Jack Moar (1905-1978)
A prominent aviator, airline and oil executive, academic and inventor,
Jack Moar held influence in a number of different areas.
Born in 1905 at Maniwaki, Quebec, Moar shortly began to make his way west.
He obtained his education in Saskatchewan, attending university in
Saskatoon. In 1924, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, and it quickly
became obvious that Moar had the makings of an excellent pilot. In
addition to having a permanent commission, Moar was also allowed enough
time off to earn a second degree, this one in mechanical engineering, from
McGill University in Montreal.
Between 1924 and 1950, Moar was deeply involved in developing Canadian
aviation. He served with the Royal Canadian Air Force for seven years
before accepting a position with Western Canadian Airways. When Western
Canadian Airways established an airmail route, Moar was the first to fly
the Lethbridge-eastbound run. Through a merger, Western Canadian Airways
became Canadian Airways and Moar remained with the organization, serving
as traffic manager from 19321934.
He continued on to help form Wings Ltd., an airfreight company
headquartered in Winnipeg. In 1937, Moar and several other pilots came
together to form Skylines Express Ltd., a company designed to offer air
service to mining communities between Toronto and Winnipeg.
In 1938, Moar moved to Edmonton. During the Second World War, he was a
major contributor to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The
Department of Transport called upon his expertise in selecting airfields
between Fort St. John, British Columbia
"His contributions as an airman in converting wilderness areas into
habitable communities, and his pioneering night airmail flights to improve
the nations communications system, despite adversity, have been of
outstanding benefit to Canadian aviation."
Citation given when Jack Moar was inducted into the Canadian Aviation
Hall of Fame.
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and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
This would later become the Northwest Staging Route. In addition, Moar was
the planning and production manager for
Aircraft Repair Ltd., which shared the Edmonton City Airport with No. 2 Air Observer
School for the duration of the war. Aircraft Repair Ltd. was responsible
for maintaining Canadas military aircraft during the Second World War.
Moar was also quite well known for attempting flights into inhabitable
areas, even once to save a lifeduring the spring thaw at Cameron Bay on
Great Bear Lake, he successfully flew through an area of ice so thick it
needed to be blasted with dynamite to pick up a critically ill man.
In 1950, Moar left professional aviation behind and changed careers
completely. He became an oil executive at Excelsior Refineries, located at
Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. In 1962, Moars career shifted again as he was
appointed divisional director of the Alberta Division of the Community
Planning Association of Canada. He was recognized for his achievements in
aviation in 1973, when he was inducted into Canadas Aviation Hall of
Fame.
Jack Moar held four patents in total. Of these, three were granted to him
alone and one was shared with Wilfred
Brintnell under the name of
Aircraft Repair Ltd.
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