Picture of the day

I'm not a pilot but did spend more than a few hundred hrs of flying time during my 37 years with Ont L&F/MNR. Both fixed wing and helicopter. Experienced a couple scary incidents. Number 1 on my list involved a Norseman on floats operated by an outfitter in North Western Ont. We had taken off from a small lake. Pilot got the aircraft airborne but the nose was high and the tail really low. He couldn't pull back on the power has it seemed to me were just hanging on the prop. Our altitude couldn't have been more than 2-300 feet and we were over land/trees not water. Stall warning was blaring away. I was in right seat up front and could tell the pilot was not having a good day. Sweat was running down his face and he was trying to stretch his neck as much as possible to see around and/or over the big round cowling in front of us. I couldn't see anything but blue sky out of my side of the cockpit. We mushed along for what seemed like a couple minutes. He finally started to get the tail up and nose down and we eventually gained some height and he was able to pull back on the throttle in a normal flight attitude. Kind of like a bit of helicopter time in a Norseman.

Don't remember the registration although I did record such things in my work diary. Somebody told me after that it was one of the last Norseman built and had metal wings in stead of fabric covered. Don't know whether this is correct or not.

I haven't been in Red Lake since I retired 10 yrs ago but it wouldn't surprise me some if some the old birds are still earning a living in that part of the province. Red Lake did host a Norseman Day's weekend honouring the old workhorse/warbird as well.
 
Last edited:
902 Norsemen built, 42 still active on the Canadian register according to Whiskeypedia. Must be a few more worldwide. They're big handy ol' ladies.

Here's something that would have tightened a few Finnish bums right up, at least until they killed it with satchel charges:

nb7nuEK.jpg
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
902 Norsemen built, 42 still active on the Canadian register according to Whiskeypedia. Must be a few more worldwide. They're big handy ol' ladies.

Here's something that would have tightened a few Finnish bums right up, at least until they killed it with satchel charges:

nb7nuEK.jpg
Click to expand...

Is that a tow cable I see at the back? Would they not save it and put it to work?
 
Drivers visor cover is on the ground taken off by what looks like ricocheting 57mm AT round.That round ended about 4 inches above drivers visor.Close call.

Notice how up-armored that KV-1 is and barrel looks far shorter than usual.
 
DHC-3 Standard Otter. My favourite bush plane. Ontario Provincial Air Service operated them for years. Also operated by our military. MNR acquired six ex military machines probably in early 80's. More then one MNR pilot commented they didn't perform as well as the commercial production. If I remember correctly 2 of the ex-military machines were written off in "flying" accidents. One hit an Island in Nym Lake near Atikokan - I believe on take off- and burnt. Another was written off by hitting some trees at the end of a Lake after picking up a load of water in water bombing equipped floats. No fatalities and I don't think any serious injuries

I met a reserve pilot from Toronto who told me he used to fly one of the Toronto based Otters (I think 400 Squadron) from CFB Borden climbing over the base to release staff doing parachute jumps. Somewhat boring for him as he said he had flown Scorpions in US military when young.

MNR did para cargo delivery from Otters, Beavers and T-Beavers through a hatch in the floor. Most fire crew staff were certified to do "cargo dropping" as well as pack the chutes. At least in my mind I think I could still pack a cargo chute. We had very few failures.
This was in the days before helicopter usage became routine.
 
Last edited:
I met a reserve pilot from Toronto who told me he used to fly one of the Toronto based Otters (I think 400 Squadron) from CFB Borden climbing over the base to release staff doing parachute jumps. Somewhat boring for him as he said he had flown Scorpions in US military when young.
Click to expand...
dont believe a word....the pilots (many of whom were AC pilots in the 'regular' job) loved them! I hitched a ride to Camp Drum (NY State) in one and and on the way the flight engineer kept himself busy tightening up screws and nuts and bolts inside... when we landed I peeked out a barely transparent window and there was a crowd of civilians running along side the runway waving and screaming, adults, kids and dogs all cheering....I skulked away pretty quickly but the crew hung around for hours posing, primping and preening next to the aircraft! I was pretty sure the gathering crowd were going to carry the crew away on their shoulders. It might as well have been Lindy landing in France. I guess the locals were pretty bored with the A10's that stacked over the local range...and the single Otter was a real treat. Our guys clearly enjoyed flying them. Me personally...I am far more impressed with the 'Twotter' for how quick it gets up when loaded to walls.
 
Antonov AN-2?

Ive been fortunate enough to fly in both Turbo Beavers and Turbo Otters in the past ad they are sweet aircraft. Shame they aren't produced anymore.
 
Ganderite said:
An aircraft has a MEL - Minimum Equipment List. You can't fly unless everything on that list is working. Like the gas gauge. It was not working. They ran out of gas. Pilot's fault.

Sorry. Did not see the post above.

On my plane the gas gauge is in gallons. The performance calculations (range) are done in pounds of fuel per hour. It is sold in litres. I cheat and just think in terms of 10 gallons an hour, and full tanks are 65 gallons. I don't have to be a math whiz to figure out I have to be on the ground in 6.5 hours. I once got lost and got very low on fuel. I calculated I had to fly the last 20 miles at idle, coming down from 12,000 feet. I had 1 litre of fuel left when I filled up.

I have some sympathy for pilots who miscalculate, but we are supposed to be pros at the basics.
Click to expand...

MEL are Aircraft/Airline/regulator specific. You can MEL the fuel gauges if you manually check the tanks (again, depending on the aircraft).

On a side note, remember Royal airlines? Was once called to the gate to clear all their MEL's as they had abused it so much they had it revoked. Inside the cockpit looked like a kindergarten bulletin board, Inop stickers everywhere. Those were the days.
 
Tried to link to a Dehaviland Caribou (or a Buffalo)...both favorite aircraft of mine... but alas a blackberry is a poor tool to do that!
 
Last edited:
Dark Alley Dan said:
Older school yet - refuelling in the field.

http://1.bp.########.com/-s0nyCVHEC4Q/UuaGya8qlJI/AAAAAAAAHAA/TkMH9MXGFww/s1600/little+things+p-38+fuel.jpg
Click to expand...

All that lead coming concentrated out of the nose of the P-38, no need to worry about a convergence point for wing mounted guns... Not surprising they generated over 100 aces in the Pacific.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom