Superior Airways

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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

Feb 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

A bit more information to add to the Dec 8, 1973 accident involving VSD that
was posted above on Jan 07.

The recovery of Cessna 180 CF-VSD off of Wunnummin Lake was carrried out by
the Sioux Lookout Maintenance Department. This occurred approx. two months
or so after the accident.

When the maintenance crew arrived at the aircraft it was partially buried in
drifted snow. I don't know if the cabin doors came off during the accident or if
they had been removed at some other time. Without the doors a lot of snow had
drifted into the interior of the Cessna 180. Under the snow the belly of the
aircraft sat in slush about six inches or so deep.

The engine, wings, horizontal and vertical stabs were removed. The snow and
as much of the slush as possible was removed from inside the aircraft. The
fuselage was placed on a sleigh so it could be moved with a ski-doo.

Attached is a photo of VSD taken during the recovery. The forward door posts
that failed when the aircraft hit the ice and the front windshield that pulled
away from the fuselage are evident. So is the snow that drifted into the interior.


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Say Altitude
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by Say Altitude »

Are you aware of a fatal accident on October 31st, 1971 that happened in/around this area? Been trying to find out information on it and I've heard some talk that the operator was either "Severn Airways" or in/around that part of the world - Severn Lake etc but I can't be sure. Pilot and passengers perished. Single engine on floats.
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Antique Pilot
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by Antique Pilot »

PM sent.

AP
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TheWingedWorrier
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by TheWingedWorrier »

This has been fascinating reading. Keep up the excelent work.
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Say Altitude
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by Say Altitude »

Antique Pilot wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2018 5:29 pm PM sent.

AP
Thank you so much for the PM. I've tried to PM you back with some more questions but I'm not having success getting it out of my outbox. If in the next few days you don't see my response, please let me know.

Thank you again...it means a lot.

SA
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Antique Pilot
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by Antique Pilot »

To Say Altitude,

Yes I got your PM ok a short while ago. I seem to have problems sending and receiving PM’s. Also I can’t seem to find the “Quote” prompt anymore.

Thanks,
AP
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Say Altitude
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by Say Altitude »

Thanks. I look forward to any additional information you're willing to share, and will check my PM's more frequently. Thank you for your candour.

SA
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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

March 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

A bit more information about the salvage of Cessna 180 CF-VSD after its accident at
Wunnummin Lake on Dec 8, 1973.

Once the aircraft disassembly was completed the aircraft was placed on a sleigh.
A Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise DC-3 on skis flew in and picked up the aircraft.
I don't know where the Cessna was flown to. It could have been Wiebenville,
Pickle Lake, Armstrong or Thunder Bay. It was not flown to Sioux Lookout.

The right wing from VSD was put back in service not to long after it was removed from
the aircraft. Cessna 180 CF-JQM damaged its right wing landing at I believe Sachigo Lake.
The wing from VSD was flown into Sachigo in one of the company DC-3's and installed on
JQM. The aircraft was then flown to Sioux Lookout and then on to Thunder Bay for a few
more repairs.

A photo of VSD's wing on JQM was posted on June 09, 2012 on page 4 of this thread.
The photo was taken in Sioux Lookout shortly after it arrived from Sachigo Lake.

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Siddley Hawker
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by Siddley Hawker »

Karl, you gotta put all this stuff on a cd and sell it. This is history, man. :smt023
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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

April 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

A copy of the accident report involving Cessna 180 CF-VSD at Wunnumim Lake
in Dec 1973.


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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

May 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

Cessna 180 CF-VGA in May 1971 at Sioux Lookout. Ski season is over and the
aircraft is being prepared for another summer on floats. This would be the
second season on floats for VGA since being purchased by Mr. Wieben in the
summer of 1970.

VGA was the only aircraft in the fleet that I can recall that had plastic fairings
around all the float strut attach points. This Cessna 180 also had the internal
water rudder control cable system.

If you look closely at the photo you will see the oil cooler manually operated
sliding door is still installed. That is only used while on skis to block a portion
of the cooler and it will be removed for float operations.

The Cessna 180 will be pulled ahead approx. 50 feet on skids to the ramp where
it will be pushed into the water.

VGA was a Sioux Lookout based aircraft.

Behind VGA at the original Slate Falls Airways base is Beech 18 CF-CSN. This was
the last winter that Slate Falls parked CSN on floats. The following winter the
Beech 18 was operated on skis. The skis used on the Beech were Wieben Skis.


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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

June 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

The attached photo was taken in July 1971 at the water base in Sioux Lookout.
Beech 18 CF-WYR was based in Pickle Lake during the summer of 1971.
The aircraft flew into Sioux quite a number of times for maintenance during the
summer float season.

The Beech 18 is pulled up backwards on the ramp to have a repair carried out to
the top of the left float. Rain had been coming down quite hard so a tarp was
thrown over the back of the Beech so the work could be completed without
getting too wet.

There are a couple of boards across the front of the floats. The lower cowlings
are off and engine work is underway as well.

WYR returned to Pickle Lake later in the afternoon when the float repair and
engine work was completed.


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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

July 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

By September 1974 Mr. Wieben began downsizing the company. I believe the first
base sold was Sioux Lookout. The buyer of the base was Patricia Air Transport (PAT Air).

Attached is a newspaper ad that was posted in the Winnipeg Free Press on June 28, 1975.
A number of aircraft were put up for sale.

Of the aircraft on the list Cessna 180 CF-JQM and Beech 18's CF-YQB and CF-ZQR were
Sioux Lookout based aircraft before the sale to PAT Air. (ZQR was operated out of
Pickle Lake after the Sioux Base was sold to PAT Air).

Beech 18 CF-YDV flew mainly out of Pickle Lake, but was based out of Thunder Bay.

Beech Baron CF-FZN was based in Thunder Bay.

Cessna 150's CF-VXY and CF-WIW were operated by the Lakehead Flying School in Thunder Bay.


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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

August 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

A photo taken in Sioux Lookout in August 1972. The wind looks like it is blowing
straight into the bay.

Cessna 180 CF-LBR is tied to the inside of the dock with Beech 18 CF-ZQR tied on
the outside. This was the first summer for the new docks that the aircraft are tied to.
They had been built on the ice in the spring and once the ice went out they were
floated over to the main fixed dock and secured into place.

Beech 18 CF-YQB is taxing into the bay while warming up before departure. As can
be seen in the photo a cloud of smoke is following YQB. One of the engines was
discharging a bit of oil though the super charger and it took a few minutes to clear out.
The problem was rectified shortly after this photo was taken.

A bit difficult to see in the photo, but in the picture YQB has yellow wing tips and yellow
vertical stabs. They were yellow for only a few months and then the aircraft was
repainted in Thunder Bay.


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RyanF
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by RyanF »

Those are some great photos. Had some free time, did some super quick Photoshop colour corrections on some. Hope you don't mind.

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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

September 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

Photo taken at the water base in Sioux Lookout in early September 1971.
Cessna 180 CF-KQP is pulled up on the ramp for a float repair. In the summer
of 1971 I believe KQP was based in Pickle Lake. Over the years the Cessna was
based in Armstrong, Nakina, and Pickle Lake. It probably flew out of Pays Plat
as well. Other that the odd flight it only came into Sioux Lookout for maintenance.

In the photo KQP is fitted with a set of CAP Floats. This was the only summer I
saw KQP on CAP's. Over the years it operated on Edo 2870 round top floats and
Edo 2880 flat top floats. The last time I saw this aircraft was in the summer of
1974 and it was fitted with the 2880 flat tops at that time.

KQP was operated year round by the company. Floats in the summer and Federal
straight skis in the winter.

KQP was built in 1958.

There are a number of other aircraft in the photo. On the left side of the photo
the wing tip that is visible belongs to Cessna 185 CF-YNS that was operated by
Selco Exploration. It was supported and maintained by Severn Enterprise year round.
To the right of KQP is Cessna 180 CF-JQM. The two Beech 18's are CF-ZQR and CF-WYR.
In the summer of 1971 CF-WYR was based in Pickle Lake and was in Sioux for a few days.


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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

October 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

Long before my time with Severn Enterprise / Superior Airways Mr Wieben operated
a number of Republic Seabee aircraft. They were operated by the company in the
late 1940's and into the 1950's. The number of Seabees that were operated is not
known to myself, but the few that I have been able to track down that were operated
or past though the company are the following registrations:

CF-DKR serial #917. This aircraft was involved in an accident May 5, 1948 just east
of Port Arthur after having an engine failure. There were no injuries but the aircraft
was destroyed.

CF-DKU serial #922. This aircraft was involved in an accident at Saganaga Lake, Ontario
March 8, 1951. I can't find any details on the accident.

CF-FCD serial #352. This aircraft was involved in an accident near Ross Port, Ontario
June 1, 1952 after having a propeller pitch control problem. The Seabee was recovered
from the bush and taken to Ft. William. The Seabee was donated by the Wieben family
to the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg. There is a good story of this
aircraft on the Seabee info sight and how it later got to Winnipeg. It is presently stored at
St. Andrews Airport.

CF-FUA serial #827. The only information that I could find on this aircraft was a minor
incident it had after the left wing hit a tree on the Kam River while taxing. This occurred
Sept 18, 1953. The seabee info sight lists an accident Nov 10, 1956 but has no details of
who was operating it at the time.

In the book titled "Aviation in Thunder Bay" on page 50 there is a mention of Mr. Wieben
holding the regional dealership for the Republic Seabee.

Some of the above information may be incorrect and is surely not complete, but it is all
that could be found on the Seabee fleet.

The attached photo of Seabee CF-FCD was taken at St. Andrews Airport a few years ago.
Superior Airways is visible on the door. This was at the museum stowage yard.


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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

Nov 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

A bit more information about Sea Bee CF-FCD that Mr. Wieben operated in
the 1950's.

This is a report for the accidend involving FCD near Rossport, Ontario on
June 01, 1952.

There is some additional information hand written in the report.
The writting has faded a bit over the years.


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beech 18
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by beech 18 »

December 07, 2018

Superior Airways / Severn Enterprise operation from the late 1960's to 1974.

This photo of Cessna 180 CF-LSN was taken at the water base in Sioux Lookout
in early November 1970. The aircraft is parked between the Severn Enterprise
office and the marine shop. Difficult to see in the photo, but the aircraft floats
are sitting on wooden skids.

LSN had spent the summer flying out of Big Trout Lake and had returned to
Sioux Lookout for changeover to skis. After freeze up it will return to Big Trout Lake
for the winter.

Behind LSN is Beech 18 CF-YQB parked for the winter and Cessna 180 CF-VSD parked
on wheels. The wheels on VSD will be removed and a set of Federal straight skis will
be installed. VSD would go to Round Lake for the winter.

Under the right wing of LSN is the runway scarper that was towed behind the companies
"swamp buggy" after the runway was packed with rollers. The scraper took out most of
the bumps in the runway leaving a fairly smooth surface.

Under the left wing of YQB is a stack of metal beams and panels. Those were once
rumoured to be a new office building for the base, but it was never built. Not sure if
that's true or not, but that was always the story about the metal pieces.

In the background ice has started forming in the bay. Once the lake was frozen all the
airlines in the bay operated off the ice on skis. Severn Enterprise, Slate Falls Airways
and Hooker Air Service.


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Castorero
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Re: Superior Airways

Post by Castorero »

Holy Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Beech18, what a read!!

You have done a great service to Aviation in chronicling in rich detail a phase in the history of Canada.
The significance of these efforts become ever more important as time passes and all the protagonists are gone.

There are still more than a handful of older aviators and AME's across the Country that have lived this history and that are present here on AvCanada. I would urge everyone of you to put on paper your personal histories and observations as you lived them.

I can tell you from experience that your grandchildren will be happy you did. There will always be someone that will find your stories and bring them to the light of day to become part of the fabric of our national history.

A number of retired pilots have written and published their experiences, often at the urging of young family members, I might add.
Those books taken together, paint a picture of life and work which is invaluable in filling in the colors of our historical puzzle.

I cant get enough of "personal" historical portraits, and the farther we get from those lives lived, the more they meld into the fabric of our history.

Beech 18, Cat Driver, Ancient Aviator, Siddley Hawker, Liquid Charlie, Beaverbob, North Shore, Snoopy and many others, you all have something to say that is valuable and important. Come on, put some of it on paper too and our Country will be the richer for it...

And thank you Beech18
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