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| Founded | 2003 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus cities | Ganges, Vancouver | |||
| Fleet size | 4[1] | |||
| Destinations | 10[2][3] | |||
| Headquarters | Saltspring Island, British Columbia | |||
| Key people | St. Clair McColl (Owner) | |||
| Website | http://www.saltspringair.com | |||
Salt Spring Air (also known as Saltspring Air[4]) is the only floatplane company based on Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada.[5] It operates scheduled flights, charter air service and tours based in Ganges[6] and specializes in routes between the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island.[7] Along with West Coast Air, Harbour Air and Seair Seaplanes, Salt Spring Air is one of the four airlines that operate in the Vancouver Harbour Water Airport and Vancouver International Water Airport.[8] Scheduled flights by the company also operate between the Gulf Islands and the Vancouver International Airport.[9]
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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.[10] His extended family also includes, Frank and Harry Quigley, flying aces in World War I.[11][12]
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. [13]
Salt Spring Air became the first Seaplane company in North America to outfit their fleet with pop out Safety windows on August 17th 2010.[14]
February 2011, St. Clair McColl and Salt Spring Air, win the prestigious Canada-wide Transport Canada Aviation day award for safety. http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/saltspringislanddriftwood/news/116830083.html
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.[15] [16]
McColl appeared as himself in the 1995 film Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog.[17]
Saltspring Air offers scheduled seaplane flights to and from:[18]
At the outset, Salt Spring Air operated with a single Cessna 185 single-engine plane. In 2004, the first de Havilland Canada 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.[19]
Saltspring Air currently operates a fleet of four de Havilland Beaver float planes.[1] The Beaver is now the only type of plane employed by the airline.[19][1]