News Archive 2004

December 2004	Daniel Cattoni has kindly provided 6 pictures of Otter C-FLGA (279). He took the pictures on September 11, 2002, in Natashquan, Quebec, seventeen days before it crashed. I have put these together at this link. Thanks Daniel. [Technical problems now resolved] I am in the process of my annual register trawl and update of owners and locations. All contributions with updates and amendments gratefully received.
November 2004	Well, Rich Hulina has been rifling through his draws again, so to speak, and found yet another selection of his Otter photography for your interest and delectation. As before I have provided them as a separate link as well as on each aircraft page. The aircraft are:- 97 111 213 222 225 286 300 302 314 316 355 359 363 369 427 428 429 437 438 My sincere thanks to Rich for allowing his prolific photography to be displayed on this site and I hope that when the flying season recommences that we can encourage him to carry his camera and keep the shots coming. Very Many thanks Rich. Neil Aird of www.DHC-2.com fame has also sent through a wonderfully evocative view of N435B (183) taken at Ketchikan during his recent Alaska trip. Thanks Neil and more to come I believe!!
October 2004	Otter pilot Norm Denis has sent a great shot of his old steed C-FZYL (262). Thanks Norm. Rich Hulina has been on the road again and kindly sent through some excellent photo’s from a recent trip around NW Ontario and Manitoba which merit viewing in their own right, so go to this link for a feast of piston pictures. Thanks again Rich. No sooner do I get Rich’s shots online but he sends some more. This time of C-GUTL (365) and C-FNWX (412) taken whilst Rich was delivering NWX for turbine conversion at Lakeland Aviation, Fort Frances, Ontario. I have added them to Rich’s other photos at the link just above. Rich has evidently been overdoing it a bit because he has just sent yet another round of excellent Otter shots. Many thanks Rich, they’re great. 7 24 31 39 71 73 184 282 296 Reports in the November Issue of Airliner World indicate that Wings of Alaska Otters N336AK (333) and N337AK (418) collided during water taxiing at Juneau on May 12^th. Also on the 27^th August Otter N197TT (197) of Mavrik Aire crashed into a mountain near McGrath, Alaska. This issue of Airliner World also has an excellent article about Harbour Air in Vancouver with some evocative and informative photos and other details. According to recent reports an Otter may soon be operating in Greece providing inter-island services with the extension of routes eventually into other locations in Europe. This will be a Harbour Air devised operation under subsidiary AirSea Lines SA based in Athens.
September 2004	I have just discovered www.strangebirds.com an excellent website for all things bush and floatplane. Well worth a visit.
August 2004	Former Otter pilot Normand Denis has kindly sent me an atmospheric photo of Otter (310) C-GLJH and a few comments about flying this aircraft. I hope to extract a few more from him in the future!
June 2004	Rich Hulina owner of Slate Falls Airways at Sioux Lookout, Ontario has sent some excellent photo’s from his own collection. Slate Falls operate a diverse fleet including Otter (412) C-FNWX which Rich tells me he still gets a chance to fly, lucky chap!
May 2004	Nicolai Musante has taken some great photographs on a tour in 2002 and has kindly agreed for the Otters to be included on this site. Photographs have now been added to 3, 135 and 142. Others will follow soon. Many thanks Nicolai and keep the photos coming.
March 2004	My thanks to ‘Propliner’ for allowing the reproduction of an article on the former Aeronautical Services Otters that used to operate around the San Juan Islands. Go to Island Otters.
January 2004	A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL. Over Christmas I happened upon a repeat of Michael Palin’s TV show ‘Pole to Pole’. The last episode showing his final leg from Chile to the South Pole includes good coverage of Turbine Otter N58JH [131] on ski’s from both inside and outside. This aircraft was lost at the Patriot Hills Camp in Antarctica in October 1992 when damaged beyond repair in a gale. Sadly the news this month also includes the report of the loss of C-GOFF [65] in Ontario kindly sent to me by Mike St Amand who’s report I reproduce below:- I was able to get a copy of a story in the Timmins Ontario news paper regarding the air crash.  The story doesn't mention the ident. of the aircraft, however, I looked up Huron Air on the Transport Canada registration site and they only have (had) the one Otter and it was OFF.  Depending on how badly it was damaged, it might be possible to rebuild it, as there aren't that many Otters left flying. Timmins man’s body recovered from plane crash site By Joyce Hunter Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 07:00 Local News - The body of a Timmins man was recovered Friday at the site of a plane crash in Northwestern Ontario. Tom Kioke, 36, died in the crash along with pilot Trevor Nichol, 30, of Armstrong. Police recovered the two bodies from the plane’s wreckage at about 4:30 p.m. Friday. The plane had been submerged in Blackwater Lake for the better part of three days. The lake is located at the end of a private air strip near Jellicoe. “It is a private air strip which is rarely used and has no control towers or anything of that nature, so that is why it wasn’t until a day later that the crashed plane was spotted by passersby,” said Greenstone OPP detachment commander/Staff Sgt. Ed Whinnery. Nichol was the pilot of the eight-seater Huron Air and Outfitters turbo otter plane based out of Armstrong. An early police report says the crew was flying to a northern location on business. “We don’t know if the two who died, died during impact or if they drowned following the impact, so they are being sent to Thunder Bay for an autopsy,” Whinnery said. Meanwhile, a Timmins resident who was injured in the crash remains in critical condition in a Thunder Bay hospital. His name is being withheld because his immediate family has not yet been located by police. Members of the Transportation Safety Board were still on scene late Friday night investigating the cause of the accident. Police said the partly-submerged airplane was spotted around 10:50 a.m. Wednesday. Mike St. Amand VE3ODJ