Canadian Warplanes 5: Beechcraft CT-145 Super King Air, C-90 King Air and Raytheon B200 King Air, RCAF

Beechcraft CT-145 Super King Air, C-90 King Air, King Air 350ER, and Raytheon B200 King Air, RCAF‍ (Ahunt Photo) Beechcraft C-90 King Air, C-FMFY (Serial No. LJ-1749), belonging to Allied Wings and assigned to 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The Beechcraft King Air is a twin-turboprop utility aircraft developed in … Read more

Canadian Warplanes 5: Bellanca 8GCBC Scout, Royal Canadian Air Cadet League

(Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Photo) Bellanca 8GCBC Scout, Tow Craft for Air Cadet Glider Training The 8GCBC Scout is a two-seat, high-wing, single-engined fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane that entered production in the United States in 1974. Designed for personal and commercial use, it is commonly found in utility roles such as bush flying—thanks … Read more

Blackburn Beverly, RAF, test flown by the RCAF

Blackburn Beverly (RAF Photo) Blackburn Beverly C Mk. 1, RAF (Serial No. XB260), and (Serial No. XB262), transport aircraft were flown by RCAF personnel testing aircraft at the Canadian Experimental and Proving Establishment (CE&PE) at Namao, Alberta.   XB262 was nicknamed “Mayflower III“, also known as “The Ark“.  It wore the CE&PE badge on the … Read more

RCAF S/L Ian Somerville, Royal Navy Blackburn Firebrand test flights

Blackburn Firebrand (World War Photos) Blackburn Firebrand TF.5 (Serial No. EK726), 1948. The Blackburn Firebrand was a British single-engine strike fighter for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy designed during the Second World War by Blackburn Aircraft. Originally intended to serve as a pure fighter, its unimpressive performance and the allocation of its … Read more

Canadian Warplanes 5: Boeing B-29 Superfortress, RCAF

Boeing B-29 Superfortress in RCAF service (Wilma Bearman Photo via Don Smith) Boeing EB-29B Superfortress (reconnaissance version), USAF (Serial No. 44-84035).  This aircraft was flown by Keith Greenaway during long-range navigation flights throughout the Arctic.  (Larry Milberry, Sixty Tears, p.251) While working with NORAD in Colorado Springs in 2003, I spoke with former RCAF Squadron … Read more

Canadian Warplanes 5: Canadair CC-106 Yukon, RCAF

Canadair CC-106 Yukon (DND Photo via Mike Kaehler) Canadair CL-44/CC-106 Yukon. The Canadair CL-44/CC-106 Yukon, a Canadian turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft based on the Bristol Britannia, was developed and produced by Canadair in the late 1950s and early 1960s.  Although innovative, only a small number of the aircraft was produced for the RCAF (as … Read more

Canadian Warplanes 5: Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan, RCAF, Canadian Forces

Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan (RCAF Photo via Francois Dutil) Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan (Serial No. 109159), in early service with the RCAF, ca 1960s.  This an early version of the aircraft with Napier Eland engines. Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan (CL-66B), (10), (Serial Nos. 109151-109160); CL-540, CC-109 Cosmopolitan (3), (Serial Nos. 109161, 109162 (ex 10906), 109163 (ex 10907), for … Read more

Canadian Warplanes 5: Canadair CL-2 North Star and C-5 North Star, RCAF

Canadair CL-2 North Star and Canadair C-5 North Star transports (DND Archives Photo, PL-107404) Canadair CL-2 North Star Mk. I (Serial No. 17506), from the RCAF’s Air Transport Command rests on the runway at Gibraltar. The Canadair North Star is a 1940s Canadian development, for Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), of the Douglas DC-4. Instead of … Read more

RCAF aircrew: RAF Short Empire flying boat

The Short Empire was a medium-range four-engined flying boat, designed and developed in the 1930s to meet the requirements of the growing commercial airline sector, with a particular emphasis upon its usefulness upon the core routes that served the the UK. It was developed and manufactured in parallel with the Short Sunderland maritime patrol bomber. … Read more