Crashed at Lake Grassmere on June 6, 1995. Bob Kerr photo

Operated by Aero Union Corporation this aircraft is a water bomber. Much needed in California in the summer months for fire fighting duties. Delivered to the USAAF on 20Jul 1945 as 45-0535. WFU and stored at MASDC - Davis Monthan in Jun 1971. To N3303F on 13 Nov 1975 with Dross Metals Inc. Sold to Aero Union on 22 Apr 1976 for use as a water bomber. To Conair as C-GBNV in May 1981. To Buffalo Airways in Feb 1995. Stored at Red Deer Airport (YQF) since Jun 2011.

Enroute from Abbotsford to Juniper (New Brunswick) for the 1975 spruce budworm spray season.

This aircraft was designed by Bruce Boland and financed by John Sandberg. It made its first flight 17-Aug-1986. It was powerd by a 2400hp Rolls Royce V-1650-7 Merlin engine. The manufacturer was listed in the US register as Aviation Engineering and Development Associates. The aircraft crashed 25-Sep-1991 while landing at Pierre-Muncipal, SD, because one of the flaps did not come out correctly. Unfortunately John Sandberg was killed. The registration was cancelled 01-Jul-2014. Here it was photographed just days before the crash. Photo by: withheld

Delivered to the USAAF as 45-535 in 1945. Renamed to USAF in 1947. Stored at Davis-Monthan AFB with park code CC194 in 1971. To Dross Metals as N3303F in 1975 then to Aero Union in 1976. To Conifair as C-GBNV 1981 and converted to a sprayer then to Buffalo Airways in 1995 and converted to a fire bomber. Withdrawn from use at Red Deer, AB in 2011 and fire bombing tank removed.

Skyway Air Services of Langley, BC first acquired Grumman TBM-3s in the 1960s for spraying and fire fighting. The fire fighting division was spun off as Conair Aviation in April 1969 with a fleet of ex-RCN and US Navy single-engine Grumman Avengers which were later sold to Forest Protection in New Brunswick. Avenger CF-MUE/618 was photographed being washed at the BC Forest Service tanker base north of the Conair hangars at Abbotsford on July after attacking a receives a wash after a mission on July 6, 1975. It was exported to the USA as N40402 in 2001.

Overflying Pan Am's new seaplane terminal on Treasure Island. All buildings of the Golden Gate International Exposition were razed down in 1940 to make room for a new land airport, but it became a naval facility instead. This is the second Boeing 314 airframe, the first to fly with triple tailfins. Named California Clipper, it was approaching Auckland in New Zealand on a regular transoceanic flight on 7 December 1941 when news came in of the Japanese attack against Pearl Harbor. Captain Robert Ford was ordered to proceed westward to New York and managed to complete an amazing 50,000 km trip via Australia, Java, Ceylon, Karachi, Bahrain, Sudan, Congo and Brazil. Photo from: SFO Museum

Recently retired after service with Forest Protection Ltd. The CCAR/FAA quoted c/n 91426 is actually its US Navy serial. Exported as N40402 in 2001 to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum, Dallas/TX.

Originally delivered to the U.S. Navy as an N2S-3, serial 7867.

About to land on runway 33 at ANC.

ex N9181J

Another load of tourists, cameras ready, take off for a spectacular tour of the Grand Canyon.

Tanker 18 was registered to the County of Los Angeles Fire Department in August 1992. Still current with them by 2020.

Operated by Aero Union. Later to Kenn Borek Air. Then in Feb 1992 to Buffalo Airways as C-FIQM. Seen stored (minus engines) at Hay River in 2019.

Sold in the US as N40402 in 2001. Under-belly droptank removed.