Northwest Seaplanes is a family owned business operating since 1988.

Clyde Carlson, owner and founder, started Northwest Seaplanes in 1988 providing exclusive service with two Dehavilland Beavers to Hakai Lodge which is located 70 miles north of Vancouver Island. Providing seaplane service to Hakai Lodge was not Clyde's first adventure in aviation.

Clyde started his seaplane career thanks to the GI Bill in 1968. Soon after completing his commercial pilot training, Clyde began working for Lake Union Air Service flying Cessna 206's to River Inlet Resort. As his passion for seaplanes grew, he started Western Air Charters in 1976 with a fleet of four Cessna 206's providing seasonal tourism air service for the now bustling cruise ship industry in Juneau, Alaska.

Residing in Seattle, Clyde purchased Lake Union Air Service in 1980. Soon after Clyde became the pioneer of scheduled seaplane service from Lake Union to the San Juan Islands and then Victoria, BC. By 1986, Lake Union Air became the scheduled largest seaplane in the United States offering year-round scheduled and charter flights throughout the San Juan Islands and British Columbia with a fleet of 8 aircraft.

Not long after selling Lake Union Air in 1987, Northwest Seaplanes was conceived providing seasonal scheduled and charter service to boating and trophy salmon fishing destinations throughout British Columbia's Inside Passage.

Now, with a fleet of five Dehavilland Beavers, Northwest Seaplanes is a family owned and operated business with a reputation that can be trusted!