In the years following the First World War, Alberta witnessed an
explosion of economic growth in
the area of aviation as the real
commercial potential of air travel began to manifest itself
throughout the province.
Pilots and other aviation personnel had returned to Canada
from their war service, and they brought with them ambitions of
applying all that they had learned about aviation towards the creation
of new entrepreneurial ventures. Over the 1920s and 1930s, many
companies sprang up to compete for a place in the growing market
of commercial air transport. Some companies, like May Airplanes
Ltd. formed for the purposes of promoting air travel, and
offered flying demonstrations at country fairs and other special
events. Others, like The Edmonton Aircraft Company provided
passenger or cargo air service between cities like Edmonton and
Calgary, and to points in Alberta's north country.
Some of the commercial air ventures went on to become
resounding successes, while others failed to find their niche in
the market and were either swallowed up by a bigger company, or
completely vanished away by the dawn of the Second World War.
But whether or not the business flew or crashed, each one in its
turn left its mark upon Alberta's aviation legacy. |