Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander

In NetLetter #1418, we have a small piece on Westward Airways in the ‘Odds and Ends’ section.

The aircraft, the Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander, used on the short-lived shuttle service caught my interest so I asked Terry for a few personal details of his knowledge of this aircraft.

Terry responded:

“Just a bit of trivia for you. 

The Britten-Norman Islander was manufactured on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.

When I was seconded to Antigua and worked for L.I.A.T. (1974) running their computer department, they had a bunch of Islanders.

The airline was so strapped for money, that various governments gave them aircraft; Canada donated a Dash 8.

Barbuda donated a Trislander, which was a bigger Islander with the third engine in the tail. Barbuda insisted that the aircraft operate between Antigua and Barbuda.  Upon arrival, flown from the UK via Iceland and Canada, the pilot had collected his family from the US during transit.

Most of the cabin seats had been removed, and the space was filled with containers of fuel all linked; almost like a flying bomb!

The distance was so short between Antigua and Barbuda that the luggage followed on an Islander. I think the Trislander was either returned or sold later due to operating costs.”

This extremely versatile aircraft was designed and built by De Havilland-trained John Britten and Desmond Norman in 1965 and has been in continuous development ever since. There are currently over 750 in operation around the world.

They recognized the need for a light utility aircraft with an adequate payload to move both passengers and cargo between the numerous islands in Europe and later, North America. Also, it is used in many countries for military and law enforcement operations.

I was not able to find much information regarding Trislanders in service in Canada, however, Ken advised the following:

There are actually 15 Islanders in the current Transport Canada registration database, although 4 show the registrations as cancelled (C-FJJR, C-FKAW, C-GGIY, C-GPPP) leaving 11 with valid current registrations.

Reference:

Transport Canada registration database

Also, an Ottawa-based operator that uses 2 modified BN-2s in their geophysical survey work all over the world.

www.sgl.com/Aircraft.html

www.sgl.com/Islander.html

Additional Reference:

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander at Wikipedia 

From The Canadian Encyclopedia

CPR acquired 11 aircraft operating companies during 1941 and continued operations under the name United Air Services Ltd. The name was changed on 24 March 1942 to Canadian Pacific Air Lines Ltd. In 1944 it applied for transcontinental status, which it was granted in 1958, when it was allowed to operate a single daily service.

The terms were gradually extended and in 1979 it was given the transcontinental route without restriction.

Hampered by government in its attempt to fly domestically, CP Air expanded internationally from its Vancouver base, appropriating routes that Air Canada, which had the right of first refusal on all external services, did not consider profitable.

Flights were inaugurated to Australia, Japan and Hong Kong (1949); to South America (1953); and to Europe (1955), pioneering the transpolar Vancouver-Amsterdam route. In order to expand quickly enough to compete effectively with Air Canada under a deregulated environment, CP Air purchased Eastern Provincial Airways in 1984 and Nordair in 1985. CP Air was in turn taken over by Pacific Western Airlines in 1987, and the merged carrier was renamed Canadian Airlines International Ltd (CAI).

It later expanded with the purchase of Wardair, a major charter airline that had grown from a bush pilot operation founded by aviation pioneer Max Ward. 

Above is some more information on Canadian/Wardair. 

(Source: airline-memorabilia.blogspot.com) 

Note: scroll down the page to view all the images.

"The Big Dipper Route" by Captain Danny Bereza (Retired). 

Danny is a retired check pilot B737 / A320 from Canadian Airlines in 1998.

What do you do if you’re flying through fog over an icy ocean, the nearest land is 200 miles away, your heading gyros disagree by over 20 degrees and your fuel gauges are hovering near zero? Or you’ve been ordered to fly a dying First Nations man to hospital but he’s begging you to take him back to his beloved wilderness to die in peace?

How do to buy the book?

By email direct from the author, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Price is $20.00 including postage.

(Source www.rapcan.ca)

Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse.

The Interline Club of Israel is pleased to invite all Interline club members to visit Israel in winter time.

December 4 to 11, 2019

Stay and visit Jerusalem Old & New city, Dead Sea, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Haifa, Acre & many other sites.

Rates in US $:
Per person in a double/twin room: $1159.00
Single Supplement: $590.00
Extra night in twin/double per person: $105.00, Single Room $188 HB basis.
WACA fee per person: $20.00

Tour includes:

1. Five nights’ accommodation at Metropolitan Tel Aviv (4 nights HB, 1 night BB).
2. Two nights’ accommodation at Jerusalem Ramada Hotel, HB.
3. Four Organized Tours English Speaking Guides.
4. One dinner at Tel Aviv restaurant.
   
   

Neil Burton has sent us this information -

B.C. Air Lines, a division of C.A.E. Industries, was the largest airline operating entirely within British Columbia.

Its marketing zone was: “Pacific Thunderbird” and added routes of:

• “Okanagan Thunderbird” – Vancouver, Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops;
• “Kootenay Thunderbird” – Vancouver, Penticton or Kelowna, Castlegar, Cranbrook;
• “Cariboo Thunderbird” – Kamloops, Williams Lake, Quesnel, Prince George;
• and “Skeena Thunderbird” – Terrace, Smithers, Prince George.

From advertising, it appears service was to begin April 30, 1969.

Northwest Industries Limited, of Edmonton, Alberta, of which B.C. Airlines was a subsidiary, was purchased by CAE in 1962.

Pacific Western Airlines negotiated the purchase of B.C. Airlines in July 1970, with expected closure of the deal in mid-August.

President of Pacific Western Airlines was R.H. “Dick” Laidman.

Schedules for P.W.A., including the equipment of B.C. Airlines, were expected to become effective September 15.

Here we have the timetable effective June 1, 1967 from the collection by Bjorn Larsson

Neil Burton, July 15, 2019.