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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 2352.PDF
FLIGHT, 27 August 1954 273 THE CANADIAN INDUSTRY . . . now. One or two special items are sub-contracted, but otherwise the T-34s are being produced entirely by Cancar. In addition to this work, Cancar are to take a" large share in the construction of anti-submarine Grumman S2Fs for the R.C.N. Most of the manufacturing work is being sub-contracted and de Havilland, who are handling the programme, will look after as sembly. Cancar's share is the complete wing with control surfaces, flaps and engine nacelles. .,,... The president and managing director of Cancar is Edwin J. Cosford. The aviation division sales manager L. H. Kottmeier, who has been a pilot for some 25 years, has worked on aircraft design and manufacture in America, and during the war served in the R.C.A.F. The company's aircraft division now comprises a main assembly shop of 216,000 sq ft area, a machine shop of 17,600 sq ft, other buildings totalling 112,000 sq ft and two hangars at the Montreal Municipal Airport giving 47,000 sq ft. The present aviation staff totals a little over 1,500. THE DE HAVILLAND AIRCRAFT OF CANADA, LTD. LIKE its Australian sister company, de Havilland Canada has now been established for more than twenty-five years; Jubilee celebrations were, in fact, held last "year. The actual date of formation of the company was January, 1928. Five men with some crated equipment put up their sign in that year at De Lesseps Field, Mount Dennis. Field meant field. For a start Cirrus Moths were assembled, and they proved so popular that about a year later, in September 1929, larger premises, allowing for growth were opened at Downsview to the north of Toronto. By this time a staff of 80 was employed. Several names are specially associated with the origin and the development of D.H. Canada before the war. Captain Roy Max well, as a director of the Ontario Provincial Air Service, visited England in 1927 and at Stag Lane saw a demonstration with the Cirrus Moth. It seems that he was much impressed with the air craft's possibilities, particularly for fire detection in Ontario, and it was upon his recommendation on return home that the then Minister of Lands and Forests in Ontario ordered four Cirrus Moms for the Provincial Government's forest fire detection service. At the time of this first purchase F. E. N. St. Barbe was sales director of the home company, and it was he more dian anyone else at de Havillands who recognized the opportunities for intro ducing air transportation in Canada to overcome the almost in surmountable problems associated with over-land transport. Others to be named are Mr. R. A. (Bob) Loader who, in January 1928, was given the work of forming the new company; Frank Tretheway (a member of the Toronto Flying Club), whose farm provided the first site for operations; P. C. Garratt, now vice-president and managing director, who among many other things badgered the Canadian Government into giving the first Tiger Moth order in 1937 (for 25 aircraft), thus giving the company its first chance to become a manufacturing concern rather than one for assembly, repair and maintenance. In the past Mr. Garratt often voluntarily added the work of test pilot and ferry pilot to his other responsibilities. Although during its earlier years the company did not design or build whole aircraft, a great deal of work was done to provide for the special needs of Canadian terrain and climate and, for ex ample, float and ski systems were developed and a lot of experi ence gained in the handling and carriage of heavy and bulky freight in comparatively light bush aircraft. Only a short time after the small but important order for Tiger Moths had been placed by die Canadian Defence authorities, the British Government gave an order for 200 Tigers and the Cana dian version of this aircraft, the D.H.82C, became the standard elementary trainer for the British Commonwealth Training Plan in Canada. This machine differed in several important respects from the English Tiger, having a sliding coupe cockpit enclosure, cockpit heater, wheel brakes and tail wheel, and provision for the fitting of floats or skis. Wartime expansion of the company was nothing short of spec tacular. Tiger Moth production continued non-stop until 1,747 of these aircraft had been built. In 1940 a contract was placed (&elow\ D.H. Canada's fine new premises at Downsview, outside Toronto. Otters and Beavers can be recognized. (Right) The Beaver (L-20s for the i U.S.A.F.) production line. (I. to r.) Vice-president and managing director of D.H.C. is P. C. Garratt; engineering director, W. D. Hunter; and sales director, C. H. Dickins. for the assembly of Ansons at Toronto, and 375 of these were completed. A year later the company started to tool up for Mosquito production. The first Canadian-built Mosquito was ready for testing in September 1942, and before production was brought to a close more than 1,000 Mosquitos were built. At its wartime peak the company's payroll reached 7,200. As for almost every other wartime producer, the latter 1940s brought a trying period of contraction and consolidation. The company could only retain a small proportion of its huge wartime staff and productive capacity. Surprisingly (and courageously), the first post-war machine to be chosen for production without delay was a modified version of the old Fox Moth, and that this was a sensible choice is confirmed by the sale of more than fifty of these machines in spite of the availability of so many war surplus aircraft at the time. The Fox Moth is, in effect, a versatile light '•••miw, mSSs
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