Otters on wheels

[TailwheelPilot]

I saw the following add for Tsayta:

Tsayta Air is looking for a qualified pilot for our DHC3 Garret otter on wheels and skis...
***Please only experienced otter pilots only***

Which made me wonder a few things:
1. How many Otters are still operated on wheels, or wheels and skis, in Canada? I can only think of Alkan, Ookpik, and Tsayta off the top of my head.

2. How many Otters are operated on floats and skis? Of those, which do 100 hours+ per year on skis? 200 hours+?

3. Since the majority of Otters operate on floats - is it easier to train someone with Otter experience to fly it on wheels, or easier to train someone with tailwheel experience to fly the Otter?

[scdriver]

Slate falls air, tindi, air tunilik are a few off the top of my head that I know have otters on wheels/skis. I don’t have any otter time, just beaver, but would think it would be easier to train someone with otter experience to fly it on wheels/skis. Maybe someone who has some experience in that department can chime in

[C-FDPB]

I’d say at least half or possibly more of the otters east of the Rockies that are on floats during the summer get switched over to wheels/skis in the winter.

When I got checked out on the otter on wheel/skis I had never flown tailwheel before just a whack of otter float time. I think the experience of anticipating the airframe made the gear conversion pretty easy. Previous tailwheel time would be a definite asset though.

[tractor driver]

In a previous life I was a training captain on Turbo Otters, floats,wheels, wheel skis. All the pilots I trained had previous Otter experience, mostly on floats. Handling the airplane was usually not that difficult, as the Otter is pretty slow and forgiving. A little counterintuitive for the float guys to push forward on the column for a wheel landing, and the wake up of the feet for the rudder work on roll out being significant.
The biggest thing was reading the surface conditions for the ski work. Plenty of gotchas with slush, snow/ ice ridges, flat light, white outs etc.
Great airplane with outstanding short field performance.

[cykj]

Otters and Beavers on wheels were great. However, all the money in the world wouldn't be enough for me to fly on skies again. I only lost two tail skies and a main. Another Otter driver I knew hit a crusty drift with the right main ski just after touchdown. He said the plane started to tip forward then violently swung right. He bonked his head on the side window. Once things settled down he noticed a prop blade curled back and daylight was visible through a rip in the cabin roof.