Noorduyn Norseman
A Noorduyn Norseman landing on the Kenai River in Alaska.
Type	general aviation aircraft
Manufacturer	Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd
Designed by	Robert B.C. Noorduyn

The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown on the Arctic and Antarctic continents. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 549 pixelsFull resolution (1403 × 962 pixel, file size: 225 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of a Norseman landing on the Kenai River, Alaska. ... The Kenai River, Alaska, in August 2003 The Kenai River, Alaska, in March 2007 The Kenai River is a river in the Kenai Peninsula of south central Alaska. ... Official language(s) English[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... Robert B.C. Noorduyn (6 April 1893 in Nimwegen, the Netherlands - 22 February 1959 in South Burlington, Vermont) was an aircraft designer and manufacturer. ... An American Champion Scout. ...

Design and development

Designed by Robert B.C. Noorduyn, the Noorduyn Norseman was produced from 1935 to 1959, originally by Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd. and later by the Canada Car and Foundry company. Robert B.C. Noorduyn (6 April 1893 in Nimwegen, the Netherlands - 22 February 1959 in South Burlington, Vermont) was an aircraft designer and manufacturer. ... Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd. ... Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) also variously known as Canadian Car and Foundry, or more familiarly as Can Car, manufactured buses, railroad rolling stock and later aircraft for the Canadian market. ...

Noorduyn Norseman "CF-BSB" still operating in 2006, Edmund Lakes Lodge, Manitoba.

With the experience of working on many ground-breaking designs at Fokker, Bellanca and Pitcairn-Cierva, Noorduyn decided to create his own design in 1934, the Noorduyn Norseman. Along with colleague, Walter Clayton, Noorduyn created his original company, Noorduyn Aircraft Limited in early 1933 at Montreal while a successor company bearing the name, Noorduyn Aviation, was established in 1935. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 2. ... Fokkers first airplane, the Spin (1910) Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Canada Province Quebec Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ...

Noorduyn's vision of a bush plane revolved around a few basic criteria: it should be an aircraft with which a Canadian operator utilizing existing talents, equipment and facilities could make money, it should be a high wing monoplane to facilitate loading and unloading of passengers and cargo at seaplane docks and airports and, finally, it should be an all-around superior aircraft to those in use in Canada. From the outset, Noorduyn designed the transport to have interchangeable wheel, ski or twin-float landing gear. Unlike most aircraft designs, the Norseman was first fitted with floats, then skis and, finally, fixed landing gear.

The final design layout looked much like Noorduyn's earlier Fokker designs, with all-welded steel tubing fuselage structure and wood stringers applied to it for the attachment of a fabric skin. The Norseman's wing had an all wood construction and was fabric covered, except for the flaps and ailerons, which were made of welded steel tubing.

Operational history

"Spirit of the Kenai" operating as a charter, Cooper Landing, Alaska in August 2005.

The first Norseman, powered by a Wright R-975-E3 Whirlwind, was flight tested on floats 14 November 1935 and was sold and delivered to Dominion Skyways Ltd. on 18 January 1936, registered as "CF-AYO" and named “Arcturus." In summer 1941, Warner Brothers leased CF-AYO for the filming of "Captains of the Clouds" starring James Cagney. Principal aerial photography took place near North Bay, Ontario with CF-AYO carrying temporary registration "CF-HGO." Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 519 pixelsFull resolution (1387 × 900 pixel, file size: 187 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of a Norseman still operating as a charter in Cooper Landing, Alaska. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 519 pixelsFull resolution (1387 × 900 pixel, file size: 187 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of a Norseman still operating as a charter in Cooper Landing, Alaska. ... Cooper Landing, also commonly referred to as Coopers Landing or The Landing, is a rural community on Alaskas Kenai Peninsula, about 160 kilometers south of Anchorage. ... Official language(s) English[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Captains of the Clouds is a 1942 Warner Bros war film, directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by William Cagney, with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. ... James Francis Cagney, Jr. ... North Bay ( , time zone EST) is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada (2006 population 53,966). ...

Almost immediately, the Norseman proved itself to be a rugged reliable workhorse with steady sales. The first aircraft, CF-AYO, was designated the Norseman Mk I. The next aircraft, "CF-BAU," having some minor changes required after the certification tests, and a new Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp SC-1 engine up-rated from 420 to 450 HP, was designated Norseman Mk II while the next three aircraft were Norseman Mk IIIs: "CF-AZA" going to MacKenzie Air Service, Edmonton, Alberta, "CF-AZE" to Prospector Airways, Clarkson, Ontario and "CF-AZS" to Starrat Airways, Hudson, Ontario. "CF-BAU" would be modified on 26 June 1937 to became the prototype Norseman Mk IV, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp S3H-1. The Mk IV became the "definitive" model but the production run may have ended at a few hundred examples if not for the advent of the Second World War. Pratt & Whitney R-1340 The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp was a reciprocating engine widely used in American aircraft from the 1920s onward. ... Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, situated in the north central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farm land on the prairies. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Second World War

Noorduyn C-64 Norseman, Flygvapenmuseum (The Official Museum of the Swedish Air Force)

Until 1940, the Noorduyn company had only sold 17 aircraft in total, primarily to commercial operators in Canada's north and to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. With the outbreak of war in Europe, demand for a utility transport led to major military orders. The Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Army Air Force became the two largest operators; the RCAF ordered 38 Norseman Mk IVWs for radio and navigational training for the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 379 pixelsFull resolution (1220 × 578 pixel, file size: 207 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This picture may have usage restrictions - Noorduyn C-64 Norseman Source: Own picture File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 379 pixelsFull resolution (1220 × 578 pixel, file size: 207 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This picture may have usage restrictions - Noorduyn C-64 Norseman Source: Own picture File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old... The Swedish Air Force Museum (in Swedish Flygvapenmuseum) is located in Linköping. ... RCMP redirects here. ... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces. ... The United States Army Air Forces, or USAAF, was a part of the U.S. military during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... External links The Canadian Contribution (includes newspaper archives) World War II Newspaper Archives — The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. ...

USAAF Colonel Bernt Balchen had been involved in establishing a staging route across Greenland to facilitate the ferrying of aircraft from North America to Europe. He required a bush plane rugged enough to survive in the harsh conditions of the Arctic. After evaluating six Norsemen diverted from a previous RCAF order, late in 1941, he recommended the purchase of the Norseman Mk IV specially modified to USAAF requirements as the YC-64A. After the US entry into the Second World War, the USAAF placed the first of several orders for a production version C-64A Norseman. The principal differences involved fitting two fuselage belly tanks bringing the standard fuel capacity to 201 Imp. gal (914.5 l); an additional cabin fuel tank of 32 Imp. gal (145.6 l) could also be installed. These changes resulted in an increase of 950 lb (431 kg) in the loaded weight of the standard Mk IV. Deliveries began in mid-1942 with the American military eventually placing orders for 749 Norseman Mk IV as the C-64A (later UC-64A) aircraft. Bernt Balchen, D.F.C., (23 October 1899 – 17 October 1973), was a Norwegian-American polar (and general) aviation pioneer. ...

Throughout the Second World War, the USAAF Norseman aircraft were used in North America (primarily Alaska) as well as other in theaters of war, including Europe. Three UC-64A aircraft were used by the US Navy under the designation JA-1. Six C-64B floatplanes were used by the US Army Corps of Engineers, as well as by other Allied air forces who placed orders for 43 Norseman Mk IVs. The RCAF placed an additional order for 34 aircraft, designated RCAF Norseman Mk VI. Noorduyn was the sole manufacturer but when the USAAF considered ordering a larger number of C-64As, licensed production of 600 aircraft by Aeronca Aircraft Corp. (Middletown, Ohio) was contemplated before the contract was cancelled in 1943. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ... Aeronca, located in Middletown, Ohio, is a manufacturer of engine components and airframe structures for commercial aviation and the defense industry. ...

Postwar

Noorduyn Norseman "CF-HBY,"
Edmonton Aviation Museum, Edmonton, Alberta

In postwar production, the Canada Car and Foundry in Fort William, Ontario acquired rights to the Norseman design, producing a version known as the Norseman Mk V, a civilian version of the wartime Mk IV. In order to exploit the market further, the "Can Car" factory designed and built the Norseman Mk VII. This version had a bigger engine, a new all-metal wing and greater cargo capacity but was fated never to go into production. With large Korean War commitments at that time, the company put it into temporary storage where it was destroyed in a hangar fire in September 1951. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 1. ... Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) also variously known as Canadian Car and Foundry, or more familiarly as Can Car, manufactured buses, railroad rolling stock and later aircraft for the Canadian market. ... Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. ...

In 1953, Noorduyn headed a group of investors who bought back the jigs and equipment from Canada Car and Foundry and started a new company called Noorduyn Norseman Aircraft Ltd. Bob Noorduyn became ill and died at his home in South Burlington, Vermont on 22 February 1959 but the company he had created, provided support for operating Norseman aircraft and even built three new Mk Vs before selling its assets in 1982 to Norco Associates. Norco provided support services only, as the manufacture of a new Norseman aircraft, being labor intensive, was very expensive. Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) also variously known as Canadian Car and Foundry, or more familiarly as Can Car, manufactured buses, railroad rolling stock and later aircraft for the Canadian market. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The last Noorduyn Norseman to be built was sold and delivered to a commercial customer on 19 January 1959. A total of 903 Norseman aircraft (Mk I - Mk V) were produced and delivered to various commercial and military customers. It is estimated that approximately 18 Norseman aircraft are currently still in use. January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trivia

A minor historical footnote is the fact that Glenn Miller was flying in a Norseman when he disappeared somewhere over the English Channel during the Second World War. Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904 — presumably December 15, 1944), was an American jazz musician and bandleader in the swing era. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The Canadian Second World War "ace-of-aces" George Beurling also died in a Norseman while landing at Urbe Airport in Rome, Italy, in 1948. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Buzz Beurling, 2 March 1943. ...

Norseman aircraft appeared in the films Grey Owl (1999) and the Snow Walker (2003). Portrait of Grey Owl (1936), by Yousuf Karsh. ... Snow-Walker is a medieval fantasy book written by author Catherine Fisher. ...

In recognition of the Norseman's role in serving the remote villages of northern Canada, the town of Red Lake, Ontario, a jumping-off point for remote communities in Northwestern Ontario, promotes itself as The Norseman Capital of the World. Each summer in July, the "Norseman Floatplane Festival" brings Norseman aircraft to Red Lake as the centrepiece of a community based weekend festival ranging from stage entertainment, children's games and rides, contests, cultural and historical displays and street vendors with craft and specialty booths. Red Lake is a municipality and census division 535 km north-west of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. ... Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. ...

Military Operators

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway. ... Ranks Norwegian military ranks Luftforsvaret or the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) is the air force of Norway. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... Coat of arms of the Swedish Air Force. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ...

Technical data

In aerodynamics, a stall is a sudden reduction in the lift forces generated by an airfoil. ... The Piper Super Cub is a popular taildragger aircraft. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... NACA may mean: National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics National Association for Campus Activities [1] Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, an industry association of shrimp farmers and other aquaculture industries. ... Look up chord in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Fig. ... In geometry, the dihedral is the angle between two planes. ... This article is about the convenience store. ... The swept wing of an airliner: British Midland Airbus A320-200 A swept-wing is a wing planform used on high-speed aircraft that spend a considerable portion of their flight time in the transonic. ... WING ESPN 1410 is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton, Ohio operating with 5,000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios, offices and transmitter located on David Road in Kettering. ... For the band with a similar name, see The Ailerons Ailerons are hinged control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. ... The word Flap can refer to several things. ... The tail of a Lufthansa airliner (Airbus A319) in flight, showing the horizontal and vertical stabilizer For aircraft, the horizontal stabilizer is a fixed or adjustable surface from which an elevator may be hinged, while a vertical stabilizer (also called a fin) is fixed to the aircraft and supports the... The tail of a Lufthansa airliner (Airbus A319) in flight, showing the horizontal and vertical stabilizer For aircraft, the horizontal stabilizer is a fixed or adjustable surface from which an elevator may be hinged, while a vertical stabilizer (also called a fin) is fixed to the aircraft and supports the... The tail of a Lufthansa airliner (Airbus A319) in flight, showing the horizontal and vertical stabilizer For aircraft, the horizontal stabilizer is a fixed or adjustable surface from which an elevator may be hinged, while a vertical stabilizer (also called a fin) is fixed to the aircraft and supports the... Stern-mounted steering oar of an Egyptian riverboat depicted in the Tomb of Menna (c. ...

References

• Milberry, Larry. Aviation in Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1979. ISBN 0-07-082778-8.
• Munson, Kenneth. Bombers, Patrol and Transport Aircraft 1939-1945. London: Blandford Press, 1969. ISBN 0-7537-0919-8.

Larry Milberry (born 1943) is a Canadian aviation author and publisher. ...

External links

• Official Noorduyn Norseman web site
  
• Unofficial Noorduyn Norseman web site