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N323WA same spot at Anchorage.
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Photo: Geurt van den Berg © 01 August 2006 - Aird Archives
N323WA at Lake Hood, Anchorage.
Photo: Neil Aird © 08 September 2004 - Aird Archives
Photo: Mark Merry © October 2003 - Aird Archives
C-FWCS gets a dusting at Vancouver.
Photo: Geoff McDonell © February 1996 - Aird Archives
C-FWCS being washed at Campbell River.
Photo: Geoff McDonell © August 1995 - Aird Archives
C-FWCS sporting temporary tape registration !
Photo: William Jesse © May 1995 - Aird Archives
C-FWCS in very tailored Weldwood scheme.
Photo: John Kimberley © September 1988 - Aird Archives
Photo: John Kimberley © June 1988 - Aird Archives
XP817 with 132 Flight, Army Air Corps.
Photo: Jack M. Friell © June 1969 - Wayne Mutza Collection - Aird Archives
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Photo: Jack M. Friell © June 1969 - Aird Archives
XP817 at base of operations, Debra Marcos, Ethiopia.
Photo: Lt Col Richard Grevatte-Ball © 1968 - Aird Archives
XP817 in air-to-air poses.
Photos: AAC © Dates unknown - Private Collection - via Philip Harte - Aird Archives

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XP817 • N9063Q • C-FWCS

N323WA

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• de Havilland Aircraft, Hatfield. Delivered 30-Jun-1961 to Hawarden, Chester via Liverpool Docks.. First flight, 27-Sep-1961

• XP817 Army Air Corps (AAC). Delivered 29-Sep-1961.

To 2 MU RAF Sealand, North Wales, 05-Oct-1961 for shipment to the Far East.

Late 1961 taken on charge by either 11 or Flight, 656 Squadron, Selatar, Singapore.

To 30  Flight RASC  Squadron when formed at Kluang, Johor, Malaysia,  08-Apr-1964 after which the unit moved to Seletar. On 16-Jul-1974 .

To Brunei with XP780 on HMS Bulwark. 21 to 24-Aug-1964.

Accident: Bario, Sarawak. 25-Jan-1965. Category 4 damage. Hit starboard wheel on undershoot.

Unit retitled 130 Flight Royal Corp of Transport (RCT). 15-Jul-1965.

Repaired by 389MU RAF Seletar and returned to 130 Flight Dec-1966.

Returned to 389MU Jul-1967 RAF Seletar then to 32MU RAF St. Athan, South Glamorgan, Wales, Jul-1967.

To 132 Flight at Old Sarum, Wiltshire Jul-1967 with XP820 & XP825.

Ex PEELER 3, Police trials in Scotland, based Kinloss Mar-1968 with Westland Scouts of 10 Flight.

Note: The term “Peeler” is an old slang term for a policeman; so called from Sir Robert Peel, who reconstructed the police system. The term “Bobby”,being the nickname of Robert, is also another slang term for a British policeman. .

 The aircraft was operated on the Great Abbai Expedition (led by Lt Col J Blashford-Snell RE) 23-Jul-1968 to 09-Oct-1968 which is the name of the river as it passes through Ethiopia and then to the Blue Nile Expedition (Capt A S CalderRE and Capt R F Grevatte-Ball RCT.  With Sgts Davies & Tomminey REME). The route out from Europe was Corsica- Brindisi-Corfu-Crete-Egypt-Sudan-Eritrea-Asmara-Addis Ababa arriving on 01-Aug-1968. It returned to the UK by the same route between arriving 19-Oct 1968.

132 Flight  became part of 667 Aviation Squadron Jun-1969 and 132 Aviation Squadron 15-Jun-1970.

To 19MU RAF St. Athan, South Glamorgan, Wales, Feb-1970.

To Canada for British Army Training Unit, Suffield, Alberta (BATUS) Feb-1972 to Nov-1974 . Replaced by XP823.

To 19MU RAF St. Athan, South Glamorgan, Jan-1976. Marked “Gopher Airways” after the small burrowing rodents to be found in North America.

To 5MU at RAF Kemble Gloucestershire March 1980. (Purpose and actual dates unknown).

To RAF Shawbury, Shropshire for storage Jan 1983.

To AAC Centre, Middle Wallop, Hampshire 17-Jun-1984.

Sold to USA 04-Jun-1987.

• N9063Q Wipaire Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN. Regd Jun-1987. Canx Sep-1987

• C-FWCS Regd 01-Feb-1987.

• C-FWCS Weldwood of Canada, Vancouver, BC. Regd 21-Mar-1988. Canx 18-Apr-1995.

• C-FWCS International Forest Products Ltd., Vancouver, BC. Regd 29-May-1995. Deleted on export to USA. 27-May-1996.

• N323WA Wayne Alden, McGregor, Minnesota. Regd 04-Jun-1996. Canx 04-Nov-2002.

Airworthiness date: 17-Jun-1996. Category – Normal.

• N323WA AK West Guides & Outfitters, Anchorage, AK. Regd 06-Feb-2003. Canx 02-Feb-2004.

• N323WA John S. Berggren, Anchorage, AK. Regd Feb-2004. Canx 06-Apr-2004

• N323WA Stanwood Company Inc., Anchorage, AK. Regd 06-Apr-2004. Re-regd 06-Feb-2012. Expiry date 28-Feb-2015.

• N323WA Kim B. Wright, Anchorage, AK.  Regd 11-Jul-2012. "Blue Belle".

tt 8,239 hours.

.• N323WA Katmai Expeditions LLC., King Salmon, AK. Regd 13-Nov-2024.

• Current •

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