While we are waiting for RS712 year of movement, how about identifying a bit newer photo.

As Promised – Yorks in Canada

Avro Yorks in Canada

The York first flew in 1942 and 253 were manufactured. The aircraft used the wing assembly from the Lancaster bomber with a much larger fuselage and a triple tail. It was a war-time aircraft that used existing technology to produce a transport aircraft.

The aircraft was used in Canada in the mid 1950s’ as a supply freighter aircraft for the Mid Canada Line and the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line construction.

Spartan Airways purchased 11 aircraft @ approx $2000.00 each. A 12th York was purchased by Maritime Central Airways (MCA).

The aircraft were divided up with 4 aircraft each to:

Associated Airways
Maritime Central Airways (MCM)
Arctic Wings – This was a sub-company of Spartan Airways

The aircraft was often Captained by UK pilots – attracted by top pay of about $1000.00 per month.

The first aircraft in Canada was CF-HFQ which entered service with Arctic Wings – March 1955. The aircraft was a good choice given the payload was between the Curtiss C-46 and the Douglas DC-4 and the low purchase price. By late 1955 almost half of the fleet had been lost. The companies operating them made a lot of money and even when they crashed, insurance paid for the aircraft.

Associated Airways Yorks

CF-HMZ – April 11, 1955 – Yellowknife

Undercarriage failed – aircraft totaled – Crew survived – 2 Pax Killed

Pilot was W.F.Young

CF-HMX – April 12, 1955 – Hall Lake

Aircraft struck a snow bank – written off – no fatalities

CF-HMY – May 26, 1955 – Edmonton

Aircraft was overloaded – runway was too short and the aircraft crashed into Canadian Pacific Railway “Calder Yard” Crew did not survive.

Interesting point was that the company was not in possession of performance charts – nor was the DOT. In addition the pilots credentials had never been checked.

Pilot was William Highton
Co-pilot was W. Horton

CF-HMV – September 29, 1955 – Returning to Yellowknife – Lost – Ditched into lake north of Uranium City.

Pilot was Joseph Cermak (ex RAF) – Died of exposure
Co-pilot was Gerhard (Jerry) Lozie – Frostbite – lost both feet later.

Associated only had CF-HFP left so CF-HIP was added from MCA – the operation carried on for a few weeks until DOT revoked the heavy aircraft certificate.

Associated was taken over by Pacific Western Airlines where HFP and HIP continued operating.

Maritime Central Airways Yorks

CF-HMU – Jan 24, 1955 – Forced landing at Fort Chimo – engine failure – right main gear collapsed

Aircraft was written off.

Pilot was A.J. (Spud) Murphy

CF-HMW – September 25, 1956 – Fort Chimo – Caught fire – forced landing on barrens.

Pilot Bob Ruchbrook survived

Crew members Christie and Crighton were killed

CF-HMT – This aircraft was sold to Dan-Air – Crashed in Malta May, 1958 – fire after engine failure.

4 killed

Arctic Wings Yorks

CF-HFQ was the first York to operate in Canada – March 1955

CF-HMX – May 12, 1955 – Hall Lake – Landing gear collapsed – no fatalities

This aircraft is also listed as belonging to Associated Airways in some records???

CF-HIQ and CF-HAS ( Has was the last York ferried to Canada) were operated 1955 and 1956 by Arctic Wings and were purchased along with HFQ by Central Northern Airways / Transair

CF-HFQ – September 13, 1956 – Fox Manitoba – overran the runway – written off

No fatalities

Servicable Yorks left were:

HAS – Transair
HIQ – Transair
HTM – MCA
HFP – PWA
HIP – PWA

CF-HFP – June 25, 1957 – Cape Perry – Brakes failed on landing – no fatalities – PWA

Pilots were F.J Lasby and L.A. Annesley

CF-HIQ – January 8, 1957 -Rankin Inlet – engine fire – forced landing about 25 miles south of Rankin Inlet – aircraft destroyed by fire. – Transair – no fatalities

Pilot was J.W.F. Wright

CF-HIP – survived the DEW Line – used by PWA until about 1959 – Scrapped in Edmonton

CF-HAS – survived the DEW Line – used by Transair until about 1960 – stored at The Pas Manitoba – Sold for scrap in 1965 – was vandalized and burnt before being cut up – wings were salvaged and the engines acquired by Bob Diemert.

The Canadian Built York

FM-400 – a very modified York built by AVRO Canada – Canadian government ordered 50 aircraft in 1943 but cancelled the order due to concerns with the ability of the aircraft in icing conditions. Lancasters were ordered as replacement. Only FM-400 was built.

FM-400 first flew November 14, 1944 – was delivered to the UK – registered as G-ALBX.

Hauled fuel during the Berlin Airlift.
Lost June 1949.

Regards,

Here’s a Straw – Suck it up

Here is a link to a Canadian in Afghanistan

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_sanders/20060901.html

It is long but well worth the read.

I would – like most – be most appreciative of the fact that there was no more wars to be fought. In general they are a huge waste of time, energy, and most importantly – human life. The misery of war has been with us it seems like forever – and if we could figure out a way to end it all so that we can all live in peace that would probably be mans’ (collective humanity) greatest victory. Until that happens we need to continue the protest against the act of warfare and learn to live with a very imperfect world. :dev2:

Just my $0.02 worth.

No axe to grind here – open discussion is what is really best. 🙂

OOPs

That should be CF-HFP not HFQ

Sorry

SpitFire Pilot

For your information.

32 Canadians have been killed in this action.
2300 still remain on “Peace Keeping” Duty.

I was talking to a very experienced “OLD SCHOOL” RCAF pilot today and this very subject came up – His views were very pointed and concise in regards to losses during a conflict – we talked about “Friendly Fire – which isn’t”, mistakes made during the heat of conflict, and most importantly that those who “volunteer” – we have no draft in Canada – do so with the intentions of protecting our way of life -“Democracy”.

In addition his comments to me about the fact that all that stands between those who wish to do evil towards us and ourselves is a group of men and women tasked with the most unpleasant of all occupations.

Any loss of life is too much – but is the nature of the task at hand that all risks cannot be mitigated – people get killed on a daily basis – by cars, sting rays, and by aircraft accidents as well as during the conflicts of war operations. The one great mystery of life is that we never know the exact timing of our demise – perhaps that is just as well as it would probably lead us to do some very interesting things.

My condolences go out to the families and friends of everyone killed in action – and I pay my respects in many different ways including on November 11. I have never “Had” to go to war – my Father, Uncles, Great Grandfathers etc. sacrificed and made that a possibility – Some of them did not come back home at the end of the conflict – but that does not mean that we don’t still think of them.

And always remember – sometimes there are more in the fight than just those getting front page news!!