Salt Spring Air

Infobox_Airline
airline=Salt Spring Air
logo=
logo_size=
fleet_size=3
destinations=10
IATA=
ICAO=
callsign=
company_name=Salt Spring Air
founded=2003
headquarters=Saltspring Island, British Columbia
key_people=St. Clair McColl (Owner)
focus_cities=Ganges, Vancouver
frequent_flyer=
lounge=
alliance=
website=http://www.saltspringair.com
Salt Spring Air (also known as Saltspring Air [http://saltspringair.ca/ Salt Spring Air] - Retrieved on March 30, 2008] ) is the only floatplane company based on Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada. [ [http://www.saltspringmarket.com/top_Location.htm Getting to Salt Spring] - Salt Spring Market. Retrieved on March 30, 2008] It operates scheduled flights, charter air service and tours based in Ganges [http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/en/Report/anre2005/add/taba96.htm Local service airlines providing scheduled air services] - Transport Canada. Retrieved on March 30, 2008.] and specializes in routes between the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. [http://www.saltspringair.com/ The Islanders Airline] - saltspringair.com. Retrieved on March 30, 2008.] Along with West Coast Air, Harbour Air and Seair, Salt Spring Air is one of the four airlines that operate in the Vancouver Harbour Water Airport and Vancouver International Water Airport. [ [http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/SearchResultsListings/BritishColumbia.htm?CATID=-1&LOCID=646&KWDS=&NBY=True&FLID=646&FL1ID=5032&PN=2 Vancouver Harbour ATC] ] Scheduled flights by the company also operate between the Gulf Islands and the Vancouver International Airport. [ [http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/SearchResultsListings/BritishColumbia.htm?CATID=-1&LOCID=646&KWDS=&NBY=True&FLID=646&FL1ID=5032&PN=2 Transport listings] - Tourism BC. Retrieved on 30 March, 2008.]

History

The founder of Salt Spring Air, St. Clair McColl, started operating flights on Saltspring in 1985 when his whole family moved onto the island. McColl, at the time a pilot for Harbour Air, came from a flying family. His father, John B.McColl, was a decorated fighter pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain. [ [http://www.battleofbritain.net/bobhsoc/aircrew/pilots-am.html Air crew roll of honour] - Battle of Britain History Society. Retrieved on March 31, 2008] His extended family also includes, Frank and Harry Quigley, flying aces in World War I. [ [http://www.pr.com/press-release/67659 SaltSpring Air] - Press Release. Retrieved on March 30, 2008.] [ [http://www.defence.co.kr/bbs/bbs.cgi?db=history6&mode=read&num=3581&page=2&ftype=6&fval=&backdepth=1 Fighter pilot ace list] - Defence Korea. Retrieved on April 1, 2008.]

In June 2003, McColl started Salt Spring Air, with local seaplane services based on the Gulf Islands with a four-seat Cessna 185. The airline's services was targeted to the islands' residents, and personalized services were offered. Since then, with the introduction of de Havilland Beavers in 2004, the company's fleet has grown to four planes operating six scheduled flights from Salt Spring Island to Vancouver, and other scheduled flights fly to various other locations on the Gulf Islands. It remains the only airline based on Salt Spring Island. [ [http://www.saltspringair.com/ourstory.htm Our story] - Saltspring Air. Retrieved on April 1, 2008.]

Salt Spring Air has recently become carbon neutral. [ [http://www.emcmarketing.com/innfocus/spr08/innspr08final.pdf InnFocus Spring 2008] - BC Inn Association. Retrieved on April 2, 2008.]

During what began as a routine flight on March 19, 2007, St. Clair McColl rescued a father and son from the frigid waters of the Strait of Georgia after a passenger noticed their capsized boat and notified McColl. The pilot and his two passengers were later honoured by the Lifesaving Society of British Columbia for the rescue. [ [http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/saltspringislanddriftwood/news/17017886.html Awards to Salt Spring Air, pilot and passengers] ] [ [http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=5a74a81c-561f-466d-b451-162c01a19088&k=88767 Times colonist, 20 march 2007] A father and son from Vancouver whose boat capsized in the Strait of Georgia yesterday may owe their lives to a veteran seaplane pilot from Saltspring Air.]

McColl appeared as himself in the 1995 film . [ [http://www.variety.com/profiles/Film/main/131316/Far%20From%20Home:%20The%20Adventures%20of%20Yellow%20Dog.html?dataSet=1 Film information at Variety.com] , furnished by Baseline Data-On-Demand information service (Accessed 2 April 2008)]

Destinations

Current destinations as of March 2008: [http://www.saltspringair.com/schedules/mar09_airport.htm Schedule] ]
*Ganges, Saltspring Island (Ganges Water Aerodrome)
*Maple Bay
*Vancouver (Vancouver International Water Airport)

Other destinations include: [http://www.saltspringair.com/dest.htm Scheduled destinations] ]
*Galiano Island (Montague Harbour)
*Mayne Island (Miners Bay)
*Pender Island
**North Pender Island (Port Washington)
**South Pender Island (Bedwell Harbour Water Aerodrome)
*Saturna Island (Lyall Harbour)
*Thetis Island (Telegraph Harbour)
*Vancouver (Vancouver Harbour Water Airport)

Fleet

At the outset, Salt Spring Air operated with a single Cessna 185 single-engine plane. In 2004, the first de Havilland DHC-2 was introduced to the fleet. Known as the "Beaver", the DHC-2 is a much-flown model, with more than 1500 planes serving worldwide. [http://www.saltspringair.com/planes.htm Our planes] - Saltspring Air. Retrieved on April 1, 2008.]

Saltspring Air currently operates a fleet of three de Havilland Beaver float planes. [http://www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/activepages/ccarcs/aspscripts/en/current.asp Salt Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by Salt Spring Air] (enter "Salt Spring Island Air" in the box titled "Owner Name")] The Beaver is now the only type of plane employed by the airline.

References

* [http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=613269 Sep 21, 2006 11:00 ET VancouverTV.tv Launches Daily "What's Going On" as the Next Phase of Its Online Television] "For example, Salt Spring Air flew us to Ganges, worked with the community and helped produce a fantastic experience of a great destination."
* [http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/worldwidepanorama/wwp906/html/UriCogan.html Salt Spring Air’s dock shelter is a wheelhouse] The little shelter on the dock is a replica of the wheelhouse of the MV “Cy Peck” - built in 1922 and served as a ferry to the Gulf Islands from 1930 to 1966.
* [http://www.gulfislands.net/aqua/04.pdf Santa's airline] Salt Spring Air take Santa around the Gulf Islands.
* [http://www.yvr.ca/authority/airmail/archive_details.asp?id=878 The most famous bush plane] some say in the world, Salt Spring Air operate three from the Ganges base.

External links

*Official site: [http://saltspringair.ca/ Salt Spring Air]
*Official site: [http://www.saltspringair.com Salt Spring Air main site]