Yup -- take all the seats out of a buck 80 -- load a skido and sit on it and then sit on a fish create to get home -- I still remember the day I showed up in Kenora with a beech and no seats in the back to haul barney's dudes -- was he pissed at me -- I thought they looked real comfortable sitting on that couch -- haha

The stories could go on forever --

the other one lay on top of the matresses jammed against the cabin roof

Just throw another mattress on top of the guy and he's safer than with a seat and a belt!

Porky also invented the Wieben bars, that keep the windshield from popping out of Cessnas in big water.

Charlie, do you have any pictures of the OCA operation in Redditt? I would love to see what it looked like back in that time period. I worked up there long after OCA was gone, but got to listen to Rollie talk about it A LOT.

Face it,

If you worked with any ex-OCA type anywhere on the planet, you could count on hearing "Back in the days of OCA...."

As I recall before the bilboard had the slogan "Norseman captial of the world", that was what they used.

Sorry -- no pics of Redditt -- seems we were so thirsty when we escaped Red Lake pictures were never a priority -- too bad -- now it would be nice to have -- the "Hammer" -- damn he cleared the hanger out at 10am every morning after crapping out a case of Carlings Black Label -- how a man could smell like that and not be dead --

OCA -- life before airstrips -- yup -- the "Pine Tree Route" -- now there's a collectors item -- OCA "matched luggage" -- 2 shopping bags with the logo -- haha -- OCA - anyweysss

CF-MEL -- was long after I left -- OBO was the queen of the fleet then --

Ya Charlie, the "Hammer" was an interesting guy to work for.... A major defect got the same reaction as a small crack in a water rudder ..." Holyyyy FUKC!!!"... he ran a decent business. Shame what happened to it after he retired. OBO a flying 90? I think I worked on OBE, which was a a metalized Norseman.

We never had a nice bathroom like that when I worked in Redditt...just an old Beech cowl and a seat-less chair.

Yes -- OBO -- met her demise at Island Lake -- always put a 2 blade'r on her for floats -- was a mighty fine alarm clock for Red Lake --

Funny thing -- all these years and being in XL (when not working) I have never made it to a Norseman Days -- damn -- I will have to do that.


Sorry for hijacking the thread -- nostalgia you know -- under paid and over worked (at one time I had 52 shirts before I could get a day off to do laundry ) but hands down the most fun I have ever had.

Liquid Charlie wrote:Yup -- take all the seats out of a buck 80 -- load a skido and sit on it and then sit on a fish create to get home --

How did you manage to wiggle a skido through the door??
I used to have enough touble with wheel-portable generators...

Seats out, Elan in, best snowmobile a bush pilot ever loaded.

If you haven't loaded a sled into a 180, you haven't really worked the bush.

Hey BOBO !!

didn't we cross path in wiebenville I flew O.J b-18 cf- prz on floats out of horseshoe lake across the road from wiebenville summer of 72 and spent the winter of 72 on cf- ttz on skis with conrad racine as captain. pm me and I will tell that hellish story if indeed we crossed path there
PFR

and not to forget O.J also invented those straight flat skis for the B-18. when I saw them the first time in wiebenville I could not believe it just a straight board, no curve bungees and wire that was it , but sure enough they worked .never flew the 18 on straight skis though .but saw it take off and land in wiebenville time and time again during the building of muskrat dam settlement. beside flying the -3 on skis I rode the old d-3 cat with the pine logs tied by chains behind to smooth out the so called runway and running alongside it when it got too cold .I do not think there ever was a canopy on that old cat and I never graduated to the forklift used to pick up fresh water with an old tub across the skids on the close by creek..yes the so called good old days indeed!

Ballssssss I hope you got the info you were looking for I personally don't know much about the company just a little about the old superior and even then not much. Looks like most people are not even answering your question (even myself) other then mike and who can blame him he does own the place in red lake these days. My question to everyone who would be worse to work for "Mike" or "the Champ". I know a few folks that say Mike but I also know a few that say The Champ.

Sorry to get off topic.

Higherthenakite

NEED HELP. A group of us are trying to get a aviation center started in Thunder Bay to preserve the history of those who have flown in NW Ontario. We have a name, NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO AVIATION HERITAGE CENTRE ( web site NOAHC.ORG ) We have charitable status, we have a few volunteers We do not have stories about pilots, aircraft, airports, pictures etc etc. Limited to NW Ont. A lot of the history is now gone and only lives in memories. We need those stories. Can you help us out? If so can you send emails with the information to noahc@shaw.ca

beech699 wrote:NEED HELP. A group of us are trying to get a aviation center started in Thunder Bay to preserve the history of those who have flown in NW Ontario. We have a name, NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO AVIATION HERITAGE CENTRE ( web site NOAHC.ORG ) We have charitable status, we have a few volunteers We do not have stories about pilots, aircraft, airports, pictures etc etc. Limited to NW Ont. A lot of the history is now gone and only lives in memories. We need those stories. Can you help us out? If so can you send emails with the information to noahc@shaw.ca

What the hell does this have to do with a thread called Superior airways

What the hell does this have to do with a thread called Superior airways

Huh? Superiour Airways was based in Northwestern Ontario. Thunder Bay and Pickle Lake.

Also the guy who started Superior Airways, Orville Wieben was a legend in bush flying circles and was responsible for giving many pilots their start in aviation. He was instrumental in Confederation College establishing their Aviation Programs. He was also a test pilot on the Hawker Hurricanes during WW II in Thunder Bay and test flew them at the now Thunder Bay airport as they came off the assembly line at the Canada Car plant in Thunder Bay.

Not only did he establish Superior Airways bases at Thunder Bay and Pickle Lake but also Armstrong, Pays Plat and Wiebenville north of Pickle Lake. He owned and operated Lakehead Flying School in Thunder Bay for many years and also owned numerous fishing processing plants in the north.

I think I can go out on a limb here and say the Orville Wieben and Superior Airways played a huge part in the Aviation History of Northwestern Ontario.

beech699 wrote:NEED HELP. A group of us are trying to get a aviation center started in Thunder Bay to preserve the history of those who have flown in NW Ontario. We have a name, NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO AVIATION HERITAGE CENTRE ( web site NOAHC.ORG ) We have charitable status, we have a few volunteers We do not have stories about pilots, aircraft, airports, pictures etc etc. Limited to NW Ont. A lot of the history is now gone and only lives in memories. We need those stories. Can you help us out? If so can you send emails with the information to noahc@shaw.ca

Yeah, I'd go ahead and start a new thread for this one.

...Orville Weiben... that must be Liz's old man. Never knew him but was taught by Liz at the College. A great lady I must say!!

[quote]Never knew him but was taught by Liz at the College. A great lady I must say!!
[quote="beech699"]quote]

I will second this one for sure. Great person all round!

LC;

Harry Swanson had some 8mm movies of Porky up to his nuts in loon shit trying to salvage a cracked up Norseman of a river bank just the other side of nowhere. Harrys movies (bless his soul) belong in a museum! cheers
Squawk

Harry Swanson had some 8mm movies of Porky up to his nuts

Now there was a hell of a guy -- Harry was a pretty amazing individual -- kind of put people in their place when he tore beer caps in half -- NWO has been the birth place of many classic bush pilots like him --

Sorry to bring this thread back up but I may have flown in one of these planes out of Pickle Lake.
Worked off OPAP lake in the winter of '88 (Yes I'm old), for Placer Dome and the Musselwhite project.
We were flown in on several types. I have a photo of one Twotter that's now with Voyageur Airways out of BC(used to be Orange/Yellow on White). Don't know if they still have it. Forget the Tail number. Other A/C were a single Otter(side bench seats only) and I believe a C-180.

We had those crazy Elan machines out there jumping off old drill rig spots(serious air time)
We broke the pull-starters so we used a string wrapped around the clutch fan.
Can't imagine getting one in the 180 but its possible.

We always flew with passengers in the seats, however, for reasons I don't know, staff flew on beds, beer cases, stoves, fridges, lumber etc. Maybe they were more expendable or had harder heads

Siddley Hawker wrote:One guy sat in the right seat and the other one lay on top of the matresses jammed against the cabin roof.

The ultimate crash protection...what can go wrong?