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Curtiss HS-2LPeriod: Bush Flying (JPG -
23 k)
The HS-2L was the final version of a series of patrol flying boats developed in the last two years of World War I. The United States Navy flew HS-2Ls on anti-submarine patrols from bases in Nova Scotia. At the end of the war twelve HS-2Ls were donated to Canada, and many others were purchased as war surplus. The HS-2L was Canada's first bush aircraft and was the predominant Canadian bush plane until 1926 or 1927. Operators of the HS-2L established the traditions of Canadian bush flying. (JPG -
31k)
HS-2L aircraft flew the first forestry patrols, made the first aerial timber survey in 1919, staked the first mining claim using an aircraft in 1920, and in 1924 was used to establish the first scheduled air service and the first regular air mail service in Canada. Museum Example Registration #: G-CAAC
HS-2L G-CAAC, the museum's aircraft, performed the first ever "bush flight" in 1919. The restored HS-2L on display incorporates parts from three different aircraft. The original aircraft was manufactured in 1918. Operated out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, it was presented to the Canadian Government and subsequently loaned to the St. Maurice Fire Protective Association. This aircraft performed Canada's first commercial flights in June 1919. On September 2, 1922, it crashed into Foss Lake, Ontario. The hull and many parts and fittings were retrieved by the museum during a salvage operation in 1968-69. The hull was preserved as recovered, and a new hull was constructed at the museum. Specifications
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