Aircraft Update for 29-Apr-2016

371 - DHC-6-300 C-FCPV Alkan Air Ltd., Whitehorse, YT

Registered to PAL Airlines Ltd., St. John's, NL 29-Apr-2016; aircraft was flown to Springbank, AB back on 18-Mar-2016. It is seen in the photo below at Whitehorse in 2013, with thanks to Henry Tenby.

MSN 371 - DHC-6-300 C-FCPV
Alkan Air
Whitehorse, YT 07-Jun-2013
Henry Tenby Photo

Photo Update for 27-Apr-2016

MSN 527 - DHC-6-300 VH-OHP
Royal Australian Army
Adelaide, SA
Lance Higgerson Photo

MSN 527 - DHC-6-300 VH-OHP and MSN 707 DHC-6-300 VH-HPT
Royal Australian Army
Adelaide, SA
Lance Higgerson Photo

MSN 114 - DHC-6-100 N129PM
Freefall Express
Lake Wales, FL 06-Apr-2016
Derek Heley Photo

Aircraft Update for 26-Apr-2016

The two latest for European Coastal are seen at the RUAG facility in Bern last week.

MSN 593 - DHC-6-300 HB-LYR & MSN 696 DHC-6-300 HB-LRQ
RUAG (European Coastal Airlines)
Bern, Switzerland 22-Apr-2016
ECA Photo

Aircraft Update for 25-Apr-2016

43 - DHC-6-100 VH-ZKF Istlecote Pty Ltd., Bilinga, QLD

Updating blog entry for 22-Apr-2016; aircraft continued on  William Creek, SA - Marree, SA - Charleville, QLD - Lady Elliot Island, QLD - Gold Coast, QLD 23/24-Apr-2016 on delivery to Seair Pacific.

MSN 43 - DHC-6-100 VH-ZKF
Istlecote Pty Ltd.
Lady Elliot Island
@colbaker Photo

MSN 43 - DHC-6-100 VH-ZKF
Istlecote Pty Ltd.
Nathan Turner Photo

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz

164 - DHC-6-200 VH-XFM Ryebridge Air Corp., North Vancouver, BC

Completed its lease return flight from Australia on 22-Apr-2016 when it flew the final leg from Klamath Falls, OR to Calgary-Int'l, AB. The aircraft had departed Cairns, QLD on 18-Apr-2016 and the ferry was conducted by World Wide Ferry.

MSN 164 - DHC-6-200 VH-XFM
Ryebridge Air
Honolulu-Int'l, HI 20-Apr-2016

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz

The blue version of Kenn Borek's regular colour scheme always looks nice, with MSN 494 C-GDHC, operated by Aklak Air,  seen at Calgary on 23-Apr-2016.

MSN 494 - DHC-6-300 C-GDHC
Kenn Borek Air (Aklak Air)
Calgary-Int'l, AB 23-Apr-2016

Aircraft Update for 22-Apr-2016

Surplus Twin Otter Parts Inventory

Ikhana Aircraft Services has recently established a new page on their website that identifies surplus Twin Otter inventory that is available for purchase. The link to the page is below:

Ikhana Surplus Parts Inventory

43 - DHC-6-100 VH-ZKF Istlecote Pty Ltd., Bilinga, QLD

Flew Perth-Jandakot, WA - Kalgoorlie, WA - Forrest, WA - William Creek, SA 22/23-Apr-2016. This should effectively be the delivery flight for the former Karratha Air Services aircraft, which is expected to be operated by Seair Pacific going forward.

MSN 43 - DHC-6-100 VH-ZKF
Karratha Air Services
Perth-Jandakot, WA 28-Nov-2016
Gary Matthews Photo

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz

164 - DHC-6-200 VH-XFM Ryebridge Air Corp., North Vancouver, BC

Continuing where we left off from the last report, VH-XFM has flown on from Honiara to Majuro - Honolulu, HI - Klamath Falls, OR 19/22-Apr-2016.

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz

Aircraft Update for 18-Apr-2016

164 - DHC-6-200 VH-XFM Ryebridge Air Corp., North Vancouver, BC

Having had ferry tanks installed and approved by the Australian regulators VH-XFM has now departed Cairns. The aircraft flew Cairns, QLD - Honiara 18-Apr-2016, and is seen below on departure with thanks to Far North Queensland Skies.

VH-XFM originally arrived in Australia in 1993 from the Talair fleet, returned to PNG the same year where it remained until 2008 when it was acquired by Fortescue Metals.

MSN 164 - DHC-6-200 VH-XFM
Ryebridge Air
Cairns, QLD 18-Apr-2016
Far North Queensland Skies Photo

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz

935 - DHC-6-400 C-FVIK Viking Air Ltd., Sidney, BC

As expected, the aircraft departed Anchorage, AK on 17-Apr-2016 and has arrived at Anadyr-Ugolny as it continues on delivery to Rosneft.

MSN 935 - DHC-6-400 C-FVIK
Viking Air (Rosneft)
Anchorage, AK 16-Apr-2016
BU PANC Photo / via Yukon Cornelius

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz

939 - DHC-6-400 C-GUVA Viking Air Ltd., Sidney, BC

Flew Spokane, WA - Victoria, BC 17-Apr-2016 following painting, and is seen below upon arrival in Victoria, with thanks to Tim Martin.

MSN 939 - DHC-6-400 C-GUVA
Viking Air Ltd.
Victoria, BC 17-Apr-2016
Tim Martin Photo

Aircraft Update for 17-Apr-2016

Not necessarily warranting their own blog entries, two surveyors are on the move this morning; Rampart Aviation's N344CS (MSN 334) is currently en route from Colorado Springs to Winslow, AZ and Sander Geophysics C-GSGF (MSN 642) has departed base in Ottawa, ON heading to St. John's, NL. Down under, work continues on preparing DHC-6-200 VH-XFM to depart from Cairns, QLD with the aircraft hoping to depart to Honiara, Solomons early next week. Once it actually departs from Queensland, I'll add a regular blog entry for its trip to North America.

935 - DHC-6-400 C-FVIK Viking Air Ltd., Sidney, BC

Flew Juneau, AK - Anchorage, AK 16-Apr-2016 as it continues its delivery flight to the Russian Federation for Rosneft. The aircraft is seen below on approach to Anchorage, with thanks to Kevin Fortney. The aircraft is filed to continue on to Anadyr-Ugolny this afternoon.

MSN 935 - DHC-6-400 C-FVIK
Viking Air (Rosneft)
Anchorage, AK 16-Apr-2016
Kevin Fortney Photo

For a version of TwinOtterSpotter that covers other types including the Caravan, Beechcraft, Saab and ATR types please check out the link below.

Westcoast Air DHC-6-100 C-FWTE is seen below in 2008, still in basic La Ronge Aviation colours, at the dock in Victoria, BC. C-FWTE since became a 200HG™ series, and is now with Skydive Dubai.

MSN 96 - DHC-6-100 C-FWTE
Westcoast Air
Victoria-Harbour, BC 15-Sep-2008
John Olafson Photo

Aircraft Update for 16-Apr-2016

368 - DHC-6-300 C-FMRI Gravitas Aviation Ltd., West Vancouver, BC

Registration cancelled 15-Apr-2016 as having been sold.


905 - DHC-6-400 C-FVAT Planes & Parts Ltd., Turner Valley, AB

Following painting in Calgary, AB by Regent Aircraft, C-FVAT flew Calgary-Int'l, AB - Victoria, BC 15-Apr-2016. It will continue with preparations for delivery to Taiwan's Daily Air. The aircraft is seen below on arrival in Victoria, courtesy of Tim Martin. You'll note that the Taiwanese registration in the previous picture has now been covered with C-FVAT.

MSN 905 - DHC-6-400 C-FVAT
Planes & Parts Ltd. (CAVU Aviation Finance/Daily Air)
Victoria-Int'l, BC 15-Apr-2016
Tim Martin Photo

935 - DHC-6-400 C-FVIK Viking Air Ltd., Sidney, BC

Flew Victoria, BC - Comox, BC - Juneau, AK 15/16-Apr-2016 as it begins its delivery flight to the Russian Federation for Rosneft. The aircraft is seen below after arrival from Spokane back on 31-Jan-2016.

MSN 935 - DHC-6-400 C-FVIK
Viking Air Ltd.
Victoria, BC 31-Jan-2016
Tim Martin Photo

940 - DHC-6-400 C-GUVT Viking Air Ltd., Sidney, BC

Flew Calgary-Int'l, AB - Spokane, WA 16-Apr-2016 for painting.

Aircraft Update for 15-Apr-2016

A great shot of Twin Otter International's N70AR (MSN 773) taken this morning at Iqaluit, NU by Brian Tattuinee. The aircraft arrived from Thunder Bay, ON and La Grande Riviere, QC and departed to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.

MSN 773 - DHC-6-300 N70AR
Twin Otter International
Iqaluit, NU 15-Apr-2016
Brian Tattuinee Photo

Aircraft Update for 14-Apr-2016

324 - DHC-6-300 N495NS Sunshine Airspares Inc., Plantation, FL

Registered to Safeway Asset Management Inc., Indialantic, FL 13-Apr-2016.

N495NS is the former FAP 317, which crashed on landing at Caballo Lake, Peru on 09-Mar-2012. It had been acquired in 2013 for potential rebuild or parts recovery. The aircraft is pictured below prior to delivery to Peru in 1971.

MSN 324 - DHC-6-300 FAP 317
Fuerza Aerea del Peru
Toronto-Island, ON 31-Jul-1971
Sheldon D. Benner Photo

Aircraft Update for 13-Apr-2016

DHC-6-400 MSN 905 was rolled out today in full Daily Air colours, including the new Taiwan registration. It is expected to revert to C-FVAT prior to its ferry flight to Taipei. The new paint scheme was applied by Regent Aircraft Services in Calgary.

MSN 905 - DHC-6-400 B-55573 (C-FVAT)
Daily Air
Calgary-Int'l, AB 13-Apr-2016
Regent Air Photo

Aircraft Update for 13-Apr-2016

913 - DHC-6-400 N913BS NASS Holdings LLC, Titusville, FL

Flew St. John's, NL - Santa Maria 13-Apr-2016 as it continues on its delivery flight. The aircraft originated in Titusville, FL on 11-Apr-2016 and is bound for the United Arab Emirates.

Photographs of MSN 112 N200DZ with the Skydive Taft colours and titles are quite rare. The aircraft is seen at home base below, courtesy of Ian Tate. 

MSN 112 - DHC-6-100 N200DZ
Skydive Monterey Bay (Skydive Taft)
Taft, CA 24-Sep-2009
Ian Tate Photo

The outcome of the recent accident (see yesterday's blog) involving DHC-6-100 N122PM at Fentress, TX is seen in the photo below. Other than shedding a portion of the port wing, the aircraft appears to remain relatively undamaged, at least on the surface. Although N122PM is among the oldest operational Twin Otters, I've seen many others with far worse damage return to service.

Greg Markwardt Photo

N122PM was originally delivered to ARAMCO for operation in Saudi Arabia (leased from Miami Aviation Corp.) in 1966, as seen in the photo below:

MSN 15 - DHC-6-100 N364MA
Miami Aviation Corporation (ARAMCO)
Downsview, ON 29-Oct-1966
Sheldon D. Benner Photo

Aircraft Update for 12-Apr-2016

15 - DHC-6-100 N122PM Dilkara Leasing LLC, Las Vegas, NV (Skydive San Marcos, TX)

The FAA ASIAS is reporting an accident having occurred with N122PM sustaining substantial damage on 09-Apr-2016. The synopsis indicates the aircraft left the runway and collided with trees on landing at Fentress, TX.

MSN 15 - DHC-6-100 N122PM
Dilkara Leasing/Skydive San Marcos
Skydive San Marcos Photo

913 - DHC-6-400 N913BS NASS Holdings LLC, Titusville, FL

Continuing on its delivery flight to the U.A.E., N913BS today is en route from Burlington, VT to Saint John's, NL.  From there it is expected to make a mid-Atlantic crossing to the Azores.

Aircraft Update for 11-Apr-2016

Looking very smart in its new paint scheme, N166DH (MSN 66) is seen below at Atlanta-South Regional, GA.

MSN 66 - DHC-6-100 N166DH
SDP LLC
Atlanta-South Regional, GA
Gordon Shepherd Photo

Kevin McCole's N190KM (MSN 190) seen below at Atlanta-South Regional, GA

MSN 190 - DHC-6-200 N190KM
Kevin McCole
Atlanta-South Regional, GA
Gordon Shepherd Photo

Air Labrador's latest Twin Otter C-GHVV (MSN 391) has now received titles, and logos as seen in the photo below.

MSN 391 - DHC-6-300 C-GHVV
Air Labrador
Goose Bay, NL Apr-2016
Air Labrador Photo

Twin Otter International's N515AR (MSN 515) is seen below at San Diego-Montgomery courtesy of

Michael Grande.

MSN 515 - DHC-6-300 N515AR
Twin Otter International
San Diego-Montgomery, CA Apr-2016
Michael Grande Photo

913 - DHC-6-400 N913BS NASS Holdings LLC, Titusville, FL

Flew Titusville, FL - Burlington, VT 11-Apr-2016 on delivery to the United Emirates Joint Air Command. N913BS had been at Titusville since 22-Feb-2015 when it arrived from Victoria, BC. It is seen below whilst still carrying its Canadian registration, courtesy of Tim Martin.

MSN 913 - DHC-6-400 C-FAFI
Viking Air Ltd. (UAE Joint Aviation Command)
Victoria, BC 16-Feb-2015
Tim Martin Photo

Aircraft Update for 06-Apr-2016

With thanks to Lance Higgerson in Australia, a few nice historical shots from Papua New Guinea.

MSN 218 - DHC-6-200 P2-MBC
MBA-Milne Bay Air
Port Moresby, PNG
Lance Higgerson Photo

MSN 507 - DHC-6-300 P2-KSR
Regional Air
Port Moresby, PNG
Lance Higgerson Photo

MSN 578 - DHC-6-300 P2-KSS
Regional Air
Port Moresby, PNG
Lance Higgerson Photo

MSN 610 - DHC-6-300 P2-MRN
Goroka Air Services
Port Moresby, PNG
Lance Higgerson Photo

Aircraft Update for 04-Apr-2016

DHC-6-100 N204EH (MSN 61) has received a new Skydive City Z-Hills paint job and is seen below courtesy of Ryan Patrick.

MSN 61 - DHC-6-100 N204EH
JST Managment LLC
Ryan Patrick Photo

Hoppfly's DHC-6-200 LN-JMP (MSN 184) received a major upgrade this winter by Zimex Aviation in Switzerland. The aircraft received -34 engines, glass cockpit, and new interior and paint. Certainly a significant investment for a skydiver!  The aircraft is seen below courtesy of Steinar Sævdal.

MSN 184 - DHC-6-200 LN-JMP
Hoppfly A/S
Steinar Sævdal Photo

With a tropical background and water that colour its hard not to have a great picture. Kenn Borek's C-GKBR is seen below at Saint Thomas, USVI courtesy of Ivan Wong Rodenas. This would have been taken prior to 2015, before it returned to Canada and received the latest version of Seaborne's paint scheme.

MSN 617 - DHC-6-300 C-GKBR
Kenn Borek Air (Seaborne Airlines)
Saint Thomas, USVI
Ivan Wong Rodenas Photo

905 - DHC-6-400 C-FVAT Planes & Parts Ltd., Turner Valley, AB (CAVU Aviation Finance)

Arrived Calgary 04-Apr-2016 to be resprayed by Regent Aircraft Services prior to delivery to the customer. C-FVAT had previously been in Springbank since arriving from Victoria, BC in Jul-2015.

MSN 905 - DHC-6-400 C-FVAT
Planes & Parts Ltd. (CAVU Aviation Finance)
Calgary-Int'l, AB 04-Apr-2016

930 - DHC-6-400 C-GVEP Viking Air Ltd., Sidney, BC

Flew Victoria, BC - Comox, BC - Anchorage, AK 02/03-Apr-2016 on delivery to Reignwood Air. The aircraft is seen below on approach to Anchorage courtesy of Kevin Fortney.

MSN 930 - DHC-6-400 C-GVEP
Viking Air (Reignwood Air)
Anchorage, AK 03-Apr-2016
Kevin Fortney Photo