TCA Vanguard inflight circa 1960 over the UK countryside on a test flight from Weybridge, prior to delivery to Trans Canada Air Lines.

(CLICK HERE for Air Canada Vanguard retirement report October 31, 1971)

The following article appeared in the June 1959 issue of In Flight, by Trans Canada Air Lines

The small boy in the back row of the schoolroom, carefully folding a page from his scribbler into a paper airplane, may be following in his father’s footsteps. At that very moment, in fact, his airline engineer father may be working with a paper plane too. But the parallel ends with the word “paper.” The small boy’s plane is a simple experiment in basic aerodynamics, whereas the father’s is an intricate statistical exercise in airline economics, and a major factor in planning for years ahead.

Flying paper airliners from point-to-point is an everyday activity at Trans-Canada Air Lines’ Montreal headquarters. Seven years ago, TCA began an intensive all-departments study of available and drawing-board airliners in the short, medium and long-range turbo-prop and pure jet classes, to determine their potential for TCA routes. Out of this seven-year study came TCA orders for the world’s first and most successful turbo-prop airliner, the Vickers Viscount; the magnificent long-range DC-8 jetliner (to be delivered early 1960), and for the huge Vickers Vanguard turbo-prop for medium-range routes and southern services.

First built Vickers Vanguards G-AOYW and G-APEA at Weybridge circa 1959-1960.

This is the tentative Trans Canada Vickers Vanguard cabin configuration with only 96 seats, versus the maximum 139 seats high density configuration.

TCA President, Gordon McGregor, left, and Sir George Edwards, head of Vickers-Amstrong (Aircraft) Ltd., chat following a test flight in the brand new Vickers Vanguard.

Built-in economy and flexibility, wedded to Rolls-Royce turbo-prop reliability and smoothness, put the Vanguard far out in front of its closest competitors. It will operate out of existing runways at most airports, and presents no noise problem. One of its most interesting features is its ‘double-bubble’ fuselage and the exciting potential of this engineering approach.

In most airliners, the tube fuselage concept means that freight holds must be located in the small under-floor section, which has no real floor area, or on the floor level, with passengers. More freight can be accommodated only by removing passenger seats and closing off a freight area. But in the Vanguard, two huge freight holds occupy the lower ‘bubble,’ leaving the main floor exclusively for passengers. On full passenger service during peak travel hours, the Vanguard can switch to an all-freight schedule when early morning hours cut down passenger loads, thus maintaining high utilization at low operating costs.

The Vickers design team, led by Sir George Edwards, who was knighted in 1957 for his contribution to British and world aviation, have developed an airframe of almost unlimited application on most world air routes. Working with Rolls-Royce, pioneers in the gas turbine field, Vickers chose the new high-compression Tyne, an engine with a weight-to-power ratio 37% higher than the wonderfully successful Dart, yet delivering 3.2 times more power at 40% less specific fuel consumption. TCA’s own Engineering Department made important contributions to the mutual effort of Vickers and Rolls-Royce to set a new standard in the turbo-prop class.

For the TCA passenger, the big Vanguard will bring such innovations as twin-door boarding on self contained air stairs, which retract into the aircraft. The popular deep oval Viscount-type Windows (40 in the Vanguard, compared to 20 in the Viscount) extend well ahead of the wing. TCA’s tentative 96-seat configuration (see diagram) in an aircraft which will take 139 seats, is extra-spacious.

First of 20 TCA Vanguards will be delivered in late 1960 or early 1961. Shortly after the Vanguards enter service, TCA will become the first intercontinental airline in the world to operate an all-turbine fleet. And there is no doubt that without the “paper” airliners that fly their invisible routes in planning and development offices, the transition from piston to turbine would be much longer in coming, and not quite so well tailored to demanding Canadian requirements.

TCA Vanguard advert June 1959, boasting “TCA’s equipment plans for the jet age are now complete. In the new era of air travel ahead, TCA will be the first inter-continental airline in the world to operate an all-turbine fleet.” TCA had a standing order for 20 Vickers Vanguards to be inservice by 1961.

Canada’s national airline, Trans Canada Air-lines was born on April 10, 1937, when the TCA creation bill was given royal assent. On September 1, 1937, the airline made its debut flight with a one hundred and thirty mile airmail flight between Vancouver, B.C. and Seattle, Washington.

A Lockheed 10A Electra was used for this historic fight. At the time, TCA owned only three Lockheed 10As and one Stearman biplane. (These aircraft had previously been owned by Canadian Pacific Air Lines.) New equipment was ordered and larger Lockheed 14s were added by December of 1938, giving TCA 10 Lockheed 14s and 10 Lockheed 10s in its fleet. By October 1938, a daily airmail service for the Postal Department had been established between Montreal-0ttawa-Toronto-winnipeg.

With the outbreak of World War II in l939, the airline operated quite sluggishly as passengers, crew members and ground support people had to devote more time to the war effort. On April 1, 1939, transcontinental revenue passenger service was initiated between Vancouver and Montreal utilizing a Lockheed 14 and a Toronto-New York service was started in May of 1941. During the war, the airline was in a holding pattern of expansion but it also saw TCA’s first European service. To support the Canadian Armed Forces in Europe. In 1943, an Avro Lancaster (called a Lancastrian by TCA) began to fly a war-time service between Montreal and Prestwick.

Early Trans Canada Air Lines Lockheed Lodestar interior circa 1940s, in colour. This aircraft flew domestic routes from January 7, 1941, to October 8, 1949.

TCA really began to expand after the war as they received a number of surplus and new DC-3s and Lancastrians, which cold hold ten passengers and 9,000 pounds of freight. In 1947, the Lancastrians were phased out and replaced with Canadian DC-4M2 North Stars. The North Star was the first pressurized, long ranged four engine airliner to go into service with TCA and operated its first revenue flight on April 15, 1947.

Throughout their career, the North Stars served the Montreal-London route, the cross Canada “milk run” which served small town routes and were also widely used on Caribbean routes. The DC-3 deserves honorable mention as it was the strong workhorse of TCA’s domestic route network up until her retirement in the early 1960s. By 1948, all the Lockheed 14s and the Lancastrians had been retired and the airline was gearing up for the next decade.

“Specify TCA International Air Cargo” by North Star as advertised in March, 1951.

Trans Canada Air Lines 1956 route map, effective with the March 1 timetable. The prime yield airliner of the day was the Super Constellation.

In 1954, TCA began an air-freight service and in doing so, began to convert the DC-4M2s to all cargo versions by stripping interiors, plugging the windows and strengthening floors. To supplement their new-born freighter fleet of North Stars, TCA acquired several Bristol Mk. 31 Freighters. The Bristols and the North Stars were used on scheduled, all cargo flights between Montreal-Toronto-New York and Montreal-Toronto-Winnipeg. The Bristols were phased out in 1955 as enough DC-4M2s had been converted to freighters. It had also been discovered that the Bristols were not very profitable.

In 1955, TCA aroused a lot of interest in North America when they became the first airline on the continent to use the revolutionary turboprop powered Vickers Viscount 724. The Viscount had already made a name for itself in the European market and it soon became a favorite among North American travellers. The first of many routes to utilize the Viscount was the Montreal-Toronto-Winnipeg route in April of 1955. A few months later this aircraft was added to the New York route as well.

After experiencing tremendous success with the Viscount, both TCA and BEA hailed launch orders with Vickers for the Viscount’s new big brother, the Vanguard. In 1958, TCA placed the largest postwar industrial order in England with an order for a fleet of 23 Vanguard 952s, worth $67 million. The Vanguards were needed for routes too long for the Viscounts and too short for the new long range DC-8 jets. In 1959, radar equipment was installed in all aircraft. The fleet now consisted of 13 Super Constellations, 49 Viscounts, 31 North Stars and nine DC-3s. It was also in 1959 that TCA placed their order with Douglas for DC-8 aircraft.

TCA Vanguard advert June 1959, boasting “TCA’s equipment plans for the jet age are now complete. In the new era of air travel ahead, TCA will be the first inter-continental airline in the world to operate an all-turbine fleet.” TCA had a standing order for 20 Vickers Vanguards to be inservice by 1961.

0n April the first, 1960, TCA became the first operator of the Conway powered DC-8-41. (The introduction of the DC-8 occurred 14 months before the first Vanguard entered service.) In June of 1960, the DC-8s began to fly the Montreal-London route, covering the distance in just six hours, compared with the Connie’s time of 11 hours. Douglas agreed to take most of TCA’s Connies in trade for DC-8s and the sun was now setting on the era of the piston powered airliner. 0n the 13th of June, 1961, the last North Star was retired.

The Douglas DC-8 was in service with Trans-Canada Air Lines effective June 15, 1960 “Across Canada – Across the Atlantic”.

Through the summer and well into the winter of 1960, Vanguard flight certification tests were still being carried out at Vickers in Weybridge (Surrey, UK) as severe turbine disk failures had been plaguing the engines. This led to a seven month delay in Vanguard deliveries. On February 1, 1961, the first Vanguard was delivered. This lead to the disposal of the DC-3s and Connies, which made TCA the first all turbine powered airline in North America.

In January of 1963, TCA placed an order for a DC-8F freighter, with the first one arriving in October. Then in 1964, in anticipation of a future Viscount replacement, an order was placed for eight Douglas DC-9-14s with Douglas. (Air Canada later upgraded to DC-9-30s.) The Douglas DC-9 was a medium range passenger jet that was designed to transport 100 passengers in jet comfort with jet economics.

Being Canada’s national flag carrier, it was felt that TCA’s colors and name did not accurately represent the country. It was decided to change the name to Air Canada. On 13 October, 1964, the first aircraft to wear Air Canada titles, (a DC-8), carried the Queen Mother from Ottawa to London. And on January 1, 1965, TCA officially became Air Canada. The name Air Canada is also bilingual.

By the following year Air Canada had 16 DC-8s, and the new baby DC-9s began taking over Viscount routes, operating with a 72 seat configuration. That same year also saw the opening of new cargo facilities in Vancouver and Toronto. In November, Air Canada also became the first North American airline to fly into the USSR (using DC-8 equipment) from Montreal via Copenhagen. In return, Aeroflot began service to eastern Canada.

By the summer of 1967, Air Canada had placed orders for four Anglo-French Concordes with delivery in 1973, plus six Boeing SSTs for delivery in 1977. Neither aircraft was ever delivered to Air Canada. The Boeing SST never even flew.

Air Canada introduced the stretched DC-8-61/63 into their fleet in 1967 in Time for the Montreal Expo that summer. As the carrier entered the 1970s, they took delivery of their first Boeing 747 on 11 February, 1971. By ordering from Boeing, Air Canada broke a lifetime of patronizing only Douglas and Lockheed. The 747s were put into service on the 25th of April, 1971, supplementing the DC-8s on the Atlantic routes. With this fleet upgrading, all Air Canada’s Vanguards were phased out of passenger service and one aircraft was converted to a freighter. By late 1972, all the Vanguards had been retired with three scrapped in Montreal and the others all going to operators in the UK and France via Air Holdings, an aircraft broker. The Viscounts were still keeping up after 17 years of reliable service, but their days were numbered due to the arrival of the new DC-9-30s.

In 1972, Air Canada, following the general trend, cancelled all options on the Anglo-French Concord. By March of 1973, the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar had entered service, first flying the Toronto-Vancouver route. An era really came to an end for the airline in April of 1974 when the last of the fleet of 51 Vickers Viscounts was finally retired. All of the Viscounts were flown to Winnipeg for storage and to await sale, but not all were sold. To this very day, a few diehard Air Canada Viscounts still sit out in pasture awaiting the dreaded torch.

Air Canada was now an ail Jet airline. The winter of 1974 saw Air Canada introduce the Boeing 727-200 to its fleet (at first placed on the Toronto- Montreal Rapidair route). The Boeing 727 has proved itself to be one of the most valuable additions to Air Canada’s fleet and now forms the core of Air Canada’s North American route network. By the mid 1970s, Air Canada’s older DC-8s were being phased out and some were leased to Cubana and Air Jamaica. In 1977, Air Canada DC-8-43s CF-TJB and CF-TFC were scrapped.

To commemorate the airline’s 40th birthday in 1977, Air Canada re flew that first historic fiight from Vancouver to Seattle, only this time it was with their newest aircraft, a Boeing 727, occupied by the media and senior company executives. In late l977, early 1978, Air Canada made a small alteration in its paint scheme. The airline titles, which were previously painted black, now appeared in red lettering. The black anti-glare nose panel was removed and the red cheatlline was thickened and was continued around the nose of the aircraft.

Photo page from the Captain’s Log, Spring 1984. The author was just 20 when this article was published, and this marked his very first time in print as a published writer.

With this exchange of shares, Air Canada’s equity was substantially increased, thus giving the company a much healthier debt/equity ratio. To the chagrin of CP Air, the government had improved Air Canada’s financial condition and at the same time, placed it in a stronger operating position than before. The airline would now be able to respond to any rapid changes in its environment which could be expected in the coming years.

The late 1970s brought about two very major realizations: The cargo industry was quickly growing and fleet modernization was of immediate importance. Air Canada’s general cargo revenues were growing at a rate of 25 percent per year and additional aircraft capacity was needed to help in the development of small package services. Three used Boeing 727-22 cargo jets were purchased from United Airlines in February of 1979, primarily to be used in the new small package service. It was also decided that five of the DC-8-63 passenger aircraft would be converted to pure main-deck freighters.

Back in 1979, Air Canada set an operational goal of keeping the passenger stretched DC-8s no longer than six years. A replacement would have to have a capacity of at least 200 passengers, have sufficient range to serve the medium and long range North American routes, and preferably have a twin aisle configuration. The Boeing new generation 767 was the plane chosen and twelve were ordered with options on 18 more. However, deliveries would not start until the spring of 1983. Until these new aircraft were on hand it was necessary to modernize the interiors of the DC-8s with the new wide body look, similar to the Boeing 727 interiors.

In the depth of the 1980 recession, Air Canada found that difficulties were arising in filling the seats of their 747s, particularly on the European routes. The answer to the problem was the Lockheed L-1011 (Lockheed once again) with its smaller number of seats and its over the pole range. The advanced L-1011-500 deliveries began in March of 1981. These aircraft were based in western Canada since they were going to be used on the western Canada to Europe routes.

In view of the success of Cammacorp’s CFM-56 re-engine program for the DC-8, Air Canada decided to get involved. In July of 1983, Air Canada decided to go ahead and have six of their DC-8-63AFs converted to the upgraded -73 series. Since that time Air Canada has signed an agreement with Cammacorp whereby Air Canada will perform their own conversions. Also, Cammacorp has licensed Air Canada to do contract work for other airlines at their Dorval maintenance base. The first DC-8 to be converted was C-FTlP which was ready for flight tests on November 23, 1983.

As planned, the stretched DC-8s were withdrawn from service before the six year deadline set in 1979 (by 1985). On April 23, 1983, all the stretched DC-8s flew their last passenger flights for Air Canada. Ali flights arrived at Toronto where the fleet was prepared for the ferry flight down to the Marana Airpark in Arizona.

The aircraft will be stored there until it is decided what is to become of them. At the time of this printing, all the Air Canada DC-8s are still in open storage at Marana. There has been many stories as what will happen to these aircraft. If not sold there is talk they may go to the Canadian government to be used as Canadian Armed Forces military and V.I.P. transports to replace the Boeing 707s.

As for the future of Air Canada, it will be very unpredictable. At present, the Canadian Department of Transport is reviewing the possibility of creating an American-styled type of deregulation. Any type of deregulation would hurt Air Canada. As for equipment, the DC-8-73s will last until the 1990s. The carrier is expecting the last batch of six Boeing 767s from their first order this year. Two 747s are currently being leased (one to Air National and the other to Global). As for a DC-9 fleet replacement, requirements are under constant review and nothing has yet been decided. When asked to comment on Air Canada in the 1980s for this article, Air Canada’s Public Relations Coordinator R. Reid replied, ‘”I am really unable to comment with the economic situation so volatile.”

On Thursday, January 26, 2015, I had the very special pleasure of visiting a Canadian airline historic relic, in the protected confines of a hangar at Abbotsford Airport, an hour’s drive east of Vancouver.

Between 1941 and 1949 Trans Canada Air Lines operated a fleet of 15 Lockheed 18 Lodestars, primarily on the then new airline’s domestic routes. The entire fleet of Lodestars served the airline well and were sold off to corporate flight departments of the day. Except one machine, CF-TCY, which was sold to the Canadian Department of Transport. In the 65 years that have passed since the types retirement from TCA, the aircraft have more or less vanished in the annals of aviation history, except one resilient example, CF-TCY.

Today, the aircraft is under snail’s pace restoration at the University of the Fraser Valley Aerospace Centre vocational institute at Abbotsford airport. They have been working on the plane since 2007, and it this rate, will take many years for the restoration to display only condition. The students at the vocational school’s Aircraft Structures programme work on the plane as time and instruction allows. The good news is the aircraft is in a dry sheltered environment. The aircratf is owned by the Canadian Museum of Flight at Langley Airport.

CF-TCY was discovered about 20 years ago when Langley resident (and former TCA Lodestar pilot) Bill Marr discovered the aircraft at an aviation museum on the Eastern US. The plane was then acquired by the Canadian Museum of Flight and shipped in pieces back to BC and was re-assembled for static display at the Delta Air Park in 1996. Sitting outside exposed to the elements for 11 years was less than ideal for preservation, and thankfully the plane was taken indoors in 2007, otherwise the plane would have rotted away.

Since its arrival, many Structures students have “worked” on the aircraft as they learned their trade, but the machine will never fly again. It is everyone’s dream for the plane to be restored to static display condition … one day. As completion of the restoration could take another decade or more, it serves the school well as a long term learning project. Many pieces still need to be located, including interior seating and fixtures, and the cockpit instruments.

After TCA retired the aircraft, CF-TCY performed VIP government duties with the Department of Transport and is known to have carried Canada’s then Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent across the country. It was also the personal transport for Canada’s first Minister of Transport C.D. Howe during the 1950s.

I would like to thank Terry Brunner, Manager of the Canadian Museum of Flight for arranging my visit.

This is where it all started for me: it was my very first published article. Growing up in Vancouver, Air Canada was the airline as a family we flew most as I was growing up. The Air Canada Viscount rides between Toronto and Ottawa in the 60s and early 70s got me hooked on what would become a life-long interest.

Whilst in grade 11, I joined the World Airline Historical Society (WAHS). Their quarterly publication “Captain’s Log” was something I waited for to come through my mail slot every three months. I couldn’t wait to see all the neat airline and collectible news, and other neat airline information that simply was not available to me via any other means.

In the thirty years that followed, I would make many life-long friends through the WAHS. It was back in 1984, when I contacted Air Canada’s Vancouver Public Affairs office to ask if they could assist in my writing an historic report on their airline for inclusion in the Captain’s Log. And the resultant article appears below. It was by no means a seminal piece. But it was a start.

My favourite caption from the article accompanied one of my photos and reads as follows: “Air Canada DC-8-63 C-FTIM is on the take-off roll at YVR on April 11, 1983. Twelve days later, all Air Canada passenger DC-8s were phased out. C-FTIM’s last revenue flight was from Calgary to Toronto on April 23, 1983.” I was only 19 when I took the photo!

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