1031

56-356 • 56-0356 • N333CD • C-GFNR

N92AK

x

• 56-356 US Army # 1657. L-20 No. 658. Command A-11. Delivered 29-Jan-1957. Built as L-20A and re- designated U-6A in 1962.

Note: Originally serialed as shown above but in approx 1965 would have had the additional “0” added to conform with US Army & USAF agreement on numbering to represent the service the aircraft operated with.

Note: Initially operated with Combat Development Experimentation Command as per photo evidence.

• 56-0356 Later re-serialled c.1965.

• 56-0356 Florida National Guard. c.1972.

• N333CD Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indianapolis, IN.  Regd Nov-1973.

Note: Gary Hoffman information taken from Ruud Leeuw’s great website:

“On a Sunday morning in Florida I looked at your website and found my old Beaver: serial 1031 and flown as N333CD! c/n 1031 was obtained from the Florida Air Nat. Guard in September 1973 for service with the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources. A complete retrofit for standard A/W certificate was completed by Clinton Aviation in Clinton, Indiana. Work done included the following: removal of all door jettisoning mechanisms, heavier Plexiglas in sky lights, removal of all military radios with exception of ADF, strip and paint in green and yellow colour scheme. Aircraft was re-weighed by the Indiana State Police for new weight and balance. During this work it was noted that the aircraft was a composite of two airframes and that the fuselage and nose section numbers did not match. Nothing was noted in the logs that we got with the aircraft!  I was informed later that this was the result of a crash on the nose section while on duty with the Army. Never could be verified. N333CD was chosen for the tail number. My lucky number was 33 and we had to only buy one stencil. CD for Conservation Dept., the forerunner of the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources. I flew this aircraft over 700 hours the first year of service and brought the first Coho Salmon (via eggs) to Indiana for future- stocking in Lake Michigan. I was the sole pilot on this Beaver until my retirement in (19)78. Replacement pilot was not too fond of the ol' bird and he had limited tail wheel experience. Solution for that was to replace it with a helicopter and some other more- modern aircraft. In the years that I flew her she was a great airplane and went a lot of places doing a lot of different chores. Lots of off-airport landing and in some tight short spots. Pasture- landings put some cow pie debris in the flaps. This Beaver had all the options: dual controls, dual brakes, aux. fuel tanks, camera port, cabin heat enhancer, and some seat options. Special fairings were incorporated into the elevator that were used for radio antennas. These made nice handholds for pushing it around on the ground. I think it is the only fixed wing aircraft that I know of that had a landing and takeoff from the bottom of a strip mine. I've flown several other Beavers and while 1031 was not the fastest, it was rock solid and tough. Earlier models with the engine air scoop on the bottom of the cowl seemed a bit faster but I think the airframes were also a bit cleaner and lighter than 1031. Thanks for preserving the history of great airplanes and especially this one."

Gary L. Hoffman, Chief Pilot, IDNR, (Ret.) N333CD DHC-2 MK-1 Ser. 1031 [Nov-2006].

• C-GFNR Imported into Canada.

• C-GFNR Rog-Air Ltd., Cochrane, ON. Regd Sep-1983. Canx 18-Oct-1984.

• C-GFNR Rog-Air Ltd., Port Loring, ON. Canx 002-Jan-1986.

• C-GFNR 591612 Ontario Inc., Matheson, ON. Canx 24-Sep-1986.

• C-GFNR Eddie O’Donnell, Matheson, ON. Deleted 26-May-1989 on export to USA.

Accident: 23-Jul-1988. Hit trees on takeoff. Location and further details unknown.

• N92AK Robert  N. Jacobsen, Juneau,  AK. (Wings of Alaska, Juneau, AK). Regd 08-Jun-1989. Canx 06-May-2002.

Airworthiness date: 01-Mar-1990. Category – Normal.

• N92AK Alaska Coastal Airlines Inc., dba., Wings Airways, Juneau, AK. Regd 11-Mar-2005. Canx 24-Oct-2008.

• N92AK Wings Airways Inc., Juneau, AK. Regd 27-Oct-2008.  Canx 13-Jan-2012.

• N92AK IPA Leasing Inc., Juneau AK. Regd 18-Jan 2012.

• N92AK Dole Enterprises LLC.,  Ketchikan, AK. Regd 25-Feb-2014.

For sale by Wings Airways.Oct-2016 for $340,000USD

Total time: 15,879 hours.

Mods include Edo4930 floats and Jasco alternator. Kenmore battery forward, water rudder system, auxiliary sea fins,flaot hatch kit . Atlee dodge centre seat , seat belts and cargo fittings. Hartzell three blade propeller. Sealand cabin extension, six the seat conversion and elevator trim push rods.  enlarged side door windows.

• Current •

x