The Noorduyn Norseman was designed and built by Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd., a Canadian aircraft manufacturer. The company was founded in 1928 by Dutch-Canadian aircraft designer Robert B.C. Noorduyn, who had previously worked for Fokker and Bellanca. The Norseman was one of the first aircraft designed and built by Noorduyn, and it was an immediate success, with more than 900 examples of the aircraft being built between 1935 and 1959. Noorduyn Aircraft continued to operate until 1986, when it was acquired by Canadair and merged into the parent company.