Canadair CL-44 Forty Four

Ray, e-mail, 22.09.2015 05:56 I remember Wrangler Aviation CL-44s flying into KORH from TJBQ, about 3 times a week, back in the early 1080s. Heck of a big airplane. When it was raining or misty you could see the moisture come off the wingtips and roll into vortices. Quite a sight. reply

Shirley Dickson, e-mail, 19.05.2015 02:34 I was a teacher assigned to Metz France in 1962.I flew out of Trenton Ontario in August.We had some problems and we had to dump all our fuel and return to Trenton until the problem could be fixed- then we took off again hours later. reply

CL44 Association, e-mail, 20.04.2015 17:54 Since we flew the Guppy into BOH, it has languished there, mainly unattended despite the assertions of its owner Harlan Wayne Jordan, that he will have it flown out of there? Just about 250 questions we should like to ask him but the CAA do seem intent on maintaining the Grounding Order on it. The UK-based Association has made several approaches to Mr Jordan to take over the a /c either on Lease or purchase, alas with no success reply

Yvon Clouette, e-mail, 08.02.2015 17:39 Hi, I was trained at Canadair to become a flight engineer for the CL-44 from 1958 to 1963. I was 18 years old when I entered this training program, Learned the fabrication of this a /c from A to Z... Worked in every department to end up in the flight shed as a preflight mechanic. Unfortunately, the Canadian gov. terminated a contract that would have permitted the construction of over a 100 more of these for political reasons at the time. As a trainee, I was protected from layoffs for the entire duration of the training along with 9 others, So when the training was completed and that the company lost the gov. contract, we were all laid off! But I loved this aircraft so much since I followed it's birth via the training program. I remember doing ''fuel flows'' and engine run-ups...remember the oleo legs on these landing gears which had a warning and protection system to prevent taking off if these were extended too far. In fact, if I remember correctly, you could not start the engines if the landing gears were too high! Also, the flight controls for the swing tails were unique in design with torque tubes and gear boxes transferring rotary movement to push and pull at the swing tail bulk heads. Also the swing tail lock up protection was quite complicated. But after the layoff from Canadair, I was hired by Shell Canada and worked for them for 31 years! Never returned to the aircraft industry but always missed it! I was always great-full towards the instructors at Canadair for what I have learned and it served me all my life in a completely different environment. Yvon Clouette Montreal, Quebec, Canada reply

Ellen Snow, e-mail, 10.10.2014 16:52 Seaboard flew the CL-44 in the sixty's. Seaboard started with the 44 in 61 with cargo and pax flights. reply

Al Bowen, e-mail, 29.12.2013 06:44 On leave in July of 1962 I rode-Space Available- on a SLICK AIRWAYS CL-44 from Tachikawa to Travis with stops at Midway and Hickam AFB..coming back to Japan (Chitose, 12th ASA Field Station) I rode a Flying Tiger Super Constellation..Travis-Hickam AFB- Wake, Tachikawa, then an Air America C-46 to Hokkaido. I made a dozen crossings as a courier, but all of those were on C-124's....a ride that I will never forget ! reply

Jim Clark, e-mail, 02.12.2012 19:37 I flew in CL-44's in 1962 as a flight navigator for Flying Tiger Line North-Pac and Mid-Pac into Vietnam,Thailand and Japan. Only mechanical problems were when we increased max gross to 210 thousand. Nose gear failed on takeoff at Cold Bay and all four engines were destroyed by all of the parts flying up while in reverse thrust. Also many stained underwear. reply

Ernie Gauthier, e-mail, 20.10.2012 16:56 Have over 7500 hrs on the old Yukon as a Flight Engineer it never let me down, never delayed because of malfuctions of the A /C. reply

Larry Richards, e-mail, 22.08.2012 02:35 While stationed at McGuire AFB in 1964 and 65 as a jet mech. I used to see Seaboard World's CL-44 Swing Tail loading cargo about 3 days a week. Beautiful aircraft! Big it was. reply

Geoff Nash, e-mail, 15.08.2012 20:48 I flew in the CC106 as a dependent from Trenton to Lahr in '67. As a 14 yr. old, what I remember were the seats facing backwards. Haven't seen that since. reply

Jeff K, e-mail, 31.03.2012 00:18 I remember seeing them flying into /out of Keflavik, Iceland, when I was stationed there in 1967. They were in Loftleidir airlines livery. I never saw an RCAF Yukon, there. The only regular visitors were an RCAF Argus, a Danish PBY and a RAF Shackleton. The good old days. reply

Larry Kushniruk, e-mail, 27.03.2012 15:43 I was involved in a marketing effort to sell these after Albert Ethier purchased 7 of them by way of Tender fro Govt surplus assets. Turned out that they could not have a civilian type cert due to Eng chenge, so there they sat ( sit ) except for a few short term contracts into a few countries that allowed the a /c to fly on their register. I have a big file on these if anyone is interested. reply

Nick Cercone, e-mail, 08.03.2012 18:11 My 1st commercial job as a pilot after the USN.Flew 4 different SN's of this big old bird. CAX Westinghouse 80-83, then AEI 85-88. About 2700 hrs total. Miss the old days!!! reply

Bob Shawcross, e-mail, 11.07.2011 00:35 I did a few flights cross-Canada and transAtlantic during my RCAF years. The air transport people had a boarding pass system based on rank and family status.The rear of the cabin was quietest, so more senior ranks were boarded first. As a low-ranking single airman, I was boarded last and was seated well forward,in line with the props. A 13-hour eastbound flight from Canada to Europe was a throbbing journey for sure. And, if you had a window seat, you were quite cramped. The Yukon was replaced in 1970 by the Boeing 707 for military transport. As I recall, the coffee on the Yukon was always hotter and tastier than on the Boeing. reply

Nick Newell, e-mail, 12.05.2011 10:46 My Dad, F.N.Newell ( Fred ) did some of the design work on the swingtail. I'd like to hear from any of the people that worked with Dad from Canadair. Cheers, Nick reply

Doug Scott, e-mail, 22.04.2011 23:54 Throughout the sixties, the RCAF operated 12 of these stout ladies and the type was therein labeled as "the Yukon. It was an interesting bird to fly thanks to its "floating" controls. The Yukon retired on April 02,1971. I followed on April 09, 1971 after five years and flew a couple trans-ats later for an ill conceived Company. reply

bill lewis, e-mail, 29.03.2011 07:44 My first job out of A&P school was at Tigers in Burbank on Clybourn for 49 days in Oct.-Dec. 1965 working the swing shift doing the what I would call now "B" checks. What a place "Tigers" was! They did me a real favor getting rid of me. I still have the 6 volumes of Maintenance /parts that I put together on a slow night. I was already familar with A /c as I was in USAF Transit maint. at Travis AFB, Ca. 1963 /64 Tigers & Seaboard World, Slick doing the servicing their on the swing tails, along with the more common C-124's reply

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