Zooming Across Ontario on a Rare Bearskin Airlines Metroliner

Background

Based in the UK, opportunities to easily fly on the Metroliner are virtually non-existent. Whilst examples from Aeronova and BinAir regularly drone through British skies, not being a piece of freight, riding on one of these is all but impossible. Meanwhile, whilst I had very nearly managed to bag a Metroliner ride in February 2016 when Danish carrier North Flying temporarily operated between Cardiff and RAF Valley, high winds ensured this to be cancelled at the last minute. Thus, finding myself in Thunder Bay, I could not resist the opportunity to fly on long-time Northern Ontarian Metroliner operator Bearskin Airlines. Needing to end up in Toronto, I opted to take the carrier’s early morning service from Thunder Bay which trundles over to Sudbury with a quick stop in Sault Ste Marie. From there, I would catch a Porter Airlines Dash 8 Q400 down to Toronto City Airport. 

Booking

Whilst I had searched Skyscanner for flights, my research soon revealed that ticket prices offered by Bearskin Airlines were identical to those offered by the various online travel agencies booking tickets for this service. Thus, I saw no reason not to book directly with the airline. Upon landing on the airline’s website, I was greeted by the welcome sight of a Metroliner’s tail adorned with two bear pawprints alongside the flight search engine. Selecting Thunder Bay and Sudbury from the list of airports across the remote wilds of Manitoba and Ottawa, I steamed ahead and was soon presented with three options for my chosen departure day. These took the form of two morning departures – one at 0705 and another at 1005, as well as an evening departure at 1700. All flights would operate by Sault Ste Marie and involve a scheduled journey time of two hours and ten minutes. Being on a tight schedule, and seeing as the earliest departure proved to be the cheapest with the ‘Fixed’ fare coming to a total of $254.96, I opted to go for the 0705 departure. Once I had selected this option, I then entered my details before being displayed a breakdown of the fare, beneath which stood the payment section. Making a quick and easy payment, I was then presented with my itinerary and received an almost instant confirmation email from Perimeter Reservations.

The Journey

Given Thunder Bay’s relatively small size, much of the city is within easy reach of Thunder Bay Airport. Having spent my night in the city at the Kingsway Inn Motel that sits aside Arthur Street, the city’s main arterial road, I was confident that reaching the airport in good time for my 0705 flight would not be a difficult task. Upon arriving in Thunder Bay the previous evening, I had journeyed to the motel on a Thunder Bay Transit bus, however with the first airport-bound service not departing the city centre until 0700, this was not an option for my return journey to the airport. Unsure of the provision of pavements, I decided against an hour-long early morning walk and so I instead opted to call one of the local taxi companies the night before and book a taxi for 0500 the next morning. 

Whilst the motel appeared to have gone through little renovation work for several decades and featured paper-thin walls that ensured I heard every expletive in my neighbour’s 3 am argument, this served its purpose for my one-night stay in Thunder Bay. Following a short night’s sleep, I woke up bright and early at 0430, made an instant coffee and jumped in the shower before making the final preparations for the long day ahead. With the taxi set to pull up right outside my room, thankfully there was no need to head outside into the chilly morning air earlier than required and I simply opened the curtains and waited on the bed until the headlights of a taxi appeared in the parking spot outside. However, worryingly 0500 came and went with no sign of a taxi although upon calling the operator I was reassured that this was on its way. Fortunately, fifteen minutes behind schedule, the Roaches Yellow Cab’s Chevrolet appeared and I was soon whisked off down the quiet backstreets of Thunder Bay. Following a ten-minute drive through the dark and quiet backstreets of Thunder Bay, accompanied by the driver’s megamix of country music, the taxi pulled up outside the entrance doors to the terminal. Once I had handed over $20, I collected my small suitcase from the boot of the car before making my way into the terminal. 

Having first opened in 1938 and been used as a training base for Commonwealth pilots during the Second World War, Thunder Bay Airport has a long and interesting history. The airport’s current terminal was inaugurated in 1994 and was renovated and expanded in 2018, ensuring that this remains a modern and up-to-date facility. Entering the landside area, roughly one-half of the ground floor level is dedicated to arrivals – featuring several baggage carousels whilst in the other half a bank of check-in desks can be found, with Air Canada, Bearskin Airlines-Perimeter Aviation, North Star Air, Porter Airlines, Wasaya Airlines and WestJet all enjoying their own well-branded check-in desks. Meanwhile, above these sits the security checkpoint and airside departures area, alongside an observation area, gift shop and restaurant, all accessible to non-passengers although that morning unsurprisingly the latter two were closed, set to open up later in the day. 

At present, Bearskin Airlines does not offer an online check-in facility and at Thunder Bay, passengers are advised to check-in at the airport sixty minutes before their flight, with this closing twenty minutes before departure. Whilst I still had more than an hour to go until departure, with a single Bearskin Airlines employee already manning the carrier’s check-in area, upon arriving at the terminal I made my way over to this. With no other passengers there at that time, I walked straight up to the counter where I received a warm and friendly greeting from the airline employee. There, my passport was checked and both my small suitcase and backpack were weighed and tagged before my suitcase was sent into the depths of the small terminal building. Once done, what appeared to be a standard printer as you might have at home printed off my boarding pass to Sudbury which revealed that there would be no seat reservations on the flight, with those on board free to choose whichever seats they liked. 

After thanking the check-in agent, I made my way up the escalators to the terminal’s single security checkpoint. With several flights heading off within the next few hours, upon arriving there I was not particularly surprised to find a small queue. Fortunately, this moved along at a reasonable pace and I made it to the checkpoint around ten minutes after joining the end of this. Following a check by some rather stern CATSA agents, I made it through to the airside area with around an hour to go until my flight’s scheduled boarding time of 0645. 

That day, my flight to Sudbury was to depart amid Thunder Bay’s Wednesday morning rush, with a total of six departures before 0800. The first of these took the form of a WestJet Encore-operated Dash 8 Q400 heading over to Toronto Pearson, with the final passengers on this service boarding at the time I arrived in the airside area. This was then followed by two Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz Aviation CRJ-900s – the aircraft that I had arrived on from Toronto the previous evening departed to Winnipeg, whilst another CRJ-900 could be seen being prepped for an interestingly weekly charter service to Deer Lake followed by Gander and St John’s. Following the departure of my flight, another Bearskin Airlines Metroliner would depart for Sioux Lookout at 0730, whilst a Porter Airlines Dash 8 Q400 would dash east to Toronto City Airport at 0755. Given all these departures, unsurprisingly the small airside area proved to be busy although I did find a spot to sit down and wait for boarding to commence. Overhearing those bound for Newfoundland, it appeared that these passengers were commuting back home following work contracts in Thunder Bay or the surrounding area, hinting at the purpose of this weekly charter service. 

Given the relatively small size of Thunder Bay Airport’s terminal, I was not surprised to find that the range of facilities on offer proved to be limited. Those needing refreshment can either head for the drinks vending machines, or the terminal’s sole cafe, the Nomad by Pinetree Catering. Whilst I opted against purchasing anything that morning, the cafe features an impressive if not slightly pricey range of locally produced food and drink. Meanwhile, with no shops in the airside portion of the terminal, the cafe also sells a limited selection of souvenirs and other goods. Inside the waiting area, plenty of comfortable seating is offered, with many seats featuring built-in power sockets which I found to work without any issue. Furthermore, complimentary fast wifi was also provided in both the airside and landside portions of the terminal. Finally, aviation enthusiasts will be glad to hear that large windows offer views of the runway as well as of the myriad of interesting aircraft sitting outside on the ramp. However, given the fact that the sun would not rise until 0824 that day, little other than the lights of departing and arriving aircraft could be spotted that morning. Finally, whilst the terminal had been rather busy that morning, I was pleased to find that this remained in a clean and tidy state. 

Once those bound for Newfoundland had made their way onto the Bombardier CRJ-900 parked directly outside, the terminal emptied and remained rather empty with only those on Bearskin Airlines’ morning flights and a small handful of Toronto-bound Porter Airlines passengers remaining. Having been sceptical that it would take twenty minutes to board a nineteen-seat Metroliner, I was not greatly surprised to find that 0645 came and went without any sign of boarding’s commencement. However, when the flight’s scheduled departure time of 0705 arrived, I became a little anxious, with no Bearskin Airlines member of staff visible in the public airside area of the terminal and no sign that boarding would commence any time soon. With a 1H55 unprotected connection in Sudbury, my mind began to wander and I explored additional options in case I missed my onward Porter Airlines flight down to Toronto. Worryingly, Air Canada’s flights to Toronto later that day would set me back almost £300 – more than I had paid for my tickets from the UK to Canada and back! 

Thankfully, at 0710 a Bearskin Airlines member of staff arrived at the gate podium and asked for those passengers bound for Sault Ste. Marie to make their way to the podium, after which those heading to Sudbury and North Bay were requested to come forward. Despite ending up near the rear of the queue, it did not take long for me to reach the friendly agent who checked my boarding pass and passport before handing me an antibacterial wipe and wishing me a pleasant flight. From the waiting area, I made my way down a walkway and a short stairwell before reaching ground level and heading outside into the very chilly morning air. 

On the ramp, the two Metroliners operating Bearskin Airlines’ morning flights from Thunder Bay could be seen waiting in the darkness. The Fairchild SA227-DC Metro 23 that would be hauling me across Ontario that morning took the form of C-GJVC, carrying the construction number DC-885B. Whilst the first ever Metroliner took to the skies in 1969, this particular example rolled out of Fairchild’s San Antonio production facility in 1996, making it around 25 years old at the time of my flight. Commencing its life owned by Molo Leasing with the registration N30047, I am not entirely sure who operated this aircraft at this time, however in 2000 the Metroliner made its way to American freight airline Merlin Airways where it sported the registration N885ML. In June 2007, the aircraft journeyed north across the border to Canada where it received its current registration and the distinctive Bearskin Airlines livery before commencing a new chapter of its life hauling passengers around Manitoba and Ontario. Seeing as this was my first time witnessing a Metroliner close up, from the outside, my first impressions were as expected – a long and thin fuselage that sits high off the ground and resembles a flying pencil, ‘San Antonio Sewer Pipe’ or a ‘Texas long dart’ as the captain would later refer to the type. 

Upon approaching the aircraft, the Captain could be seen selecting passengers’ hand luggage deemed too large to fit under the aircraft’s seats and placing this in the small cargo hold in the Metroliner’s nose. Meanwhile, the First Officer stood outside at the foot of the aircraft’s stairs welcoming passengers. Both pilots that morning appeared to be fairly young, which was not a great surprise given the fact that many newly qualified pilots start their flying careers at small regional airlines such as Bearskin Airlines. Whilst the Metroliner does have steps built into the inside of the main cabin door, being rather steep, a set of shallower steps had been positioned up to the cabin entrance. Making my way up these, I quickly admired the impressive five-blade propeller before diving into the Metroliner’s small cabin.

Being the final passenger to board the aircraft, and seeing as the flight across to Sault Ste. Marie was full that morning, so I ended up taking the only remaining vacant seat – 1B positioned right behind the cockpit. Whilst this meant that I would not have the hassle of squeezing down the 142-centimetre high cabin, or, more appropriately, pipe, I would have to put up with a rather poor amount of legroom, with my legs squished right up to the bulkhead that separates the cabin from the cockpit. Furthermore, I would also enjoy a good view of the action up ahead and the engine, albeit through a rather scratched and blurry window. 

Onboard, C-GJVC features an identical interior to most if not all of Bearskin Airlines’ nineteen-strong Metroliner fleet, with the airline sparing no expense in giving their aircraft’s interiors a unique identity. Inside, the predominant colour is red, with red fabric carpets running the length of the aircraft and red leather cabin panelling that rises from the floor and extends up to a ledge that sits beneath the cabin windows. Turning to the Metroliner’s nineteen seats, each of these is fairly small yet well-padded and sits on slightly raised platforms on either side of the narrow aisle. These are covered in a bright red fabric cover which features several blue and orange horizontal lines running across them. In terms of onboard amenities, those wishing to visit the bathroom onboard will be out of luck, with cabin facilities for passengers limited to an air vent and reading light above each seat. No tray tables are offered, however seeing as Bearskin Airlines does not offer any food or drink, this is unlikely to be an issue for passengers. As one may expect given the ‘rough and ready’ rural flying that the aircraft undertakes, inside there were a fair few marks and scratches dotted about the cabin, although I have most definitely seen aircraft cabins that are in a much poorer state. Furthermore, the cabin appeared to have been cleaned thoroughly during its overnight stay in Thunder Bay. Finally, turning to the seatback pockets, or side pocket in the case of seat 1B, this contained a copy of Bearskin Airlines’ Metroliner safety card as well as a plain unbranded sickbag. Whilst Bearskin Airlines does have its own magazine, entitled Connecting Horizons, as with many airlines, this is now published in a digital-only format.

Almost as soon as I had taken my seat and strapped myself in, the captain entered the cabin and slid into the cockpit before the first officer entered and closed the cabin door. After doing this, they then turned to face the passengers and commenced a short welcome and safety announcement. During this, the First Officer informed passengers that the flight time to Sault Ste Marie would be one hour and advised all to wear their face masks during the flight before moving onto the safety demonstration. As the first officer performed this speech, the captain flicked a few switches up ahead in the cockpit and the Metroliner’s two Garrett TPE331-21 engines began to start up ready for the journey ahead. Whilst this was accompanied by the usual whining, whirring and vibrating as these fired up into life, this was slightly quieter than I had expected given the Metroliner’s small size. Once the first officer retreated into the cockpit, the two pilots could be seen running through a checklist before the aircraft lurched forward out of its stand and commenced its taxi over to the end of Runway 07. As the aircraft made its way to the runway, the captain stretched his arm out of the cockpit and flicked the switch for the cabin lights, located near the door, plunging the cabin into darkness and allowing for a good view of the lit-up cockpit. 

As the aircraft neared the runway, the flaps were partially extended and soon the aircraft entered the runway without coming to a halt. Once on this, the aircraft backtracked to its end before performing a U-turn to point into the wind. At 0727 the Metroliner’s two engines powered up, filling the cabin with vibrations as the aircraft commenced a short and powerful takeoff roll. Rocketing upwards into the morning skies in a matter of seconds, the lights of the terminal whizzed past before the Metroliner thundered over the suburbs of Thunder Bay. Below, little could be seen of the industrial and residential areas before the aircraft rose into the low-lying clouds. 

As the aircraft climbed through the thick layer of clouds, we were shaken about quite a bit although as soon as we emerged from these things calmed down with the entire first leg proving to be nice and smooth. Upon emerging from the clouds, the light of dawn appeared through the cockpit windows and the aircraft eventually levelled off at its cruising altitude of 19,000 feet around twenty minutes after departure, travelling eastwards at a ground speed of between 295 and 305 knots. From Thunder Bay, the aircraft made its way out across the largest of North America’s Great Lakes, Lake Superior, trundling across this from its northern to eastern shores. However, thanks to the thick clouds below nothing of this could be seen as the aircraft made its way towards Sault Ste. Marie

Inside the cabin, with the cabin lights remaining switched off for the duration of the flight and the sunlight of a new day yet to seep in, most passengers appeared to be fast asleep. Indeed, it appeared that I was the only passenger that morning to whom flying on the Metroliner was an exciting novelty, with my fellow passengers all appearing to be seasoned Bearskin Airlines regulars. With nothing by means of inflight entertainment, as the aircraft cruised high above Lake Superior, I passed the time by observing the flight crew undertake their duties whilst I soaked up the oily-scented atmosphere of this relatively rare turboprop. 

Before I knew it, with 47 nautical miles left to run until Sault Ste. Marie the Metroliner commenced its descent, with the captain entering an altitude of 3,900 feet into the autopilot after which the aircraft descended at a quick pace of 2100 feet per minute. As the Metroliner descended back towards the ground, the clouds temporarily parted revealing the waters of Lake Superior however this glimpse lasted no more than a minute with low-lying clouds lingering around Sault Ste. Marie that morning. 

Temporarily settling at an altitude of 3,900 feet, the flaps were soon deployed and the aircraft sank downwards into the clouds. Within a couple of minutes, Lake Superior appeared beneath the aircraft once again and the tree-lined shores near Pointe Des Chenes soon popped into view through the mist. Seconds after crossing the shoreline, the Metroliner made a firm touchdown on runway 12 at 0822, ending the first 55 minute leg of the aircraft’s trek over to North Bay that morning. Once back on the ground, the cabin filled with noise as the Metroliner rapidly decelerated before turning left and vacating the runway. Far from Ontario’s largest airport, from the runway, the Metroliner’s journey over to Sault Ste. Marie Airport’s terminal was quick and the aircraft soon parked up on the empty apron right outside the terminal.

 

A little after two minutes after touching down, the engines spooled down and the first officer soon emerged from the Metroliner’s small cockpit. At this point, the pilot welcomed all to Sault Ste. Marie and opened the cabin door at which point the ground crew moved a ramp up to the aircraft. Once the ramp had been moved into position, those passengers ending their journey in Sault Ste. Marie were invited to disembark the aircraft. Whilst I would be continuing onwards to Sudbury, seeing as I would be unlikely to pass through Sault Ste. Marie in the near future, and having read that the crew and ground staff are usually accommodating of such requests, I decided to exit the aircraft and ask the first officer whether it would be possible to make a comfort stop. Fortunately, my request was granted on the condition that I took my bag with me and a friendly ground agent welcomed me to Sault Ste. Marie and escorted me to the airside departures area. 

Serving only a small handful of scheduled passenger services each day, unsurprisingly Sault Ste. Marie Airport’s terminal was small, yet it was also modern and clean. Inside the waiting area, only a single passenger could be seen waiting for the Bearskin Airlines service, indicating there would be a few empty seats on the next leg of the journey. Following a bathroom break, as the Metroliner was being refuelled, the agent advised me that we would have to wait a few minutes before heading back out to the aircraft. At this point, the captain came out to the terminal for a chat with the agent. Having noticed that I had been taking quite a few pictures during the flight, recognising that I was an enthusiast they engaged with me in a quick conversation regarding the aircraft. Meanwhile, outside, a rare Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop belonging to Thunder Airlines could be seen touching down following a flight over from the small town of Earlton. 

After a few minutes of waiting, the Captain led me and the other passenger across the ramp to the Metroliner and I proceeded up the ramp and into the aircraft’s cramped cabin. With a few seats now available further back in the cabin, I decided to mix things up a little and settled in 6A – one of the aircraft’s emergency exit row seats. As with the area around seat 1B, I found my new surroundings to be clean and the seat itself to be in a good condition although plenty of marks and scratches could be seen on the cabin panelling and window. In terms of comfort, whilst not exactly plentiful, the amount of legroom provided was far better than that in the seat directly behind the cockpit. Coupled with the soft and well-padded nature of the seat itself, all-in-all I did not have too much to complain about and my new seat served to be comfortable enough for a short flight. 

As I took my seat, the Captain closed the cabin door before taking their seat in the cockpit, after which the first officer stood up at the front of the cabin and began their second welcome speech of the morning. According to this, once in the air the next leg of the flight over to Sudbury would last 45 minutes and the weather on the ground there was slightly better than in Sault Ste. Marie. As had been the case in Thunder Bay, in a seemingly well-versed routine, the aircraft’s two Garrett engines spooled into life as the first officer undertook their speech. Once they had retreated to the cockpit, the aircraft remained on the stand for a couple of minutes before the Metroliner commenced its taxi back to Runway 12.

Having been on the ground for just under twenty minutes, at 0841, the Metroliner’s cabin filled with noise and vibration once again as the turboprop performed a powerful rolling takeoff before heading upwards into the Ontarian skies. Once away from the airport, the Metroliner passed over Pointe Aux Pins before heading out over the St Marys River at which point the aircraft rose into the clouds before reaching the centre of Sault Ste. Marie. Thanks to the clouds, very little could be seen of the Ontario wilderness as the aircraft crossed over the various provincial parks that separate Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, flying roughly parallel to the famous Trans-Canada Highway. 

Whilst the takeoff had been relatively noisy, as with start-up, after levelling off, the noise levels in the cabin onboard the Metroliner did not seem to be particularly excessive. Whilst these were of course significantly greater than your ‘typical’ airliner, the amount of noise and vibration seemed less than that offered onboard the comparably sized Dornier 228 or Twin Otter. That said, I do not have any quantitative statistics to prove this. Inside the cabin, as with the first flight, many onboard appeared to be sleeping whilst I spent the flight admiring the wing of the Metroliner and soaking up the atmosphere, aware that it would be quite some time before I found myself onboard another Metroliner again.

 

At 0905, the noise produced by the aircraft’s two engines decreased slightly as these were powered back in preparation for the aircraft’s descent. Unlike on the first flight, an announcement from the cockpit was made, however, this was entirely inaudible – although I assume it had something to do with our descent and arrival. A couple of minutes after leaving our cruising altitude, the aircraft descended downwards into the clouds and was thrown about slightly as the Metroliner ploughed through these. 

Ten minutes after commencing the descent, the forests and lakes surrounding Sudbury came into view through gaps in the low-lying cloud that lingered around the city that morning. A short time later, glancing through the window on the opposite side of the cabin, I spotted Sudbury appear before passing below the starboard wing of the aircraft. As the Metroliner made its way towards the airport, the aircraft was once again through about a little, shaking and swaying from side to side before the ride smoothed out a little as we neared the airport. 

After lining up for an approach to Runway 04, the flaps and landing gear were extended and the aircraft sank over the forests that surround the airport. Before I knew it, the Metroliner crossed the perimeter fence and touched down with a firm thud at 0920, ending the 39 minute flight over from Sault Ste. Marie. Standing at 6,600 feet long, whilst this runway is more than capable of comfortably accommodating a Metroliner, the pilots appeared to be in a rush to exit the runway with the aircraft braking rather harshly before performing a U-turn on the runway and vacating this and commencing its short taxi over to the terminal. 

Despite having taken off from Thunder Bay over twenty minutes behind schedule, the aircraft pulled into stand 4 near the airport’s control tower only eight minutes late, giving me plenty of time before my Porter Airlines flight down to Toronto. Once the engines spooled down and their propellers stopped spinning, the first officer made their way into the cabin, welcomed all to Sudbury and opened the cabin door before the ground crew manoeuvred the ramp into place. As soon as this had been correctly positioned, disembarkation commenced with around half of those onboard leaving the aircraft in Sudbury. After thanking the pilots, I made my way out into the chilly late autumn air and followed the ground agent over to the arrivals section of the terminal where I waited at the sole baggage carousel for my small suitcase to appear. Fortunately, this did not take long and my bag appeared around three minutes later. 

Summary

Whilst my flight from Thunder Bay to Sudbury was not a bargain by European standards, allowing me to fly on a rare Metroliner, I was very happy that I took this trip. Meanwhile, throughout the entirety all Bearskin Airlines staff members I interacted with were very friendly and welcoming, leaving me with absolutely nothing to complain about. Whilst it is unlikely that I will fly with the carrier any time soon, if given the opportunity to do so again, I would be more than happy to fly with Bearskin Airlines.