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Although most early aviation activity in Newfoundland occurred on the Avalon Peninsula, Norris Arm played a significant role when the over-ocean international air transport aspect of aviation stared to mature in the 1930s. In connection with the then blossoming corporate entity Imperial Airways, the Newfoundland Government Air Service began operations exploring atmospheric conditions and surveying potential basing for its passenger, mail and freight carrying flying boat activities. While the actual commercial operations centered around nearby Botwood, Norris Arm – the southern-most body of salt water off Notre Dame Bay – became an ideal base of operations for the exploration / survey aircraft.
Captain Douglas Cowan Fraser, a pioneer in Newfoundland aviation since becoming a pilot in 1929, often sortied out of Norris Arm in one of two deHavilland Fox Moth enclosed-cabin biplanes on these missions. In addition to the Imperial Airways activity, he undertook mercy, mail, and natural resources exploration flights under the Newfoundland Government Air Service mandate. One of the Fox Moths lasted only a year (it was demolished at its mooring in Norris Arm by a storm in August of 1935) or so while the other carried on until handed over to the RCAF at Gander in 1941. Flying the Fox Moth out of Norris Arm, Fraser made the first landing of an aircraft at the new Newfoundland Airport (soon to be renamed Gander)in early January of 1938.
Meantime, a third aircraft was acquired in 1936. This was a larger, heavier, much more capable Fairchild 71C monoplane. Under Captain Fraser's supervision, it was refurbished and refitted specifically for a) operations in the Newfoundland environment and b) the capability to take the Imperial Airways meteorlogical "sniffer" gear to even higher altitudes. This aircraft was also often based at Norris Arm.
Eventually a hanger and slipway complex was built at Norris Arm to support sustained operations. This was probably urged on after the loss of the one Fox Moth, and near loss of the other, in the 1935 storm.
These three aircraft were the first to use newly rationalized British Commonwealth civil registration codes. While Britain kept the "G" initial registration letter, from 1929 the new code for Newfoundland became "VO". Thus, the Fox Moth's carrying VO-ABC (the demolished aircraft) and VO-ADE while the Fairchild became VO-AFG. Interestingly, although the regulation came down in 1929, between 1929 and the registration of the two Fox Moths in 1934, aircraft operating in Newfoundland could be seen carrying the registration letters of their former places of operation. For example, Fraser had flown two Curtiss Robin aircraft: One carrying the US civil registration NC354K and the other carrying the Canadian (a country separate from Newfoundland until 1949) registration CF-ACI. These aircraft are reported to have operated out of Norris Arm from time to time as well.
Today, the town of Norris Arm is making great efforts to recognize and celebrate its very real connection with pioneer aviation. A new museum, fittingly housed in a new-build replica of the old hangar, is being erected on the old hangear site. It will display aviation artifacts, memorabilia, and scale models as well as similar treatments of other aspects of the town's heritage. (forestry, railroad, etc). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Aviae1 (talk • contribs) 19:59, 17 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
