Queen Charlotte Airlines

• QCA was founded by Ashton James Ward "Jim" Spilsbury,
• QCA operated from 1945-1955.
• PWA bought Queen Charlotte Airlines Ltd. for a reported $1,500,000.00. Sale effective end of June 1955.

• It was the 3rd largest airline in Canada in 1955.
• In Apr 18, 1941 Jim formed a business Spilsbury and Hepburn Ltd., with Jim Hepburn.
• they became incorporated in 1941 as Spilsbury & Tindall Co.(Jack Tindal)
  • they were in the radio servicing and then manufacturing business
• Office at 570 Cardero St in Vancouver BC

• In 1943 Jim borrowed $500.00 on his life insurance policy to buy his first aircraft, a moth eaten old 4 seater, Waco Standard YKC-S, c/n 4239 CF-AWK
  
  • QCA later sold this plane to Babb (Canada) Fate- Forced landing on city street South Porcupine ON, Aug 8, 1949
• QCA formed in 1945
• Company owned by Spilsbury & Tindall Co.
• Started with a single route from Vancouver to Comox in 1945
• QCA had their office at Sea Island, Vancouver BC
  • Norman Henry Landahl,
    • b- ca 1915
    • d- May 8, 1980 in Vancouver BC, age 65,
    • QCA Claims Manager and one time Personnel Manager

They had 2- 20 passenger, Supermarine Stranraer flying boats:

• 3- Noordyn Norsemen,
• 2- Stinson 108-2s,
• a Rapide, and a prototype Fairchild Husky.

all above on floats

• 5- Anson V's built by Federal Aircraft, not on floats.

They had:

• 8- twin engine, 8 passenger Ansons,
• 14- 7 passenger Norsemen float aircraft,
• 2- 20 passenger Canso boats,
• and 2- 20 passenger Supermarine Stranraer, flying boats
• plus 4 smaller machines,

So by 1952 he had 30 aircraft, 35 pilots, and 250 employees.

• A subsidiary of QCA bought some of their planes. “Western Aircraft Sales and Service”

de Havilland, DH89A, Dragon Rapide

1949, Dragon Rapides CF-BND and CF-AYE
1953, Mark V Ansons CF-DXK, CF-EHV, CF-FYK, CF-FZL, and CF-GDP

• Twin engine, light transport bi-plane,
• 1 crew, 8 passengers. 48ft wingspan.
• Max speed, 157 mph.
• 2- de Havilland Gipsy Six, 200hp inline engine.

Avro, MK V, Anson

1950, Mark V Anson CF-FGM and CF-EHV (CF-FGM see crash below)

1950, Mark V Anson, CF-DXK

One of these 5 Ansons, was called, “The Alberni Queen”

• It was a mid wing monoplane, with a max cruising speed of 188 mph.
• It was made from a laminated plastic-treated wood construction (plywood), covered with fabric, due to steel shortages
• 1,069 Mk Vs were built in Canada for navigator training,
• powered by two 450 hp (340 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior R-985 engines.
• Built in Canada by Canadian Federal Aircraft Ltd.
• Anson was originally built in England.
• The Anson was a bomber training machine.

Supermarine Stranraer PBY Flying Boat

Vickers Supermarine “Stranraer Flying Boats” made by Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd. was a reconnaissance bombing torpedo transport and navigation training unit. During the war it carried a crew of 8. It was Powered by twin Bristol Pegasus medium supercharged engines, max speed of 165 mph, a cruising range of 1,000 miles, a load capacity of 3,450 lbs. Hull was “Alclad” with stainless steel attachments,while the wings were metal construction, covered in fabric.

QCA owned 5 Stranraer “Stranny” planes

• CF-BXO:
  known as “Alaska Queen”,Supermarine Stranraer #920. Built by Canadian Vickers at its St. Hubert, Montreal, Quebec Plant, using British equipment, and fitted with 810 hp Bristol Pegasus X engines. Sold to PWA and now in the RAF museum, last known survivor of this plane.
• CF-BYI:
  known as “Haida Queen”, #907
• CF-BYL,:
  known as “Skeena Queen”, #909
• CF-BYJ,:
  #915 1947, Stranraer CF-BYJ (see crash below)
• CF-BYM:
  #949, last Stranraer in service with RCAF until Jan 20, 1946, sold to PWA. Crashed Oct 1, 1957, into trees and burned taking off from Sovereign Lake, BC killing 4 occupants, plane written off. They were on a salvage trip, of 2 pontoons,on a previous wreck of a PWA Beaver.

Consolidated PBY Catalina,

CF-GHU 1951-1957, “Kitimat Queen” N2763A c/n CV-548 , Ex USN Bu no 21232

QCA, CF-GHQ made the first airmail flight from Vancouver to Kitimat, B.C., 22 April 1952.

based on this site http://www.warbirdregistry.org/pbyregistry/pby-21232.html it appears that in 2004 it was in storage..perhaps to be restored one day?

Canadian Vickers PBV-1A Canso

1951, Canso CF-FOQ, bought from Hudson's Bay Co. (see crash below)

Great Photo of QCA Canso approaching Kemano Wharf

QCA Canso Plane at Kemano Wharf,Exact Reg # unknown. Both of these pictures are of the same plane, and it has the bubble on the back, and a different paint scheme than the one below.Good possible subject, and my guess:

• Consolidated PBY Catalina, CF-GHU,
• 1951-1957, “Kitimat Queen”
• N2763A c/n CV-548 , Ex USN Bu no 21232

CF-GLX?
Side Passenger Door, of a QCA Canso, docked in the photo, at the Village of Alert Bay on Cormorant Island, in the Queen Charlotte Strait. Jim Hanna was flying from Vancouver to Kemano, after Christmas 1955, and fog forced the plane to land at Alert Bay for the night. Stewardess in the doorway was from NZ, and she happened to come over to Canada on the same boat the RMS Orion as Jim Hanna did, from Auckland NZ. I am almost 100% positive the photo was CF-GLX which was a Canadian Vickers PBV-1A Canso c/n CV-560 The 3 stripes on the back, the lack of a bubble window/door, leads me to this conclusion. It was originally built for the USAAF.

3 Canso Pictures above, Courtesy Jim Hanna, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Noorduyn Norseman

• 1946- Norseman, CF-EJB,
• 1947, Norseman, floats
• 1948, Norseman CF-GHH
• 1950, Mark VI Norseman CF-GUE
• 1948, Norseman CF-CRS (see crash above)
• 1951, Norseman, CF-OPK, CF-GPK, CF-GRO (see GPK crash above)
• 1951, Norseman #427, CF-GRU
• 1951, Norseman, CF-GOB
• 1951, Norseman, CF-GSK
• 1952, Norseman CF-OBO
• 1953, Norseman CF-GDN

North American (Noorduyn) Harvard

Harvard MKII

1946, Harvard, RCAF 2737, const # 66-2470

1950, Harvard, CF-EMY

De Haviland Canada Beaver DHC-2

1948, De Haviland Beaver CF-FHC 1949, De Haviland Beaver, CF-FHF

Single Engine, Single wing, Prop Driven, STOL aircraft. This was known as a great “Canadian Bush Plane”

Cessna Crane, 1946 CF-BXW Wingspan 41 ft 11“ Max speed 185 mph 2- Jacobs L-4MB, 225 hp, radial engines Designed as a trainer in WWII

Cessna 180,1954 CF-HLA

Stinson 108-2 Voyager models single engine, prop plane.

1949, Stinson CF-FZO 1950, Stinson CF-EXR

Bellanca Senoir Skyrocket,

1948, CF-DOH (see crash above)

Bellanca Pacemaker- no known info

Grumman G-21, Goose,

CF-GEB, 1950, amphibious aircraft.
US Navy JRF-5 model #37792 (c/n B-45) to RCAF as 384. This plane was owned by BNP Airways as an 8 seat, Executive equipped plane. BNP was a consortium of B.C. Electric, Northern Construction, the Power River Company and MacMillan Bloedel. It sold in 1952 for $32,000 to Barney Lamm, Ontario Central Airlines. This plane was owned by BC Air Lines in the 60's two 450 horsepower (340 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr. nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engines mounted on the leading edges of the wings. The deep fuselage served as a hull.It was equipped with hand-cranked retractable landing gear.

Beechcraft

1951, Beech stagger-wing D17S, CF-GPO bought from Grubb Oil Co. The fabric-covered fuselage was faired with wood formers and stringers over a welded, steel tube frame 1 - Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 “Wasp Jr” radial engine, 450 hp 1 crew, 3 passengers Wingspan 32 ft

Fairchild Aviation Ltd.

Fairchild Husky, reg # unknown Fairchild FC-2, Razor-Back, G-CAIH

Douglas DC3's-

May 15, 1953- DC3, CF-HCF by 1954- CF-EPI

CF-EPI Douglas C-53D-DO, c/n 7408 (see my PWA page)

CF-HCF manufactured Feb 1940, Santa Monica CA log book in Canadian Museum of Flight, 1956-66 USAAF #42-57506, Douglas C-49H-DO DC3- 227B, c/n 2198, 1953-1962

Jan 22, 1959 this plane was re-registered CF-PWH

history- American Airlines, USAAF, Trans Alaska Airlines, QCA, PWA, Great Northern Airways, became derelict in Terrace BC, parts machine for Trans Provincial Airlines. Plane is now restored and on display in Langley BC “Spirit of the Skeena”, see link below.

Oct 18, 1951, a Queen Charlotte Airlines twin engine amphibious plane, CF-FOQ, crashed into Mount Benson, close to Nanaimo BC, nearing the end of a 400 mile flight to Vancouver from Kemano, killing 20 passengers and 4 crew.(one source said 23 total)

Crew names I found, Pilot: Doug McQueen, First Officer: Jaginder S. Johl and Crewman: Ray Williams,

CF-FOQ was a Canso PBY flying boat.

I have read since this entry, that this plane was carrying all of the Alcan Kitimat Directors, which caused QCA problems.

Next 4 photos of CF-FOQ sent to me by Stan Strazza, Jan 2012. If you want to know about this plane save some time and contact Stan in Nanaimo BC. He has it all, but still looking for more. ” hubcitysalvage@gmail.com “ Notes from Stan on researching CF-FOQ

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Stan Strazza Notes