I don't know much about planes but figure this might be an interesting thread.
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What is your best combo? canoe + plane
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I've always found the float plane flights to be an interesting and enjoyable component of my northern trips. The perspective from the air is so different - and the portages all look short and easy.
Being almost exclusively a solo traveler, my favourite float plane was always the smallest / cheapest one that could transport me and my gear. For most of my northern tripping time, that was a Cessna 185, hauling my Swift Raven or its predecessor, an Old Town Penobscot 15. Recent changes in northern float regulations have seriously reduced the number of 185s which are certified to carry external loads, and motivated me to buy the 15' PakCanoe that I have used on my past 3 northern trips.
If pictures of aircraft don't bore you, the following is a gallery of some of my favourite rides.
Until Air Tindi in Yellowknife disposed of their piston fleet (2009), I did a number of trips north of Yellowknife using their 185s. Mostly in these two aircraft -
PHO - here with pilot Samantha, headwaters of the Wopmay River, bound for the Calder River, 2005
and WXI - here putting in on Whitefish Lake, Thelon headwaters, 2007.
Once Tindi disposed of their 185s, I took to traveling out of Ft. Smith, NWT, using NWAL and their 185, AIX - shown here in its original straight float configuration (later on Amphibs), Tazin Lake Saskatchewan, 2009.
No 185? Next up was the Beaver. First, Osprey Wings AIJ, Black Lake Saskatchewan, 2012
And Ahmic Air's UJI, departing Rebesca Lake, NWT, 2019
We all like to get upgraded when flying - I've been lucky enough to get a few upgrades over the years. In 2012, with the Beaver out for scheduled maintenance, Osprey Wings flew me in with their turbine Otter, for the Beaver price! Unloading in Bentley Lake, Saskatchewan, 2012.
Finally, the ultimate stretch limo for the solo paddler - after high winds had grounded their 185s for 2 days, Tindi picked me up at Pike's Portage landing on Great Slave for my return to Yellowknife in a Twin Otter - and only charged me the Cessna price! With the plane nearly empty, and a 50km/hour headwind, it was the shortest takeoff run I've ever experienced - felt like about 50 feet.
Being almost exclusively a solo traveler, my favourite float plane was always the smallest / cheapest one that could transport me and my gear. For most of my northern tripping time, that was a Cessna 185, hauling my Swift Raven or its predecessor, an Old Town Penobscot 15. Recent changes in northern float regulations have seriously reduced the number of 185s which are certified to carry external loads, and motivated me to buy the 15' PakCanoe that I have used on my past 3 northern trips.
If pictures of aircraft don't bore you, the following is a gallery of some of my favourite rides.
Until Air Tindi in Yellowknife disposed of their piston fleet (2009), I did a number of trips north of Yellowknife using their 185s. Mostly in these two aircraft -
PHO - here with pilot Samantha, headwaters of the Wopmay River, bound for the Calder River, 2005
and WXI - here putting in on Whitefish Lake, Thelon headwaters, 2007.
Once Tindi disposed of their 185s, I took to traveling out of Ft. Smith, NWT, using NWAL and their 185, AIX - shown here in its original straight float configuration (later on Amphibs), Tazin Lake Saskatchewan, 2009.
No 185? Next up was the Beaver. First, Osprey Wings AIJ, Black Lake Saskatchewan, 2012
And Ahmic Air's UJI, departing Rebesca Lake, NWT, 2019
We all like to get upgraded when flying - I've been lucky enough to get a few upgrades over the years. In 2012, with the Beaver out for scheduled maintenance, Osprey Wings flew me in with their turbine Otter, for the Beaver price! Unloading in Bentley Lake, Saskatchewan, 2012.
Finally, the ultimate stretch limo for the solo paddler - after high winds had grounded their 185s for 2 days, Tindi picked me up at Pike's Portage landing on Great Slave for my return to Yellowknife in a Twin Otter - and only charged me the Cessna price! With the plane nearly empty, and a 50km/hour headwind, it was the shortest takeoff run I've ever experienced - felt like about 50 feet.
Attachments
I love the look, sound, and history of radial Beavers. However they're a bit small for most of my uses (30-42 day trips w/4-6 people), but flying with PakCanoes. Turbine Otters are staples up north, followed by Twin Otters (getting really big and expensive here, but are good for rigid boats). On my last trip all four of us were picked up after 32 days in a turbine Pilatus Porter. It was pretty stuffed (including the PakCanoes), but it worked. We were scheduled to use the Porter on the way in, but they had some more stuff to take out for another project so we used their Twin Otter. We used the Cessna 206 when we had two of our people in an Otter with some other folks.
Beaver
Twin Otter
Pilatus Porter
Turbine single Otter
Cessna 206
Beaver
Twin Otter
Pilatus Porter
Turbine single Otter
Cessna 206
The oldest one is probably Wilbur Wright as shown below examining a Rushton canoe attached to the airplane before his first flight over water in New York City on September 29th, 1909. The link at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/wilbur-wright-and-the-statue-of-liberty-180947754/ has more details.
Benson
Benson
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My best canoe & plane combo? These two:
15' Island Falls Canoe Co. Willow model
Stanley #5, Type 11 bench plane (circa 1902-1919)
15' Island Falls Canoe Co. Willow model
Stanley #5, Type 11 bench plane (circa 1902-1919)
I had that same thought Pat but you beat me with your pics.
Jim
Jim
Were you able to get your canoe inside the Otter or did it go on the floats?
I was sharing a ride in a single Otter for the Bloodvein, we tried to get my 14'4" Mohawk inside, it was really tight, after 10 minutes of trying we gave up. Fortunately for that trip we were prepared to nest two boats so it went inside a Nova Craft Moise on the floats.
Here is a Beaver, loading up in Shefferville, heading to the headwaters of the George River. The blue canoe is a Swift Raven, nested inside that is my MR Guide.
In recent years I have spoken to two operators that would not take nested canoes, not sure if this is because of new rules on external loads or if they just want to turn one flight into two.
No, that was the Raven (15'4") and it went on the floats. I've heard of a 13' boat fitting in an Otter. Was the problem the length of the cabin, or the width of the door opening?
My understanding is that the STCs authorizing external loads can be very specific to the aircraft. When NWAL in Ft. Smith got their STC for their 185, it specified a maximum canoe length of 16'8" and beam of 36" - because those were the dimensions of Alex Hall's (nominally) 17 foot Novacraft royalex Prospector that they did the test flying with.
In Yellowknife, I don't think Ahmic will nest canoes on their Beavers. Tindi would nest 2 canoes on the Caravan. But a few years back, Tindi had an overall length limit of 17' on the Caravan: I'm not sure if that is still the case.
-wjmc
It's the door, the length and the shape of the Mohawk hull made it impossible. A really shallow and flat hull of similar length might squeeze in.
I've heard (never seen) that there are a few Single Otters out there (probably turbo conversions?) that use the same/similar door that is standard on the Twin Otter.
Me too. "Plane" shaved up an image of a canoe-building tool in the windmills of my mind.
Nice thread.
Cessnas, Beavers, Otters and Twin Otters.
Hughes 500, and Bell Rangers.
These are the common ships in the North. I flew around in all of them a lot an environmental consultant, but never with canoes.
The most exciting flying was in SE Alaska with 150 inches of rain a year.
Second most exciting was flying over the Rockies in summer in the afternoon.
Cessnas, Beavers, Otters and Twin Otters.
Hughes 500, and Bell Rangers.
These are the common ships in the North. I flew around in all of them a lot an environmental consultant, but never with canoes.
The most exciting flying was in SE Alaska with 150 inches of rain a year.
Second most exciting was flying over the Rockies in summer in the afternoon.
As a wildlife biologist (especially in Alaska), I spent a lot of time in both fixed wings and rotaries. Airplanes: Super Cubs, Maule M-5, Cessna 185s, Aviat Husky, Arctic Tern, Beaver, Otter. Rotaries: Bell 47, Hughes/MD 500, Bell Long Ranger, Robinson R-44, Hiller 12-E, Blackhawks (SAR), and even the CH-53 (SAR). Small planes and helicopters are sort of the biologists' cocaine--fun but with dire consequences (the closest I've ever come to dying was in a helo). Landing on gravel bars in the middle of nowhere is a wonderful experience (as well as on lakes with floats)!
Catch and release caribou hunting in Alaska.
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