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.
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