Help to identify seaplane

[Steve C]

Hi all,

Most evenings around 5pm when I leave work I see a seaplane heading towards Bankstown, flying over Olympic Park. Can anyone tell me who/what it is?

Steve

[Philip Argy]

There are a couple of single engine seaplanes operating joyflights from Rose Bay to the Blue Mountains and return generally along the route of the Parramatta River. One of the aircraft is a Cessna Caravan C208 registered VH-SXF wearing Wipline 8000 amphibious floats and the other is a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver.

[Matt_L]

The DHC-2 is VH-SWB operated by Sydney By Seaplane, and friend Steve Krug. He parks it just near Aerospace Aviation at Bankstown every day, but this varies sometimes.
Ive seen SXF at BK as well, but once it was getting winched out of Georges River and towed back to BK aerodrome over the Petrol station near old schofields, this must have been at the start of this year? Anyone know more about this.
Anyways hope that helps you identify possibly which a/cft it is.
Matt

[Ben C-U]

VH-SXF (the Caravan) is operated by Sydney Seaplanes at Rose Bay, and gets parked in the Clamback and Hennessy hanger at night.

Apparently standard procedure for when a major service needs to be done on the seaplanes is to land them in the Georges River and then take them over the airport. I think SXF may have had a problem with its gear recently so couldn't land at the airport.

[Matt_L]

Hi Ben,
thanks for that.
I think it might have been the latter as I observed the pilot of SXF swearing his head off walking next to his plane being winched:)
Matt