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Otter number 9 was delivered
to the RCAF on 31st March 1953 with serial 3663. Prior to departure from
Downsview it had carried an AB code for DHC publicity purposes. It was first
assigned to 408 Squadron at Rockcliffe, coded MN 663. On the day of its
delivery it flew directly from Downsview to Rockcliffe and is recorded in the
squadron history as the first Otter to be delivered to the unit. During the
first few months of its military service it was engaged on pilot training
flights out of Rockcliffe, and water training at Golden Lake.
One of its first operational missions was a flight on 30th May '53 from
Rockcliffe to Lac La Tortue, Quebec supporting Canso 11042 which was engaged
on SHORAN installation, which were the beacons used by the squadron's
Lancasters on their survey flights.
Over the years that
followed, 3663 continued to serve with 408 Squadron. During 1955 it was
heavily involved in support of the Mid Canada Line (MCL) construction in the
eastern sector. On 1st April '55, three ski-equipped RCAF Dakotas (KN200,
KN256 and KN261) departed from Rockcliffe as did 3663, also ski-equipped, and
all four aircraft flew north to Knob Lake, Schefferville, Quebec on operation
“Rocktop 2”. The job of the Dakotas was to
support the civilian companies working on the MCL-East. The primary purpose
of the Otter was to test ice and snow conditions just prior to the time that
the Dakotas landed at the sites. Using Knob Lake
as a base, all radar sites east of Knob
Lake and all sites
within 300nm to the west were supplied with necessary equipment. Otter 3663
then returned to Rockcliffe.
On 8th June 1955 3663
(in company with 3687) departed again from Rockcliffe and returned to Knob Lake, to provide support for the helicopters of 108
Communications Flight on construction work on the radar sites. During June
the Otter flew to the sites east of Knob Lake.
During July it worked to the west, flying to such sites as Whale River,
Moosonee, Winisk and Spruce
Lake. 3663 spent twelve
days unserviceable at Site 209 with damaged floats. At the end of July '55,
the Otter returned to base at Rockcliffe. It then deployed to Cochrane, Ontario
for fire fighting duties, before again returning to Rockcliffe where it
remained for the rest of the year. In January 1956 it had an All Up Weight
increase modification incorporated by DHC. That summer it again worked out of
Knob Lake, supporting 108 Communications
Flight on the MCL. It again spent the winter of 1956/57 at its Rockcliffe
base and in June 1957, as 408 Squadron retired its Otters, 3663 was flown
first to DHC at Downsview and then into storage with No.6 Repair Depot at
Trenton in August '57.
In June 1958 it was
returned to active service, with Air Material Command at Rockcliffe, moving
on in May 1959 to 102 Communications Flight at Trenton. Here it served in
both the communications and rescue roles, one of the searches it was involved
with being for Beech 18 CF-ALL which crashed on a flight Val
d'Or-Opemisca-Rouyn in Quebec
on 4th December '59. It remained based at Trenton until July 1963 when it flew
north, joining the Goose Bay Station Flight for the summer, before again
being handed over to No.6 Repair Depot at Dunnville storage depot, located
near Lake Erie in south west Ontario. On 1st November '63 the Otter was
assigned to the CEPE at Rockcliffe and was deployed to Churchill, Manitoba.
It is recorded as departing Churchill on 20th January '64 to investigate the
sighting by Cessna N2823A of two men and a dog team with an 'SOS' tramped out
in the snow near Knife Lake. The Otter returned to Churchill carrying the two
trappers and their dogs. It was involved in a minor incident at Churchill on
24th February '64 when a bracket was fractured. It was returned to the care
of No.6 Repair Depot on 3rd April '64, before being posted back to Goose Bay on 21st April '64.
On 3rd November 1965
the Otter joined 400 Squadron at Downsview, but returned to Goose Bay
on 20th June 1966, having been fitted with floats, to serve there with the
Station Flight for the summer. It thus had the honour of being the last Otter
to serve with the Goose Bay Station Flight, although Otters from other units
continued to deploy to Goose each summer until the type was withdrawn from
Canadian military service. Finally, on 25th January 1967, Otter 3663 made the
final move of its military career, from Goose
Bay to join 438 Squadron at
St.Hubert, Montreal.
Having moved around between units considerably during the 1957 to 1967
period, 3663 was to remain based at St.Hubert with 438 Squadron for the next
15 years. During 1981, six Otters (including 3663) were withdrawn from
service at St.Hubert and flown to the Mountain View Storage Depot, Ontario where they
were turned over to the Crown Assets Disposal Corporation (CADC) for sale.
Another six Otters had
been withdrawn from the Reserve squadrons at Downsview, and all twelve were
advertised for sale in February 1982 by the CADC, “as is” at the Mountain
View Storage Depot. 3663 at that stage had total airframe time of 9,231.2
hours.
3663 was one of seven
ex Canadian military Otters purchased by Newcal Aviation Inc of Little Ferry,
New Jersey
a company which specialises in the supply of parts for DHC aircraft. The
Otter was registered to Newcal Aviation on 14th June 1982 as N3125G and along
with the other Otters purchased, was flown from the Mountain
View depot to a small strip at Decatur, Texas
where the Otters were put into storage pending sale-on. The seven Otters were
tied-down in the open on the airfield. It would appear that the market for
Otters was somewhat slow during the 1980s, as N3125G was to languish under
the Texan sun for six years, until sold to Air Saguenay (1980) Inc of
Chicoutimi, Quebec, to whom it was registered as C-FBSF on 20th June 1988.
For the next four years it served the bush country of Quebec, until it came to grief on 21st
August 1992.
That day, C-FBSF
departed Squaw Lake,
Schefferville, Quebec on a VFR flight plan bound for Lac
Bergere. Weather conditions were marginal and the pilot tried to sneak
through mountainous terrain by flying through a valley. Unfortunately however
he found himself in a dead end and the aircraft impacted the side of a
mountain at the 2,400 foot level, fifty miles north-east of Schefferville.
The Otter was
destroyed by the post-impact fire, although miraculously the pilot and his
six passengers survived with minor injuries.
History
courtesy of Karl E Hayes from DHC-3 Otter: A History (2005)
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