PI-C-53? de Havilland Canada DHC-3
Otter (c/n 72)
Consensus of opinion among de Havilland of Canada officianados is that
aircraft most likely became
PI-C53 upon being uncrated in the Philipinnes early in
1955. I am frankly surprised that the Canadian
DoT or Transport Canada, or whatever it was
known as in those
days,
permitted even test flight or
photo-op sorties without displaying some form
of
ferry markings. PI-C53 was the third of six Otters
which were used by PAL in their "Rural Air
Service" operation, providing air transportation between
remote villages scattered throughout the
many islands of the nation with larger centers of commerce.
Such service, possible
only with STOL aircraft, provided hitherto unheard of convenience,
eliminating
days, or even weeks of ground
travel to a matter of a minutes or hours. "Rural Air
Service" ran for
about a decade but was then unfortunatly
suspended following the crashes of four of the Otters.
The remaining two were used on charter services ntil 1968 when both
returned to Canada. PI-C53
became CF-XUX.