Oct 06, 2012
Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.
CF-WYR was a Beech 18 that was operated by Severn Enterprise. The aircraft
in the early years was painted in the Royal Canadian Air Force paint scheme with
the lightning bolt down the sides of the fuselage. The wing tips and tail were
painted a bright reflective orange. In 1970 the cartoon dog Snoopy was painted
on each side of the nose by an artist / painter who lived in Sioux Lookout.
In 1972 the wing tips and tail were repainted in bright red. In 1973 the aircraft
was repainted in Thunder bay in the Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise paint
scheme with the white top and the wide gold stripe down the sides of the fuselage.
The wing tips and tail remained bright red. Snoopy also remained on the nose of
the aircraft. The propellers were always painted black when I saw the aircraft.
The bottom of the floats were red.
CF-WYR was based in Sioux Lookout in the early years and later on based out of
Pickle Lake. The aircraft operated year round on floats and straight skis. Change
over from floats to skis on this Beech always took place in Sioux Lookout.
WYR was fitted with a cargo door. In the summer months the boat rack was
usually installed.
This Beech 18 did its share of hauling hunters and fisherman to remote lakes but it
was mainly a freighter moving heavy loads to all the northern settlements and
mining camps. It did its share of fish hauls as well. It spent time running out of
Wiebenville in the winter.
CF-WYR was one of two Beech's that Mr. Wieben owned that were equipped with
extended wing tips. The other Beech18 was CF-PRZ.
On this aircraft to disengage the water rudder steering from the rudder pedals when
the water rudders were pulled up for take-off,the pilot would pull the tail wheel lock
handle out on the pedestal. After landing the pilot would drop the water rudders
down and push the tail wheel lock handle in, kick the rudder pedals back and forth
and the water rudder steering would re-engage.
The heat for the cabin came from the exhaust tubes only.
In early spring of 1974 a spar mode was installed on WYR and the Beech continued
flying in the bush.
In the spring of I believe 1968 or 69, while operating on skis off the ice in Sioux lookout
the tail of the fuselage was damaged badly when the tail ski dropped into a hole in the
ice during the take-off run. The aircraft was repaired in Sioux lookout at the water
base.
In the summer of 1973 WYR was taking off on Abram Lake just south of Sioux Lookout
when it hit a submerged log. The right float started taking in water right away so the
pilot flying drove the aircraft onto a small sand beach on the north shore of the lake.
Inner tubes were inflated in two of the damaged compartments and the aircraft was
taxied over to the Department of Lands and Forest dock where there was a lifting
frame. The aircraft was lifted out of the water and the right float was replaced with
a spare float that was trucked up from Thunder Bay.
The last time I saw WYR was in the winter of 1975 / 76 when it came into Sioux Lookout
on skis and picked up an electrical generator for North Caribou Lake.
I am not sure who owned WYR after it left Mr. Wieben's fleet, but I heard she was
written off in the early 2000's somewhere in the Fort Frances area while landing on floats.
I don't know any of the details of the accident.
It would have been the end of a Beech 18 that had a very interesting working life.
Back in the late 1960's and 1970's she was sure a good looking aircraft on floats and skis.
Attached is a photo of CF-WYR taken in 1971 on skis on the ice in Sioux Lookout.
The aircraft is being heated with the herman nelson early in the morning for a flight
north. In the background is Beech 18 CF-ZQH that flew off the ice in the winter.
