The Norseman is the only aircraft that can take an external load i.e. (boat/canoe) plus passengers to my knowledge because it is the only aircraft that has a manufacturer built and approved boat rack. Any other airplane is out of the loop because of Transport Canada regulations, which become even more restrictive December 2005. Now the plane has limits, but to give you some insight; 1) we have some lakes with baots already on them, 2) one occasion this fall we flew 7 small moose hunter Indians and 2 canoes plus gear, 3) WE ARE IN THE PROCESS of acquiring more commercial boat cache lakes, 4) we can make use of collapsible boats, 5) for speckeled trout river fishing, all you need is a pair of waders...ect...ect...

As you can see we have many options, but each trip is custom built to the requirements and weight restrictions of each party. You tell us what you want as far as the details, then we can give you a price. The cheapest trip is as low as $349 per person, pretty cheap for the quality of fishing you get because a) no road access and b) no lodge or outpost on the lake therefore no or very little fishing pressure. We also have outpost camps for as little as $899 each.

Dave Cichon says -

"This is Dave Cichon who flew with you guy's this past August. I was very impressed with your new "North of 50" advertisements. But am wondering how much gear can you fly with 4 people and a boat. I guess I'm wondering how that's possible as we were told you can't fly boats and people on the same flight, or is there more than one flight included. If it's one flight and your weight limit is included, you sure can't take much food and spirits plus camping gear to last a week. This ad is very impressive and we would be most interested. In fact I have a friend who is an avid fly fisherman and might be interested in getting a group together for something like this."

When Cessna makes single-engine airplanes, it makes them with wings on top. It’s a given that’s just the way things are done at Cessna. There are many advantages of a high-mounted wing: Downward visibility is good, and it’s easy to get in and out of, not to mention the fact that cabin space isn’t taken up by messy spars and other protrusions. The interior volume is huge. To paraphrase the old Honda commercial, “You’d be surprised what you can fit in a Cessna.”

Cessna’s handling characteristics hold no surprises in the dark corners of the envelope. Virtually every single-engine aircraft that Cessna has made is a decent basic airplane. That isn’t surprising, given that they all started out from the same design and evolved from there. They’re solid trainers and fun to fly.

Bob Tullius bought his pristine example of the Cessna 185 Skywagon for fun and probably because he has a thing for tail-draggers. The conventional-geared Skywagon is an anachronism in today’s tricycle world, but it has been one of the most enduring single-engine airplanes ever built. The Cessna 185 was first made in 1961 and ended its production run in 1985.

Cessna decided to refine an already good C-180 design and made an even better flier that can go in and out of any terrain that ranges from Tanzania to Alabama. The original Skywagons first flew with a 260-hp engine in July 1961 and boasted a 1,600-pound useful load. Then, Cessna added an IO-520D engine to its C-185E model to boost engine horsepower to 300 hp on takeoff. The resulting “new” engine gave the Skywagon 285 continuous horses and a cruise speed of 147 knots for 850 nm.

When it first came out of the factory, the option of choice wasn’t the cigarette lighter or a coupled autopilot. It was the factory float kit. Skis, 84-gallon fuel tanks, stretcher doors and even STOL kits were popular items at the time.

All of these things combined gave the Cessna 185 Skywagon the reputation as one of the best bush planes around. By the end of its 14-year production run, 34,048 Skywagons were built, 480 of which saw service in military garb as U-17As and U-17Bs.

The C-185 really made its mark because on wheels or skis it can carry up to six people and their gear or any combination thereof into and out of very tight, far-flung locations. Its 1,700-pound useful load allows for storage inside the spacious cabin or underneath the fuselage in a cargo pod.

The Skywagon is a bush pilot’s dream, even from the beginning, and the backcountry has now become its home. The wilderness of Canada, Alaska, South and Central America, Asia and Africa are more likely to hear the roar of a Cessna 185 Skywagon than any other airplane.

Engine make/model: Continental IO-520-D

Horsepower: 300

Horsepower for takeoff: 300

TBO hours: 1700

Landing gear type: Conv./Fixed

Max ramp weight (lbs): 3350

Gross weight (lbs): 3350

Max Landing weight (lbs.): 3350

Std. empty weight (lbs.): 1750

Useful load (lbs.): 1600

Usable fuel - std. (gals.): 88

Payload - full std. fuel(lbs.): 959

Wingspan (ft): 35 ft. 10 in.

Overall length (ft.): 25 ft. 8 in.

Height: 7 ft. 9 in.

Seating capacity: 6

PERFORMANCE (on wheels)

Max Speed (kts): 155

Cruise speed (kts): 145

Range (nm): 645 Vs (kts.): 49

Best rate of climb (fpm): 1075

Service ceiling (ft.): 17,900

Takeoff ground roll (ft.): 825

Takeoff over 50-ft. obstacle (ft.): 1430

Landing ground roll (ft.): 610

Landing over 50-ft. obstacle (ft.): 1400

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