Otter 137 was delivered to the United States Army on 3rd July 1956 with serial 55-3287 (tail number 53287). It was assigned to the 2nd Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas which later deployed to Germany, then France (as described in relation to Otter 124). Historical records show 53287 to have been dis-assembled on 20th May 1957 for shipment overseas and arriving with the 2nd Aviation Company, Illesheim, Germany on 26th July '57. On 1st February 1958 it arrived at the SABCA Company, Gosselies Airfield, Belgium, who peformed overhauls on Otter aircraft for the Army, its total airframe time at that stage being 559 hours. It was back with SABCA on 17th April '62, still operated by the 2nd Aviation Company, by which stage its total time had increased to 2,158 hours. It remained at Gosselies until September '62 and the following month was assigned to the 207th Aviation Company, Heidelberg, Germany where it continued to serve until January 1964, when it was transferred to the 394th Transportation Battalion, Germany. It was to spend its entire Army career based in Europe.

In July 1964 the Otter was assigned to the Headquarters Company, 3rd Support Command until February 1966, when it re-joined the 394th Transportation Battalion. In September 1969 it arrived at the Depot at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany and the following month was assigned to the 56th Aviation Detachment, also based at Coleman Barracks. It was noted visiting RAF Mildenhall,
England on 18th November '69. It received its final overhaul in Army service during July 1970 from the 582nd Transportation Company at Coleman Barracks and continued flying for the 56th Aviation Detachment until August 1971, when it was withdrawn from use and put into open storage at Coleman Barracks. It was deleted from the Army inventory in October 1971 and put up for disposal. It was one of eight Army Otters, all in storage at Coleman Barracks, put up for sale by Sealed Bid Tender with a closing date of 29th December '71, the disposal having been entrusted to the USAFE Redistribution & Marketing Center, Mainz-Kastel, Germany.

The successful bidder for all eight aircraft was Ferrer Aviation Inc of Miami, Florida, the total price for all eight Otters being $303,640, of which $33,800 was the price for 53287, which at that stage had 4,426 hours on the airframe. Ferrer Aviation Inc., was the company of Frank Ferrer, whose first Otter was CF-GCV (2) which he had retrieved from the icy wastes of the Labrador Sea in 1959, and who had been dealing in Otters ever since. Ferrer Aviation contracted aircraft ferry company Air Convoy to fly the eight Otters to Canada, which took place between February and April 1972. On 2nd February '72 civilian registrations were applied for from the FAA for the eight Otters, 53287 being allocated N80938.

The aircraft were flown, two at a time, routing from Coleman Barracks via Saarbrucken, Germany to Ashford in Kent and on to Shannon, Ireland. These Otters were all in their Army olive drab, looking somewhat the worse for wear after months of outside storage, with their Army tail numbers blanked out and the civilian N numbers applied. The first two Otters to arrive at Shannon on 23rd February '72 were N80938 (formerly 53287) and N80940 (formerly 53292). At Shannon, ferry tanks were installed by SRS Aviation, after which the Otters set off for the long Atlantic crossing, first stop Reykjavik, Iceland and then via Greenland, to Goose Bay, Labrador. All eight aircraft successfully made the ocean crossing.

N80938 and N80940 had been sold by Ferrer Aviation to St.Louis Aviation Inc, Hangar 2, St.Jean Airport, near Montreal. On arrival at St.Jean after a ferry flight from Germany which had taken 42 flying hours, the American registrations were cancelled on 23rd March '72. Both Otters received a major refurbish at St.Jean and N80938 was re-registered CF-AOO. It was sold to La Sarre Air Services Ltd
of La Sarre, Quebec on 7th April '72 and received its Canadian Certificate of Airworthiness on 11th April, then entering service with its new owners. N80940 was also sold to La Sarre Air Service, becoming CF-AON.

CF-AOO flew for La Sarre Air Service until it was destroyed in an accident on 12th July 1974. The float-equipped Otter was taking off from Lake Atilla, Fort George, in northern Quebec en route to Lake Brisay, supporting construction of the LG-2 hydro plant. It failed to maintain altitude after takeoff, crashed into a wooded area and was destroyed by fire. There were two souls on board, the pilot being seriously injured. They were rescued by a helicopter from the nearby construction camp. A Canadair CL-215 fire bomber was called in to put out the fire started by the Otter crash. As the accident report summarised: “Aircraft not properly loaded; collided with trees on take-off; aircraft destroyed”. The registration was cancelled on 2nd May 1975.