AIRCRAFT SUPPLY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 82, 4 October 1938, Page 10

AIRCRAFT SUPPLY

CANADA'S ENTRY

THE PLANS OF PRODUCTION

A CENTRAL COMPANY

(By Air Mail, from "The Post's" London Representative.) LONDON, September 8. New sources of supply for the Royal Air Force, far removed from the threat of Europe-based bombers, are opened by the "long range programme" announced of bomber purchases from Canadian factories. Exhaustive discussions between leaders of Canadian industry and members of a British official mission under Sir Hardman Lever, chairman of the Air Ministry's advisory committee on Royal Air Force contracts, have produced plans whereby Canada's aircraft firms will augment their existing capacity to manufacture aircraft components. . . Two new central factories will be erected, one at Montreal and one at Toronto. A central company will operate these main establishments. Its board of nine directors comprises the chiefs of the manufacturing companies concerned; a "minority" board of three, including two prominent Canadian bankers, will act as liaison between the Canadian companies and the British Government. • ~■ In addition to the long-range bombers,' which will be the subject of initial contracts placed with the Canadian industry, other types of aircraft for Britain may be built at other centres. The mission has already had under consideration for this purpose the erection of factories at Vancouver and Fort William. These arrangements would be supplementary to those already obtaining under which several Canadian* firms manufacture aeroplanes of British design for the Canadian Government. TEANSOCEAN AIR DELIVERY. No time limit is set to this Longrange programme. The Canadian factories may form a powerful reserve supplementary to Home resources for as long as the Empire's needs in air protection may require. Bombers built in Canada will, if_necessary, be flown without military load across the Atlantic ocean to England. Sir Kingsley Wood, the Air Minister, in bis comment on the Canadian plan, said significantly that "with the range which aircraft are now attaining, this development will augment our. potential strength considerably." The craft scheduled for production will be easily capable of flying across. The British mission began work in Canada early in August. Its personnel is Sir Hardman Lever; Sir Edward Ellington, Marshal of the Royal Air Forces of Australia and New Zealand; Mr. F. Handley Page, representing the British aircraft industry in his capacity as president of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors; Mr. A. H. Self, second deputy Under-Secretary of State, who is chiefly concerned at the Air Ministry with Royal Air Force contracts, and is a member of the Ministry's special Supplies Committee. CANADIAN AEBCRAFT INDUSTRY. Eleven companies are actively engaged in aircraft manufacture in Canada. Six assemble and "service" aero engines, and a few firms make instrument trainers, seaplane floats, and other components. Among these companies are several with close British contacts. The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada, Ltd., is a subsidiary of the British aeroplane and aero engine makers. It has recently delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force a "batch of twenty-five Tiger Moth trainers. It also builds Dragon-Rapide seaplanes. Canadian Vickers, Ltd., is building ten Supermarine Stranraer flying-boats for Canadian military use—large and fast twin-engined biplanes which are included in the present equipment of Royal Air Force "general reconnaissance" squadrons. It is also engaged on a contract for the supply of thirteen fast all-metal monoplanes designed for aerial photography and survey. Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Ltd., is building seventeen Blackburn Shark torpedoplanes. Fairchild Aircraft, Ltd., is busy on a Canadian Governmental contract for eighteen Bristol Blenheim twin-engined monoplane bombers— fastest warplanes in their category yet in service. The aircraft division of the National Steel Car Corporation is going into production at a new Toronto factory of twenty-eight Westland Lysander monoplanes, high-wing craft capable of top speeds in the neighbourhood of 230 to 240 m.p.h. which are now replacing older machines in British army cooperation squadrons. The Ottawa Car Manufacturing Co. is assembling a batch of Avro Type 626 "multi-pur-pose" trainers, and has also in hand a considerable contract for the reconditioning of Canadian service aeroplanes.