Aircraft
Repair Ltd.
When Aircraft Repair Ltd. opened in 1936, its purpose
was to service planes from Wilfred Leigh Brintnells Mackenzie Air, but
the demand for aviation services skyrocketed when war broke out in 1939.
Edmonton became a focal point of the allied forces as a strategic location
between the continental United States and Alaska, and as a site for the
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. American troops and their families
poured in, and Edmonton's airport became one of the
busiest in North America, seemingly overnight.
Aircraft from Canada and the United States in need of servicing and repair
began to arrive at Aircraft Repairs small location; so fast that it was
not long before more space and money was desperately needed. The Canadian
government stepped in to fund the construction of three hangars at
Repairs new location in Blatchford Field.
Throughout the war, Brintnell employed over 2,500 people, in three shifts
around the clock. The bustling business was incorporated into Northwest
Industries in 1943. A true aviation innovator, a year after peace was
declared, Brintnell was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his
role in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
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