Big Bob tried that line on me also Cat, my answer was the same as yours. That was right before the wing nearly burnt off the 421. There are a whole book of storys about him while he was around the Victoria area.


To answer your question Siddley Hawker, I think a fuel line chaffed through and sprayed pressurized fuel on to the turbo charger was the cause of the fire.

Didn't Bob die of AIDS?

Not sure what he died of but I think your right he's dead. I heard after the Canso he bought a Boeing 727 that he ran for a while N6911RF. I was going into Ketchikan some years ago and air radio told me to be on the look out for a private 727 doing a low and over at a lodge around there, sounded like Bob.

After the screw up in England was the Canso rebuilt again? Does it still exsist today somewhere.

Last I heard of it it was bought by someone in Idaho, and he was trying to get rid of some of the weight that was added to it during that exotic conversion Bob had his friend Alex do for him.

One thing for sure Alex really had a live one there when it came to a cash cow.

The canso that Frank's owned, C-FOWE is still around and is owned by none other than Connie Edwards who accompanied Frank's on the flight to England in his own PBY...a 6a if I remember correctly... Fowe is now N222FT and is currently airworthy in Texas. I have a recent picture of it somewhere that shows it woith a turtle on the side of it .....

Bob Frank's died after a prolonged battle with cancer of the brain... how ironic... lol

Thanks X D. That could have gotten a whole lot nastier than it looks.

Bob Dyck is flying for Coulson Air Tankers, I believe. He can probably be reached there or at the Royal BC Aviation Museum. That reminds me; I've got to give him a ring too...

Edited for: Ooops, sorry. Just read the other FF thread. Late to the ball here.

Anyone know anything about the early company operations in BC?

anyone else out there...photos?...stories?

still looking

I started out in aviation in 1972 working for Barney Lamm at Ontario Central Airways as an engineer. He owned CF-OWE back then. We hauled a lot of freight to coastal villages on Hudson and James Bay with it. My memory is a little rusty but I think the pilots were Rex Kitely and a fellow named Ted Coates who flew for the Flying Firemen at times. I believe the aircraft was swapped to Ilford Riverton Airways in some deal that included an Aztec CF-NWF. Engine overhaul times were 800 hrs on a Canso and 1200 hrs on a DC-3. So when the Canso engines reached about 700 hrs we would pull them off and put them on a three and run them to 1200 hrs. MOT or TC knew what we were doing but turned a blind eye.

I have lots of Flying Fireman Canso 8x10 pictures going back to the sixties sitting at Pat Bay and also several in flight...Have some wreck pics of CF-FFY that crashed in Aug 1968.............i am looking for any photo's anyone might have of the Martin Mars at Pat Bay/Fairey Aviation.....I am an avid Mars historian as well.....looking to trade pics!....thanks