CF-BND de
Havilland D.H.89A Dragon
Rapide
(c/n
6375)
In Canada they put virtually
everything
on floats, although the pontoons are pretty well
hidden by the bushes in this Leo K.
John shot of the mid 1940s. However, this image
of
a Central Northern Airways Rapide does illustrate well the dorsal
fin added to compensate
for
the side area of the floats. Shortly after this photograph was
taken CF-BND was sold
to
Queen Charlotte Airlines in B.C. and shortly after that (29 July
1949) it was written off
in a crash landing into trees on Digby
Island,
B.C. It had just taken off from Prince Rupert
and, unbeknowst to
the
crew, the fuel had been siphoned off by thieves during the previous
night . Hopefully
the
criminals were apprehended. Canadian contributor Ross
Herrington
indicates that the above
shot was taken at the Brandon Avenue base in Winnipeg
around
1947 or '48.