 Lockheed Electra 10A "CF-TCC" in Trans-Canada Air Lines livery at theWestern Canada Aviation Museum | |
| Founded | 10 April 1937 (1937-04-10) |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1 September 1937 (1937-09-01) |
| Ceased operations | 1 January 1965 (1965-01-01) (renamedAir Canada by an Act of Parliament) |
| Operating bases | Montreal,Quebec |
| Subsidiaries | Canadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service |
| Fleet size | 123 |
| Parent company | Canadian National Railway |
| Headquarters | Montreal,Quebec, Canada[1] |
| Key people | Gordon McGregor |
Trans-Canada Air Lines (also known asTCA in English, andTrans-Canada in French) was a Canadianairline that operated as the country'sflag carrier,[2] with corporate headquarters inMontreal,Quebec.[1] Its first president wasGordon Roy McGregor. Founded in 1937,[3][4] it was renamedAir Canada in 1965.
With heavy involvement fromC. D. Howe, a senior minister in theMackenzie King cabinet, TCA was created by theCrown CorporationCanadian National Railway (CNR), and launched its first flight on 1 September 1937, on a flight betweenVancouver andSeattle. An air-mail contract withRoyal Mail Canada was one of the methods by which TCA was financed.[5]
The creation of TCA was partly by CNR management who wanted to expand the company into the new field of passenger aviation, and was partly by government direction. Prior to TCA, no large national airline existed in Canada. With war looming, and other nations (primarily theU.S.) experiencing major increases in the creation of passenger airlines, it was necessary to have a presence. The CNR was the country's largest corporation at the time and proved an effective vehicle for the government to create a national airline.
TCA was also in direct competition with passenger trains operated by parent CNR, and contributed to the decline of passenger rail service as Canada entered the pioneering years of air travel. In response to CNR's creation of TCA, arch-rivalCanadian Pacific Railway createdCanadian Pacific Air Lines in 1942.
Between 1943 and 1947, TCA operated theCanadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS) to provide trans-Atlantic military passenger and postal delivery service usingAvro Lancastrian (modifiedAvro Lancaster) aircraft.[6] The record crossing was completed non-stop in 12:26 hours; the average was about 13:25 hours.[7] CGTAS ushered in the era of commercial air travel across the North Atlantic.[8] After the war, the Lancastrians became part of TCA and carried paying civilian passengers until they were replaced byDouglas DC-4s.[9]
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Starting in 1945, TCA acquired 30 twin-engined ex-militaryDouglas DC-3s for use on Canadian internal services and some of these remained in service until 1963 on shorter routes. A fleet ofMerlin-poweredCanadair North Stars was delivered from 1947 and these commenced services to several European countries, including theUnited Kingdom and to cities in the U.S. The last of the North Stars was sold in 1961.[10]
TheCanadair North Stars were gradually replaced by longer rangeLockheed Super Constellations from 1954 onwards, fourteen being operated on transatlantic routes extending as far asVienna in Austria; also toBermuda and severalCaribbean destinations includingJamaica andTrinidad. The last Super Constellations were disposed of in 1963.[11] A large fleet ofVickers Viscountturboprop airliners was built up from late 1954 and these were used on many intra-North American routes. The Viscount was followed by the largerVickers Vanguard turboprop. TCA was the only airline in North America to operate the Vanguard in scheduled passenger service.
In 1953 with the development ofReserVec (originally called Gemini), TCA became the first airline in the world to use acomputer reservation system with remote terminals.[12]
The airline's Winnipeg maintenance shops and its first trial flight of the Viscount was documented in the 1955 film,Routine Flight.[13]
The airline acquired a fleet ofDouglas DC-8 jet airliners powered byRolls-Royce Conways, the first being received on 25 May 1960. The DC-8 quickly replaced the slower Super Constellations on TCA's scheduled services to Europe.
In 1964, anAct of Parliament proposed byJean Chrétien changed the name of Trans-Canada Air Lines to "Air Canada", which was already in use as the airline's French-language name, effective 1 January 1965.[14][15] In 1978, Air Canada was divested by parent CNR and became a separate Crown corporation. Air Canada wasprivatized in 1989.
The headquarters were in the International Aviation Building in Montreal.[1]
TCA operated a network of 160 routes to destinations including:
| Aircraft | In service | Passengers | Years in service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vickers Viscount | 48 | 1955–1974 | |
| Vickers Vanguard | 108 | 1961–1972 | |
| Canadair North Star DC-4M-2 | 20 | 44 | 1946–1961 |
| Douglas DC-8-40, 50 | 8 | 176 (economy), 124 (mixed) | 1960–1983 |
| Lockheed 10A Electra | 5 | 10 | 1937–1941 |
| Lockheed L-1049C/E/G/H Super Constellation | 14 | 53-75 | 1954–1963 |
| Bristol Freighter | 3 | freight only; 2 crew | 1953–1955 |
| Douglas DC-3 | 27 | 21 | 1945–1963 |
| Avro Lancaster Mk III - for freight/mail service and priority passengers | 1 | unknown | 1943 |
| Avro Lancastrian - for freight/mail service and priority passengers | 9 | 10 | 1943–1947 |
| Lockheed 18-08 Lodestar | 15 | 14 | 1941–1949 |
| Lockheed Super Electra 14H2 (14-08) | 16; 12 as 14-08 after conversion | 10 | 1938–1949 |
| Boeing-Stearman Model 75 - as trainer only | 3 | 2 | 1937–1939 |
One former TCALockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (CF-TGE), has been preserved byThe Museum of Flight inSeattle, Washington. It is currently on display at the museum's "Airpark" attraction.[18]
A former TCAVickers Viscount (CF-THG) is on display at theBritish Columbia Aviation Museum inSidney, British Columbia. The aircraft has been completely refurbished by the museum.
A former TCA and Transair operated Vickers Viscount 744 (CF-TGI / N22SN) is on display at thePima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, USA.[19]
Trans-Canada Air Lines had 13 aircraft accidents resulting in hull losses, with a total of 248 fatalities, between 1938 and 1963. These included:[20]
| Date | Flight number | Information |
|---|---|---|
| 18 November 1938 | Flight 1 | Lockheed 14H-2, Fin 34 CF-TCL was on a flight fromWinnipeg, Manitoba, toVancouver, British Columbia, with a load of mail. After a stop inRegina, Saskatchewan, the aircraft crashed after takeoff, killing both pilots. |
| 6 February 1941 | Lockheed 14H-2, Fin 38 CF-TCP was landing atArmstrong, Thunder Bay District, Ontario, during the night and crashed a mile short of the airport. A total of nine passengers and three crew were killed. | |
| 4 November 1943 | Lockheed 18 Lodestar, Fin 46 CF-TCX lost power to both engines on takeoff fromToronto-Malton Airport and landed in a field. There were no injuries, but the aircraft was written off. | |
| 28/29 December 1944 | Avro Lancastrian, Fin 102 CF-CMU crashed into the sea off theAzores during a nighttime eastbound Atlantic crossing. There were no survivors. | |
| 27 February 1945 | Lockheed 14H-2, Fin 28 CF-TCF written off atMoncton, New Brunswick. | |
| 1 July 1945 | Avro Lancaster, Fin 100 CF-CMS crashed and burned atMontreal-Dorval International Airport after a training flight. | |
| 2 September 1946 | Lockheed 14H-2, Fin 32 CF-TCJ crashed atMoncton, New Brunswick, during training, killing two pilots. | |
| 23 January 1947 | Lockheed 14H-2, Fin 39 CF-TCQ crashed nearWinnipeg, Manitoba, killing two pilots. | |
| 28 April 1947 | Flight 3 | Lockheed 18 Lodestar, Fin 53 CF-TDF disappeared in southwestern British Columbia with 15 people on board. The crash site was discovered 47 years later with no survivors, in September 1994, onMount Elsay inNorth Vancouver, B.C.[21] |
| 12 August 1948 | Canadair DC-4M-1 North Star, Fin 185 CF-TEL crash-landed in flames short of theSydney, Nova Scotia, runway. All 11 passengers plus crew escaped. | |
| 8 April 1954 | Flight 9 | RCAFHarvard Mark II #3309collided in midair with TCACanadair C-4 North Star, Fin 223 CF-TFW overMoose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 36 (Harvard: pilot, North Star: 31 passengers, four crew) people on the aircraft and one person on the ground. |
| 17 December 1954 | Flight 661[22] | Lockheed 1049E Super Constellation, Fin 407 CF-TGG undershot the runway while attempting to land atToronto-Malton Airport and crashed inBrampton farmland, with all 16 passengers and seven crew surviving.[23] The captain of this flight later died in acrash in 1957. |
| 9 July 1956 | Flight 304 | Vickers Viscount, Fin 610 CF-TGR propeller separated from the turboprop overFlat Rock, Michigan, slicing into the cabin and killing one passenger.[24] |
| 9 December 1956 | Flight 810 | Canadair DC-4M-2 North Star, Fin 204 CF-TFD crashed nearChilliwack, British Columbia, after encountering severe icing and turbulence, resulting in the death of all 62 people on board. |
| 10 November 1958 | TCAVickers Viscount, Fin 604 CF-TGL parked atIdlewild Airport,New York, was destroyed by fire while awaiting passengers after it was struck bySeaboard & Western AirlinesLockheed 1049D Super Constellation N6503C which had crashed while taking off. The two crew members on board survived the accident.[25] | |
| 3 November 1959 | Vickers Viscount, Fin 617 CF-TGY was written off when it landed short of the runway atToronto-Malton Airport. All 40 on board survived.[26] | |
| 10 October 1962 | Flight 455 | Vickers Viscount, Fin 619 CF-THA was involved in a ground collision withCF-101 Voodoo 17452 of theRoyal Canadian Air Force at RCAF Station Bagotville. The Voodoo had been given clearance to take off before the Viscount had cleared the runway. It collided with the tail of the Viscount, killing a flight attendant and a passenger. The crew of the Voodoo ejected, as the aircraft had been set afire as a result of the collision. The Viscount was substantially damaged, but it was repaired and returned to service.[27] |
| 6 November 1963 | Flight 861 | Douglas DC-8 was taking off from runway 28L atLondon Heathrow Airport on a flight toMontreal, Quebec, with seven crew and 90 passengers on board. As the aircraft passed 132 knots on its takeoff roll, the captain pulled back on the control column. He mistakenly believed there was no response from the elevators, and he aborted the takeoff. As a result, the aircraft passed the end of the runway and it came to rest 800 yards past the end of the runway in a cabbage field. All passengers and crew on board survived the accident, and the aircraft was repaired and returned to service.[28] |
| 29 November 1963 | Flight 831 | Douglas DC-8-54F, Fin 814 CF-TJN crashed shortly after takeoff fromMontreal-Dorval International Airport in a field near Ste-Thérèse, resulting in the deaths of all 118 people on board. |
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