OH-VKL Karhumaki Karhu 48
Bear
(c/n 6)
The three
Karhumaki Brothers were something of an aviation legend in
Finland. Before WW II
they founded an airline as an adjunct to their aircraft overhaul and
aerial photography business. In
1948 they designed and produced the Karhu 48 as a utility type aircraft
designed for "bush" services
in the
north of Finland. In the event plenty of ex-military aircraft
became available and the project
was not
pursued. Only two Karhu 48s were built. OH-VKL was the
second - the first was
OH-VKK.
This rare photograph, acquired from Karhumaki Airways in the
early 1950s shows
the
machine on floats, although it was equally at home on wheels or
skis. I believe this aircraft was
later
updated in some way and received the designation Karhu 48B, being
re-registered OH-KUA
at
that time. The Finnish Aviation Museum at Vantaa has this latter
aircraft on display in its exhibits.