September 06, 2002

Subject: Sabourin Lake Airways Norseman 1969
 
I flew in and out of Sabourin Lake in a Norseman in 1968 and 1969. My
grandfather was the mechanic for the lodges' equipment, and I spent time
there in the summer of 1969. [I] Stayed over at the owner of Sabourin Lake Airways' home. I had to be at the dock by 7:00 am and no one was awake, so I took my suitcase and crept out of the house for the dock. When I got there, the Pilot asked me to pump out the floats, which I did. When I crossed the float strut, I rubbed the back of my new jacket along the belly and ruined it just like that. It was just me and the Pilot on the plane for that flight to the Lodge.  When we took off, it seemed not want to get up, and I wondered if I had pumped enough water out of the floats. Finally we lifted off; it was an incredible   thing for a twelve-year-old boy. I fell in love with this plane and it has always meant more to me than a Beaver or Otter. What terrific memories the Norseman has given me. 

I see 'C-FJEC' in white with red and black trim on the web; I would like to find it in the yellow and blue, as I remember it.   What a wonderful sound it made out in the middle of nowhere, when it took off you could hear the echo through the woods for what seemed like forever. Attached is a picture of me, a very unhappy twelve year old leaving Sabourin Lake on my last Norseman flight in 1969. The man on the strut was a helper, and the pilot is waiting impatiently in the doorway, I think his name was Rick. My Grandfather meant a lot to me, as did the aircraft, but I only have this one picture, which doesn't show the whole plane. I would like to build a model of it or paint one, and
have had no luck tracking down a shot of the whole plane in this paint
scheme. Any help would be greatly appreciated

 Jeff Dick