CANADAIR
For over half a century, Canadair was
Canada's leading aircraft manufacturer. Between its founding in 1944 and
its 50th Anniversary, the company manufactured over 4,000 aircraft and
many other products. Acquired by Bombardier Inc. in 1986, Canadair has
since been absorbed into Bombardier Aerospace, and its name has almost
completely disappeared from the international aerospace scene.
history
Ben Franklin
Canadair’s founder and first president, Benjamin
William Franklin, was born at Joyceville, Ontario, in October, 1892.
During his second year of university engineering, war broke out in Europe
and he joined the army. While serving as a lieutenant in France, he was
gassed and and spent time in a French hospital.
Upon his release from the army, Franklin decided not to return to
university but instead moved to Alberta and acquired a piece of land under
the provincial government's homestead program. He worked the homestead
until 1925 when he joined Massey-Harris as a farm equipment salesman.
In 1930, Massey-Harris moved Ben, now one of its top salesmen, to
Montreal, however, he soon left M-H to join Dominion Life Assurance
Company as its first English-speaking branch manager in Quebec. On the
strength of his university record, he was accepted into the Engineer's
Club of Montreal where he met fellow Mason, T. Rodgie McLagan, general
manager of shipbuilder and aircraft manufacturer, Canadian Vickers Ltd.
At that time (late 1939), Canadian Vickers aircraft department was
having problems: Stranraer production was nearing completion, no new
orders were in the offing and employee morale was low. Though he knew
Franklin had no knowledge of aircraft manufacturing, McLagan recognized in
him a superb salesman with a fine business sense, remarkable charisma and
an uncanny ability to get the best out of people. So, in the words of John
Chisnall, Franklin’s first personal assistant at Vickers, McLagan hired
him "to get the complacent Vickers employees off their butts".
Chisnall describes Franklin as a relatively short man, fastidious,
always immaculate. Walter Meacher, another Vickers employee who was to
become Canadair’s first comptroller, remembers him as an opportunist who
liked to gamble; a highly rated bridge player who played for high stakes.
"He was smart," says Meacher. "He came to Canadian Vickers without the
slightest knowledge of aviation, yet he ran three very successful aviation
programs". Jim Bain, superintendent of engineering and maintenance for
Trans-Canada Airlines, doubled as Franklin’s executive assistant for a
while. He described Franklin as: " A remarkable man in many regards. He
will invariably come out on the top side of any negotiation. He has a
remarkable ability to get the best out of any situation where money is
involved".
In his eight years with Canadian Vickers and Canadair, Franklin made an
indelible mark on the Canadian aviation scene. Largely responsible for
putting Vickers’ aircraft department’s house in order, he was instrumental
in the winning of the PBY contract and introduced changes which enabled
the plant to produce 30 PBYs a month. When Vickers decided to quit the
aviation industry, Franklin unhesitatingly accepted the challenge of
taking over management of the huge government plant and its 9,000
employees. And when, only eight months later, he was forced by the ending
of the war and the cancelling of the PBY program, to lay off 80 per cent
of his labour force, he managed, by sheer determination, some opportunism,
and an appreciable amount of gall, to revive the company’s fortunes and
begin a rebuilding program which started Canadair on the path to worldwide
recognition.
Well-known Montreal writer and commentator, Leslie Roberts, wrote of
Franklin: "A little ball of fire...a supercharged gentleman, who walked
into a great, but badly tangled aircraft plant and made it say Uncle".
Aircraft Production under Government
Ownership: 1976 - 1986
Regardless of how long Canadair
may exist, the period 1975 to 1985 and the birth and development of the
Challenger business jet will always be viewed as the most significant
period in the company's existence. The early 1970s brought a worldwide
recession to the aviation industry. By 1975, Canadair's labour force had
sunk below 2,000 and owner General Dynamics was considering selling the
company or shutting it down. The Canadian government, however, was
determined to maintain a viable aviation industry and, in January 1976, it
re-acquired Canadair.
In April, 1976, Canadair's president, Fred Kearns, searching for a new
program, took an option on U.S. inventor Bill Lear's latest concept: a
high speed, long range business jet incorporating a supercritical wing and
high-bypass turbofan engines. On October 29,1976, the Canadian government
announced it had authorized Canadair to exercise the Lear option on the
strength of 28 firm orders, plus a conditional order for 25.
The first aircraft, designated the Challenger 600, was rolled out on
May 25, 1978, and flew for the first time the following November 8. The
Challenger's early development problems are well documented. They included
engine delivery delays, reliability problems and fuel consumption
deficiencies; manufacturing change traffic so high that aircraft were
being delivered with hundreds of modifications outstanding; funding
problems, and certification delays due in part to the Department of
Transport's insistence on a natural stall flight test program.
Matters came to a head in late 1982 when, with Canadair in debt to the
tune of $1.14 billion, the government put control of the company into the
hands of the Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDIC) and forced
Canadair president Fred Kearns and several other senior executives to
resign. Gil Bennett of CDIC became president.
In March 1984, the government put Canadair back on a stable footing by
writing off the company's huge debt. The Challenger program was allowed to
continue; the aircraft's initial teething problems were gradually
overcome, and the aircraft began to earn the fine reputation it holds
today.
Challenger 601
After 85 Avco Lycoming-engined
Challenger 600s had been manufactured, production was switched to the
Challenger 601(later designated 601-1A). The prototype 601(the third
pre-production 600 fitted with a redesigned rear fuselage and nacelles to
carry the 38.5 kN (8,650 lb.) thrust General Electric CF34-1A engines)
made its maiden flight on April 10, 1982. The first production 601 flew on
September 17, 1982. In addition to its new engines, it had increased fuel
capacity and winglets which together increased range to 6,365 km (3,365
nm).
On September 1 and 2, 1983, the second production 601 set a record for
its class by flying non-stop from Calgary to London, England, a distance
of 7,023 km (3,814 nm) in 9 hours 4 minutes.
Where are they now? The first prototype
Challenger 600 crashed during testing: the second prototype is located in
the Air Command Aviation Heritage Park at CFB Winnipeg, the third became
the 601 test vehicle. Many production 600s and 601s are in regular use
worldwide.
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