Hudson-Barilko plane wreckage returned to Timmins
- October 20th, 2011
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It was an emotional day that 14 Timmins residents will never forget. 60 years ago, in August of 1951, Dr. Henry Hudson and NHL Stanley Cup hero Bill Barilko of Timmins were on their way back from the Seal River on the east coast of Hudsons Bay to Porcupine Lake in Timmins when their 2-seater Fairchild float-plane disappeared. The largest search and rescue mission in Canadian history failed to turn up any sign of the missing aircraft. Finally, in 1962 a helicopter pilot spotted what he believed to be plane wreckage about 45 miles north of Cochrane.
On Sunday (October 17, 2011) a team of Timmins residents led by retired dentist Dr. John Shaw and project sponsor Bill Hughes pulled off a recovery mission that most people would consider impossible – they retrieved the wreckage and brought it home to Timmins.
The entire project was captured on film by documentary filmmaker Kevin Vincent, including the ceremonial return to Porcupine Lake later that evening, where Hudson’s aircraft, like other floatplanes over the years, was stationed. Read More…