A single satellite clue sends a Canadian 800km into Venezuela on a $1,000,000 gamble to find the last missing CL-215 water bomber
Published on Nov 14, 2025 at 4:04 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Nov 13, 2025 at 7:35 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
A Canadian and his team took a risk to try to find a rare and abandoned CL-215 water bomber, after a tip suggested there was one left in Venezuela.
As part of the Ice Pilots series, Mikey McBryan wanted to find the only CL-215 water bomber out of 125 built that hadn’t been accounted for.
Mikey scoured a whole host of satellite images looking for the aircraft, and one grainy image suggested that the aircraft was at a military base in Venezuela.
The aim was to bring the aircraft to Canada to form part of the Buffalo Airways fleet.
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Finding the CL-215 water bomber online
All Mikey initially had was a single image of the aircraft parked up at an airfield.
However, after cross-referencing the serial number, he was able to confirm that it was indeed in Venezuela.
But it took much longer to confirm where it was, before a satellite image revealed it to be on a military base.
Mikey got approval from his father, ‘Buffalo’ Joe McBryan, to go out to Venezuela and find the flying boat.
Having made it to the country, the hunt continued as they attempted to get to the military base.
Once found, the objective was to buy it and get it back to Canada.
They would then restore the classic aircraft for the airline or future sale.
After a long drive, they arrived at the air force base.
A variety of aircraft were parked up, including DC-3 Dakotas.
The aircraft was parked at the military base
But after identifying the wrong aircraft, they then located the CL-215 at the airbase.
The biggest fear for the Canadians was whether it was in good enough condition to fly to Canada.
After mechanical inspection and a structural one, they found no corrosion, which was a good sign.
In the dry climate, the aircraft seemed to have fared very well.
However, the engines did need replacing, having been well past their best.
But missing paperwork threatened to derail the deal and potentially leave the aircraft abandoned.
At that point, the video ends, so you will have to watch this space to see if they did manage to secure the aircraft!
Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
