Development of Winnipeg's Aviation Industry
Winnipeg is home to a sizable aerospace industry that is directly responsible for employing many within the city. That industry traces its origins in Winnipeg to over 100 years ago.
Industry Beginnings
The industry currently employs a number of engineers in a wide range of roles and projects. However, the development of the aviation industry did not begin as an area specifically for engineers. In contrast to industries such as the rail industry, which started out as a series of significant engineering projects, the aviation industry began as activities of flight enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. The early beginnings in the air transportation system evolved over time to require more and more technical support to solve more and more complex problems, which was what brought engineers into the local industry. The various collaborations between the pioneer aviation enthusiasts and engineers evolved into economic development throughout the last century in Manitoba and into the development of a robust local aircraft/aerospace industry that continues today.
Side bar no 1: The history of the development of the air transportation system in Manitoba is probably more like how the river-boat industry evolved to use the network of rivers to move goods around in the mid-1800s. There was very little local engineering required or available at the time. Knowledge was transferred by a few key, mechanically trained/experienced individuals who saw an opportunity and adapted the technology for this area.
Without question, these systems spurred economic activity within the growing urban and rural settings of Manitoba and enabled Manitoba to grow.
Aero Club of Canada — 1909
The air transportation system in Manitoba had humble beginnings in the early 1900s. Prior to the First World War, aviation was more associated with entertainment than practical functions as evidenced by the many ‘aviation exhibitions’ that were popular attractions at community fairs across the country due to their novelty and daring by the performers.
Side bar no. 2: The Aero Club of Canada was the first aviation association in Canada, created in 1909 in Winnipeg to encourage research and investment in aeronautics.1 Their ambitious initial project resulted in the first aircraft designed and built entirely in Canada, the “Aero Car Canada” (also described as the “Aerocar Canada”), led by William J. Robertson (who was not registered as an Engineer in Manitoba). The first aircraft designed and built in Canada with an innovative design, the Aero Car Canada was displayed on July 14–15, 1909, at the Happyland Ball Grounds in Winnipeg. However, a test flight was not successful.
A second aircraft design was initiated also in 1909 under the auspices of the Aero Club of Canada, although it was not able to proceed beyond research and design. The Kelsey Helicopter, named after its Winnipeg inventor, Edwin E. Kelsey (also not registered as an engineer), was revealed to the public on April 6, 1909. The craft, described as a “dirigible helicopter”, never progressed to final construction, although the design had proved to be successful in scale-model form, lifting into the air and flying even in a confined space. A further five aeronautical projects commenced by members of the Aero Club of Canada were similarly fated to never be completed. This second program ultimately led to the design of Canada’s first helicopter several years later.3
It was not until after the utilization and enhancement of aircraft in the First World War, with improvements in flight technology and the abundance of experienced pilots, that aviation began to be commercialized. Following the First World War, surplus aircraft were plentiful, particularly “flying boats” which had demonstrated their reliability in a wide range of uses particularly for anti-submarine patrols in coastal areas. The expertise and uses were soon to evolve to meet many new commercial needs including moving passengers and freight, initially in the forestry, exploration and mining industries and then the transportation of mail.
Red Lake Gold Rush
The breakthrough in Manitoba occurred following the staking of gold claims in 1925 in the Red Lake area, northwest of Dryden, Ontario. The claims followed the publication of a geological report by the Ontario Department of Mines in 1924. The rush was on to service this remote location.
Insert map of Red Lake Ontario
The quickest, most efficient transportation option of the day for remote areas like Red Lake was the fixed-wing aircraft. These aircraft were considered the most practical means of access with little to no infrastructure investment. Water was the preferred surface for aircraft on floats (pontoons) in the “open-water season” and skis when the water was frozen.
The gold rush created the incentive and the profit potential for aircraft to fly people and equipment to Red Lake.
Western Canadian Airways
This led entrepreneurs like James Armstrong Richardson, son of the grain merchant, James Richardson, to get involved in commercial aviation.
In 1926 he financed and founded Western Canadian Airways Limited (WCA), initially focused on the opportunities at Red Lake. It was found that the most suitable aircraft for this type of work was being manufactured by the Fokker Aircraft Company in New Jersey, as it was readily convertible from wheels to skis and to pontoons in the open-water season.2 WCA started small, operating from a tent at Hudson, Ontario, with a single Fokker monoplane—G-CAFU called the ‘City of Winnipeg’, but quickly expanded.
