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Canadair was created like a company independent Canadian in the field of the construction of civil aircrafts and military. It was then a subsidiary company of several companies in the field and even, of 1972 with 1986, a governmental company. It is now an integrated subsidiary company of the manufacturer Aeronautical Bombardier, itself a division of Bombardier Inc..

It was born from the installations of Canadian Vickers with the St. Lawrence, maintaining a Arrondissement Montreal with the Quebec, where one found the Aéroport of Cartierville. The principal factory is always at this place even if the airport were transformed into domiciliary development. The final operations of assembly are found with the International airport Montreal-Mirabel. The company is so known in Europe by its planes two-motor bomber of water, which one names this type of apparatuses of the Canadair .

History

Beginnings

The company Canadian Vickers east creates by its British head office in 1911.

Benjamin W. Franklin is the first president of the company. He obtains a contract of development for an alternative of the transport aircraft Douglas DC-4, the DC-4M. This last is been driven by engines Rolls-Royce Merlin and becomes in 1946 the “Northstar”. Just after the war, Canadair buys the rights on the series Douglas DC-3/C-47 of Douglas.

The same year, the company Electric Boat Company buys a majority share in Canadair and integrates it in its operations. In 1952, both amalgamate and become General Dynamics. In 1954, after the purchase of Convair, Canadair becomes the Canadian subsidiary company of GD . The company will continue to specialize in the modification of models of military aircrafts with great success. Inter alia, it will continue to produce various versions of the F-86 Saber and the F-104 StarFighter, and estimates that the startup will be in 2013. The resumption of the sales for all the types of CRJ is in right track of re-establishment in 2007.

Production

Canadair is a pioneer in aviation. CL-44D, drawn from the Turbopropeller Bristol-board Britannia of the Years 1950, is the first plane whose tail is assembled on strap hinges, which made it possible to draw aside it for a better access to the compartment. Canadair produces the first Drone S of air monitoring: CL-89 and CL-289. CL-84 was the first to upwards turn its wings like system of Aéronef on vertical takeoff and landing. Canadair was the first manufacturer to propose with CL-215 a Avion expressly designed like bomber of water. In France, the name Canadair became synonymous with Avion bomber of water.

The water bomber

A Canadair is the name under which is known in Europe the Avion two-motor bomber of water CL-215 produces by Canadair Aeronautical Bombardier. It is used to fight the forest fires. Of a 19,82 m length and a scale of 28,60 m, it is able to bail out 5,5 tons of water in 12 seconds, by effleurant a water level (sea, river, lake, retained stopping…) at the speed of 60 knots over a length of 1500 Mr. an additive is added to collected water, improving the effect. The dropping can be done in one or more time, by successive zones. This procedure saves to him an invaluable time, whereas the other water bombers must turn over to their terrestrial base, to fill the tank with their water tanks.

The first delivery of the CL-215 took place in 1969. A total of 125 specimens were built in five series until in 1989, year of its replacement by turboprop CL-415 . This water bomber equips the fleets with fight against forest fires of eight country. The first to be made use of it was naturally the Quebec, province Canadian from where it is originating. Its fleet is managed there by the Société of protection of the forests against fire (SOPFEU), a co-operative of service between the forest producers and the government. It is brought into service, in France, exclusively by the Civil security.

Some details:

the CL-215 in service in France of 1970 with 1995, piston engine, then turbine (version T);
the CL-415, more powerful, in service in France since 1995.

Urban legend

A urban Légende persistent wants that a plunger was found on the spot of an extinct fire. The scoops used by the Canadair are size of water glass, in order not to slow down the plane in phase of écopage. Moreover, the scoops present grids whose spaces make hardly the size of a finger. Such an event is thus impossible. It on the other hand happened that a pilot of bomber of water having seen a pyromaniac to flee after his misdeed on board a car, releases its water loading to him, causing some damage of body.

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