Walter and Doug Sand stand in front of their newly-mounted plane Friday. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW) Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

OLD CRAFT REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

New landmark takes off in Buckland

Jan 16, 2021 | 8:00 AM

After ten days of restoration work, a minor delay due to an ice storm and a final high-stress installation involving multiple pieces of machinery, Highway 3 just west of Prince Albert has a new landmark.

Over the course of around three hours on Friday, Doug Sand and his team hoisted a 2,000 lb 1947 Sea Bee aircraft onto a pole overlooking the roadway and secured it to a semi trailer axel, which allows it to turn in the wind.

Sand said it took a few tries to find the plane’s centre of gravity. (Submitted/Fly Away Films)

Crane services were donated by Jim Toporowski at Pineland Metal Products/Eagle Crane Services. (Submitted/JCL Perspective)

“It feels absolutely wonderful,” Sand told paNOW of having the craft in place. “I love aviation and I did it just because of that. It’s been a labour of love.”

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The pilot and co-owner of Sand Drag Hose Systems hauled the seventy-year old plane to his shop on Christmas Eve. When his eight staff returned from holidays on Jan. 4, they got to work restoring the craft and preparing for its ascent onto a pole in Sand’s yard.

The plane was painted its original colours in a tribute to its former owner Wayne Saam. (Submitted/JLC Perspective)

“We had a little meeting and I said ‘boys, we’re doing nothing but working on this airplane,'” he explained. “Everybody was assigned something, it’s been a real team building effort.”

By Jan. 12 the project was complete, but take-off was delayed by a major winter storm. On Friday, the Sea Bee was finally lifted onto it’s new perch.

All that’s left to do now is finish the wiring and so the plane’s lights and propellers will work, Sand explained.

He’s looking forward to making an impression on motorists on the highway.

“Any aviation enthusiast or pilot will say ‘wow,'” he said. “And somebody said ‘I can’t find your place,’ well if you can’t find it now, you need a seeing eye dog.”

Sand’s Drag Hose Systems Staff pose in front of the aircraft. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

Sand thanked Jim Toporowski at Pineland Metal Products/Eagle Crane Services for donating the crane services; Jim Stonechild for painting the lettering on the plane’s doors and nose; Gary at Timberline Trailers for the semi trailer axel on which the plane is mounted; Sharp Auto Trim for the registration decals; Randy Ellis for the goggles and hat the mannequins inside the plane are wearing; the plane’s former owner, Wayne Saam for the captain’s hat; and all the staff at Sands Drag Hose systems for their efforts in the project.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom