General Information

Serial #

2

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

OAK/ BIRCH/ BABICHE GLUE/ BABICHE ARE RAWHIDE THONGS OR LACINGS OFTEN USED IN MAKING SNOWSHOES/ THE GLUE WAS APPARENTLY MADE BY BOILING THESE RAWHIDE STRIPS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

291.0 cm

Width

26.2 cm

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Aviation

Category

Aircraft parts

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Hill

Country

Canada

State/Province

Northwest Territories

City

Fort Simpson

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

After end of Great War, Imperial Oil began to look into reports of oil in the Mackenzie valley, in Northwest Territories. It purchased two brand-new Junkers-Larsen JL-6s (Junkers F-13s) nicknamed and Vic. These aircraft were to carry a survey crew to stake oil claim - a Canadian first and the first flight in that region of the country. As the winter of 1920-21 came to a close, their crews flew from Edmonton all the way to Fort Simpson, where disaster struck. Rene tipped onto its nose, breaking its propeller and one of its skis. Mechanics for the two aircraft removed the propeller and a ski from Vic, whose engine was not working well, and put them on Rene so that it could continue on its way down the Mackenzie valley. As luck would have it, when Rene tried to take off, its engine stalled. The aircraft tipped onto its nose and broke its propeller. It now looked as if both crews would be trapped in Fort Simpson until one or more propellers could be brought in, aboard a river boat due to arrive during the summer. Out of desperation, the men ask the staff of the Hudson’s Bay Company trading post if they could help. William Hill and Walter Johnson built two exact replicas of the aircraft's propellers using glue made with boiled moose hides and hooves as well toboggan boards. Amazingly, the handmade propellers performed very well. As a result, Imperial Oil was able to stake the entire Norman Wells oil field. The epic journey of Rene and Vic was a turning point in the history of Canada's north as aircraft soon began to open up this region, making travel and transport easier, faster and safer.

Function

for aircraft propulsion

Technical

a hand-made propeller made in the middle of nowhere with makeshift materials by master craftsmen.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

N/A

Missing

N/A

Finish

Unknown

Decoration

N/A