Heritage Community Foundation Presents
Alberta Online Encyclopedia
table anchor table anchor table anchor
Alberta's Aviation Heritage
spacer    Home   |   About Us   |   Contact Us   |   Partners   |   Sitemap spacer
spacer History, Planes, People and Virtual Heritage
Quicklinks

Supply Line

Helicopters

Quicklinks

Search Database Collections

Alberta Aviation Museum Tour
 
 

Supply Line

Canadian air companies had a great opportunity to supply these stations, and among western companies in position to provide cargo services were Associated Airways Ltd. and Pacific Western Airlines (PWA). But along with the opportunity to provide air support for the northern radar stations came a host of problems. The great demand for air cargo encouraged air service companies to overload their airplanes and carry out very intense schedules. For Associated Aircraft, this practice led to a series of crashes and mishaps that left PWA poised to take a leading role in providing services to the construction of the DEW Line in the fall of 1955.

Another concern for air companies that were set up as suppliers of northern stations was the lack of navigational aids along the flight path. This problem was remedied with the building of non-directional beacons along the route in late 1955 and early 1956.

Associated Airways was purchased by PWA after the airline experienced significant losses and the transfer of a contract to service construction of the DEW Line. The sale did not include Associated Airways’ profitable helicopter division. PWA had also bought Queen Charlotte Airlines in 1954, and was now big enough to profit from the building and maintenance of the DEW Line, earning $23 million from the project. In addition, PWA received $1.8 million for providing services to the Aluminum Company of Canada's (Alcan's) hydroelectric project on the west coast. PWA also generated profits from non-contract transportation services.

 

divider
spacer    Copyright © 2004 Heritage Community Foundation All Rights Reserved spacer
Alberta's Aviation Heritage

Albertasource.ca | Contact Us | Partnerships
            For more on aviation in Alberta, visit Peel’s Prairie Provinces.
Copyright © Heritage Communty Foundation All Rights Reserved