This 1970 Ayres S2R Thrush was imported to Canada in 1990 and first registered to to the aerial spraying company Larry Lysiuk Ltd., Delhi, Ontario. It was sold to Hicks & Lawrence Ltd. of St. Thomas, ON in February 2002 and to Supermarine Aircraft Inc. in October 2007. It was exported to the USA in December 2007 and now flies with Olsem Aerial Application Services LLC. of Westbrook, MN as N51AR.

This Ayres S2R-600 Thrush, C-GYXL-X, was one of the first agricultural aircraft mounted on floats for aerial firefighting. The system was designed by inventor Paul Hajduk of Terr-Mar Aviation in Vancouver, BC in the 1983-1985 period when the aircraft was registered to Meridian Grain and Golden West Aviation and later carried "Seathrush Air Tanker' markings. Hajduk then converted a S2R-T34 Turbo Thrush, N40101, of Custom Farm Service into an air tanker on amphibious floats in 1987, and a S-2R-T660 Turbo Thrush in 2000. (The first rival AT-802AF Fire Boss amphibian entered service in BC in 2003)

Still on register with a South Carolina owner at time of upload.

VH-WBW was registered in June 1979.

VH-WBU crashed at Mungindi, New South Wales, on May 13, 1985.