The RCAF took delivery of 33 Canadair built CP-107 Argus maritime patrol aircraft in 1957 and the aircraft remained in front line service with the Canadian Armed Forces until their retirement in 1981 when replaced by new Lockheed CP140 P-3 Aurora aircraft.

RCAF Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Argus 10741 at CFB Namao June 1969.

The RCAF Argus fleet was deployed on the West Coast of Canada at CFB Comox, and at Greenwood, Nova Scotia on the East Coast during its entire service life with the Canadian Forces. Having replaced the older generation RCAF P-2 Neptunes and Lancasters the Argus had a crew of 10 and could stay aloft with an impressive endurance of 30 hours.

The Argus was essentially a modified Bristol Britannia, with downgraded piston engines and the addition of a mad boom to the tail, along with the removal of the Britannia’s passenger windows. The downgrade to turbo compound piston engines was necessary to give the maximum endurance range of 30 hours, which would not have been possible with turbine engines of the day.

When retired in 1981, the Argus fleets were placed in open storage at CFB Comox and Greenwood, and most were scrapped, although a few were kept on as museum pieces.

We hope you enjoy the RCAF Canadair Argus images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The RCAF DC-4M2 North Star replacement commenced in 1961 with the introduction of the CC-106 Canadair Yukon (military version of the CL-44) transport aircraft. This four engine turbo prop was powered by 4 Rolls Royce Tyne engines and was a derivative of the early Bristol Britannia aircraft which had already served in Canada with Canadian Pacific Air Lines.

RCAF Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair CL-44 Yukon 15923 at CFB Namao with another Yukon winter 1967.

The Canadair CC–106 Yukon was pressurized and could carry 134 passengers plus a crew of 10 and was the largest aircraft in Canada at the time it was introduced to service. Twelve Yukons served with the RCAF during a decade of accident free service on military troop transport, cargo and VIP government duties both within Canada and abroad.The Yukons were replaced with a fleet of 5 new Boeing 707 jetliners that were originally ordered by Western Airlines and not taken up from the Boeing factory, so the Canadian Government purchased the jets.

Two of the RCAF Yukons 15929 and 15932 that were configured as VIP transports and were used for Government work and based at Ottawa Uplands airport opertaed by RCAF 412 Squadron. The other ten RCAF Yukons were based at CFB Trenton.

The RCAF Yukons were retired and placed in storage at Saskatoon airport during 1970 and 1971 to await onward buyers. Most the RCAF Yukons were sold to aircraft brokers in Miami and continued their flying in the form of cargo haulers for airlines based in Central and South America.

The RCAF CC-106 Yukon fleet was as follows:

106921
106922
106923
106924
106925
106926
106927
106928
106929
106930
106931
106932

We hope you enjoy the RCAF Canadair CC-106 Yukon images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The RCAF Fleet of a dozen CC-106 Canadair Yukons were replaced with a fleet of five Boeing 707 intercontinental jetliners, which were originally ordered by Western Airlines. The Boeing 707s were delivered in 1970 and the Yukons were retired in 1970-1971 and placed into storage for onward sale at Saskatoon airport.

Canadian Armed Forces Boeing 707 CC-137 13705 with CF18 CFB Trenton flypast July 1994.

From the start, the Canadian Forces Boeing 707s were used on the military’s trans-Canada thrice weekly milk-runs as well as on regular trans-Atlantic flights between CFB Trenton and Ottawa Uplands with the CFB base in Lahr, Germany. The 707s also served as government and VIP transports.

From the outset the Canadian Armed Forces Boeing 707s were configurable as air-to-air tankers and were used to take fighter jets between Canada and Europe on an ongoing basis. The CF5s and CF18s were routinely refuelled from these aircraft, during times of peace and during times of war.

The Canadian Forces Boeing 707 was frequently used by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau on his overseas travels, notably on his visit to Red China in the early 1970s. The 707 served Canada’s military contingent based at Doha, Qatar during the Gulf War in the early 1990s, as well as during Canada’s peace-keeping duties during the Yugoslav – Bosnian conflict of the mid 1990s. All in all the fleet of five Boeing 707s had a stellar service record with the Canadian Armed Forces during their quarter century of service, up until their sale to the US Air Force as J-Stars surveillance platforms in the mid to late 1990s.

The Canadian Armed Forces Boeing 707-347CH CC-137 fleet was as follows:

13701
13702
13703
13704
13705

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces Boeing 707 CC-137 images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The turboprop era for the RCAF began in 1960 with the introduction of the CC-109 Cosmopolitan. The aircraft was essentially a license conversion of the Convair Twin of the then famous Convair liner airliner series. Cartierville, Quebec based Canadair used Napier Eland turboprop engines to covert ten used Convair 440 airframes to Convair 540 standard for the RCAF and they were delivered in 1960 and 1961.

Canadian Armed Forces Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan 109154 at Vancouver March 1978.

In 1966, the fleet was converted to Allison 501 engines (similar engine to the Lockheed Hercules and Electra) making thei aircraft essentially Convair 580s. The aircraft served as passenger and VIP military and Government transports for 34 years with only one airframe being lost to a ground fire and two were scrapped, but they served safely and efficiently without an accident for their entire RCAF Canadian Forces career.

The Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan fleet was retired from the Canadian forces in 1994 and the fleet was parked at Saskatoon where it was offered for sale to the civil market. The problem with the aircraft was their military designation and standards did not translate easily to civilan re-certification in Canada, the US or Europe. This limited the marketability of the aircraft.

Saskatchewan aviation entrepreneur and businessman Albert Ethier (a close friend of the author’s) acquired the fleet of Cosmopolitans from Crown Assets and he paid the Government a fair price for the aircraft package. Sadly, the Federal Government and aviation authorities failed to provide authorities for the aircraft to be used in non military operations, which made marketing the planes to civil operates almost impossible. The Cosmopolitan fleet languished for years at Saskatoon with a few airframes also sitting in Calgary. Alber Ethier was only ever able to lease/sell a few of the aircraft to operators in Central America and Africa, and the investment provided to be a very sad chapter of the aviation entrepreneur’s otherwise highly successful career.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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To fill the shorter haul and smaller cary transport requirement of the RCAF one level down from the C130 Hercules, the RCAF took delivery of 11 CC-115 DHC-4 Caribou transport planes from De Havilland Canada with the first bath of 5 delivered in 1960, and the second batch of 4 delivered in 1964. The aircraft proved themselves highly reliable and versatile as they could operate from frozen, dirt and gravel strips and their low speeds made them highly effective in operating from short airstrips.

RCAF Air Transport Command DHC-4 Caribou 5303 location not known 1967.

The very first 3 Caribous delivered to the RCAF were assigned to UN duties flying with the 115 Air Transport Unit based at El Arish, Egypt. All but three of the Caribous would see service with the UN, but the advent of the larger and turboprop powered DHC-5 CC-115 Buffalo the Caribous were to have short lives with the RCAF, and the fleet was phased out in 1967-8 with the arrival of the new Buffalos. Most of the former RCAF Caribous were sold to the Tanzanian Air Force.

A fleet of 15 De Havilland Canada DHC-5 CC-115 Buffalo STOL transports was delivered between 1967 and 1968, and a number of these aircraft are still active today (2020) some 50 plus years after delivery! Only one example was written in the form of 115461 during UN peacekeeping duties in Syria in September, 1974.In the late 1970s most of the Buffalos were transferred to a Search and Rescue role with the Canadian Armed Forces and were based on the East and West Coasts for maritime support safety duties. Also, the Buffalo is a staple demonstrator at Canadian Airshows and is popular amongst aviation fans for its ease of access to photographers and videographers.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces Caribou and Buffal images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The RCAF and Canadian Armed Forces operated a fleet of 8 Dassault Falcon 10 executive jets on VIP and Government transport duties for a twenty year period. The initial purchase of 7 new Falcon 10s was in 1967 with a single additional purchase in 1971. Initially the first 7 Falcons were operated by the 412 Squadron as short haul VIP jet transports based at Ottawa Uplands and were configured to carry 10 passengers.

Canadian Armed Forces Falcon 117503 at the YVR AMU April 1974.

In the mid 1980s 4 of the Canadian Forces Falcon 20s were transferred to 414 Squadron for use as electronic jamming aircraft, having been replaced by brand new CC1-144 Challengers. The Canadian Forces eventually retired the CC-117 Falcon 20 fleet in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

One example 117508 came to the The Canadian Forces Airborne Sensing Unit (ASU) which purchased it for CCRS (part of Energy Mines and Resources) when the two groups were associated briefly from 1972 to 1974. In 1974, many of the ASU principals formed a branch of Innotech Aviation in Ottawa and operated this and several other aircraft for CCRS until 1995. Falcon 117508 was purchased from Remote Sensing Inc. in the USA.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces CC-117 Falcon 20 images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The Canadian Armed Forces took delivery of the Beech Muskateer as a single engine initial pilot trainer starting around 1970 and built up a small fleet as replacements to the RCAF DHC-1 Chipmunks which were used to train new recruit pilots going back to the 1950s.

The Beech Muskateer proved to be a very reliable training aircraft for the Canadian Armed Forces and remained active for about a quarter century until a fleet of BAe Hawks and Tucanos were acquired as pilot training aircraft starting in the late 1990s.

Canadian Armed Forces DHC-6 Twin Otter 138807 August 1974.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces Beech Muskateer images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The Lockheed F-104 needs no introduction. As suggested by its appearance, the 1950s supersonic fighter interceptor was aptly referred to as a “man on a missile” and during its decades of service the F-104 served with many air force arms around the world in addition to the United States Air Force. Canada’s interest in the aircraft (designated as the CF104) spans back to the early 1960s and the type served with the RCAF and the Canadian Armed Forces between the mid 1960s and the early 1990s.

RCAF CF104 Starfighter 12701 taken at an unknown location in the 1960s.

Many budding Canadian aviation fans had their first taste of the CF104 at airshow displays in the mid 1970s, present company included. I remember many memorable Abbotsford Airshows from the early 1970s to the mid 1970s where the Canadian Armed Forces CF104s put on unbelievable loud, sound barrier breaking displays, alongside and equally impressive as the CF101 Voodoo high speed displays. Images of these Abbotsford Airshow CF104 Starfighter high speed flypasts are presented here.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces CF104 STarfighter images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The AV Roe (Avro) CF100 Canuck was a 1950s Canadian designed and built all weather jet interceptor custom developed for the Cold War, NATO and NORAD hostile interception and border defence needs of the RCAF and our US and European Allies.

Canadian Armed Forces CF100 100788 414 Squadron at Vancouver South Terminal January 1973.

The CF-100 was nicknamed the “Clunk” but during her quarter century of service with the RCAF provided to be a safe and reliable all weather jet fighter interceptor. The AVRO CF-100 was delivery to the RCAF starting in 1953 with a total of 692 airframes being built during the 1950s production run. Within this production the Belgium Air Force took delivery of 53 CF100s during the 1950s.

In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s the CF101 Voodoo replaced the CF100s and the type was finally retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1981, with the type making its farewell public appearances on the airshow circuit during the summer of 1981.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces CF100 Canuck images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The Canadair CL-41 Tutor was a 1960s designed two person jet trainer custom developed for the initial jet pilot training needs of the RCAF and Canadian Armed Forces.

Canadian Armed Forces Snowbirds Canadair CL-41 Tutor 114175 at Abbotsford August 1972.

CL-41 production spanned from 1963 to 1966 and some 212 airframes were built during this period. Designated the CT-114 within the Canadian Armed Forces, the only export military air arm to order and operate the CL-41 Tutor was the Malaysian Air Force. The Tutors were largely based in Cold Lake, Alberta and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan were initial jet pilot training has been conducted at CFB Cold Lake going back to the types first introduction the mid 1960s.

Although the Tutor was replaced in the trainer role with the Canadian Armed Forces by newer generation British Aerospace Hawk trainers in the early 2000s, a number of CL-41 Tutors have remained in the Canadian Armed Forces active inventory as they remain the main demonstration aircraft with the Snowbirds aerial demonstration Squadron which is based as Moose Jaw. It is not known how much longer the CL-41 Tutors will remain active with the Snowbirds, but it could easily be through the 2020s.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces CL-41 CT-114 Tutor images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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During the 1950s and into the 1960s the RCAF operated a small fleet of Grumman HU-16 Albatross aircraft, primarily in the search and rescue role on the West and East coasts of the Canada.

RCAF HU-16 Albatross 9304 in storage at Saskatoon July 1971.

The Grumman Albatross was hugely successful in its service with US Air Force and Coast Guard from the 1950s into the 1970s, and was also ordered by the air forces of both Canada and Germany both in the NATO alliance.

As a pure amphibious aircraft the HU-16 Albatross could operate from land based runways and water surfaces to perform rescue duties. Chinook helicopters with the RCAF could also alight on water surfaces but were not nearly as stable in a choppy environment as the HU-16, which meant the Albatross was a lot more versatile in the water rescue theatre of operations.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces HU-16 Albatross images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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The Canadian Armed Forces took delivery of eight examples of the venerable De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter in 1971 with a ninth example added in 1973, and all but two which were lost in accidents remain in active service to this day.

Canadian Armed Forces DHC-6 Twin Otter 138807 August 1974.

Several Armed Canadian Forces Twin Otters have been Yellowknife based for quite a few decades where they perform search and rescue support work although the type does circulate through bases across the country as logistical and personnel demands dictate.

The registrations of the nine Canadian Armed Forces Twin Otter fleet is as follows:

13801
13802
13803
13804
13805
13806
13807
13808

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces Twin Otter images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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During the 1950s and into the 1960s the RCAF operated a fascinating fleet of classic transport aircraft on a wide range of duties serving at various locations across Canada and abroad.

A very rare colour transparency of an RCAF Comet 1 photographed inflight in the very early 1950s.

The Lockheed Neptune, Avro Lancaster, and HU-16 Albatross served water related duties including coastal command and search and rescue, primarily on Canada’s East and West coasts as well as over our Northern shield into the high arctic. The Bristol Freighter and C119 Flying Boxcar was referred to as a “Dollar Nineteen” and performed cargo and troop transport duties within Canada and supporting our troop duties in theatres abroad.

For VIP and long haul troop transport by air the RCAF used both the DC-4M2 Northstars and the De Havilland Comet 1A, and the RCAF was the world’s first air force to operate a jet transport when the two Comets were delivered in 1953. The Comet 1A did not have a good record with commercial airline operators due to the crashes and window design related engineering flaws. The two RCAF Comets served very well within the RCAF for a decade operated by 412 Squadron based at Ottawa Uplands bridging the Atlantic for VIP duties.

The Canadair Northstar marked the entry of the RCAF into the realm of the large four engined air transport. The Northstar was a license built pressurized version of the DC-4, with four Rolls Royce Merlin engines. The first 4 Northstars for the RCAF was first leased to TCA, but service with the RCAF started in 1947 with 426 Transport Squadron based at Montreal Dorval. This Squadron received the majority of the RCAF Northstars and operated them as part of the UN airlift to support the Allied efforts during the Korean War. One Northstar received special icing testing equipment and became known as the “Rockliffe Ice Wagon”. RCAF Northstar 17514 after its retirement from military service was operated for several years into the 1970s as a testbed for the National Aeronautical Establishment based at Ottawa.

The fleet of 25 Canadair Northstars remained in service from 1947 until 1965s when their duties were taken over by CL-44 Yukons starting in 1961, and by Boeing 707s in 1970.

By the close of the 1960s all of the types mentioned had been retired from service by the RCAF.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces 1950s and 1960s transport images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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Canadian Armed Forces CF5 116813 June 1969 location not known.

The Canadian Armed Forces took delivery of large numbers of the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter which was re-designated the CF5 for operations in Canada’s defence. The F5 was built in both single and two seat versions with the latter being used predominantly in the training role in Canada.

The CF5 was based across the country with active defence Squadrons as well as with the training and experimental duties at CFB Namao and Cold Lake, predominantly in the 1970s. The CF5 was used for active interceptions and deployed to support Canadian peacekeeping missions with the UN to Europe, Cyprus and was frequently seen in both the UK and German during the heyday of its operations throughout the 1970s.

The type was withdrawn from active Canadian Forces service through the mid 1990s having been replaced with CF18s and Hawks, but the CF5 was an extremely capable and well respected aircraft by air and ground crews alike. It was also a very good looking aircraft and was a popular build for plastic modellers.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Armed Forces CF5 images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

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RCAF C-45 Beech 18 1234 at Calgary 1967.

The Beech 18 C-45 Expeditor was a design from World War II and was used by the RCAF in the 1950s and 1960s as a general utility transport for short haul missions and as a trainer, and ended its RCAF career with Air Reserves Units with the last example being retired from active service in 1970. It is believed that eleven different serial numbers were operated by the RCAF which were all acquired between 1952 and 1953. The registrations were as follows:

1563
1574
1577
1578
1589
2307
2368
2369
2370
2371
2372

Some of the retired RCAF Beech 18s were sold to commercial operators both in Canada and the US, while 1577 is retained as a museum exhibit at CFB Winnipeg. We hope you enjoy the RCAF Royal Canadian Air Force Beech 18 C-45 1960s images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick. Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com