Carl Frederick Burke

Carl Frederick Burke
Born	(1913-02-10)10 February 1913 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Died	September 1, 1976(1976-09-01) (aged 63) Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Occupation	Founder of Maritime Central Airways

Carl Frederick Burke (February 10 1913 – September 1, 1976) skills as a pilot, his visionary leadership as a dedicated entrepreneur, his administrative ability which guided the establishment of regional air carriers in the eastern provinces, together with his substantial contributions to the development of northern flying, have been of outstanding benefit to Canada.

Early Years

Carl Frederick Burke, M.B.E., LL.D. (Hon), was born at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on February 10, 1913 where he received his education.

While working as a hardware clerk in 1936 his desire to fly resulted in frequent journeys to Saint John, New Brunswick to take flying lessons. He obtained his private pilot's license in July of 1937 and won the Logue Trophy which qualified him to compete for the Webster Trophy. The following year he tied for first place in the same competition while earning his commercial license. He qualified in 1939 for his air engineer's certificate.

One of his first ventures in aviation involved the joint purchase in 1936 of a de Havilland 60 Cirrus Moth, G-CAUA, the only privately owned aircraft on PEI at the time. Both pilot and aircraft became a familiar sight carrying islanders on their first flight. Burke donated this aircraft to the National Aeronautical Collection in 1962.

He accepted a position in May of 1939 as a pilot with Canadian Airways Limited (CAL) at Moncton, New Brunswick during which employment he nurtured ideas of creating a Maritime regional air service. This was a dream shared by his flying associate, Josiah Anderson and materialized two years later. While flying with CAL, Burke used a ski-equipped de Havilland Dragon Rapide to rescue the pilot of a crashed Lockheed Hudson near Musgrove Harbor, Newfoundland and retrieved the bodies of Sir Frederick Banting, navigator William Bird and Wlliam Snailman.

When Canadian Pacific Air Services acquired CAL, Carl Burke and Josiah Anderson joined the Royal Air Force Ferry Command (RAFFC) delivering aircraft to the British Isles. They continued to plan for a Maritime air service and an application was made to initiate such a venture. In 1941, a licence was received to operate a scheduled commercial air service between Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Moncton and Saint John, New Brunswick. Regrettably Burke had to carry the dream to fulfillment alone when Anderson lost his life as a passenger in a Liberator which crashed in Scotland.

Maritime Central Airways

With the purchase of a Barkley-Grow T8P-1 and a Fairchild 24, as well as a leased Boeing 247D, Maritime Central Airways (MCA) operated its first flight on December 7, 1941. Carl Burke captained many of the MCA's inaugural flights. On January 28, 1943 he made five dangerous landings on an ice floe off the coast of Prince Edward Island to rescue crew and equipment from a downed Avro Anson. For this rescue he was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

By the end of the Second World War, MCA's fleet had multiplied as had the number of points serviced. With the inevitable post-war slump,, he became involved in a variety of income producing alternatives to keep the company viable such as seal surveys, ice patrols for the federal Department of Transport, forestry patrols for the government of New Brunswick, and lobster charters. Maritime Central Aircraft Maintenance was formed to undertake the maintenance of Douglas DC-3 aircraft at RCAF Station Summerside, Prince Edward Island.

In 1951, MCA was awarded the contract to provide the airlift for the eastern portions of the Pinetree Project, a chain of military radar stations. During three years of involvement, Carl provided the direction which successfully air lifted over 10,000 tons of equipment and supplies to the eastern Arctic, flew some six million air miles and transported over 100,000 passengers.

When Canada and the United States entered into an agreement to construct the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) in November of 1954, MCA was named the prime contractor for the eastern section of the chain of stations. Mr. Burke was actively involved in the overall administration of this operation which required the procurement of additional aircraft, spare parts and ground equipment. His experience proved to be an invaluable asset to the success of the operation, which at its peak periods, needed up to 75 aircraft to meet the requirements of the contract.

In 1953, MCA acquired an interest in two small Quebec based operations, Boreal Airways and Mont Laurier Aviation. By 1956, the two companies became wholly owned subsidiaries of MCA and in November of that year, merged under the name of Nordair Ltd. He formed his own management team to operate the new airline and Nordair experienced a healthy growth. In 1960 with the purchase of Wheeler Airlines Ltd., MCA had an air route structure that stretched from St. John's, Newfoundland to Windsor, Ontario and north beyond the Arctic Circle with the exception of a gap between Montreal and Moncton.

During the 1960s, Nordair continued to push northward by adding services to remote communities and started to operate the lateral DEW Line stations across the north. MCA acquired trans-Atlantic range aircraft with which the airline entered the overseas passenger and cargo charter business.

MCA was sold to Eastern Provincial Airways in 1963, but Nordair was not included in the sale. When in 1967, 85% of this company's shares were sold to J. Tooley of Montreal, Burke continued as a Director and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board.

Aviation Legacy

During his flying career Carl Burke was certified on 23 types of aircraft and flew a total of 10,922 hours. He was an active contributor to the community life of Prince Edward Island and while he donated the majority of his gifts anonymously, it is known that he gave generously. His community work was recognized in 1968 when Acadia University conferred upon him an Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LL.D.).

He died at Boston, Massachusetts on September 1, 1976.

Honours and legacy

• Member of the Order of the British Empire
• Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame (1982)

References

• Oswald, Mary, They Led the Way, Wetaskiwin: Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, 1999. ISBN 0-9684843-0-1

External links

• Hall of Fame site