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39-642: Canadair Aircraft Ltd. took over the Canadian Vickers Ltd. operations on 11 November 1944. Besides the existing Consolidated PBY Canso flying patrol boats in production, a development contract to produce a new variant of the Douglas DC-4 transport was still in effect. The new Canadair DC-4M powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines mounted in Rolls-Royce Universal Power Plant (UPP) installations emerged in 1946 as

78-598: A turbojet -powered, low-wing aircraft, complete with a tricycle undercarriage and a side-by-side cockpit arrangement. Despite a lack of official backing from the Canadian Government, the Royal Canadian Air Force 's (RCAF) Directorate of Training’s Jet Trainer Liaison Committee had closely engaged with the company; their involvement in the project had reportedly made a significant impact in the aircraft's final design. During September 1961,

117-495: A CFL official returning home from the previous day's annual All-Star game at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. On 11 October 1966, CF-TFM/HP925 crashed near Garoua, Cameroons, carrying spurious registration I-ACOA, believed to be carrying a cargo of machine guns bound for Burundi. Ex- Overseas Aviation, bought at Gatwick by Mike Keegan, it had been ferried to Coventry for onward sale; under new ownership, flown to Newcastle (UK), with

156-525: A federal crown corporation until 1986 when, having experienced record losses during its development of the Challenger business jet, the Mulroney government sold it to Bombardier Inc. Shortly after Canadair's acquisition, Bombardier was able to restore it to profitability; the company soon acquired other aviation companies, such as the near-bankrupt Short Brothers of Belfast , Northern Ireland, and

195-518: A kit allowing installation on the aircraft by the operator. The engine thus modified became the 'Merlin TMO' in contrast to the unmodified engine, the Merlin TML - Transport Merlin L. The modified exhaust conferred an increase in horsepower over the unmodified system of 38 hp, resulting in a 5 knot improvement in true air speed. Sound levels were reduced by between 5 and 8 decibels. Still air range of

234-463: A result of this purchase, Canadair was reorganised as Convair's Canadian subsidiary. During the 1950s, Canadair decided that it would develop its own indigenous trainer aircraft as a private venture. This aircraft, which would become the CT-114 Tutor was the product of the company’s in-house Preliminary Design department. By August 1957, the basic configuration had been completed, which was of

273-514: A revised underfloor hull structure. Perhaps the company's most commercially successful product was the Challenger 600 business jet . Originally conceived of by the American aviation inventor Bill Lear as the LearStar 600 , at the end of 1975, Canadair gave its backing to the concept; during April 1976, the company opted to acquire the whole project, formally launching it with the backing of

312-638: A small light-weight all-terrain amphibious tracked vehicle. In turn, Canadair developed the CL-70 RAT Remote Articulated Track ; this vehicle, while not a commercial success, gave Canadair useful experience towards the development of the upgraded CL-91 Dynatrac, which was a marketing success and purchased by the US Army as XM-571 . During 1976, the Canadian government acquired Canadair Ltd. from General Dynamics. It remained

351-727: A subsequent long-term stay parked adjacent to the wooden control tower and subject to a restraining Court Order. Eventually re-registered in Panamanian markings, it was flown to Limburg, Netherlands, but ended up being involved in various arms shipment flights to West Africa. After the accident, the movements of this aircraft were investigated and extensively reported by, it is thought, the Sunday Times newspaper. Re-registration history and movements after leaving NCL courtesy of Propliner magazine's website. On 4 June 1967, Argonaut G-ALHG , owned by British Midland Airways , crashed near

390-582: A thunderstorm, killing 29 of the 38 passengers and three of the seven crew members. On 9 December 1956: Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 crashed into Mount Slesse on a flight from Vancouver to Calgary , killing all 62 people on board the aircraft. Among the dead were five Canadian Football League players, including four members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and one member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers , as well as

429-549: Is not collected and exhausted via a single outlet, but instead exits the separate individual ejector-exhaust stubs in high-pressure bursts. In an effort to reduce cabin noise, the sole C-5 variant was powered by Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engines that were considerably quieter. The only C-5 was delivered to the RCAF in 1950, entering service with No. 412 Transport Squadron RCAF in Uplands, Ottawa, specially outfitted for

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468-527: The CL-204 , was a purpose-designed water bomber that evolved into an amphibian flying boat configuration, powered by two shoulder-mounted 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800 piston engines . Its design was shaped by a desire for the CL-205 to be well-suited for performing a range of roles, including air-sea search and rescue , cargo haulage and commercial passenger-carrying, in addition to

507-531: The CL-44D , based on the British Bristol Britannia airliner , was the first design that allowed access by swinging the entire rear fuselage. The CL-89 and CL-289 were the first surveillance drones to be put into service in several countries' armed forces. The experimental CL-84 was the first VTOL aircraft that rotated the wings to achieve vertical lift-off ( tiltwing ). The CL-215 was

546-714: The Canadian Regional Jet (CRJ). However, this branding has since been dropped; new projects from all of Bombardier's various aircraft divisions have since simply been known as Bombardier Aerospace. Shooting Star the Forty-Four AN/USD-502 Midge Challenger London Heathrow Airport Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

585-657: The Canadian federal government shortly thereafter. Development of the Challenger 600 was hampered by a deadly crash amid the flight test programme on 3 April 1980; despite this, type certification for the aircraft was approved by both Transport Canada and the Federal Aviation Administration later that same year. The high cost of developing the Challenger 600 has been attributed as a major cause of Canadair's poor financial situation during

624-497: The business jet specialist Learjet of Wichita, Kansas , as well as de Havilland Aircraft of Canada of Toronto , Ontario . Together with these other entities, Canadair became a core component of Bombardier Aerospace . Following the company's acquisition by Bombardier, the Canadair name had continued to be prominently used in the branding of its larger series of business jets and regional jets , which have been marketed as

663-546: The "North Star." More than just an engine swap, the North Star had the Douglas DC-6 nose and landing gear and fuselage (shortened by 80 inches (6.7 ft; 2.0 m)); a DC-4 empennage , rear fuselage, flaps and wing tips; C-54 middle fuselage sections, wing centre- and outer-wing panels, cabin pressurisation , and a standardised cockpit layout with a different electrical system. Canadair built 71 examples of what

702-618: The 1970s and most were declared surplus. TCA received its fleet of twenty DC-4M-2 North Stars during 1947 and 1948 and operated them on routes within Canada and to the USA until 1961. Starting in 1954 the North Stars were replaced on TCA's routes to Europe by Lockheed Super Constellations . To deal with passenger complaints about noise, TCA engineers developed a cross-over for the fuselage-side exhausts that reduced cabin noise by 6-8 decibels. "In

741-561: The 1980s, being reportedly close to bankruptcy ; the company's condition in turn ultimately contributed to its acquisition by Bombardier Inc. during 1986. In the long run, the business jet was well received by the market and can be considered to be a success, being produced for over four decades. In excess of 1,000 Challenger 600s had been reportedly completed by late 2018. Outside of the field of aviation, Canadair opted to diversify into various other sectors, developing its own range of industrial and commercial products. The "Canarch" division

780-671: The BOAC Argonaut Atalanta G-ALHK transported Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to Kenya to begin a Commonwealth tour. Some days later, 6 February, it was again Atalanta G-ALHK which returned the newly acceded Queen Elizabeth II to England upon the death of her father, King George VI. Rolls-Royce also developed a quieter 'cross-over' exhaust system for the DC-4M, the modifications being supplied in

819-520: The Canadian government, having been impressed by the performance of the prototype, placed a sizeable order for 190 production aircraft on behalf of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Serving as the service's primary trainer platform, the Tutor would be operated as such for over thirty years. Another indigenously-developed design was the CL-215 amphibian. It arose from an internal research study during

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858-584: The PBY contract, a development contract to produce a new variant of the Douglas DC-4 transport was also underway. The resulting aircraft, the Canadair DC-4M , which was powered by an arrangement of four British -sourced Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, began production during 1946; it was marketed under the "Northstar" name. During the immediate postwar era, Canadair purchased the "work in progress" on

897-702: The RCAF. From 1950 to 1952, during the Korean War , RCAF North Star aircraft were employed ferrying supplies to Korea across the Pacific Ocean . They flew 599 round trips over the Pacific and delivered seven million pounds of cargo and 13,000 personnel on return trips. They flew 1.9 million miles without a fatal crash. After 1967, the remaining North Stars were assigned to No. 426 Transport Squadron RCAF initially deployed to Dorval, Quebec and then to Trenton, Ontario . Gradually, their service life diminished in

936-694: The aircraft and one person on the ground. As a result of this crash, training flights are restricted south of the Trans Canada Highway and civil aviation transit north of the highway. On 21 September 1955: BOAC Argonaut G-ALHL which was traveling from Rome to Tripoli crashed on its fourth landing attempt in poor visibility and strong winds. Fifteen of the 40 occupants died when the aircraft descended too low, struck trees approximately 1,200 ft short of runway 11 and subsequently impacted terrain. On 24 June 1956: BOAC Argonaut G-ALHE crashed shortly after taking off from Kano Airport, Nigeria into

975-514: The aircraft was also improved by around 4 per cent. BOAC Argonauts initially, due to schedules being unable to be changed, had only the inner engines so-modified, the remaining outer engines being changed to the new exhaust system when time was available. After service with TCA and BOAC, the surplused North Stars and Argonauts had long careers with secondary operators such as British Midland Airways , Overseas Aviation and other charter companies. Cargo conversions of available airframes also lengthened

1014-517: The cabin, noise is reduced to 102 decibels near the windows and 93 at the aisle." BOAC ordered 22 DC-4M-4s and named them the " Argonaut class", each aircraft having a classical name beginning with "A". The Argonauts were delivered between March and November 1949; they flew to South America, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East from London Heathrow Airport until 1960. On 1 February 1952

1053-672: The centre of Stockport , Greater Manchester , United Kingdom . Fatalities included 72 of the 84 on board; 12 others were seriously injured. The sole surviving airframe is an RCAF C-54GM example ( 17515 ), which is currently undergoing restoration at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum , Ottawa , Ontario . Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1951–52 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Canadair Canadair Ltd.

1092-542: The early 1960s at Canadair, originally conceived of as a twin-engined floatplane transport based on the design of the 369 Canso (a variant of the PBY). However, it was altered into a "firefighter" following a request by forestry officials in the Quebec Service Aérien ( Quebec Government Air Service ) who wanted a more effective way of delivering water to forest fires. The 1962 preliminary design, designated as

1131-475: The existing Douglas DC-3 / C-47 series. In 1946, the Electric Boat Company , an American industrial group, bought a controlling interest in the company; shortly thereafter, the two companies merged to form the American company General Dynamics in 1952. During 1954, General Dynamics opted to purchase Convair , which had been created by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft; as

1170-476: The first purpose-designed water bomber. Canadair was formally created on 11 November 1944 as a separate entity by the government of Canada. Having absorbed the operations of the Canadian Vickers company, it initially operated as a manufacturer of Consolidated PBY "Canso" flying boats on behalf of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Benjamin W. Franklin became its first president. In addition to

1209-681: The government of Canada on 11 November, 1944. Throughout much of its existence, it was a subsidiary of various other aircraft manufacturers prior to being nationalized by the Canadian government in 1976. For a decade, the company operated as a federally-owned Crown Corporation . In 1986, Canadair was privatized via its sale to Bombardier, after which it became a core element of the firm's aerospace division . The company's former principal manufacturing facility, Canadair Plant One , remains intact, although Cartierville Airport itself has been closed and since undergone redevelopment. During its operational years, Canadair achieved several aviation firsts;

Canadair North Star - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-574: The principal operators of the " North Star ", with the CPA examples known as the " Canadair Four " and BOAC examples known as the " Argonaut ". The RCAF North Stars were unpressurized and were used on a variety of transport duties. Like other North Stars, they were notorious for the high level of cabin noise caused by the Merlin engines, as unlike the radials of the DC-4, the exhaust from the individual cylinders

1287-412: The service life of Argonauts and North Stars. CF-UXA, ex-RCAF 17510 was the last DC-4M in airline service, completing its final flight on 19 June 1975 at Miami , Florida . Despite the onset of jet airliners in the 1950s, the rugged Canadair North Star found a niche in both military and civil use. Canadair built 71 examples under the designations: North Star, DC-4M, C-4 and C-5. With the exception of

1326-422: The single C-5 (which had Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, as fitted to the Douglas DC-6 ), these variants were all powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and 51 of the production examples were pressurised. On 8 April 1954, a Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk.II 3309 collided with Trans-Canada Airlines North Star CF-TFW over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan , killing 36 people aboard

1365-653: The transportation of VIP passengers. It was used to transport the Canadian Prime Minister, the Queen , and numerous other dignitaries on various high-profile missions, serving faithfully for 17 years, later becoming a crew trainer before being retired and sold in the United States. North Stars were also employed by 412 Squadron RCAF on various VIP transport duties and, overall, the aircraft provided valuable and reliable long range transport services for

1404-508: The water bomber mission. The definitive design was publicly revealed at the 1965 Paris Air Show . While the CL-215A served as the standard water bomber configuration, another model, designated as the CL-215C , had been envisioned to dispense with compromises meant to enhance its performance at the water bomber role, allowing it be furnished with larger doors on the sides of the fuselage and

1443-480: Was a Canadian civil and military aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1944 to 1986. In 1986, its assets were acquired by Bombardier Aerospace , the aviation division of Canadian transport conglomerate Bombardier Inc. Canadair's origins lie in the establishment of a factory for Canadian Vickers in the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal, at Cartierville Airport . It was created as a separate entity by

1482-495: Was involved in curtain wall design and manufacture for a number of buildings. They also produce the cabins for many air traffic control towers operated by the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States. Both tracked and air-cushioned vehicles were designed and underwent testing; however none proceeded into commercial production. In the late 1950s, the United States Army contracted Canadair to develop

1521-555: Was officially called the Canadair Four under the designations: North Star, DC-4M, C-4 and C-5. With the exception of the single C-5 (which had Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, as fitted to the Douglas DC-6 ), these variants were all powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and 51 of the production examples were pressurised. Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPA) and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) were

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