Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

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dave_r
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Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by dave_r »

Hello!

I'm doing some research for a potential magazine article and got to wondering -- what's the most number of hours any one pilot has flown on the Twin Otter?

I saw mention of Jim Devlin having over 20,000 hours on the Twin Otter before retiring but was wondering if this is considered to be a lot or whether it was fairly common.

Thanks!

Dave
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Heliian
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by Heliian »

Most pilots with that much experience stop counting.
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FL007
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by FL007 »

I knew a few with probably more than that. 20 years on that machine is usually 900-1100/yr so 20k isn't unreasonable at all.

The pilots who stop counting can still tell you they've flown steady for 30+ years and so you can roughly guess.
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ant_321
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by ant_321 »

Maybe someone could ask Lester Powell in Goose Bay. I recall someone telling me his rediculous total time on the Twotter and I believe it was way over the 20k mark.
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Station61
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by Station61 »

Contact Air Tindi in Yellowknife. They will put you in touch with the right guys !!
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Schooner69A
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by Schooner69A »

Twin Otter: those that like it, like it a lot. However, several years ago, the company for which I worked acquired a Cessna Caravan. It was an excellent aircraft in executing the tasks for which it was purchased. However, there was resistance from customers and senior management about flying around in a SE aircraft.

So...

The company purchased a Twin Otter, giving up thirty years and thirty knots. It was completely overhauled in-house and fitted with an executive interior. (Think: Cessna jet)

It was nice enough to fly, but S-L-O-W. It's 'bush' capabilities were never really utilized in that it rarely flew from unprepared strips.

After giving good service for many years, it was finally replaced with a TE turbo-prop that can fly OVER the weather...

Because of the environment in which I flew it, it is not one of my favourite aircraft... (;>0)
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FL007
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by FL007 »

Schooner69A wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 7:24 am Twin Otter: those that like it, like it a lot. However, several years ago, the company for which I worked acquired a Cessna Caravan. It was an excellent aircraft in executing the tasks for which it was purchased. However, there was resistance from customers and senior management about flying around in a SE aircraft.

So...

The company purchased a Twin Otter, giving up thirty years and thirty knots. It was completely overhauled in-house and fitted with an executive interior. (Think: Cessna jet)

It was nice enough to fly, but S-L-O-W. It's 'bush' capabilities were never really utilized in that it rarely flew from unprepared strips.

After giving good service for many years, it was finally replaced with a TE turbo-prop that can fly OVER the weather...

Because of the environment in which I flew it, it is not one of my favourite aircraft... (;>0)
That sucks.

Yeah an executive interior is not really what it was made for, it's super loud and slow, true.

However multi engine aircraft are actually required for some contracts, specifically military or government contracts, and caravans are especially nasty in ice.

Maybe it wasn't a good fit for the environment, but it's an amazing aircraft, and as reliable as a tank.
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co-joe
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by co-joe »

Bob Heath must have had somewhere around the 20K hours on type? He had his wedding ceremony IN a twin otter.
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CL-Skadoo!
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by CL-Skadoo! »

co-joe wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:55 pm Bob Heath must have had somewhere around the 20K hours on type? He had his wedding ceremony IN a twin otter.
That was my first thought, the great Bob Heath. What a kind fellow.
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by C.W.E. »

Bob was a real credit to aviation.
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by all_ramped_up »

ant_321 wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:01 pm Maybe someone could ask Lester Powell in Goose Bay. I recall someone telling me his rediculous total time on the Twotter and I believe it was way over the 20k mark.
This is what I was thinking. Lester, Benny Powell or Romaine Butler all have an absolute gob of time on the Twotter.
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Schooner69A
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by Schooner69A »

FL007

We had a chap join us who had flown a Twin Otter out of Yellowknife. He was orgasmic... :lol:
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by TheRealMcCoy »

Give Tindi or Summit a call, they've got some high time folks there.
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by av8ts »

all_ramped_up wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 4:42 pm
ant_321 wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:01 pm Maybe someone could ask Lester Powell in Goose Bay. I recall someone telling me his rediculous total time on the Twotter and I believe it was way over the 20k mark.
This is what I was thinking. Lester, Benny Powell or Romaine Butler all have an absolute gob of time on the Twotter.
Lester would have 10 years on Benny and Romaine
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by pelmet »

Doug Mcleod. The most interesting Twin Otter driver there ever was. In all those years of offstrip work, he never damaged an aircraft, just the sanity of some of his first officers.
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by Brantford Beech Boy »

pelmet wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 12:16 am Doug Mcleod. The most interesting Twin Otter driver there ever was. In all those years of offstrip work, he never damaged an aircraft, just the sanity of some of his first officers.
+1

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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by Rowdy »

Lots of names I can think of with gobs of Twotter time.

Bob was one of my favourites.
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switchflicker
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by switchflicker »

Bob Heath must have had somewhere around the 20K hours on type? He had his wedding ceremony IN a twin otter.

IN FLIGHT if I remember correctly!!
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yyctwin
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by yyctwin »

About 10 years ago Lester Powell figured in had in excess of 40,000 on the Twotter. He obviously stopped looking but a guesstimate using an average of hours/years out him well over 40k. You won’t find a nicer fella, consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to sit in the right seat next to him.
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Re: Twin Otter trivia: Hours held by the highest time pilots?

Post by FL007 »

yyctwin wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 1:47 pm About 10 years ago Lester Powell figured in had in excess of 40,000 on the Twotter. He obviously stopped looking but a guesstimate using an average of hours/years out him well over 40k. You won’t find a nicer fella, consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to sit in the right seat next to him.
40k might have been a little high then, I believe that today someone could have upwards of that for sure.
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