Added to the activity
centered around Edmonton’s Blatchford Field was
the huge amount of work being done by Aircraft Repair Limited,
run by Leigh Brintnell. There was work repairing damaged
aircraft that had been sent from the aerial battles early in the
Second World War. There was also the task of fixing damaged
aircraft from the Lend-Lease program. Aircraft Repair Ltd.
was the practical choice for repairing aircraft from the BCATP.
With the expanded work, employees moved to their own plant in
April 1941. The number of staff increased to 1,750 and Aircraft
Repair became the largest repair overhaul plant in Canada.
By October, Aircraft Repair Ltd. was celebrating the
overhaul of 1,000 aircraft and 1,500 engines. As the demand
increased for their services, the company hired field crews to travel to air training schools of the BCATP in Saskatchewan
and Alberta, and repair aircraft that had sustained minor damage.
Expansion could not continue as wartime activities started to
slow in 1944, and American personnel started to leave in large
numbers. The need for services of Aircraft Repair Ltd.
dropped off rapidly, and layoffs began as many wondered what
would happen after the war ended. |