During a 1935 Ottawa meeting of United Kingdom, Commonwealth, and dependency nations, agreement is reached on the idea of an air transport network linking all of the nations represented. The concept of a transcontinental Canadian airline and a transatlantic link to Great Britain is endorsed, with the Ottawa government assuming full responsibility for the first objective and pledging its cooperation in the latter.
A first significant step is taken on November 2, 1936, when control of Canadian civil aviation is transferred to the Air Services Branch of the Department of Transport from the Department of National Defence.
Transport Minister Clarence D. Howe proposes, early in 1937, the investment of private and public capital in the creation of a new national carrier. Agreement cannot be reached on broad composition between potential members and Canadian Airways, Ltd. and the Canadian Pacific Railways withdraw from the discussions, leaving the government to proceed alone through the instrument of Canadian National Railways (CNR).
Minister Howe introduces Bill 74, the Trans-Canada Air Lines Act, into the House of Commons on March 4. Passed, the Parliament’s legislation receives Royal Assent on April 10. The new airline is born as a wholly owned affiliate of the CNR, with an authorized capital of C$5 million, consisting of 50,000 shares of common stock with a par value of C$100 each.
Administrative headquarters are established at Montreal with the main overhaul base at Winnipeg. C. N. Hungerford, CNR president, becomes the carrier’s first president with former Boeing Air Trans-port/United Air Lines President Philip G. Johnson as vice president-operations. Two other Americans, D. B. Coyler and O. T. Larsen, become technical advisors. The first Canadian employee is Canadian Airways, Ltd. Pacific Division boss Donald R. MacLaren, who is joined by a number of pilots, mechanics, radio technicians, and agents from the private carrier. Airline employment by year’s end reaches 71.
Meanwhile, with the airline’s first aircraft, a C$5,000 Stearman 4EM two-seater biplane purchased from Canadian Airways, Ltd., the initial proving flight over the transcontinental route departs Vancouver on July
7. Piloted by J. N. Tudhope and J. D. Hunter, a Transport Department Lockheed Model 12A, with Minister Howe, Deputy Minister C. P. Edwards, and TCA Director N. J. Symington as passengers, makes a nonstop Montreal-Vancouver via Gillies, Sioux Lookout, Winnipeg, Regina, and Lethbridge, proving flight in 17 hrs. 34 min. (14 1/2-hrs. flying time) on July 30. In August, two Lockheed L-10As are delivered and the first international route is acquired from Canadian Airways, Ltd.
Commercial operations commence on September 1 as the L-10A registered CF-AZY, piloted by Billy Wells and F. M. McGregor, with MacLaren and CNR Auditor P. W. Baldwin as passengers, launches twice-daily, 50-min., 122-mi. Vancouver-Seattle return service. As these flights become routine, the carrier’s Stearman, joined by two others, continues cross-country proving flights by day and night. Three additional Lockheeds are placed in service between October and December.
Vancouver to Winnipeg L-10A cargo service begins on February 1, 1938, with a scheduled training service hauling airmail from Winnipeg to Vancouver commencing on March 1. The first of 10 Lockheed Model 14 Super Electras to be delivered during the year is placed in service in May. The first two TCA stewardesses, Lucile Garner and Pat Eccleston, are hired on July 1.
On August 1, Lethbridge to Edmonton scheduled service is inaugurated with mail placed on the route on October 1. A cargo route is stretched from Vancouver and Winnipeg to Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal on October 17, with mail added on December 1. Meanwhile, on November 18, the carrier suffers its first fatal accident when an L-14 crashes at Regina (two dead).
Enplanements for the first full year total 2,086.
On February 1, 1939, the Lethbridge-Edmonton mail and cargo flights begin stopping at Calgary. Daily transcontinental mail-only service is begun on March 1, although the first two planes, crossing simultaneously east to west to east, carry VIPs. The original Stearman is sold to Northern Airways, Ltd. in March. The first class of 15 stewardesses is graduated in March and one of the three Stearmans is sold to Northern Airways, Ltd. Passengers are allowed to board the transcontinental and Lethbridge-Calgary-Edmonton flights starting on April 1.
Vice President-Operations Johnson, having accomplished his start-up task, now returns to Boeing, turning his post over to D. B. Colyer. A mail stop is added at Moncton on the Vancouver-Montreal run on November 1, as training flights continue. During the year, five L-10As are sold and replaced by six L-14s.
The year’s boardings skyrocket to 21,560. A total of 19.6 million pounds of cargo and 1.8 million pounds of airmail are transported.
The Montreal-Moncton route is opened for passengers on February 15, 1940. A second daily transcontinental frequency is initiated on April 1. On July 15, a mail and training operation is launched from Toronto to Windsor and London, Ontario, with passengers permitted as of August 1. During the fall, an agreement is signed between Ottawa and Washington permitting TCA to begin transborder flights from Toronto to New York City.
Bookings accelerate to 53,180.
H. J. Symington becomes the carrier’s second president in 1941. An L-14 crashes at Armstrong, Ontario, on February 6 (10 dead). The Moncton route is extended to Halifax on April 1. The Vancouver to Seattle run is suspended and a Toronto to New York service is opened on April 10. Two L-14s are sold to Yukon Southern Airways, Ltd. and the first 6 of 15 ordered Lockheed Model 18 Lodestars are placed in service throughout the year.
En route from Montreal (YUL) to Prestwick, Scotland, on December 30, a civil Lancaster with eight aboard disappears over the Atlantic; among the lost passengers is Sir Alfred E. Evans, chief of the British Admiralty’s technical mission in Ottawa.
Enplanements for the year advance to 85,154.
O. T. Larsen becomes vice president-operations in 1942. On May 1, the Moncton route is stretched to St. John’s, Newfoundland, via Sydney and Gander. Late in the year, six more L-18s join the fleet. By year’s end, employment stands at 1,662 (464 women).
Bookings jump again, up to 104,446.
Following Minister Howe’s announcement in the House of Commons on June 16, 1943, a TCA Avro Lancastrian launches contract mail, freight and priority-passenger Canadian Government Transatlantic Air Service for Forces (CGTASF) flights from Montreal to Prestwick, Scotland, on July 23, via Reykjavik. (The Lancastrian is the first of nine Lancaster bombers converted to civil standard to be acquired over the next four years.) The first four-ton cargo arrives in Scotland in a flying time of 12 hrs. 26 min.
As summer turns to fall, the company’s engineering department works up plans for a Rolls Royce Merlin-powered Douglas DC-4 variant. A Lodestar must be written off following a nonfatal crash upon takeoff from Malton on November 4.
Enplanements for the year total 140,276.
Since the beginning of American involvement in the war and through the first half of 1944, a number of new transborder routes are planned or introduced. These include services from Halifax to Boston and from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, to Fairbanks. In June, the Vancouver service is extended to Patricia Bay and Vancouver Island. On July 1, a Blissville stop is added on a Montreal-Halifax frequency. At the same time, daily Halifax to Sydney flights are inaugurated. The final three ordered Lodestars are received during the year while an L-12A is leased for four months from the government. A Lancastrian is lost without trace during a December eastbound crossing.
Bookings this year add up to 156,884.
On February 2, 1945, the first Canadian vice president-operations is appointed, William F. (“Bill”) English. Also in February, an L-14 is destroyed in a Moncton accident. Following a nonfatal crash landing at Montreal (YUL) on July 1, a Lancastrian burns out. By year’s end, the Lancastrians have made 500 transatlantic crossings and 3 ex-USAAF Douglas C-47s (converted to civil DC-3 standard) have joined the fleet.
Passenger boardings rise to 183,121.
Unduplicated route mileage totals 5,299 miles on January 1, 1946. A number of new routes to the U. S. are opened: Toronto and London to Chicago on July 1, Toronto and London to Cleveland on August 1, Lake-head (Fort William) and Port Arthur to Duluth on September 16, and Victoria to Seattle on November 1.
The CGTASF Lancastrian route is extended from Prestwick down to London on September 15. Also in September, another L-14 is written off after an accident at Moncton. Orders are placed for 20 pressurized Canadair DC-4M-2 North Stars and another 24 DC-3s are obtained, 20 from the RCAF, which has ordered 24 DC-4M-1s. In the licensing agreement, Douglas inserts a clause limiting North Star use to U. K. and Canadian air transport concerns.
The development of cabin pressurization delays delivery of the DC-4M-2s so, beginning on November 19, six unpressurized DC-4M-1s are loaned to the airline by the RCAF. These are powered by Rolls Royce Merlin 622s and are fitted with undercarriages similar to those of the DC-6, which allow an increase in gross weight from 36.5 tons to 39 tons. Since 1942, a total of 218 pilots, like the Douglas transports mostly from the RCAF, have been hired.
Bookings this year grow to 305,442.
Halifax to Boston via Yarmouth and St. John service begins on April 1, 1947. Two days later, the carrier assumes full responsibility for the CGTASF, which now becomes a commercial operation, under a subsidiary TCA (Atlantic), Ltd. Employing the RCAF machines, the company begins four-per-week North Star roundtrip flights on the Montreal to Prestwick to London route on April 15.
Fifteen days later, a DC-3 with 15 aboard is lost off Vancouver; there are no survivors. On May 8, another Douglas transport and 15 more passengers are lost off Gabriola Island, British Columbia.
On July 1, Medicine Hat, Swift Current, and Saskatoon enter the route network. As North Star flights climb to 10-per-week, Shannon, Ireland, is added as a transatlantic destination on October 1. The first DC-4M-2 is also delivered on the same day.
Boardings balloon to 443,782.
Nonstop Toronto-New York roundtrip service is inaugurated on January 1, 1948 and Gordon R. McGregor is appointed president in February. DC-4M-1s are introduced on the Vancouver to Calgary route on May 1, the same day twice-weekly Montreal and Toronto to Bermuda DC-4M-2 North Star operations commence.
On June 1, North Stars begin serving the length of the transcontinental route, Vancouver to Montreal, via Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto (DC-3s fly to intermediate points) and are placed on the Toronto to Chicago service. The same day, Prairie frequencies are extended to Brandon and Yorkton. The last of 20 DC-4M-2s arrives on June 4 and planes are made to return the borrowed RCAF North Stars.
On July 1, the carrier becomes the world’s first to carry unsurcharged first-class mail (at ground rates), initiating the so-called “all-up” system now universally employed. During the summer, all-cargo Lodestar service is initiated on a multistop Toronto to Victoria route. A DC-4M-1 with 6 crew and 11 passengers is lost when its fuel tanks take fire upon landing at Sydney, Nova Scotia, on August 12. All aboard escape, but the plane is burned out.
The Lakehead-Duluth frequency is withdrawn on October 1, due to poor traffic. On December 2, twice-weekly Toronto and Montreal to Nassau, Kingston, and Port of Spain DC-4M-2 flights start.
The ex-USAAF DC-3s are sold. At year’s end, the employee population is 5,084, all 20 DC-4M-2s have been received, and bookings are up to 532,555 (23,000 on the North Atlantic run).
DC-4M-2s replace DC-3s on the Edmonton-Saskatoon-Winnipeg route on May 10, 1949. As sufficient DC-4M-2s have now been received, the five surviving borrowed DC-4M-1s are returned to the RCAF over six months, beginning in late June. Barbados is added as a stop on the Bermuda and Trinidad service on December 1. Having by now sold all of its remaining Lockheed L-14s and L-18s, the carrier’s fleet comprises 20 North Stars and 30 DC-3s.
Boardings boom to 685,086 (North Atlantic bookings dip 21,000).
After a long—and ultimately unsuccessful-legal action by Colonial Airlines to block the Canadian flag carrier’s entry onto its long-held route, Colonial must withdraw its claim to exclusivity. Consequently, Montreal to New York DC-4M-2 flights are inaugurated on April 1, while Tampa is added as a stop en route to the Caribbean the next day. The Florida destination represents the airline’s first long-haul route into the U. S.
Enplanements for the year zoom upward to 823,509 (however, transatlantic bookings drop again, down to 16,000).
TCA’s big event of 1951 is the inauguration of DC-4M-2 service from Montreal to Paris (ORY) via Reykjavik and London on April 1. During December, three DC-4-1 Argonauts are acquired from Canadian Pacific Airways, Ltd.
Bookings climb to 973,337 (including 4,000 more transatlantic passengers than in 1950).
On April 27, 1952, DC-4M-2s are introduced on the Montreal9St. John’s via Moncton and Sydney route. Dusseldorf is added to the list of European destinations on November 5. In December, orders are placed for 15 Vickers Viscount 724s.
TCA is the fifth carrier in the world and, significantly, the first in North America, to adopt the British-made turboprop. Lockheed is also asked to provide a number of its new L-1049C Super Constellations. On December 22, fog forces cancellation of a record 68 flights from Toronto.
Boardings this year pass the million mark for the first time, up to 1,132,518 (22,000 North Atlantic).
Seventeen aboard are hurt when a DC-4M-2 en route from Toronto to New York City on January 24, 1953, is caught in a downdraft; the plane lands safely. During early spring, the name “Air Canada” first appears as the official bilingual adaptation of TCA, replacing the previous translation of Lignes Aeriennes Trans-Canada.
Under contract to the International Red Cross, the company undertakes with DC-4M-2s the airlift of 4.5 tons of supplies to Greece during August. North Star service is initially offered to Regina and Lethbridge on April 26. Royal Assent is given on May 14 to an amendment to the 1937 enabling legislation, merging the subsidiary TCA (Atlantic), Ltd. into the parent.
Beginning on October 1, the carrier offers shuttle service from Halifax to Boston for steamship passengers diverted from a strikebound Atlantic coast.
On November 1, direct Toronto to Prestwick and London DC-4M-2 flights begin, the same day the carrier’s North Stars first begin flying into Cleveland. Sixteen days later, Montego Bay (Jamaica) is added to the Caribbean network. At year’s end, three Bristol 170 Mk. 31s are placed in service on an all-cargo run from Montreal and Toronto to New York.
Enplanements for the year rise to 1,307,810 (24,000 transatlantic).
The Tampa route is stretched to Mexico City on January 16, 1954. On February 1, Sault Ste. Marie-Montreal via Sudbury and North Bay service is introduced, the same day tourist-class economy fares are initiated roundtrip, twice daily on the transcontinental route. The first of five Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellations are delivered in March and April, being placed on the transatlantic route from Toronto and Montreal to London, Paris, and Dusseldorf on May 14 in three-class configuration.
Meanwhile, on April 8, a DC-4C-4C en route to Calgary from Winnipeg collides with an RCAF Harvard trainer over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (37 dead); a woman is also killed in this tragedy, Canada’s worst commercial air disaster to date, when debris falls on her house.
Five-times-per-week Bristol 170 Mk. 31 Montreal and Toronto to Winnipeg freighter flights commence in late May. Super Constellations are placed on the transcontinental run on September 26, Montreal-Vancouver via Toronto and Winnipeg. The first Viscount 724 is delivered on December 8.
An L-1049C with 7 crew and 16 passengers must be written off following a nonfatal takeoff crash from Brampton, Ontario, on a flight from Tampa to Toronto on December 17; many aboard receive various injuries, but there are no fatalities.
The U. S. CAB approves the use of Kinross Airport, Michigan, on December 23 to serve Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.
Bookings rise to 1,438,349 (29,000 on the North Atlantic) and a net operating profit of $C1.8 million is reported.
The first North American turboprop service begins on April 1, 1955 as the newly received Viscount 724s start flying from Montreal to Winnipeg via Toronto and Fort William. Three days later, Viscount service is launched from Toronto to New York. With three DC-4M-2s in freighter configuration, a five-times-per-week all-cargo service is launched on May 2 from Montreal to Vancouver via Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary. Three L-1049Es now join the fleet.
With equipment supplied by Western Union, the carrier opens a telegraph system from its base at Montreal on June 15, which is reported to be the largest private communications system in Canada. Montreal to New York Viscount flights begin on August 8.
A route exchange with Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Ltd. (CPAL)
Occurs on November 1. In exchange for Toronto-Mexico City rights, TCA receives routes from Quebec to Seven Islands, Val d’Or, Noranda, and Earlton and Quebec to the Maritime Provinces. The same day, Viscount 724s are introduced on the Montreal to Vancouver transcontinental run and the number of Toronto and Montreal to New York frequencies is doubled to two. The type is now serving 14 North American cities with load factors exceeding 80%.
The first nonstop Toronto to Mexico City service is flown by a DC-4M-2 on November 8. During the year, the Bristol Mk. 31s are sold to Central Northern Airways, Ltd. and replaced by four DC-4M-2 Freighters. The fleet now includes 14 Viscount 724s, 25 DC-3s, 7 L-1049s, and 21 North Stars.
The 10 millionth (cumulative) passenger is boarded this year as boardings advanced to 1,682,195 (34,000 transatlantic).
The number of Viscount flights to New York City is increased to 14-per-week on April 1, 1956. Viscount 724s replace DC-4M-2s on the First Class transcontinental service on April 29, Montreal-Vancouver via Ottawa, Fort William, Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary. Ten days later, orders are placed for 4 (later 11) Rolls Royce-powered DC-8-40 jetliners, which the company will help Douglas develop. A propeller spins off one of the new Viscounts over Flat Rock, Michigan, on July 9, puncturing the plane’s fuselage (one dead).
On September 12, a DC-4M-2 with 3 crew and 59 passengers crashes into the mountains near Hope, British Columbia; there are no survivors.
A Montreal-bound North Star, operating as Flight 810-9 with 62 passengers develops engine trouble over Hope, British Columbia, on December 9 and turns back toward Vancouver before disappearing into the wilderness. The RCAF suspends search operations on December 26. The wreckage will subsequently be located on Mount Sleese.
Late in the year, Bill English retires and is succeeded as vice president-operations by H. W. (“Herb”) Seagrim. Two DC-3s are sold to Quebe-cair, Ltd. Passenger boardings jump to 2,072,912 (40,000 transatlantic).
Nonstop Toronto-Vancouver flights are inaugurated on January 1, 1957. Orders are placed on January 3 for 20 (later 23) Vickers Vanguard 952s. The C$67.1-million commitment is, for that time, the largest single export dollar order placed in postwar Britain. Mechanics, on March 15, begin checking the wing flaps of all company Viscounts in the wake of the previous day’s accident with a unit owned by British European Airways Corporation (BEA).
The wreckage of the DC-4M-2 lost the previous December 9 is found on Mount Slesse, British Columbia, on May 13; the crash site is guarded to prevent looting. Daily nonstop Toronto-Vancouver L-1049C flights commence on June 1. A search is begun for new pilots on July 10 and the minimum age for these flyers is raised to 28.
A newly developed electronic reservations system built in cooperation with Ferranti Electric, Ltd. is first publicly demonstrated on October 26. Late in the year, the first L-1049Gs and L-1049Hs are delivered.
Enplanements soar to 2,392,713 (48,000 North Atlantic).
On January 1, 1958, domestic tourist-class fares are cut by 20%. L-1049G transatlantic flights begin on April 2 to London and Brussels; the route is stretched to Zurich on May 18. On May 28, Vancouver to London via Winnipeg and Gander L-1049G service starts. At New York on November 10, a Seaboard and Western Airlines L-1049H rams a Viscount 724 with two crew upon landing; both aircraft are burned out without loss of life.
DC-4M-2 Montreal-Antigua flights commence on December 15 via Bermuda. Also in December, North Stars launch a two-month airlift of 16,460 pounds of supplies to Ceylon on behalf of the International Red Cross. A total of 13 DC-3s are phased out during the year, of which 9 are sold to Frontier Airlines (1).
Passenger boardings climb to 2,785,523 (61,000 transatlantic).
An L-1049E is acquired and it launches Vienna service via London on May 1, 1959. After striking a water tower while landing at Toronto in bad weather on October 3, a Viscount 757 with 4 crew and 34 passengers alights short of the runway; no casualties result, but the turboprop must be written off. Only one DC-3 is disposed of this year.
Enplanements accelerate to 3,209,197 (64,000 on the North Atlantic).
The carrier’s first DC-8-41 is delivered on February 7, 1960 and is followed by a second in March. Meanwhile, on February 28, the propeller blade from the No. 2 engine of an L-1049C en route from Toronto to London with 83 aboard, flies off, hitting the cowling and forcing engine shutdown. Escorted by an RAF Shackleton bomber, the aircraft makes a safe landing at London (LHR) with no injuries reported.
When an earthquake destroys Agadir, Morocco, in March, the company, on behalf of the International Red Cross, employs its DC-4M-2s to fly 6,657 pounds of medical supplies to the stricken area. Both of the new Douglas jetliners are simultaneously placed in service, east to west and west to east on the Montreal and Toronto to Vancouver transcontinental route on April 1. The flights mark the first use of jetliners in Canada and the first use of a turbofan-powered airliner in the Commonwealth.
TCA’s first Vanguard 952 makes its maiden flight in England on May 21. During the North Atlantic proving flights of May 28-29, the Douglas establishes two world speed records: Ottawa to London in 5 hrs. 55 min. and Montreal to London in 5 hrs. 44 min. Also in May, DC-4M-2s fly emergency medical supplies to Chile following an earthquake in that South American nation.
Transatlantic DC-8-41 DC-8 Jetliner Service begins on June 1, as the transcontinental service from Vancouver is stretched to London via Toronto and Montreal and via Toronto and Montreal and Glasgow. On August 9, one of the new jetliners flies from Toronto to Vancouver in a record 4 hrs. 4 min.
In the fall, a major capacity agreement is reached with British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). In exchange for landing rights at Toronto, the British flag line agrees to pool capacity and revenues on the North Atlantic route. On December 7, the first Vanguard 952 is delivered, following its certification on the second day of the month.
Bookings advance to 3,440,303 (83,000 transatlantic).
Three more Vanguard 952s are delivered in January 1961 and on February 1, daily Vanguard 952 frequencies are inaugurated from Montreal and Toronto to Vancouver via Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, and Edmonton. Nonstop Edmonton-London DC-8-43 flights begin on May 3, followed two days later by the start of Cleveland to London service. Via Lockheed, an L-1049H is sold to Trans-International Airlines later in the month. Montreal and Toronto to New York and Chicago frequencies are initiated on June 15. Nonstop Winnipeg-London DC-8-43 service is begun shortly thereafter.
The final DC-4M-2 all-cargo, six-stop transcontinental service is flown west to east on June 1, after which the last of 21 DC-4M-2s is retired. In 14 years, these aircraft have flown a combined total of 193 million revenue miles. The fleet now comprises 14 Viscount 724s, 35 Viscount 757s, 5 L-1049Cs, 2 L-1049Es, 4 L-1049Gs, 2 L-1049Hs, 4 DC-8-41s, 4 DC-8-42s, 2 DC-8-43s, 3 Vanguard 952s, and 4 DC-3s.
An effort to sell the North Stars to Overseas Aviation, Ltd. in July falls through when the U. K. operator is forced to enter receivership. Three are, however, sold to Lineas Aereas Unidas, S. A., three to International Air Freighters Cubana, and two to World Wide Airways, Ltd. The remaining North Stars are sold for storage in the U. K. and will later be scrapped.
On September 17, TCA becomes the first to order the Douglas Jet Trader, a freighter version of the DC-8-50.
A C$20-million maintenance and overhaul facility is completed at Montreal (YUL) and the last DC-8, a Dash-43, is received on December 16.
Customer boardings reach 3.7 million (104,000 on the North Atlantic). In terms of the number of passengers flown, TCA now ranks as the world’s seventh largest airline.
The Super Constellations are retired in 1962 and the fleet now includes the same number of Viscounts as in 1961, the same number of DC-3s, 5 more DC-8-43s, and 20 additional Vanguard 952s. One L-1049H overshoots a landing, but will be rebuilt from an L-1049C earlier sold to the leasing firm California Airmotive. On October 10, a Viscount 757 is involved in a ground collision at Bagotville, Quebec (two dead).
Bookings climb to 3.8 million (114,000 transatlantic).
When, early in 1963, the last four DC-3s are retired, the carrier becomes the first in the world to operate an all-turbine fleet. A DC-8-54CF Jet Trader is delivered on January 30, the first of eight “combi” airliners to be received, including two more during January.
Two of the DC-3s and a Viscount are sold to Transair, Ltd. for C$1 and concession of its prairie route from Winnipeg to Prince Albert via Brandon, Yorkton, Regina, and Saskatoon. Two more DC-8-43s are delivered and orders are placed for six DC-9s.
The first-ever revenue jet service with a mixed passenger-cargo airliner is inaugurated on March 2 by the new DC-8-54CF over a route from Montreal to London via Prestwick.
While en route from Vancouver to Edmonton on May 6, a Vanguard 952 with 71 aboard encounters severe air turbulence over Alberta and despite a violent plunge, survives (one dead).
All but one of the Vanguard fleet has been delivered by July.
While on its roll for liftoff from London on a foggy night early in November, the takeoff of Flight 861, a DC-8-43 with 7 crew and 90 passengers, is aborted when its controls freeze up. The plane runs off the runway, breaks its nose landing gear, strikes an ILS localizer with its wing, slides across an 8-ft.-wide ditch losing its main landing gear, and comes to rest in a cabbage field half a mile away. No injuries are reported.
On November 29, in the worst commercial aviation accident in Canadian aviation history to date, Flight 831, a DC-8-43 with 7 crew and 111 passengers, crashes near St. Therese de Balinville, four minutes after taking off from Montreal; there are no survivors.
Enplanements exceed 3.9 million for the year.
The employee population in 1964 stands at 11,670. The 15th and 16th DC-8-43s join the fleet and the DC-9 order is increased to eight. During the year, Bill C-2 passes Parliament. It will officially change the carrier’s name to Air Canada, Ltd. on January 1, 1965.
On June 13, a Viscount 757 lands short of the runway at Malton; although wrecked beyond repair, no one aboard is hurt. The last DC-8-54F Jet Trader arrives at Montreal on August 27.
Passenger boardings during the final year of operations under this title climb to 4,189,439 and freight traffic jumps by 29%. Total revenues are C$213.9 million and a C$1.4-million profit is reported.
An unofficial Web site for Trans Canada Air Lines is located at Http://www. schoolnet. ca/collections/aviation/m065.htm.
World History
