Bellanca Aircruiser

[Antique Pilot]

Here is a pic of Harry Swanson bringing Bellanca Aircruiser CF-BTW into the dock at Pickle Lake July 1970.
BTW was operated in Canada by Mackenzie Air Service, Canadian Pacific Airlines, Central Northern Airlines, Transair, Hooker Air Service. OCA bought Hooker Air Service and BTW was sold out of country. It is currently on display at the Tillamook Air Museum, Tillamook Oregon. The engine is a P & W Hornet of 900 HP. Some Aircruisers originally had a Wright 1820 but were later converted to the Hornet.

[bobo]

I remember her well. When I first started with Superior Airways in 1968 OJ sent me to Pickle Lake to be the swamper on the Otter that he had. The otter was there to replace the Beech 18 while it had both engines changed. The huge Hooker Bellanca was unreal to a neophyte like me. I can still remember it roaring down the lake on take off wondering if it would ever get airborne. Those were the days, living in the fish processing plant and working my butt off loading and unloading the Otter. About 6 weeks later OJ gave me a ride back to Fort William in his Beech 18 VCE. That was on of the scariest rides I ever had. But that is another story.
I am sure our paths crossed somwhere in those days Antique Pilot.
Bob Ostrom

[Antique Pilot]

Here is Ronnie Morrison running up BTW at the Pickle Lake hangar dock summer 1971

[Antique Pilot]

Here is Ronnie Morrison with Bellanca Aircruiser CF-AWR at Upturned Root Lake, Ont. AWR went down here in the winter of 1947. Rumour has it that a trapper from nearby Cat Lake lived in for several years. In 1974 the WCAM from Winnipeg salvaged AWR. It is under long tern restoration to original condition. In the late 1930's AWR was used to fly Pitch Blend ore out of Port Radium on Great Bear Lake.

I apologize for the large size of some of these pics. I can't seem to change the resolution or whatever you call it.

[beech 18]

Feb 06, 2014

Antique Pilot - Your photos of BTW are very nice.

As bobo wrote above, the Bellanca always caught your eye.
It was a special aircraft. The last of its kind still in the air.

CF-BTW was owned by Transair the first time I saw her and the last
time was when Hooker Air owned it. Barney may have owned it by then,
but Hooker Air Service was still on the fuselage.

Your photo of it taxing into the dock in Pickle Lake sure shows the
distance between the two floats. It was a large aircraft on floats.
Built to work and that's what it did.

[Antique Pilot]

The Tillamook Air Museum at Tillamook Oregon owns BTW. The museum is housed in an old huge airship hangar.
They were flying BTW a little. In 2012 BTW needed a new engine. Of course the P & W R-1690 Hornet engine is very rare. The WCAM had an extra Hornet engine. Some years ago the Tillamook group gave the WCAM the original wheels and tires from BTW to be used in the restoration of AWR. The original wheels on BTW were replaced with a set from a Mallard. In return the WCAM gave the Tillamook group the Hornet engine. I have not heard how the overhaul is going.

[NWONT]

I worked alongside Ronnie for a time in Pickle Lake in the early 70's. He wasn't in the best of health so didn't do much more than sign the books. He took pictures of everything that happened in Pickle, every new building going up or coming down, every different airplane that landed there. He lived in a small shack behind the float base and every now and then I would drop over to look at his pictures and visit.........for as long as I could stand the smell. Ronnie had no way to wash so wouldn't bathe all winter. He had many albums of pictures and I remember one pic had three Aircruisers in it, all on skis and one had Transair painted on the side of it. When it was discovered that BTW was the last Aircruiser still flying it was dismantled by Ed Hanradie (spelling) and trucked to Gimli. I have pics of it arriving but not computer smart enough to post here. Standard Aero called Barney and gave him a bunch of new cylinders as he was the only one that had use for them. George Fornier from Lac Du Bonnet also did much work on this aircraft. I also worked under George, sure was a cranky bastard!! He'd get so angry he would throw his tools out into the snow and being new, I'd run and fetch them. Got tired of that shit after a while so I quit fetching and he soon quit throwing. Jim Cole also flew that aircraft for at time.

[NWONT]

As you can see in the picture the Aircruiser was good to work on. Had no spreader bars so could straddle the dock so easy to get at the engine. There was enough room at the back of the engine to crawl in there to work on the mags, etc.

[Antique Pilot]

I certainly do recall Ronnie's lovely little chalet behind the bunkhouse. He liked Heineken beer and always had a pot of gruel going on the hotplate. Ronnie gave me a copy of the photo of the 3 Aircruisers in existence at the time. Taken about 1943 at Lac Dubonnet I was told.

As for his vast photo collection I have tried to find out where it went. Possibly Jack Hooker. Anyways it may be gone.

Harry Swanson wanted some time off and checked Dan Springer out on BTW. I did a few trips with Dan. Very interesting.

[DHC2eater]

Hi AP....hope winter in the south finds you well

I remember seeing one of those machines pulled up on the beach ,I believe in Lac Du Bonnet ,in the spring of 1973 while I was searching for my first job......it seemed massive in size....

Can you share any spec with us like speeds and weight etc

Eater

[Antique Pilot]

Hey D,

The Bellanca on floats could keep up to a C180 so cruise speed would have been 120-125mph.

I don't exactly remember the weights but the MTOW was around 11,500 lbs. Towards the end we went easy on the loads, around 2500 lbs. There were stories of it hauling up to 6000 lbs on skis.

AP

[NWONT]

I haven't seen that plane in 40 years but I recall a large roof hatch that very heavy things like generators could be lowered in. I also remember someone telling me they tried to lower a team of horses into it. The first one worked OK, but the second one caused a fight and they had to be hauled back out. Don't know if it's true or not but it's a good story.

[roscoe]

Here's a shot of BTW undergoing an unscheduled engine change on Lake Winnipeg, south of Berens River January 1962. George Fournier was the engineer in charge, with learner mechs Leo Fournier and yours truly. Spent a few fun-filled days wrestling with the old girl before it was airworthy again.
Had a good laugh over the comment about George loosing it and heaving whatever tool that he was holding. We worked for several days on the Norway House Norseman at the hanger on the river and his target was the hangar door. Next day we were back at the base in town, and he wheeled and fired and his favorite base nut tool swam with the fishes. I blew a scuba tank looking for it in the loons**t, no luck. A day with a big magnet finally got it back.
NWONT, shoot me a PM and we can exchange war stories about "the good old days" in Lac du Bush

[NWONT]

When I hired on with OCA in'72 one of Georges son's, I think his name was Dennis was a book keeper there. He signed me on. Then in about '75 Transair when on strike so a few of their engineers came to work with us in Gimli. Leo Fournier was one of them. Also a tall English guy with a walrus moustache, nice guy, he gave me a set of gland nut wrenches when the strike ended. Still have them. They seemed to be worth a fortune back then. They said they could get more just by going to the stores dept. That was almost 40 years ago so I'm pretty sure they won't get fired for giving away company property at this point.