Pacific Western Beaver

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HS-748 2A
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Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

Looking for someone who'd remember Pacific Western's Beavers from the old days.

Specifically, CF-JHE.

Need to know the story on this airplane.

Do not send the the link to Neil Aird's DHC-2.com. I'm doing this research at his behest.

He lists it as S/N "15R"

This makes no sense.

S/N 15 has family history with me and know what happend to it. It was never reincarnated as "CF-JHE".

The C-GHXN part of the history is correct though. CF-FHA was 'rebuilt' as HXN but never got a Canadian C of A.

Here's the link; just to save everybody from posting it, and - maybe the picture of JHE will jog somebody's memory.

http://www.dhc-2.com/id878.htm

I suspect that Pacific Western bought it brand new and the serial number is a typo.

'48
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by freakonature »

'48, Have a look at the AJ Spilsbury Papers. They are avaliable online at the UBC library. From what I can see 15R was CF-GUE registered to Queen Charlotte Airlines??
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by bmc »

Should I put it to the mailing list? :D
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

freakonature wrote:'48, Have a look at the AJ Spilsbury Papers. They are avaliable online at the UBC library. From what I can see 15R was CF-GUE registered to Queen Charlotte Airlines??
Ok thanks "freakonature"- I'll check into that. CF-GUE, maybe later on anyhow, became a Norseman with Northway Aviation Ltd.

The S/N 15"R" does not make sense for a Beaver. DHC-2 serials are straight, sequential production numbers.

'48
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

bmc wrote:Should I put it to the mailing list? :D
Sure - excellent idea BMC.

:wink:

'48
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by beaverbob »

Although I can't remember his name at this time, I knew the TPA pilot that crashed this plane He was on his last day of flying befor retiring and was killed on this accident. A real shame to end a carreer with an accident on your last day of work. I worked with his Brother-in-law at powell Lake working for PCA in 88-91, now retired.
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

beaverbob wrote:Although I can't remember his name at this time, I knew the TPA pilot that crashed this plane He was on his last day of flying befor retiring and was killed on this accident. A real shame to end a carreer with an accident on your last day of work. I worked with his Brother-in-law at powell Lake working for PCA in 88-91, now retired.
That is a shame.

The info I'm after, really I guess is, what was the actual serial number of the machine.
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by mosie »

I was an engineer with TPA for 10 years and pumped fuel as a kid when PWA owned it and was based in Terrace for years with Doug Chappell as the pilot and Bill Ross was the engineer.
TPA bought out PWA in Rupert we got JHE.The serial number was 15R as I remember it and we had just finished an overhaul about a month before it crashed in the Kildala Pass just out of Kemano.The pilots name was Dale Turcot who had just been checked out on the Beaver a month before.I think Beaverbob is thinking about the TPA Otter that crashed at Shaft Creek on the last flight of that pilot.
It was my understanding that JHE had been rebuilt earlier in PWA days from 2 other beavers.
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by beaverbob »

Yes, it was the Otter and I think the pilot was Pat Carrie
Thanks Mosie
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by Moose47 »

G'day Folks

The gen I have on Beaver CF-JHE, is that it was indeed serial number 15R.

Pacific Western Airlines started operating the DHC-2 in 1954 (three aircraft). They would go on to operate a total of 22 Beavers, making them the largest commercial operator of the type at the time.

CF-JHE was purchased new by Pacific Western Airlines and commenced flying operations in April of 1956. The aircraft was withdrawn from service with P.W.A. in July, 1968 and subsequently sold to Trans Provincial.

Cheers...Chris
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by Moose47 »

G'day...again

Trans Provincial operated the following Otters:

C-FKLC

C-FRHW - This aircraft was written off near Smithers, British Columbia on the 12th of June, 1981

C-FRNO - This was an ex-PWA aircraft

CF-ROW - This Otter was written off on the 18th of April, 1967 at Stewart, British Columbia

C-FXUY - It was operated by Gulf Air between 1976 and 1978

Cheers...Chris
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

I have had some P.M.s which have provided good leads but I have not had time to pursue them yet.

Can anybody explain the "R" in "15R".

Totally unorthodox for DHC to do that.

That airplane is not a real early one either. (Which bodes well for a 'New' purchase by PWA in 1956), I'm saying that only because it's got the 'big' under-scoop and it has a port-hole window, not that those couldn't have been retrofits but for the most part, companies did not carry out those mods in those days very often.

It does not have rudder trim, so that is indicative of being an early one but I'm not sure when that became standard. It may have been an option.

'48
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by Siddley Hawker »

It does not have rudder trim, so that is indicative of being an early one ..
Check out where the flap indicator was. It would have been an early one if the flap indicator was in the wing root up by the pilot's left ear instead of on the panel. GYP was sn 145, and that's where it was when I flew it 40 years ago. :D

We (Northern Wings) had the sister ship to RNO, RNP. It crashed down near Blanc Sablon in September 1968.
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

Siddley Hawker wrote:
It does not have rudder trim, so that is indicative of being an early one ..
Check out where the flap indicator was. It would have been an early one if the flap indicator was in the wing root up by the pilot's left ear instead of on the panel. GYP was sn 145, and that's where it was when I flew it 40 years ago. :D

We (Northern Wings) had the sister ship to RNO, RNP. It crashed down near Blanc Sablon in September 1968.
There are no interior pics of it. Not an DHC-2.com, anyhow.

It's the "R" that's got me baffled.
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by Siddley Hawker »

HS e-mail Larry Milberry, he'll know. Or better yet, I'll do it, I know Larry. I used to have Fred Hotson's e-mail address but I lost it in the great hard disc fry of 2008. Fred wrote the definitive book on deH in Canada.
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

Siddley Hawker wrote:HS e-mail Larry Milberry, he'll know. Or better yet, I'll do it, I know Larry. I used to have Fred Hotson's e-mail address but I lost it in the great hard disc fry of 2008. Fred wrote the definitive book on deH in Canada.
S.H. Good Sir, thank you. Let me know the good word.

You know how to find me. :wink:

'48
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by Siddley Hawker »

Check your e-mail. In case you check here first, Larry referred me to Neil Aird. :D
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

Thanks anyhow, S.H. :D

'HS
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by BD8 »

Scoping some earlier DOT Aircraft Registries on CF-JHE :
1964 & 1968 - registered to PWA
1969 - registered to Trans Provincial Airlines....... Serial # on all of these is 15R
1973 to 1984 - not found on any registry

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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

This quirey has drawn to a close folks. Been an interesting run and I thank you all for your input. We've got the information I was looking for and concluded beyond all posible doubt that S/N 15 & 15R are indeed different airplanes. Neil Aird has amended his site.

See Below.

Cheers,

'48


http://dhc-2.com/cn15-R.html

CF-JHE Pacific Western Airlines Ltd., Vancouver, BC • Regd 24/07/56

• DHC sold a fuselage to PWA on 22/05/56 for $16,500 • Shipped 20/07/56

• PWA built a new aircraft from this plus wings etc., at their Pat Bay facility

• Inspected 31/08/56 by MoT

• Crashed - overran strip Kettle Valley and flipped over 19/10/64

• Repaired and inspected 05/04/65

• Crashed into side of mountain in the Kildalla Pass between

Kitimat and 20 miles from Kemano while with Trans Provincial 5 people killed 1966

• Reported w/o 24/02/70

• Canx from register 1975

• Disposition unknown •
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by enbt »

HS-748 2A wrote:It's the "R" that's got me baffled.
So did you ever find out what the R was all about? I'd be interested to hear the explanation on that. Don't suppose Viking being the type holder would know?
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Re: Pacific Western Beaver

Post by HS-748 2A »

enbt wrote:
HS-748 2A wrote:It's the "R" that's got me baffled.
So did you ever find out what the R was all about? I'd be interested to hear the explanation on that. Don't suppose Viking being the type holder would know?
• DHC sold a fuselage to PWA on 22/05/56 for $16,500 • Shipped 20/07/56

• PWA built a new aircraft from this plus wings etc., at their Pat Bay facility

• Inspected 31/08/56 by MoT
I guess this is the deal. PWA bought only the fuselage from DHC. They then built an airplane from other parts they had. Good winter-worxs project for the boys, likely. M.O.T. or DHC issued the S/N but there was no way to make it sequential with DHC numbers. Maybe is was done elsewhere in the world too, who knows.
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