Bushplane Days at Sault Ste. Marie
celebrated 100th OPAS Anniversary

Report and photos by Gord McNulty
OPAS Anniversary photos courtesy of Pierre Verhelst
posted November 2024
Sault Ste. Marie is invariably an attractive destination, with its colourful aviation history and waterfront amenities along the St. Mary’s River.
 
The 100th anniversary of the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) this year, combined with the excitement of Bushplane Days at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (CBHC), prompted my wife Angie and I to drive to the Sault for a late-summer visit in September.
 
The story began on October 1, 1924, when construction started on a large OPAS waterfront hangar, complete with a slipway on the St. Mary’s River. The Sault Daily Star reported that 80 to 100 men would be employed in the job and it would take two months to complete.  Final touches on the interior were completed in April 1925. 
 
The OPAS began operations with Curtiss HS-2L flying boats. Captain William Roy Maxwell, the founder and first Director of the OPAS, introduced many well-known aviation personalities who mastered wilderness operations and whose stories are in the CAHS Journal.
 
Innovative techniques in forest fire control, detection and prevention, bush flying, aerial forest survey and more were established by the OPAS.  Sault Ste. Marie earned an international reputation in forest management.
 
The hangar facilities, expanded in 1947, were used by the OPAS until 1991 when operations were moved to the Sault Ste. Marie Airport.  With the move, the CBHC found a natural home for its excellent collection of aircraft and artifacts.
 
The celebration began this year on Sept. 18 with a welcome reception for old friends to reconnect and share memories. A “Discovery Day” filled with interactive programming, tours of the hangar and archives, and more, was held during the day on Sept. 19. 
 
The evening featured “A Sky High Soiree” with a presentation by historian Dr. Robert Galway, well-known to many CAHS members, exploring the fascinating life of Roy Maxwell - described as “the forgotten pilot of Canada’s North.”  Tim Murphy performed as Maxwell as part of a theatre presentation that I’m told was very successful and well-attended.
Dr. Robert Galway presenting on the life of Roy Maxwell.
Tim Murphy playing Roy Maxwell.
I arrived in the Sault to attend an excursion on Sept. 20 to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) Fire and Aviation Division operations at the Sault Ste. Marie Airport.   Attendees, especially from out-of-town, enjoyed this rare opportunity for a behind the scenes look at the MNR’s aircraft.
A Turbo Beaver undergoes heavy maintenance at the MNR hangar in Sault Ste. Marie on Sept. 20 2024.
One of nine CL-415s in the MNR fleet, shown at the MNR hangar in Sault Ste. Marie, Sept. 20, 2024.
Visitors to the MNR hangar tour the CL-415.
The MNR fleet includes nine Bombardier Canadair CL-415 water bombers, along with Twin Otters, a Turbo Beaver and helicopters.
 
An MNR staffer stated the agile 415s typically fly four-hour missions. They can drop 30 to 40 loads of water on a serious fire.  “Our record was 102 loads in six hours.”
 
The turboprop CL-415 is a major upgrade on the MNR’s previous fleet of piston-engined CL-215s, which required considerably more maintenance and were not as reliable as the 415.
Credit: Jamie Hilsinger, Executive Director of the CBHC.
Our next stop was a “meet and greet” luncheon visit with the RCAF Snowbirds at the airport. The Snowbirds had completed a practice for their Bushplane Days demonstration on Sept. 21.  A lively conversation at the airport café was enjoyed by all.
The Snowbirds approaching the Sault Ste Marie waterfront.
The Snowbirds flew an eight-plane display at Sault Ste. Marie.
The Snowbirds flew over the International Bridge at the Sault.
Two boatloads of passengers  aboard the Michigan-based Soo Locks Tours enjoyed the show on the Ontario side of the St. Mary's River.
The entire waterfront was packed with spectators who gathered under sunny skies to watch the Snowbirds fly a non-aerobatic display.  Eight Tutors were flown, as one of the team’s nine jets had a problem. The impressive performance drew rave reviews.
Left to Right: Chris Gardner, President of OPSEU L605, Dave Gagnon, Steward of OPSEU L605 & Pierre Verhelst, Past President of OPSEU L605.
An aluminum plaque depicting the 100th Anniversary logo was presented to the CBHC in another highlight of Bushplane Days this year.  Chris Gardner, President of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) – Local 605 – presented the plaque, fabricated by Quantum CNC in Whitby, ON.
 
The plaque was placed in right in front of the CBHC’s iconic DHC-2 Beaver, CF-OBS, purchased by the OPAS in 1948 as the first Beaver off the production line.
 
Despite overcast weather on Sept. 22, the MNR staged a CL-415 demonstration on the river to the delight of aviation fans.
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