Warbird Information Exchange

Northwest Industries Limited, a small company based in Edmonton, Alberta, specializing in subcontracting and the overhaul of civil and military aircraft for many years. Photo's below show RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) C-47's and Harvards being worked on.
Sources:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alberta_archives/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alberta_a ... otostream/
More Information:
https://pub-edmonton.escribemeetings.co ... ntId=11703

The Rohm and Haas Company was founded in 1907 in Esslingen, Germany through the partnership of German chemist Otto Röhm and German businessman Otto Haas. In 1933, Röhm's experiments with the polymerization of methyl methacrylate led to the creation of a clear, solid plastic sheet, which he trademarked Plexiglas. During World War II, the demand for Plexiglas, which both Allied and Axis forces used for submarine periscopes and aircraft windshields, canopies, and gun turrets, helped transform Rohm and Haas into a major chemical firm.
Source:
https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/0v838153k


Plexiglas windshield panel onto the nose enclosure of a Douglas A-20 attack bomber.


installation Plexiglas windshield panels. This photograph was likely taken at the Rohm and Haas Company plant located in Bristol, Pennsylvania.


Douglas A-20 attack bomber in production at the Rohm and Haas Company plant located in Bristol, Pennsylvania.


Douglas A-20A-DO Havoc 39-728 ‘3’ at Wright Field dated May 1, 1941 with Maj. Stanley M. Ulmsted entering the cockpit. Aircraft was written off September 24, 1942 at Key Field, MS.

During WWII the Fairchild Aircraft Company in Hagerstown, Maryland was given the job to build thousands of PT-19 Primary Trainer aircraft to train the allied pilots who would fly the fighters and bombers that helped win the war.

Along with manufacturing of over 5,000 PT-19 trainers, Fairchild Aircraft was secretly designing and building a new type of aircraft only known as the “Cargo” which would become the C-82 “Packet” or “Flying Boxcar”. This revolutionary design included rear doors that enabled military vehicles to drive into the massive fuselage.
Source:
https://www.facebook.com/HagerstownAvia ... cale=fr_FR

Below the newly built Fairchild Flight Test Hangar at full capacity during the height of World War II, circa 1943.




The newly built Fairchild Flight Test Hangar at full capacity during the height of World War II, circa 1943. A fantastic photo showing one of almost everything Fairchild in Hagerstown was building and/or testing at the time. The photo shows many PT-19's, a PT-23, two UC-61's, an AT-21 and the mockup of the C-82 fuselage.


final inspection of a PT-19 coming off of the line at Fairchild plant 2 at the Hagerstown Airport in 1943.








Hagerstown Rotary Club Fairchild C-82 Packet (Flying Boxcar) Demonstration, Circa October 1944

In 1929 Boeing began business operations in Canada and formed Boeing Aircraft of Canada. It's headquarter was located in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In 1939, Boeing Canada built a huge manufacturing plant on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, for the World War II war effort. The plant was located beside the middle arm of the Fraser River. When first opened, the plant employed 175 people and had a payroll of $300,000 per year. The Sea Island plant built PBY Catalina Aircraft for off-shore air patrols, and the middle section of the B-29.

Boeing Canada built 362 PBY flying boats and amphibians designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego. The RCAF called the PBY’s “Cansos”. They also built 16 British-designed Blackburn Shark torpedo aircraft purchased by the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The Boeing Canada aircraft manufacturing plant on Sea Island, shown here in 1941 while still under construction, was the largest employer in Richmond during the Second World War. At its peak Boeing employed as many as 7000 people in this plant, producing 362 Consolidated PBY flying boats and amphibians as well as part of the fuselage for B-29 bombers . Other BC communities also contributed to Boeing's operation with smaller manufacturing facilities shipping parts to the Sea Island plant from Vancouver, Chilliwack, Powell River and Nelson. The only remaining evidence of this huge plant is the large building at the back of the complex, where final assembly took place, and Burkeville, not yet built in this photo, built to house many Boeing employees.
Source:
https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofTheRichmondArchives
More Information:
https://www.seaislandhome.org/boeing.html




Vancouver Airport shows the hangars, administration building and radio building, ca. 1939


Gerry Charlesworth collection taken at the Sea Island plant in Vancouver during WW2.


One of a kind of a Canso paint shop. Showing the construction of Canso's out at Sea Island BC (Vancouver)in about 1943.


Building Canso outboard wing panels at Boeing Sea Island Plant.


Building wooden jigs for Canso's out at Sea Island in about 1943.


Boeing Canada, Richmond B.C.

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Got to love the spark plug caddy...

Phil

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A man's got to know his limitations.

Hmm. And this is a... ???

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Strange (and sad) incident at Northwest Industries, from the January 29, 1965 Saskatoon Star-Phoenix:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_aircraft_bombing

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

And this one in the Hangar. above the Fuel Truck.
https://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contribu ... s/3879.htm
https://www.bigskystearman.com/fairchild-f46

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45-47=-2

Great series Mark as always!

Tks for the Canadian spin

Cheers!!!

Not sure where the photo was taken but the technician is wearing a Douglas Aircraft Company badge. Hard to read but possibly Santa Monica written across the bottom.

Marvelous photos as always, Mark.
But the A-20 assembly pictures bring up a question. Just how did the bombardier/navigator enter and exit the nose compartment? There's no obvious door, and the aircraft's fuselage is too narrow to get into the nose from the pilot's cockpit. Just one of those things that makes you wonder...

The one-and-only Fairchild F-46...and she still survives at Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_F-46

https://www.waaamuseum.org/collections/ ... child-f-46

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Appears to be a BT-12 Sophomore.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwing ... _Sophomore

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Plexiglas may have been used in the States but over here we used Perspex made by ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries).

Great photos. Thank you Mark for posting them.
I thoroughly enjoyed them all.