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
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.
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.