Just found this…….
Acquiring historic Yukon proves to expensive for RCAF Museum
Trentonian – Ernst Kuglin
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 – 10:00
Local News – Landing another historic piece of Canada’s military aviation history at the RCAF Memorial Museum in Trenton has proven too costly.
Last year museum officials flew to Ecuador to acquire the last remaining Canadair CC-106 Yukon, once the backbone of the air force’s Air Transport Command during the 1960s.
Number 932 now sits on the tarmac at Simon Bolivar Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Initially the Ecuadorian Directorate of Civil Aviation donated the Yukon to the museum in Trenton. The task began last year to find a way to ship the Yukon to its new home at the museum.
Timing was a factor. The civilian side of the airport at Guayaquil was under construction.The museum faced June 5 deadline by the local airport authority to remove the Yukon from the tarmac.
“I guess they didn’t want an old aircraft beside a new airport, said museum executive director Chris Colton. “We were basically told to move it or lose it, or the aircraft would put the aircraft up for sale, to be used for scrap.
The air gods intervened.
Instead of shipping the Yukon home to Trenton, museum officials now had to find a way to save the aircraft from the scrapper’s torch.
Through diplomatic channels, Colton arranged to gift the Yukon to the Ecuadorian Air Force.
“We had to look for another option,’’ said Colton, “or the Yukon would have to be scrapped and melted down.’’
The Ecuadorian Air Force shares the airport with the civilian authority. It will now be on display as part of the military air field.
Colton said there may come a time, when funds are available, to repatriate the Yukon.
Shipping the aircraft home also proved too costly. By the time the Yukon is dismantled, crated and shipped to Canada, the museum would have faced a price tag of about $500,000.
Colton said the museum’s main focus is completing the expansion.
“It’s extremely unfortunate. The project was a great idea, but we couldn’t afford it. Shipping the aircraft home is outside our capability right now,’’ said Colton.
The long, slender turbo-prop aircraft was a common sight in the skies above Trenton. The Yukon was flown by 437 Squadron on missions around the world.
It’s estimated the fleet of 12 Yukons flew roughly 65 million miles until they were retired from service in the early 1970s, replaced by the Boeing 707.
The aircraft was a VIP transport for military and political officials. Colton described the aircraft as the Canadian version of Air Force One.
When the fleet of Yukons were retired from military service they went to a boneyard in Saskatchewan.
All 12 aircraft were sold to a private company. The company then turned around and sold the aircraft to various South American countries.
While in civilian use two of the aircraft went missing, believed crashed somewhere in the Andes. They were never found.
Number 932 found a home with Andes Airlines as a civilian aircraft, flying thousands of more miles from 1974 to 1986. It was an ironic twist. The Canadian Department of Transportation refused to allow the Yukon to be flown in Canada as a civilian aircraft because of its windscreen design.
In 2000, the aircraft was taken on by the Ecuadorian Air Force, eventually to be sold to a scrap dealer for $3,000 Cdn.
Yukons made what amounted to daily flights across the Atlantic during the 1960s to supply Canadian Forces personnel stationed at bases across Europe.
But the Yukon was also a star attraction of the air force. It was the first military aircraft to overfly Canada’s provinces and territories, setting records for distance and time.
While in service, the Yukon was noted for its long, sleek appearance, powered by four turbo-prop engines.
Regards,
By: J31/32 - 31st March 2025 at 10:18
http://www.cl44.com/cl44/Survivors.htm
another one gone………
Extinction a real threat now.
By: Steve T - 31st March 2025 at 10:17
What a shame…though not really a surprise. I’d have hoped perhaps the flightdeck and maybe one of the engines could have been rescued for the Trenton collection. Now if they want to represent the CC-106, NMRCAF will have to “fudge” things and use part or all of a Britannia…itself a rare type now.
By my reading that leaves only the one CL44-O extant of the whole series (Britannias and the distantly-related Argus aside)…and even that Guppy looks to be very much on borrowed time.
You lose a few, you lose a few…:(
S.
By: nigelrob - 31st March 2025 at 10:17
Not trying to highjack this thread, but heres AerTuras’ CL 44 (EI-BGO?) at Luton Airport in June 1982, on a regular horse transport flight.
By: K225 - 17th November 2006 at 14:45
It is sad, it was hoped that Trenton would be able to display the aircraft of RCAF Transport Command. It already has a Dak but a C119, Northstar, Comet, Yukon, C130 Herc, Boeing 707,and eventually a Polaris would make a neat lineup. I had heard they were talking to a group that still have a C119 in RCAF colours and is flyable. The Nortstar at the Canadian Aviation Museum is at least stored indoors now. Project Northstar a volunteer group had started work on the restoration. One of the merlins has been removed to be overhauled and the flightdeck stripped and started. However cutbacks at the museum have slowed this work to a standstill very frustrating for the group. They need more aircraft people involved in running this museum. The RCAF memorial museum in Trenton is run by ex airforce people much more focused and they can get the job done as the Halifax restoration demonstrated but their resources are limited.
At least we have Vintage Wings, Ed Russells Group, and the Canadian Warbirds in Hamilton they are showing that perhaps a private sector group can get results, mind you they have the resources and are less hampered by bureaucracy.
A dedicated but small group from Project Northstar are at least trying with limited resources or support from the CAM.
My two cents anyway!
By: ecuatoriano - 17th November 2006 at 06:10
Here the CL-44 at Guayaquil-Ecuador, photos taken last sunday November 12
By: HP81 - 1st June 2006 at 17:19
Very sad news. It doesn’t look as if any standard fuselage CL44’s are going to ultimately survive 🙁
S.B.
By: Tillerman - 1st June 2006 at 17:13
In RCAF service:
http://www.cl44.com/cl44/images/15932×1.jpg
In ANDES service, RCAF livery:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0751222/L/
In ANDES service, company livery
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0885304/L/
WFU Guayaquil:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0241035/L/
What a beautiful aircraft.
Tillerman.
By: Steve T - 1st June 2006 at 03:53
Mike–
Sorry to hear this. Had always had a queasy feeling about that project: such a huge airframe, not airworthy nor, apparently, even ferriable, needing dismantling, shipping thousands of miles, and reassembly in an outdoor airpark. One hopes the gifting of this last extant CC-106 to Ecuador’s military might buy the aircraft some time…and it probably will buy SOME time, but enough? Time of course will tell. But we got all the way down to only one North Star, too, when several more could have been rescued. Yukon 932 probably, realistically, passed the point of no return when she lapsed into inactivity at Guyaquil.
Perhaps when (sadly I doubt it’s an “if”) the FAE opts to dispose of the Yukon, some parts, say the forward fuselage/flightdeck and one of the engines, could be gifted back to Trenton…those could then be displayed indoors and the interior opened to visitors. Better to keep part of the last Yukon than nothing at all…Just my 2c.
S.
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June 1, 2006 at 3:37 am