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“We spent six months trying to figure out what this airplane
was,” said Rollins. “We sent photographs of the plane to
the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and they’re the
ones who said, ‘Congratulations, you’ve got the world’s
only Eastman E-2 Sea Rover.”
Further research into the two recovered hulls determined
that one was the fuselage of Jim Eastman’s personal
aircraft that had sat derelict since his death in Atlin in
1945.
One of a Kind Bird!
Eastman had settled in Atlin after the Detroit-based aircraft
company failed during the Great Depression. He was seen
Flying over the northern reaches of the province almost a flying the sea plane he designed above the northwestern
century ago, the Eastman E-2 ‘Sea Rover’ played a key role B.C. settlement and as far away as Whitehorse, Yukon as he
in B.C. mining exploration. pursued his mining interests.
Designed and built by Jim Eastman and Tom Towle in “We said, ‘We must have this for our collection so where
Detroit in 1929, the flying boat on display at the BC can we find any remaining parts?” said Rollins. “So we
Aviation Museum in Sidney is the only plane remaining of scrounged around the Atlin area."
the 18 aircraft manufactured.
From the plane’s control column found at a “flea market” in
“This is the only survivor and so as a consequence it Victoria to the propeller located in Duncan, the Sea Rover
represents the early bush plane era,” said BC Aviation in the aviation museum collection was assembled from a
Museum librarian Doug Rollins. “These are the aircraft collection of parts found scattered around the province.
that really blazed the trail.”
Volunteers at the museum spent fours years restoring the
Five of the 18 Sea Rovers built were flown in B.C. during flying boat to display-ready condition.
the 1930s and 1940s to transport miners and their
equipment to remote lakes throughout the province. “It took many years because of the need to find as many
pieces of the plane that we could and to fabricate the ones
“It was designed for casual use and not as a bush plane, that were missing,” said Rollins. “Its extremely valuable and
but because it could land on water it was used as a bush unique in all of the world.”
plane,” said Rollins. “They were a docile aircraft, they
Restoration of the lone surviving Sea Rover was completed
weren’t that fast and it was an extremely rugged and
in 1995. It has been displayed in what Rollins noted is
forgiving aircraft.”
“pride of place” at the BC Aviation Museum since 2000.
The Eastman E-2 in the museum collection was acquired
More information on the Sea Rover is available on the
soon after the museum was established in 1988.
museum's website.
Two Sea Rover hulls were found abandoned in Eastman’s
hometown of Atlin, B.C. At first the museum was unable
to identify what type of plane it was.
