The U.S. Forest Service honored bushplane pilots at a recent ceremony in Ely, where the agency has operated a seaplane base since 1938.
The USDA Forest Service recognized three local pilots with a national aviation safety award May 18 at the Forest Service seaplane base located on Shagawa Lake in Ely. Wayne Erickson, Dean Lee, and Patrick Loe were honored for completing a combined total of more than 21,000 hours of accident-free flying in agency service.
In 1938, the Forest Service acquired the first government floatplane, a four-seat Stinson, to be stationed at a seaplane base in Ely. The need for aircraft grew and the seaplane base expanded to eventually include three DeHavilland Beaver planes.
The primary role of the Ely seaplane base is wildfire protection including reconnaissance, crew and equipment transport, lead plane for larger tankers, or as an air attack platform. A particularly useful function is water dropping from the 125 gallon tank that can be filled quickly and dropped on fire starts in remote areas. In addition, the Superior National Forest float planes support the local sheriff on search and rescue operations in the wilderness. They also provide support for seeding, inventory, aerial photography, resource assessments, fisheries and wildlife projects.
