Prospective bidders have just a couple of weeks to submit their offers for what’s left of the Government of Manitoba’s once comprehensive fleet of aircraft. There are about a dozen classified ads for surplus aircraft posted to the Canadian Plane Trade site and each lists Oct. 30 as the closing date for the sale. Among the aircraft available are four CL-215 waterbombers, a Citation 560, a Twin Otter and several Cessna 310s and other light twins.
The government announced last March that it was getting rid of aircraft used for firefighting and general transportation and some aircraft appear to have been sold. It has since contracted out firefighting and transportation services to private sector companies which the government says are more modern. All the aircraft have been well maintained, although some have been stored for years.