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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1183.PDF
297 Ayro Aircraft CF-lOOs at Malton, Toronto. THE CANADIAN INDUSTRY IN the wide miscellany that is Canada's aeronautical scenetoday there are many contrasts. Traffic jams outsideAvro's plant at Malton; the calm wide expanse of Thunder Bay and CanCar's Fort William; the new west-coast plants with paint hardly dry. The fresh salt air at Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, where Fairey serves the Navy; the other Fleet at Fort Erie, Ontario, where even the race-track chooses to airmark itself by a blimp overhead. And, of course, Montreal, with its huge glass beehive built around aviation—the Inter- national Aviation Building—complete with aloof and air- conditioned atmosphere. In the air-conditioned factories, too, there are varied projects,problems, plans, and programmes. Here is expansion, here a manpower surplus following the quite widespread "stretch-out"after the fever of Korean-time production. For the production peaks of the Korean period are still casting shadows over Canadianaviation. But, expansion or "stretch-out," there is invariably a vigorous, flexible approach to the problems ahead. It is achallenging and a satisfying time to be in Canada, and in aviation. Much of the story of the building up of Canada's aircraftindustry in the postwar years is, in effect, the story of the remarkable Mr. C. D. Howe, Minister of Trade and Commerceand Minister of Defence Production. The Government plan which he sponsored called for the development of a self-sufficientaircraft industry for Canada, with a particular emphasis on the cultivation of a large and capable ancillary industry, with acces-sible sources of supply, to provide the major firms with materials, components and equipment. Dependence on outside countriesfor continued production was to be eliminated. At the present time, this desirable state of affairs has beenlargely achieved, and the new balanced pattern of industry is emerging. As in Britain, however, most firms in Canada arestill almost wholly dependent on Government orders, although progress towards reducing this dependence is being achieved. Slightly fewer than 40,000 people are employed at presentin some 45 factories in Canada. The seven main airframe and engine companies now have some 7,500,000 sq ft of plant space,while the subcontractors, equipment manufacturers and repair and overhaul organizations add another 3,500,000 sq ft to thetotal. In marked contrast to the operating side of Canadian aviation,which is enjoying an unprecedented boom in air freighting in connection with the northern radar chains, the manufacturingindustry in general is at present stretching out its production programmes. Following the extremely high production rates ofthe last few years, and a revision in political thinking after the beginning of Korean truce talks (the new U.S. administration cancelled a $100m order placed in Canada for T-36 twin-enginedtrainers), firms have been told to slow down the pace some- what—to remain alert and tooled up, but to spread deliveriesover a longer period. And yet there is expansion, too, in Canada's aeronautical life.Over the past year, this has been noticeable in three directions. Firstly, a number of firms have decided to expand their researchand development facilities, in order to widen the base of their work and to support more effectively their production units.Secondly, groups such as Hawker Siddeky and Bristol have streamlined their organizations and have concentrated much oftheir expansion effort in building up the newer subsidiaries (e.g. Canadian Steel Improvement and MacDonald respectively) and,in the case of Hawker Siddeley, acquiring a further substantial interest (in Canadian Car and Foundry). Thirdly, there is theexpansion of the design sections of major ancillary firms. Work in the field of guided weapons has been intensifiedduring the past year, and test firings of Canada's Velvet Glove air-to-air missile have been made from an F-86E Sabre. Avro,de Havillands, and Canadair are among those active in this work: the possible future production in Canada of certain British andAmerican missiles has also been reported. A significant current example of extensive subcontracting isseen in the important R.C.N. contract for 100 Grumman CS2F-1 anti-submarine aircraft to be built in Canada under licence byde Havillands at Downsview. De Havillands, as prime con- tractor, are manufacturing only the front fuselage, and are under-taking the final assembly and installation and equipment. Canadian Pratt and Whitney, prime contractors for the engines,will build the Wright R-1820 Cyclones under licence, while the remaining airframe units have been subcontracted by deHavillands to seven other companies. Two Canadian Service requirements which should lead tofurther industry contracts in the near future are those for a Naval helicopter and for a jet trainer for the R.C.A.F. SeveralCanadian firms have eligible contenders in one or both categories. In the 1954 Commonwealth issue of Flight, we described infull the facilities, work and historical background of the Canadian aircraft companies. Our aim this year is to report on develop-ments during the past 12 months and to describe current activi- ties. In the case of 22 of the main aircraft and ancillary com-panies, the accounts follow visits made by Kenneth Owen of Flight's editorial staff during a 12,000-mile tour of the Canadianindustry. Also included this year are brief descriptions of two significant organizations on the Canadian scene (the Air Industriesand Transport Association and the recently formed Canadian Aeronautical Institute, which cater respectively for the com-panies and the technical men they employ); and an enlarged Canadian section of the Commonwealth directory.
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