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HEAVY IRON in the 60’s
The 1960s saw the Canadian business aviation industry advance with the arrival of turbine-powered aircraft. Prior to that, the large aircraft operated by domestic corporations were converted airliners or former military machines.
May 20, 2009 By Frederick K. Larkin
The 1960s saw the Canadian business aviation industry advance with the arrival of turbine-powered aircraft. Prior to that, the large aircraft operated by domestic corporations were converted airliners or former military machines. To get a better picture of what the scene looked like then, the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register dated March 31, 1964, was searched. For the sake of brevity, only aircraft with a gross takeoff weight greater than 12,500 pounds were included. This meant the exclusion of popular lighter twins such as Aero Commanders, Beech 18s and de Havilland Doves.
The following list displays the 50 aircraft by type,
registration (without the CF- prefix) and owner.
DOUGLAS DC-3
BZI Interprovincial Pipe Line
CAR Sparrow Drilling
CUC Cities Service Oil
DJT Robert Simpson Co.
DXU Canadair
ESO Imperial Oil
ETE Hudson’s Bay Co.
FBS Hollinger North Shore
GHL Great Lakes Paper
GJZ Algoma Steel
HPM Ayers
HVH Robertson & O’Connell
IAE Shell Canada
IKD Ontario Paper
IOC Imperial Oil
ITQ Canada Steamship Lines
JRY Shell Canada
JUV Smith & Stone
KCI Irving Oil
QCM Quebec Cartier Mining
TDJ Goodyear Tire
& Rubber
WIC Wabush Lake Railway
CONVAIR 340
TCL Texaco Canada
CONVAIR 440
KQI Shell Canada
B-25J MITCHELL
MWC Cascade Drilling
ON MARK MARKETEER
CCR Canadian Comstock
LOCKHEED LODESTAR/VENTURA*
BAL British American Oil
BAO British American Oil
CEC Turnbull Elevator
CPL Canada Packers / CIBC
EAE Timmins Aviation
MFL* Dominion Tar & Chemical
PPL Pacific Petroleums
TCV Noranda Mines
TDB Imperial Oil
TDG Massey Ferguson
TDI Mannix
LOCKHEED JETSTAR
DTX Dept. of Transport
ETN T. Eaton Co.
GRUMMAN MALLARD
BKE Ontario Paper
GEV Rodair
HWG Great Lakes Paper
GRUMMAN GULFSTREAM
ASC Algoma Steel
IOM Imperial Oil
JFC Denison Mines
LOO Home Oil
MUR Massey Ferguson
NOC Westcoast Transmission
FAIRCHILD F-27
LWN Geomont Explorations
VICKERS VISCOUNT
TGN Canadian Schenley
As this was at the start of the turbine era, there were only two bizjets registered, including one operated by the federal government. Twenty-two of the corporations listed would eventually replace their propeller-driven equipment with jets.
And only five continue to operate aircraft today. Given the massive expansion of the corporate fleet, this says more about the changing face of the Canadian economy than it does about the important role of business aviation.