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November 15, 2025Rarities in Canada – The fascination of classic prop-liners
Canada is known for its rugged beauty and the vastness of the North – and it is precisely there, at inconspicuous airfields like Yellowknife, Hay River, and Red Deer, that you can find an impressive collection of rare and unusual aircraft. Anyone interested in aviation history off the beaten path will find a unique collection of still-living legends at these airports. While similar aircraft have long since been retired elsewhere, here they continue to perform their daily service, providing a true bush pilot experience.
Tip for visitors: have a chat with the respective airlines to gain ramp access before your visit. Also check our plane spotting positions – with a little luck, you might see one of the famous DC-3s or a Dash 7 taking off up close.
Written by Julian Mittnacht, Photos by Gerrit Griem
Yellowknife Airport (YZF/CYZF) – The Gateway to the North
Yellowknife Airport is perhaps the best-known of these airports. As the busiest hub in Northern Canada, it serves not only as a supply point for remote communities but also as home to spectacular aircraft types that would long since be museum pieces. Particularly noteworthy are:
- Curtiss C-46D Commando and Lockheed L-100 Hercules – workhorses of past decades, still in cargo and special service.
- Lockheed L-188 Electra, De Havilland Canada DHC-6, and DHC-7 Dash 7 – rare turboprops for heavy loads and short runways.
- Canadair CL-215 – famous as a water bomber for fighting forest fires.
- Boeing 737-200 with Gravel Kit – an almost extinct relic that can land on unpaved runways.
Airlines operating at the airport:
- Buffalo Airways: Legendary status not only due to the TV series "Ice Pilots NWT," but also their vibrant fleet of DC-3s, C-46s, L-188s, and the 737-300F.
- Air Tindi: Operator of the largest civilian Dash 7 fleet worldwide – an aircraft type that is almost exclusively seen here.
- Other operators such as Summit Air and Canadian North** provide a mix of scheduled flights, charters, and special transport services.
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- C-FATA
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- C-FATW
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- C-FAVO
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- C-FBAE
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- C-FEQX
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- C-FERJ
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- C-FEUR
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- C-FEXZ
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- C-FLFR
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- C-FTFX
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- C-FUPT
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- C-FVGF
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- C-FWAH
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- C-FYWP
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- C-GBAO
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- C-GFFL
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- C-GFYN
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- C-GHUE
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- C-GNLW
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- C-GNPS
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- C-GNRD
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- C-GNVC
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- C-GOSA
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- C-GTVO
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- C-GUAT
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- C-GUUW
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- C-GVYZ
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- C-GXFC
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- C-GZCN
Hay River Airport (YHY) – Home of the Propliners
Hay River, a 30 minutes ride from YZF, is less of a hub and more of a true mecca for fans of old propeller aircraft. Buffalo Airways parks many of its reserve aircraft here, including:
- Numerous C-54/R5D/DC-4s from World War II stocks – often decommissioned, but kept in reserve as a source of spare parts.
- DHC-6 Twin Otters for short-haul flights in the North.
- The airport is strongly associated with so-called "propliners" through Buffalo Airways and Air Tindi – aircraft that elsewhere are usually only found in museums.
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- C-GPSH
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- C-GPMA
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- C-GCTF
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- C-GBAJ
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- C-FNRM
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- C-FIQM
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- C-FIJX
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- C-FBAP
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- C-FBAM
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- C-FBAK
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- C-FBAJ
Red Deer Airport (YQF) – The Wilderness Spare Parts Depot
Red Deer in southern Alberta is home to the maintenance and storage hangars of Buffalo Airways and the firefighting specialist Air Spray. Here you'll find:
- A mix of DC-3s, Convair aircraft, and other equipment, some active, some dismantled for parts.
- The Red Deer yard scene is legendary: Rare aircraft are lined up between the hangars, waiting for a new purpose as a source of spare parts or a museum piece.
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- C-GYXC
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- C-GKFO
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- C-GBNV
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- 140115
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- N907AS
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- C-FKFB
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- C-FDTD
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- C-GJTZ
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- C-GTFC
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- CF-CUE
Great addition to SpotterGuide. I visited Yellowknife in 2019 and I took a facilities tour with Buffalo Airways that gave you hangar and ramp access. You can book that here:
https://www.buffaloairwear.com/pages/hangar-tours
Here are my pictures of that visit.