Beaver, Caribou, Buffalo, Twin Otter or -7 and you need parts or engineering support you call Viking.
The Twin Otter is a great airframe, flew them for 9 years. They’re built tougher than nails and can lift incredible loads off of the crappiest *runways*. Still miss flying off-strip. Tip of the hat to Viking as well, they are keeping some great Canadian airplanes flying and not just deHavillands anymore, Canadairs as well.
That reminded me of a humorous experience I once had. I was working as a Millwright
in Southern California. Someone called in and asked the lead man if we rebuilt
turbines. He got a bit confused when the caller used the word, Otter. He handed
the phone over to me to see if I could make some sense the callers questions.
We routinely rebuilt steam turbines for oil refineries and heavy industry.
The moment the caller said de Havilland Otter, I laughed and explained he needed the services of certified aviation mechanics. After the call ended, I explained that
the guy was looking for someone to rebuild a turboprop aircraft engine.
That reminded me of a humorous experience I once had. I was working as a Millwright
in Southern California. Someone called in and asked the lead man if we rebuilt
turbines. He got a bit confused when the caller used the word, Otter. He handed
the phone over to me to see if I could make some sense the callers questions.
We routinely rebuilt steam turbines for oil refineries and heavy industry.
The moment the caller said de Havilland Otter, I laughed and explained he needed the services of certified aviation mechanics. After the call ended, I explained that
the guy was looking for someone to rebuild a turboprop aircraft engine.