86-year-old floatplane, last of its kind known to still be flying, takes to the skies in Vanderhoof, B.C.

An airplane with origins successful the days erstwhile bush pilots transported people, cargo and adjacent horses crossed bluish Canada is taking formation erstwhile again successful cardinal B.C.

A 1938 Bellanca Aircruiser, made from various materials including wood and fabric, is spending the summertime successful Vanderhoof, B.C., astir 100 kilometres westbound of Prince George.

On indebtedness from the Erickson Aircraft Collection successful Oregon, it's being piloted by Glenn Pearce, a retired Air Canada aviator with implicit 55 years of experience.

In a travel much than 1,000 kilometres long, Pearce flew the level from the Erickson depository successful the assemblage of Madras, Oregon up to Vanderhoof. It was a multi-day trip and helium utilized lone a representation and a compass to usher him, conscionable arsenic bush pilots did before the advent of GPS systems.

"It was rather an experience," helium said. "It's precise hands-and-feet, you've got to beryllium flying that happening each the time.... but it flies precise well."

WATCH | Taking formation successful a historical aircraft: 

Though primitively designed to transport aggregate passengers, U.S. national regulations banned single-engine planes similar the Bellanca Aircruisers from that task successful 1934.

That led to a caller marketplace for them, chiefly successful supporting mining and exploration operations successful Canada arsenic precocious arsenic the 1970s.

"It's airplanes similar this that really opened up the north," said B.C. Aviation Museum president Stephen Dale. "Prior to these airplanes, it was an awfully agelong haul to get thing up to the bluish communities... you tin get this happening into an country that is virtually unapproachable by immoderate different means of transportation."

According to the Erickson Collection, the plane Pearce has been flying was customized built to enactment a golden mining cognition successful the Phillipines before being pressed into work successful Canada, and is the past of its benignant inactive capable to fly.

Pearce said among the pilots who've flown it is Wilfred Leigh Brintnell, who according to Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, was the archetypal idiosyncratic to ellipse Great Bear Lake by air. That led to the find of uranium deposits successful the area, which were yet utilized successful the Manhattan Project and the improvement of the archetypal atomic bombs.

Pearce is taking the level connected abbreviated trips astir the portion and locals person been dropping by with questions. He plans to bring it to the Fort St. John aerial amusement connected the play of Aug. 2 and 3 and to person a nationalist lawsuit successful Vanderhoof successful September.

"I'm precise privileged to beryllium capable to alert thing similar this," helium said. "It's a priceless portion of equipment."

LISTEN | Pearce connected flying a historical plane: