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Continuation of the DC-6 story started in NetLetter 1531 through 1537.
Conifair Aviation - air spraying specialists.
Conifair (an abbreviation of 'Conifer spraying by air') had been formed in 1978, first operating two L-749 Constellations, later joined by four DC-4s, all of which were converted to agricultural sprayers. They had spray bars along the top of the wings, which were fed by tanks in the fuselage containing the insecticide.
Flown under contract to the Canadian Department of Lands & Forests, their principal objective was to protect the conifer forests from the spruce budworm pest. Conifair's base was at St. Jean, Quebec, but most flying was undertaken from Rivière-du-Loup, which was much closer to the forests.
After completion of the 1983 spraying season in July of that year, the two Connies were stored and put up for sale. Spraying operations would continue with the DC-4’s and with the new DC-6’s recently bought by the company. Our subject was flown to St. Jean, registered C-GBZC, painted into the Conifair colour scheme (photo below) of blue cheat line with a thin red line at the lower edge of the blue, and converted to a sprayer, with the installation of internal tanks and spray bar.
It was given the number 09 on the rear fuselage and company roof titles. The other two DC-6's purchased by Conifair from Detroit became C-GBYA (ex-N3022F) and C-GBYS (ex-N2904F). All three DC-6s joined the DC-4s in the attack on spruce budworm, flying from Rivière-du-Loup during the spraying season. C-GBZC was active during the 1984 and 1985 seasons.
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C-GBZC at Saint-Jean, Quèbec - August 1984
Photo courtesy of David Osborne |
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Subscriber Ken Swartz sent in the following -
Dutch aviation historian Ruud Leeuw is trying to identify a PWA Curtiss C-46 photographed in British Columbia in the mid-1960's. The C-46 carries the fleet number 502, but the registration is not visible.
Perhaps one of the NetLetter readers might know more about the aircraft’s registration and details of its use by PWA?
Please contact us at
Click the link or the image below and scroll down the page for known details about this aircraft.
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Canadian Pacific Airlines offices at Fort McMurray, Alberta in 1956.
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