Trans-Canada Air Lines
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Trans-Canada Air Lines (also TCA in English, and Air Canada in French) was a Canadian airline and operated as the country's flag carrier. Its corporate headquarters were in Montreal, Quebec, and its first president was Gordon Roy McGregor.
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[edit] Genesis
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TCA was created by the Crown corporation Canadian National Railways (CNR), and launched its first flight on September 1, 1937 on a flight between Vancouver and Seattle.
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 the U.S.) experiencing major increases in the creation of passenger airlines, it was necessary to have a presence. 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-rival Canadian Pacific Railway created Canadian Pacific Air Lines in 1942. In 1953 with the development of ReserVec, TCA became the first airline in the world to use a computer reservation system with remote terminals.
[edit] Changes
In 1964, an act of Parliament proposed by Jean 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 January 1, 1965. By the late 1970s, Air Canada was divested by parent CN, and the airline became a separate Crown corporation and was privatized in 1989.
[edit] Routes
TCA operated a network of 160 routes to destinations including:
- St. John's, Newfoundland
- Victoria, BC
- Boston
- New York
- Chicago
- Cleveland
- Tampa
- Detroit (Windsor)
- Seattle
- London
- Paris
- Prestwick
- Shannon
- Dusseldorf
- Bermuda
- Bahamas
- Jamaica
- Barbados
- Trinidad
[edit] Notable incidents
Trans-Canada Airlines had 7 incidents with 219 fatalities from the 1954 to 1963.
- April 8, 1954: A Harvard Mark II collided in mid-air with a Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 36 people on the aircraft and 1 person on the ground.
- July 9, 1956: In the 1956 Trans-Canada Air Lines incident, a propeller separated from a Vickers Viscount turboprop over Flat Rock, Michigan, slicing into the cabin and killing one passenger.
- December 9, 1956: Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, a Canadair Northstar, crashed near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada after encountering severe icing and turbulence, killing all 62 people on board.
- November 10, 1958: Vickers Viscount CF-TGL was destroyed by fire after it was struck by Lockheed L-749 Super Constellation N6503C of Seaboard & Western Airlines which had crashed on take-off from Idlewild Airport, New York.[1]
- November 3, 1959 Vickers Viscount CF-TGY was written off when it landed short of the runway at Toronto-Malton Airport.[2]
- October 10, 1962: Vickers Viscount CF-THA was involved in a ground collision with CF-101 Voodoo 17452 of the Royal Canadian Air Force at Sept-Îles Airport. 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 on fire as a result of the collision. The Viscount was substantially damaged but it was repaired and returned to service.[3]
- November 29, 1963: Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831, a Douglas DC-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Montreal-Dorval International Airport, killing all 118 people on board.
[edit] Fleet
| Aircraft | In Service | Passengers | Years in service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vickers Viscount[5] | 48 | 1955-1974 | |
| Vickers Vanguard | 108 | 1961-1972 | |
| Canadair Northstar DC-4M-2 | 20 | 44 | 1946-1961 |
| Douglas DC-8-40, 50, 60 and 70 | 8; 6 as cargo 1983 | 176 (economy), 124 (mixed) | 1960-1983 |
| Lockheed L-10 ElectraA | 5 | 10 | 1937-1941 |
| Lockheed L-749 Constellation L-1049C [6] | 5 | 53-75 | 1954-1963 |
| Bristol 31 | 3 | freight only; 2 crew | 1953-1955 |
| Douglas DC-3 | 27 | 21 | 1945-1963 |
| Lancastrian bombers - for freight/mail service and priority passengers | 9 | 10 | 1943-1947 |
| Lockheed Lodestar 1808A | 15 | 14 | 1941-1949 |
| Lockheed Super Electra 14H2 (1408) | 16; 12 as 1408 after conversion | 10 | 1938-1949 |
| Stearman - as trainer only | 3 | 2 | 1937-1939 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19581110-1. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19590013-0. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19621010-0. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ Historic Fleet
- ^ Detail on each Viscount operated by Trans-Canada Air Lines is found at {ref>The Vickers-Armstrongs VC2 Viscount Online Museum.
- ^ Photos of L1049 with TCA markings taken in 1956 at Montreal-Dorval Airport by H.G. Rath:
L1049 photo 1
L1049 photo 2
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