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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

Canadian Armed Forces C130 Hercules 130323 at CFB Namao September 1973

The venerable Lockheed C130 Hercules has been faithfully serving the air forces the world over since the type first went into service with the US military in the mid 1950s. The RCAF has operated the type without interruption since the very early 1960s through present. The very first C130 Hercules entered RCAF service on October 28, 1960 when four C130B models were delivered to 435 Squadron. Follow on aircraft were in the form of the larger C130E model which provide domestic and global trooping and cargo services for the Canadian government and military agencies.

Several C130E aircraft operated out of CFB Winnipeg with the Air Navigation School back in the 1980s, prior to the delivery of Dash-8 Air Navigation aircraft in the late 1980s. In the 1980s the Canadian Armed Forces took delivery of even larger C130H models to feed growth in the air arm and replace aircraft lost in accidents. One of the most tragic Canadian Forces C130 accidents occurred when two aircraft collided with each other while setting up for final approach to the airfield.

Today the Canadian Armed Forces operate an updated fleet of C130J models which will remain in service for decades to come, resulting in the C130 achieving the distinction of serving the country possibly upwards of 100 years! Time will tell, but the C130 had proven to be a successful and efficient cargo transport for the past 60 years.

We hope you enjoy the Canadian Forces C130 Hercules images taken by Dr. John Blatherwick which span from the 1960s to the late 1990s. 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

As a kid I attended most of the Abbotsford Airshows throughout the 1970s into the mid 1980s. Those 1970s shows for me were very special because of the Canadian Armed Forces high speed displays by the Voodoos and Starfighters. They made a huge impression on me and further solidified my love of aviation, specially Canadian aviation, and of course fast Century Series fighter jets.

Original Hawk One! Canadian Armed Forces CF101 Voodoo 101012 at CFB Cold Lake in July of 1977.

The Canadian Armed Forces operated relatively large fleets of CF101 Voodoos throughout the 1960s and 1970s helping us Canadians comply with with our NORAD commitment to guard our Northern airspace from egress for by hostile forces. The Voodoos was one of the primary tools to help us achieve this successful goal in defending our sovereignty over all of Canada, from coast to coast, South to North.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the first batch of Voodoos from former USAF stocks were traded back in to the US military establishement for newer uprated versions of the CF101 Voodoo and these remained in active service here in Canada up until their ultimate phase out in late June of 1984. I was lucky enough to be invited to CFB Comox for the final day of operations on June 28, 1984, in a visit that was specially arranged for the local aviation media by Patrick Martin and his high level DoD connections in Ottawa. Although the weather was crappy that day, it was my one and only visit to CFB Comox, and my own and only Canadian Forces base visit witnessing active CF101 Voodoos! The rest, as the saying goes, is history!

Henry Tenby has been collecting aircraft slides since the early 1980s, and has amassed the collection of NASA flight test development aircraft slides in his collection as presented on this page.

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

Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!