De Havilland DHC-3 Otter

The Story

The story of Wings Airways brings to life the romance and traditions of Alaska’s rich aviation history on the same waterfront where Juneau’s floatplane businesses began in the 1920’s. Experience, enthusiasm, pride, and drive are the essentials for Alaska bush pilots, and are the driving force behind the entire Wings Airways organization. We always enjoy sharing our passion and the history of these five magnificent aircraft with you.
Enjoy your flight and the nostalgia.

In 2002, an exciting prospect emerged for an exclusive group of employees of a locally owned Juneau former airline, Wings of Alaska. This group of dedicated professionals who had built and nurtured one airline used their extensive expertise to create another. With the purchase of the floatplane flightseeing portion of that commuter air service, Wings Airways took off. Wings Airways carries on the long tradition of locally owned and operated flights from the downtown harbor.

Wings Airways exclusively operates de Havilland Otters. The Otter is a single-engine, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. There were a total of 466 of the DHC-3 aircraft produced from 1952 through 1967. It was capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, but was overall a larger aircraft. The US Army was the largest customer for the Otter with a purchase of 190.

Between 2004 and 2008, all five Wings Airways’ Otters underwent engine conversions. The original Pratt & Whitney 600 horsepower radial engines were replaced with 900 horsepower Garrett turbo prop engines. At the time of these engine conversions Wings Airways also performed complete airframe overhauls, bringing all 5 aircraft into “as new” condition. New interiors were installed as well as a complete avionics upgrade to a standard to what is common in modern jet aircraft. We operate with a maximum cruising speed of 134 mph, with an average cruise speed of 125-130 mph. The gross weight at takeoff is approximately 7,900 lbs. These aircraft burn approximately 50 gallons of Jet A fuel per hour.

N337AK Yellow Stripe

Built in 1961, the 418th DHC-3 Otter built was delivered to the West African Ghana Air Force on May 8, 1961. It was the fourth of an order for twelve Otters, all of which were packed into crates and shipped directly to Ghana. Once there they were re-assembled and entered service based at Takoradi Air Base. The Otters were withdrawn from service in 1973 and put up for sale where brokers Masin Aircraft of Cologne, Germany acquired eight of the Otters. In March 1974, Masin Aircraft sold all of the Otters to Air Craftsmen Ltd. of St. John, New Brunswick, a company that specialized in the buying, refurbishing and selling of ex-military Otters. In April 1974, ferry pilots were employed by Air Craftsmen Ltd. to fly the Otters from Takoradi Air Base, Ghana, to St. John, New Brunswick. On June 23, 1974, the plane was routed Biarritz to London’s Gatwick Airport, continuing on to Fairoaks, where it was to remain for nearly two months while ferry tanks were installed. On August 28, 1974, it flew Fairoaks-Bembridge-Prestwick, before setting off on the long ocean crossing, via Reykjavik, Iceland, and Greenland to St. John, Canada. By September 1975, the Otter had been refurbished and was sold to Mr. Peter Pess of San Diego, California, who was involved with a Mexican airline known as Aerosierra de Durango. It was one of two Otters that set off from St. John, crossing the North American continent, to Brown Field, San Diego and then further south to their new base at Durango in Mexico. The two Otters were acquired to transport personnel to lumber camps high in the Sierra Madre mountains, their base at an altitude of 8,000 feet. Some of the dirt strips they flew into were over 13,500 feet up in the mountains. Both Otters were fitted with larger than usual propellers, to help them with these high altitudes. The Otters were operated in ‘high density’ configuration with eight rows of three-place benches. Despite these arduous conditions, they operated these services without mishap, and survived their adventures in the Mexican mountains.

In August 1976, a ferry permit was issued for the Otter to leave Mexico via Tijuana, with an ultimate destination of Edmonton. First, however, the Otter was flown to Brown Field, San Diego where it was to be overhauled before its next assignment. From San Diego the Otter continued on to Edmonton where on arrival it was registered to Mackenzie Air Ltd, based at Edmonton Municipal Airport. This company was a subsidiary of La Ronge Aviation Services Ltd who took over the aircraft on August 31, 1976, in La Ronge, Saskatchewan.

In November 1982, it was sold to Harold J. Hansen/General Aircraft Supplies of Boeing Field, Seattle. He sold it in April 1983 to Tyee Airlines Inc. of Ketchikan, Alaska, joining their existing fleet of Otters. In January 1985, Temsco Helicopters, another Ketchikan-based operator, purchased Tyee Airlines and its aircraft. By 1989, Temsco Airlines were operating a fleet of nine Otters. In 1991, Temsco decided to close down its fixed wing division, although the helicopter division continued on and operates today as the largest helicopter operator in Southeast Alaska. In 1993, Wings of Alaska purchased it to add to their fleet of Otters and Beavers. In April 2002, N337AK was included in the employee purchase where it operates today under Wings Airways Inc.

N339AK Red Stripe

Built in 1965, the 454th DHC-3 Otter was purchased by the Tanzanian Air Force on April 12, 1966. It remained in Canada under the care of the RCAF until May 1967, when it was crated and shipped to Tanzania, where it was re-assembled and entered service, based at Dar Es Salaam. Of eight Otters in total, three were retained in Canada for training purposes and the other five went to Tanzania and continued in service there until April 1972, when Bannock Aerospace Ltd of Toronto purchased the fleet. The five Otters were flown from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to Nairobi- Wilson airfield in Kenya in April 1972. During the month of May, they were prepared for the long ferry flight back to Canada. Four of these Otters passed through Shannon in Ireland on the delivery flight home, the fifth passed through Prestwick in Scotland. N339AK’s full routing was Nairobi – Cairo – Heraklion – Rome – Ashford, England – Fairoaks, England – Prestwick, Scotland through Greenland to its final destination in Toronto.

After overhaul, on July 28, 1972, this Otter was sold on to B.C. Yukon Air Service Ltd of Watson Lake, Yukon. It went on to fly for this company for 17 successful years. In April 1989, it was sold to Temsco Inc. of Ketchikan, Alaska, who had previously also purchased N337AK. It flew as part of Temsco’s large fleet of Otters out of its Ketchikan base until the plane’s sale to Wings of Alaska in Juneau. In March 1993, it made the short move north from Ketchikan to Juneau, flying as part of the Wings of Alaska fleet on its scheduled services and particularly on its summertime charters out of Juneau for summertime guests. In April 2002, it joined the employee purchase where it operates today under Wings Airways Inc.