Canadair
Predecessor | Canadian Vickers |
---|---|
Founded | 11 November 1944 |
Founder | Benjamin W. Franklin |
Defunct | 1986 |
Fate | Acquired by Bombardier |
Successor | Bombardier Aerospace |
Headquarters | Montreal,Quebec,Canada |
Parent |
|
Canadair Ltd.was a Canadian civil and militaryaircraft manufacturerthat operated from 1944 to 1986. In 1986, its assets were acquired byBombardier Aerospace,the aviation division of Canadian transport conglomerateBombardier Inc.
Canadair's origins lie in the establishment of a factory forCanadian Vickersin theSaint-Laurentborough of Montreal, atCartierville Airport.It was created as a separate entity by the government of Canada on 11 November, 1944.
Throughout much of its existence, it was asubsidiaryof various other aircraft manufacturers prior to beingnationalizedby the Canadian government in 1976. For a decade, the company operated as a federally-ownedCrown Corporation.In 1986, Canadair wasprivatizedvia its sale to Bombardier, after which it became a core element ofthe firm's aerospace division.The company's former principal manufacturing facility,Canadair Plant One,remains intact, although Cartierville Airport itself has been closed and since undergone redevelopment.
During its operational years, Canadair achieved several aviation firsts; theCL-44D,based on the BritishBristol Britanniaairliner,was the first design that allowed access by swinging the entire rear fuselage. TheCL-89 and CL-289were the first surveillance drones to be put into service in several countries' armed forces. The experimentalCL-84was the firstVTOLaircraft that rotated the wings to achieve vertical lift-off (tiltwing). TheCL-215was the first purpose-designed water bomber.
History
[edit]Canadair was formally created on 11 November 1944 as a separate entity by the government of Canada. Having absorbed the operations of theCanadian Vickerscompany, it initially operated as a manufacturer ofConsolidated PBY "Canso"flying boatson behalf of theRoyal Canadian Air Force(RCAF). Benjamin W. Franklin became its first president.[1]In addition to the PBY contract, a development contract to produce a new variant of theDouglas DC-4transport was also underway. The resulting aircraft, the CanadairDC-4M,which was powered by an arrangement of fourBritish-sourcedRolls-Royce Merlinengines, began production during 1946; it was marketed under the "Northstar" name.
During the immediatepostwarera, Canadair purchased the "work in progress" on the existingDouglas DC-3/C-47series. In 1946, theElectric Boat Company,an American industrial group, bought a controlling interest in the company; shortly thereafter, the two companies merged to form the American companyGeneral Dynamicsin 1952. During 1954, General Dynamics opted to purchaseConvair,which had been created by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft; as a result of this purchase, Canadair was reorganised as Convair's Canadian subsidiary.
During the 1950s, Canadair decided that it would develop its own indigenous trainer aircraft as a private venture. This aircraft, which would become theCT-114 Tutorwas the product of the company’s in-house Preliminary Design department.[2][3]By August 1957, the basic configuration had been completed, which was of aturbojet-powered, low-wing aircraft, complete with atricycle undercarriageand a side-by-side cockpit arrangement.[4]Despite a lack of official backing from the Canadian Government, theRoyal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) Directorate of Training’s Jet Trainer Liaison Committee had closely engaged with the company; their involvement in the project had reportedly made a significant impact in the aircraft's final design.[4]During September 1961, the Canadian government, having been impressed by the performance of the prototype, placed a sizeable order for 190 production aircraft on behalf of theRoyal Canadian Air Force(RCAF). Serving as the service's primary trainer platform, the Tutor would be operated as such for over thirty years.[3][5]
Another indigenously-developed design was theCL-215amphibian. It arose from an internal research study during the early 1960s at Canadair, originally conceived of as a twin-enginedfloatplanetransport based on the design of the369 Canso(a variant of the PBY).[citation needed]However, it was altered into a "firefighter" following a request by forestry officials in theQuebec Service Aérien(Quebec Government Air Service) who wanted a more effective way of delivering water to forest fires. The 1962 preliminary design, designated as theCL-204,was a purpose-designedwater bomberthat evolved into an amphibian flying boat configuration, powered by two shoulder-mounted 2,100 hp (1,566 kW)Pratt & Whitney R-2800piston engines.[6]Its design was shaped by a desire for the CL-205 to be well-suited for performing a range of roles, including air-seasearch and rescue,cargo haulage and commercial passenger-carrying, in addition to the water bomber mission.[7]The definitive design was publicly revealed at the 1965Paris Air Show.[8]While theCL-215Aserved as the standard water bomber configuration, another model, designated as theCL-215C,had been envisioned to dispense with compromises meant to enhance its performance at the water bomber role, allowing it be furnished with larger doors on the sides of the fuselage and a revised underfloor hull structure.[9]
Perhaps the company's most commercially successful product was theChallenger 600business jet.Originally conceived of by the American aviation inventorBill Learas theLearStar 600,at the end of 1975, Canadair gave its backing to the concept; during April 1976, the company opted to acquire the whole project, formally launching it with the backing of theCanadian federal governmentshortly thereafter.[10][11]Development of the Challenger 600 was hampered by a deadly crash amid theflight testprogramme on 3 April 1980; despite this,type certificationfor the aircraft was approved by bothTransport Canadaand theFederal Aviation Administrationlater that same year.[12]The high cost of developing the Challenger 600 has been attributed as a major cause of Canadair's poor financial situation during the 1980s, being reportedly close tobankruptcy;the company's condition in turn ultimately contributed to its acquisition byBombardier Inc.during 1986.[13]In the long run, the business jet was well received by the market and can be considered to be a success, being produced for over four decades. In excess of 1,000 Challenger 600s had been reportedly completed by late 2018.[14]
Outside of the field of aviation, Canadair opted to diversify into various other sectors, developing its own range of industrial and commercial products. The "Canarch" division was involved incurtain walldesign and manufacture for a number of buildings. They also produce the cabins for manyair traffic control towersoperated by theFederal Aviation Administrationin the United States. Both tracked andair-cushioned vehicleswere designed and underwent testing; however none proceeded into commercial production.[citation needed]
In the late 1950s, theUnited States Armycontracted Canadair to develop a small light-weight all-terrain amphibious tracked vehicle. In turn, Canadair developed the CL-70 RATRemote Articulated Track;[15]this vehicle, while not a commercial success, gave Canadair useful experience towards the development of the upgraded CL-91 Dynatrac, which was a marketing success and purchased by the US Army asXM-571.[16]
During 1976, the Canadian government acquired Canadair Ltd. from General Dynamics. It remained a federalcrown corporationuntil 1986 when, having experienced record losses during its development of theChallengerbusiness jet, theMulroney governmentsold it toBombardier Inc.Shortly after Canadair's acquisition, Bombardier was able to restore it to profitability; the company soon acquired other aviation companies, such as the near-bankruptShort BrothersofBelfast,Northern Ireland, and thebusiness jetspecialistLearjetofWichita, Kansas,as well asde Havilland Aircraft of CanadaofToronto,Ontario.[17]Together with these other entities, Canadair became a core component ofBombardier Aerospace.
Following the company's acquisition by Bombardier, the Canadair name had continued to be prominently used in the branding of its larger series ofbusiness jetsandregional jets,which have been marketed as theCanadian Regional Jet(CRJ). However, this branding has since been dropped; new projects from all of Bombardier's various aircraft divisions have since simply been known as Bombardier Aerospace.
Products
[edit]Model | Name | Type | Crew | Passengers | Launch dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CL-1 | Canadair CL-1 | Flying boat | First flight: | License-built variant of theConsolidated Model 28-5(PBV-1A or Canso A and OA-10A-VI | ||
C-4& C-5 | North Star | Cargo aircraft/Airliner | 2 or 3 | 52 | First flight: 1946 First del'y: 1948 |
License-built variant of theDouglas DC-4 |
CL-13 | Sabre | Fighter aircraft | 1 | 0 | First flight: 1950 First del'y: 1950 |
License-builtNorth American F-86 Sabre |
CL-28 | Argus | Maritime patrol aircraft | up to 15* | First flight: 1957 First del'y: 1960 |
Development of theBristol Britannia;*normal flights also included a reserve crew of four | |
CL-30 | CT-133 Shooting Star | Trainer (aircraft)/ECM/ Communication | 1 or 2 | 0 | First flight: 1952 First del'y: 1952 |
License-builtLockheed T-33 Shooting Star |
CL-41 CL-41G-5 |
Tutor Tebuan |
Trainer (aircraft) | 2 | 0 | Launch date: 1960 First flight: 1962 First del'y: 1966 |
|
CL-43 | Twin-engine logistics concept aircraft[18] | Never built, but later influenced the design for the CL-204 (later as CL-215); modifiedfloatplanebased on PBV-1 Canso (PBY-1 Catalina) with twoR-1340engines[citation needed] | ||||
CL-44 | the Forty-Four CC-106 Yukon |
Military transport aircraft/Cargo aircraft | 9 | 134 | Launch date: 1959 | Based on Bristol Britannia |
CL-45 | ASW concept helicopter | 1954 | Never built; joint effort withHiller Aircraftand was to use threeT38-GE2engines[citation needed] | |||
CL-52 | Bomber | 1956 | AUSAFBoeing B-47B Stratojetwas loaned to theRCAFand turned over to Canadair to test theOrenda IroquoisPS-13 engine for theAvro Arrowproject. After the Arrow was cancelled the aircraft was returned to the U.S.[19] | |||
CL-60 | Trainer/transport aircraft | 1 / 2 | 3 / 12 | 1952 | Beech T-36fuselage and final assembly; program cancelled in 1953[20] | |
CL-61 | RAT (Remote Articulated Track) | Armored personnel carrier | 1959 | Prototypes for the CL-70[21] | ||
CL-66 | Cosmopolitan | Transport aircraft | 2 | 52 | First flight: 1959 | ModifiedConvair CV-540 |
CL-70 | RAT (Remote Articulated Track) | Armored personnel carrier | 1959 | Prototypes for the CL-91 Dynatrac[21] | ||
CL-84 | Dynavert | Vertical/Short Takeoff/landingExperimental aircraft | 2 | up to 15 combat troops | First flight: May 1965 | Late 1960s - No production aircraft |
CL-89&CL-289 | Surveillance Drone | none | 0 | First flight: 1964 First del'y: 1969 |
||
CL-90 | Starfighter | Strike fighter/Trainer (aircraft) | 1 or 2 | 0 | First flight: 1961 First del'y: 1962 |
License-builtLockheed F-104 Starfighter |
CL-91 | Dynatrac | Armored Personnel Carrier | 1960s | [21] | ||
CL-204 | Water bomber | 1962 | Based on CL-43 and Canadair CL-1 Canso (variant ofConsolidated PBY Catalina), the concept led to production of the larger CL-215 | |||
CL-210 | Satellite antenna | n/a | n/a | 1965 | Installed atShirleys Bay,Ontario[22] | |
CL-212 | Hovercraft | 1964–1967 | Development transferred toGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat[22] | |||
CL-213 | Fisher | All-terrain vehicle | 1 | 1 | 1963–1964 | [21] |
CL-215 | Scooper | Water Bomber | 2 | up to 18 passengers (utility version) | First flight: 1967 First del'y:1969 |
In 2016,Viking Air Ltd.acquired theType certificatefor theCanadair CL-215;total 125 built earlier. |
CL-218 | Flxible New Look | Transit bus | 1 | 45 | 1965–1966 | License-builtFlxible New Look busF2D6V-401-1 |
CL-219 | CF-5 (CF-116 Freedom Fighter) | Strike fighter/Fighter bomber | 1 or 2 | 0 | First flight: 1968 | License-builtNorthrop F-5Freedom Fighter; total 240 built[23] |
CL-225 | Satellite antenna | n/a | n/a | 1965 | Installed atLac-Bouchette, Quebec[22] | |
CL-227 | Sentinel | Remote controlunmanned aerial vehicle | none | 0 | First flight: 1980 | |
CL-251 | Subcontract | n/a | n/a | 1971–1975 | Wing panels and other components for theDassault Mercureairliner[20] | |
CL-252 | 1972 | Modification of twoLockheed L-188 Electraairliners for Environment Canada ice patrols[20] | ||||
CL-257 | Subcontract | n/a | n/a | 1973–1985 | Fuselage sections for theBoeing 747SP[20] | |
CL-281 | Subcontract | n/a | n/a | 1977–1994 | Components for theLockheedCP-140 AuroraandP-3C Orion[20] | |
CL-415 | Superscooper | Water Bomber | 2 | 1 on jump seat, 8 on bench seats | First flight: 1993 First del'y: 1994 |
In 2016,Viking Airacquired theType certificatefor theCanadair CL-415;total 95 built earlier. |
CL-600 | Challenger | Business jet | 2 | 8 to 19 | First flight: 1978 Certification: 1980 |
|
CL-600 | CRJ 100/200 | Regional jet | 2* | 50 | First flight: 1991 Introduction: 1992 |
*plus flight attendants |
CL-600 | CRJ700/900/1000 | Regional jet | 2* | 66-104 | First flight: 1999 Introduction: 2001 |
*plus flight attendants |
Missiles
[edit]- Velvet Glove- Air-to-air missile project.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Citiations
[edit]- ^"Canadair."Archived2011-02-07 at theWayback MachineProject North Star Restoration Primer,April 2003. Retrieved: 31 December 2011.
- ^Dishlevoy 2005, pp. 8–10.
- ^abNorris 1998, p. 22.
- ^abUpton, Bill."CL-41 Prototype."Canadian Aviation Historical Society,Retrieved: 31 May 2019.
- ^"CT-114 Tutor."Archived2021-12-07 at theWayback Machineairforce.forces.gc.ca,Retrieved: 31 May 2019.
- ^Flight International 1968, p. 269.
- ^Flight International 1968, pp. 269, 271.
- ^"Canadair CL-215."Flight International,21 November 1968. p. 871.
- ^Flight International 1968, p. 272.
- ^Bill Upton (2007)."Canadair CL-600 / 601 / 604 Challenger serial 1003, registration C-GCGT"(PDF).Canada aviation museum. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-03-06.Retrieved2020-03-14.
- ^Mike Hirst (12 August 1978)."Challenger".Flight International.pp. 470–478.
- ^"Certificate A-131".Transport Canada. 2019-11-22.
- ^"OPINION: In praise of the Challenger".Flight International.25 November 2018.
- ^Murdo Morrison (12 October 2018)."NBA A: Business jet designs that changed the industry".FlightGlobal.
- ^"Canadian RAT can scurry anywhere."Popular Science,December 1959, pp. 118–120.
- ^"CL-91 Dynatrac."Canadian America Strategic Review.Retrieved: 31 December 2011.
- ^"Inc. – Bombardier – Home".Bombardier. 25 February 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 15 May 2013.Retrieved14 March2020.
- ^"Canadair Forty Four Trivia."Swingtail: The Newsletter of the CL44 Association,December 2001. Retrieved: 31 December 2011.
- ^Block, Burwell, ed."The CL-52/B-47B."Archived2011-09-30 at theWayback MachineThe B-47 Stratojet Association.Retrieved: 4 June 2011.
- ^abcde"1952 Subcontracts".Archived fromthe originalon 15 July 2015.Retrieved9 January2012.
- ^abcd"1956 Vehicles".Archived fromthe originalon 17 June 2015.Retrieved9 January2012.
- ^abc"1958 Special Products".Archived fromthe originalon 19 June 2015.Retrieved9 January2012.
- ^"Canadair (Northrop) CF-5A Freedom Fighter, twin engine jet fighter, Canada".
Bibliography
[edit]- Dishlevoy, Roy W. "Hatching the Snowbirds: The Canadair CL-41/CT-114 Tutor, Its Early History Remembered."CAHS Journal,Vol, 45, No. 1, Spring 2007.
- "Canadair CL-215".Flight International,22 February 1968. pp. 269–272.
- Milberry, Larry.The Canadair North Star.Toronto: CANAV Books, 1982.ISBN0-07-549965-7.
- Milberry, Larry.The Canadair Sabre.Toronto: CANAV Books, 1986.ISBN0-9690703-7-3.
- Marsaly, Frederic and Samuel Pretat."Bombardiers d'eau/ Canadair Scoopers."Editions Minimonde76,May 2012.ISBN978-2-9541818-0-6.
- Norris, Guy."Rocky Mountain High."Flight International,6 January 1998. pp. 22–23.
- Pickler, Ron andMilberry, Larry.Canadair: The First 50 Years.Toronto: CANAV Books, 1995.ISBN0-921022-07-7.
- Walters, Brian (March–April 1997). "Neary, but Not Quite: Canadair's 'Paper Planes'".Air Enthusiast.No. 68. pp. 66–69.ISSN0143-5450.
External links
[edit]- Other (Canadair) ProductsArchived2020-10-07 at theWayback Machine