14 March 2020.  The Index for CF-KVA/C-FKVA to CF-KZZ/C-FKZZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of November 2019.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;          

CF-KVA to CF-KVZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office (on 1958.05.20)

CF-KWA to CF-KWZ – not allotted till 1959.05.22 (Montreal District Office)

CF-KXA to CF-KXZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office (on 1958.05.23)

CF-KYA to CF-KYZ – allotted to Edmonton District Office (on 1958.06.27)

CF-KZA to CF-KZZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1958.07.xx)

The original applicant for CF-KVL Beech 35 gave the details as Model D35 and c/n D-3501. This was quickly changed, without explanation to Model B35 (D-2650). We have assumed that the original data was incorrect, or the applicant had been mislead.

 “ntu” histories added this update include; CF-KVH (Taylorcraft & unknown), CF-KWJ (Piper J2 ), CF-KWP (Cessna 170), CF-KWR (Aeronca 7), CF-KWX (Piper J3), CF-KXA (Beech 35), CF-KXY & CF-KYC (unknown), CF-KYZ (Champion 7) & CF-KZF (unknown).

 

Unknown w/o’s include;

CF-KVZ  Piper J3 (23102); the wings broke under the weight of snow in “winter of 1984”.

CF-KWE Piper J3 (19372); severely damaged during mooring.

CF-KWO Aeronca 11AC (11AC-1837); during a windstorm.

CF-KXA Piper PA-22 (22-1166); during a storm in December 1982.

Note; This update is somewhat late due to normal (non-Covid-19) winter colds et al. Unfortunately, it will also be the last in the foreseeable future as Library & Archives Canada has shut as of today, March 14.

 

26 January 2020.  The Index for CF-KQA/C-FKQA to CF-KUZ/C-FKUZ has been added.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;          

CF-KQA to CF-KRZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1958.03.07)

CF-KSA to CF-KSZ – allotted to Moncton District Office (on 1958.04.16)

CF-KTA to CF-KUZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1958.05.16)

There were no language problems when these ranges were allotted, but when the C-F marks were set up then the C-FKQ and C-FKU ranges (particularly the former) became problematic! Reading between the lines (because I have no official confirmation), aircraft in these registration ranges were allowed to keep them until they were deleted from the CCAR.  However, by the early 1990’s it appears that sensibilities to these registrations had weakened as they began to be re-issued.

“ntu” histories added this update include; CF-KQC & CF-KQL (unknown), CF-KQS, CF-KQT, CF-KQU & CF-KQV (all Champion 7 ), CF-KQZ (Grumman G-73), CF-KRH, CF-KRM, CF-KRV & CF-KSB (all unknown), CF-KTH (Piper J3, Piper PA-11 & Cessna 150), CF-KUD (Cessna 120), CF-KUQ, CF-KUV & CF-KUW (all Cessna 310). Grumman Tracker registrations which were ntu have not been included as there are no reliable dates available.

 

31 December 2019.  The Index for CF-KMA/C-FKMA to CF-KPZ/C-FKPZ has been added.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;          

CF-KMA to CF-KMZ – allotted to Montreal District Office (on 1958.01.30)

CF-KNA to CF-KNZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office (on 1958.02.17)

CF-KOA to CF-KOZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office (on 1958.02.18)

CF-KPA to CF-KPZ – allotted to Edmonton District Office (on 1958.03.05)

CF-KMR is a complete blank in all the sources I can find!

In 1973, Dominion Helicopters Ltd ordered sixteen Bell 206B JetRangers; nine were allotted gaps in the CF-KO. range and the remaining seven in gaps in the CF-PZ. range, although not all of the latter were taken up.

Unknown w/o’s include;

CF-KMH          Champion 7EC (7EC-383) was reported to have crashed in Nassau, Bahamas sometime in May 1962, but no accident report has been traced.

 “ntu” histories added this update include; CF-KMB (unknown), CF-KMR (Luscombe), CF-KND (PA-18 & Luscombe), CF-KNG (unknown), CF-KNP (SA316, SA318 & Bell 206), CF-KOM (RC-3), CF-KOP (Jasco), CF-KOT (unknown), C-FKPA (NA Yale) and CF-KPN (Globe GC-1).

 

1 December 2019.  The Index for CF-KEA/C-FKEA to CF-KLZ/C-FKLZ has been added.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;          

CF-KEA to CF-KEZ – allotted to Edmonton District Office (on 1957.07.09)

CF-KFA to CF-KFZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1957.08.19)

CF-KGA to CF-KGZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office (on 1957.09.20)

CF-KHA to CF-KHZ – allotted to Montreal District Office (on 1957.09.25)

CF-KIA to CF-KIZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office (on 1957.10.08)

CF-KJA to CF-KJZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1957.10.09)

CF-KKA to CF-KKZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1957.12.03)

CF-KLA to CF-KLZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1958.01.29)

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Klondike Helicopters Ltd attempted to use registrations in the CF-KH range whenever they became available. Similarly, but a bit later, Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter Ltd used (and re-used) marks in the C-FKF range.

There are always c/ns which are corrupted or have a typo. In this update the c/ns for CF-KFL (Fairchild 24) and CF-KHX (Cornell) are in the former category while, somehow, between leaving the US register and being registered in Canada, CF-KGK (Aeronca 7) appears to have had a “change” in c/n from 7AC-3559 to 7AC-3599, with which it is still listed, even though the original 7AC-3599 is current on the USCAR!  

Unknown w/o’s include;

CF-KFM  Aeronca 7AC, due to wind damage on an unknown date.

CF-KII     Aeronca 11AC, “destroyed” on an unknown date.

 “ntu” histories added this update include; CF-KFL (Fairchild 24), CF-KFM (Piper J5), CF-KFN (Aeronca 7), CF-KFZ (Champion 7), CF-KGG (Cessna 172), CF-KGH (unknown), CF-KGL (Aeronca 7), CF-KGQ (Bell 47), CF-KGR (Bell 47), CF-KHG (FH-1100), CF-KHH (Lancaster), CF-KHK (Bell 206), CF-KHW (unknown), CF-KHX (Bell 206), CF-KIO (Bellanca 14), CF-KJA (Bede BD4), CF-KJI (Mignet), CF-KJO (Erco & Mooney 20), CF-KJR & CF-KKQ (both unknown).

 

12 November 2019.  The Index for CF-KAA/C-FKAA to CF-KDZ/C-FKDZ has been added.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-KAA to CF-KAZ – allotted to Montreal District Office (on 1957.05.15)

CF-KBA to CF-KBZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office (on 1957.06.07)

CF-KCA to CF-KCZ – not allotted till 1959.09.22 (Moncton District Office)

CF-KDA to CF-KDZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1957.06.12)

The allotted date for the CF-KC range is a bit of a mystery. Marks CF-KCI were allotted out-of-sequence on 1956.03.26 to Irving Oil Transport, KCI standing for K.C. Irving, President of Irving Oil Co. The fact that the whole range was not allotted till 1959 suggests that this range had previously been allotted, possibly to Irving Oil, though there is no indication that it had.

Unknown w/o’s include;

CF-KCE Luscombe 8, due to wind damage on an unknown date.

CF-KCO Aeronca 11AC, due to wind damage on an unknown date.

 “ntu” histories added this update include; CF-BAA (AC 680), CF-BAB, CF-BAC, CF-BAD & CF-BAF (all unknown), CF-JFS (PA-25), CF-HJK (Douglas A-26), CF-KBL (unknown, Bell 205, Bell 205, Bell 206), CF-KBM (Douglas A-26), CF-KCJ (Rand KR2), CF-KCK (unknown), CF-KDD (Taylorcraft BC12D, Aeronca 7AC), CF-KBK (Cessna 172), CF-KDU (Aeronca 7AC), CF-KCF (Grumman 159).

 

27 September 2019.  The Index for CF-JVA/C-FJVA to CF-JZZ/C-FJZZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of July 2019.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;CF-JVA

CF-JVZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office (on 1957.03.21)

CF-JWA to CF-JWZ – not allotted till 1959.08.12 (Edmonton District Office)

CF-JXA to CF-JXZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1957.04.10)

CF-JYA to CF-JYZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office (on 1957.04.12)

CF-JZA to CF-JZZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1957.05.15) 

I’ve added a new feature this update; giving the date of the accident (where known) which resulted in a “w/o” fate. Most of the unknown dates will be due to non-flying causes (wind damage, accidental fires, et al). I will also list here those accidents for which some details are known but for which the date is unknown in the hope that someone, somewhere may have a note of it.

   CF-JVI Aeronca 7AC; destroyed in a windstorm in the Spring of 1970. The owner’s address is given as Foam Lake, SK (though this is no guarantee as to the location of the accident).

   CF-JWE Helio 395; swept away during a flood on the Keele River, NWT, in the Fall of 1970. Owned by Wings North Ltd, Yellowknife, NWT.

   CF-JWG Piper J3; destroyed by fire at Fort McMurray, AB, around June/July 1969. Apparently, some children were playing in, or near, the aircraft and set it on fire. The owner’s address is given as Meadow Lake, SK.

   CF-JZP Piper PA-18; lost through the ice during the seal hunt in the Spring of 1964.

   CF-JZX Piper J-5; destroyed by fire while being towed behind an automobile [!] sometime between July 1957 and October 1958. The owner’s address is given as St. Catharines, ON.

“ntu” histories added this update include; CF-JVH (Cessna 172), CF-JVO & CF-JVY (unknown), CF-JWB (Auster), CF-JWK (Cessna 180), CF-JWS (Bellanca 14), CF-JWT (Cessna 180), CF-JYC (Beech AT-11), CF-JYH, ‘H, ‘R, & ‘Y (all unknown).

There will probably be a delay before the next update due to (a) preparation work for the CF-K/C-FK range, and (b) other projects!

 

9 September 2019.  The Index for CF-JQA/C-FJQA to CF-JUZ/C-FJUZ has been added.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-JQA to CF-JQZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office

CF-JRA to CF-JRZ – allotted to Edmonton District Office (on 1957.01.18)

CF-JSA to CF-JSZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office (on 1957.02.07)

CF-JTA to CF-JTZ – allotted to Montreal District Office (on 1957.02.13)

CF-JUA to CF-JUZ – allotted to Toronto District Office (on 1957.03.14) 

In the 26 August 2018 Systems Update I noted; “The use of CF-HGO has an interesting history. It’s first use was as a false registration on Norseman CF-AYO for the filming of ‘Captains of the Clouds’ in 1941.  In 1952 it was reserved ‘to be used on [an] aircraft being flown by MGM for making a movie in B.C.’ At [around] the same time CF-ATB and CF-ATC were similarly being allotted.” Now CF-JRR has popped up. All four registrations were allotted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for this purpose; CF-ATB, CF-ATC and CF-JRR were allotted on 1952.05.20 and deleted on 1952.11.12, while CF-HGO was allotted on 1957.06.12 and deleted on 1952.12.22. Other registrations may come to light in the future. Any thoughts on the movie involved would be appreciated.

CF-JTA/CF-JTK were ex-RCAF Sikorsky S-55 helicopters which were transferred to civilian operators under contract with the Department of Defence Production in support of the Western Sector of the Mid-Canada Line. However, these aircraft did not conform to the FAA Type Certificate 1H4 but were, nevertheless, granted a Canadian CofA with an appropriate concession, as it was considered to be in the national interest to do so. At the end of the contract, the Canadian DoT raised Type Certificate H-75 to allow them to operate when they were released to the civil market.

“ntu” histories added this update include; CF-JQI (PA-30), CF-JRR & CF-JRS (unknown), CF-JSN (CL-44), CF-JTA, ‘C, ‘D, ‘J & ‘L & CF-JUF (all unknown), CF-JUI (unknown & J-3) and CF-JUK (unknown).

 

25 August 2019.  The Index for CF-JMA/C-FJMA to CF-JPZ/C-FJPZ has been added.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-JMA to CF-JMZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

CF-JNA to CF-JNZ – allotted to Montreal District Office

CF-JOA to CF-JPZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

Apparently the Toronto Office experienced a surge in applications. On the other hand, the Montreal Office data is decidedly iffy; a number of registrations appear to have been allotted out-of-sequence, but only one can be explained – JNW for James Wade, the Chief of Air Operations of the Aerial Photography Co Ltd, the registered owner.

“ntu” histories added this update include; CF-JMV (Beech 18), CF-JND & CF-JNE (McCulloch J-2), CF-JNU & CF-JNV (Colonial C-1), CF-JNZ (Cessna 180) and CF-JOT & CF-JPN (unknown).

 

21 July 2019.  The Index for CF-JIA/C-FJIA to CF-JLZ/C-FJLZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of May 2019.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-JIA to CF-JIZ – allotted to Montreal District Office

CF-JJA to CF-JJZ – allotted to Ottawa HQ

CF-JKA to CF-JKZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

CF-JLA to CF-JLZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office 

“ntu” histories added this update include; CF-JIF (DC-3), CF-JIP (DC-3), CF-JIT (unknown), CF-JJA (S-55), CF-JJB(1) (Canadair Sabre), CF-JJB(2) (Canadair Sabre), CF-JJC (Canadair Sabre), CF-JJF (DHC-6), CF-JJH (B-17), CF-JJI (DHC-6), CF-JJR (Cessna 177), CF-JJW (FG-1D), CF-JKD (PA-22), CF-JKE (PA-18), CF-JKF (PA-22), CF-JKG (PA-23), CF-JKO (J3C), CF-JKP (DHC-3), CF-JKQ (Ae 11), CF-JLA(1) (Meyers), CF-JLA(2) (PA-18), CF-JLF (unknown), CF-JLL (unknown), CF-JLM (Cessna 180), CF-JLN (Cessna 180), CF-JLO (Cessna 180), CF-JLP (Taylorcraft BC12) and CF-JLR (Cessna 180).

 

19 June 2019.  The Index for CF-JEA/C-FJEA to CF-JHZ/C-FJHZ has been added.

I have been concentrating on the Index data (which has been made much easier by the research of Jim Tyerman and the late Mike Ody), although my own research was originally with the Detail data. I had put that research aside partly because, if both areas had been pursued, overall progress would have been very slow, and partly because many of the microfilm reels held by Library & Archives Canada had been digitized by Canadiana (see http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_133868), although I find this site tedious to use.

However, since a large number of ntu registrations are not on the microfilm but are on other sources which are only available by a visit to Ottawa, I have decided to at least add these to on a regular basis, and will be working backwards to add previous ntu registrations. Most of the available data is very sketchy, so I will list the registrations as they are added (including the aircraft type, if known) in the hope that someone out there will have some of the missing data. “ntu” histories added this update include;

CF-CDM (DHC-6), CF-JAR (J3C), CF-JAV (BN2), CF-JBH (unknown), CF-JBJ (unknown), CF-JBL (Ae 7AC), CF-JCC (unknown), CF-JCD (Midget Mustang), CF-JCE (DHC-6), CF-JDT (Erco), CF-JEG (SNJ-5), CF-JEN (unknown), CF-JFE (DHC-3), CF-JFM (J3C), CF-JFR (unknown), CF-JFS (J3C), CF-JFT (unknown), CF-JGO (unknown), CF-JGT (Rearwin), CF-JHF (Piel Ereraude) & CF-JHI (unknown).

The ranges covered in this update (and the previous one) were originally allotted as follows;

CF-JAA to CF-JBZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

CF-JCA to CF-JCZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office

CF-JDA to CF-JEZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office

CF-JFA to CF-JGZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

CF-JHA to CF-JHZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office

 

10 June 2019.  The Index for CF-JAA/C-FJAA to CF-JDZ/C-FJDZ has been added.

A reminder: the data we add is not written in stone. There are, inevitably, some typos that are not spotted; people send in additions and corrections to, mainly, previous and subsequent ids; there are reputable websites which need to be checked (but often haven’t); and as time progresses there is sometimes a need to re-interpret data from the available sources.

A couple of updates ago I noted that a surprising number of aircraft which were registered during the 1950s were still “current” according to the Transport Canada website. This has created a bit of a problem, as the files for these “current” aircraft are unavailable to folks such as myself, so I have to rely on secondary sources. In the case of these 1950s (and early 1960s) registrations, this secondary source is an Index Card file held by Library & Archives Canada. Although each card quotes the first CofR number and its owner, and the CofA number, it is not at all clear what the first date quoted refers to, as it is on the same line as the CofA number!

My Index file uses the allotment date, where available (and some of the District Offices did not record this detail!), and if not then I try to find the date of the first CofR. Since the last update I checked the first CofR date in many of the available files (at LAC) and compared them to the date quoted on the Index Cards and found that 75% of the Index Card dates were for the CofR date and 25% were for the CofA date!!

So, I have introduced a new wrinkle in the “Date of Allotment/Date of Registration” column on the Index screen; in those cases where I only have the index card date (but with no allotment date), the “registration” date will show up on the website in the form “1956.04.30*” with a 75% probability that it is the actual registration date! This is an ongoing process as I work my way back through the Index Card file.

 

21 May 2019.  The Index for CF-IVA/C-FIVA to CF-IZZ/C-FIZZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of February 2019.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-IVA to CF-IVZ – allotted to Moncton District Office

CF-IWA to CF-IWZ – not allotted till 1959

CF-IXA to CF-IXZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office

CF-IYA to CF-IYZ – allotted to Edmonton District Office

CF-IZA to CF-IZZ – allotted to Montreal District Office

Regarding Aeronca 7AC CF-IQL which was allotted these marks in 1956 but not registered until 2005, I have been unable to trace its history between those dates. Although the owner was well known at the St Lazare Flying Club, he has since passed away. A check of the Transport Canada website lists nine aircraft registered to him since the mid 1990’s. One Flying Club member provided what he knew but, unfortunately, he knew nothing about its early history.

 

1 May 2019.  The Index for CF-IRA/C-FIRA to CF-IUZ/C-FIUZ has been added.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-IRA to CF-IRZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office

CF-ISA to CF-ISZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office

CF-ITA to CF-IUZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

And talking about “original” allotments (made some 63 years ago), aircraft which are still “current” represent 43% of those original ranges with a high of 62% for the CF-IU range. Of course, those that are still “active” represent a slightly lower percentage, but are, nevertheless, still quite high.

 

24 April 2019.  Well, it took me longer to clear the backlog than I had anticipated. Not quite there yet but it is now manageable, so I am easing my way back into updating the website by adding the Index for CF-IQA/C-FIQA to CF-IQZ/C-FIQZ which was originally allotted to the Montreal District Office.

The only real oddity is Aeronca 7AC CF-IQL which was allotted these marks in 1956 but not registered until 2005! I hope to have the story by the next update.

 

11 February 2019.  Maybe some of you have noticed that there has not been an update for a month. This has been deliberate, partly to allow myself to catch my breath, but mainly to reduce the backlog of Canadian material which has been promised to fellow enthusiasts. I am planning on next updating the website during the first week of March

Thanks for your patience.

 

12 January 2019.  The Index for CF-IMA/C-FIMA to CF-IPZ/C-FIPZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of October 2018.

Only one of the four ranges added was “normal”; CF-INA to CF-INZ – allotted to Edmonton District Office. In this new era of decentralization, the CF-IM range was reserved for the Department of Transport HQ in Ottawa, initially for Spartan Air Services for aircraft to be used (presumably) for aerial survey in the high Arctic. [DoT HQ were later reserved two other ranges; CF-JJ, mainly for civilian-operated RCAF helicopters on the Distant Early Warning and Mid Canada Lines; CF-PO, initially for flight testing Vertol 107 helicopters before delivery to the RCAF.]

Two years later the remainder of the CF-IM range was allotted to Grumman Avengers for the fight against the spruce budworm in the Maritimes.

One additional oddity was the allotment of CF-IMD to Canadair CL-44D4 (26) for flights in the 1961 Canadian National Exhibition Airshow in Toronto. And, although a CL-44 did appear at the Airshow, it was an RCAF example (serial unknown), presumably pressed into service because msn 26 (which had only had its first flight a few days before the Airshow) wasn’t quite ready.

The two ranges CF-IO and CF-IP were reserved back in 1949 for Imperial Oil Ltd; CF-IO for use by Imperial Oil itself (although CF-IOL had been used twice already, the first time in 1931), and CF-IP for use by Interprovincial Pipe Line Ltd (at that time a wholly owned subsidiary of Imperial Oil). Later, as Imperial Oil’s equity in Interprovincial Pipe Line was reduced, reservations in the CF-IP range were transferred to Interprovincial Pipe Line.

 

24 December 2018.  The Index for CF-IIA/C-FIIA to CF-ILZ/C-FILZ has been added.

A reminder that, although we do our best to check our data, there are inevitably some problems. One area that we can always use help with is the immediate previous id of an aircraft, and with this update we have a couple of corrections that have been drawn to our attention. The pi for CF-DWS was given as RCAF 1419 and was one of five ex-RCAF Expeditors sold by the Crown Assets Disposal Corp to Inland Air Transport on 19 January 1965. However, before becoming CF-DWS it was, briefly, CF-RSS, ntu. The other update involves the Heintz Zenith CF-EYV which, I was surprised to learn, was none other than the aircraft which he had registered as F-PPZY, before coming to Canada in 1974 to work at De Havilland Canada.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-IIA to CF-IIZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office

CF-IJA to CF-IKZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

CF-ILA to CF-ILZ – allotted to Montreal District Office

Many thanks for all your support, and may your research in 2019 be successful!

 

13 December 2018.  The Index for CF-IEA/C-FIEA to CF-IHZ/C-FIHZ has been added.

A relatively large number of heavier aircraft (PBYs, C-46s and DC-3s) turn up in these ranges, most due to the start of construction on the DEW Line which started in December 1954. As the majority of the DEW Line sites could only be accessed by air, a large number of transport aircraft were required. Many foreign-registered aircraft were leased and operated under their then-current registrations, while others were “purchased” and registered in Canada. However, some of these “purchases” ran afoul of the Canadian Air Regulations and were banished back to their original countries.

The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-IEA to CF-IEZ – allotted to Winnipeg District Office

CF-IFA to CF-IGZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

CF-IHA to CF-IHZ – allotted to Montreal District Office

Just before this deadline I received an email from Bob Cameron (authour of “Yukon Wings” – highly recommended) which explained a long-standing problem with the Bellanca CF-AOA; see the website for details!

 

30 November 2018.  The Index for CF-IAA/C-FIAA to CF-IDZ/C-FIDZ has been added.

Little caught my eye this time. The ranges covered in this update were originally allotted as follows;

CF-IAA to CF-IAZ – allotted to Edmonton District Office

CF-IBA to CF-ICZ – allotted to Toronto District Office

CF-IDA to CF-IDZ – allotted to Vancouver District Office

The Cessna 180 which started to appear in the CF-H range was becoming increasingly popular as we move into the CF-I range. And in early 1989 Quebecair registered their fleet of seven Fokker F28-100; they only lasted a couple of years.

 

3 November 2018.  The Index for CF-HTA/C-FHTA to CF-HZZ/C-FHZZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of August 2018.

Out-of-sequence allotments continue to appear. This time, it is Quebecair’s Beech D18S CF-HVZ, whose allotment date of 29 Oct 1954 is at least a couple of months earlier than those for CF-HVA to CF-HVY; no explanation has been found.

This update also includes the latest episode of the mysterious “[not allotted; W as second letter]” (see the 31 December 2016 Update for more details). Recently, I found that, in 1936, Ottawa published “Air Regulations 1920 With Amendments to April 30, 1936”. Unfortunately, it did not solve the problem, though it produced a new one. In Part II (Registration and marking), under Sec 16, it says “In the case of an aircraft primarily registered in Canada, the nationality mark shall be the letter ‘G’ and the registration mark the assigned combination of four capital letters commencing with the letter ‘C’. ...” Pardon? Does that mean that those new-fangled CF marks we’ve been allotting for the last seven years (1929-1936) have all been illegal? Government! Hah!

 

14 October 2018.  The Index for CF-HQA/C-FHQA to CF-HSZ/C-FHSZ has been added.

In mid-1954, the allotment of registrations and the issue of formal certificates was transferred from the DoT Head Office, in Ottawa, to the various District Offices. The Toronto District Office received the first of these allocations; registration range CF-HNA/CF-HOZ, CofR numbers 1300/13599 and CofA numbers 4400/5799. One of the odd results of this decentralization was that if an aircraft was sold by an owner in one District Office to an owner in another District Office (especially from a high activity Office such as Toronto to a low activity one such as Moncton) then the new owner could have a lower CofR number than the previous owner!

Cessna A185F CF-HSQ is a bit of a problem.  It is shown as “current” on the Transport Canada website, with Certificates cancelled 10 Jun 2001 (and, on the Historical Register, as cancelled 12 Oct 1993); there is no deletion date! However, it is known to have gone to the Philippines as RP-C1169, and is current on the FAA register as N469RP.

On the Index screen, under “Subsequent Fate”, I have added the code “dup”, for duplicate. This covers the situation where a particular aircraft has been allotted two registrations. This usually occurs when an application for such an aircraft was received from two different sources, and was not immediately picked up by DoT.

 

30 September 2018.  The Index for CF-HNA/C-FHNA to CF-HPZ/C-FHPZ has been added.

From 1958 to 1962, Radio Canada (the French-language unit of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) aired a juvenile adventure TV series called “CF-RCK”, which featured Cessna 180 CF-HPC. Radio Canada had obtained DoT permission to use “CF-RCK” both as the name of the show and on the Cessna during filming of each episode. It is unknown if “RCK” had any meaning, though the “RC” could have represented Radio Canada. In April 1960, Brochu Industries (the owner of the Cessna) asked that it be permanently re-registered as CF-RCK – they were probably fed up with all the re-painting they had to do! At first, the DoT turned down the request (because of the reservation of the CF-R range for ultralights), but a couple of weeks later told the local District Inspector that “CF-HCP may be re-registered as CF-RCK at your discretion subject to usual requirements, or permission granted to operate it as CF-RCK for specific flights.” The District Inspector opted for the former!

 

11 September 2018.  The Index for CF-HKA/C-FHKA to CF-HMZ/C-FHMZ has been added.

There is an apparent date anomaly between the original allotment of CF-HMJ (1954.04.28) and CF-HMK (1954.11.26). Let me expand that to make the matter clearer [sic!].

Marks CF-HMA to CF-HMJ     allotted 1954.04.14 to 1954.04.28

Marks CF-HMK to CF-HMQ    allotted 1954.11.26 to Spartan Air Services for Mosquitos

Marks CF-HMR to CF-HMT     allotted 1954.12.09 to Spartan Air Services for Mosquitos

Marks CF-HMU to CF-HMZ     allotted 1955.01.21 to Spartan Air Services for Yorks

Marks CF-HNA et al                 allotted 1954.05.05 and on

The range CF-HM was the last one in the original Register Book which was then replaced by an Index File. The usual explanation for this kind of anomaly is that CF-HMK to CF-HMZ were originally reserved for a customer, some time between April 28 and May 5, who, for some reason, cancelled their reservation. Alternatively, this range was reserved during that same period for Spartan Air Services, with the actual allotments as shown above.

The problem is that, not only do the Register Book, the Index File and what individual aircraft files that still exist all agree with the table above, but, if either of these theories are correct, then there would be evidence of a previous entry in the Register Book, which shows zero evidence of either of these proposed reservations. One of the unsolved mysteries!

 

26 August 2018.  The Index for CF-HDA/C-FHDA to CF-HJZ/C-FHJZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of June 2018.

A few entries merit comment. Consolidated PBY-5 CF-HFL has always been identified as c/n 110, and also, in some DoT records, as 110/77731. However, if I understand David Legg correctly, 77713 is a contract number, and 110 is the line position within that contract. It is believed that the true c/n for CF-HFL is 520.

The use of CF-HGO has an interesting history. It’s first use was as a false registration on Norseman CF-AYO for the filming of “Captains of the Clouds” in 1941.  In 1952 it was reserved “to be used on [an] aircraft being flown by MGM for making a movie in B.C.” At the same time CF-ATB and CF-ATC were similarly being allotted; any thoughts on the movie involved would be appreciated.

Fleet 16B CF-GRG (283) was rebuilt with a new fuselage in 1953. Because of this structural change, a new registration (CF-HIX) was allotted and the aircraft was registered with c/n “283A”, which is obviously a made-up number.  On sale to the USA it was discovered that its true c/n was 539. Unfortunately, because the tie-ups for the Fleet Finch between the RCAF serial and the c/ns are random, it is not known what the previous ids of these two registrations were.

 

16 June 2018.  The Index for CF-HAA/C-FHAA to CF-HCZ/C-FHCZ has been added.

An apparent anomaly is that CF-GZZ was allotted 21 May 1951 and CF-HAA on 17 March 1953! Starting in late 1949, the DoT began to clear up a lot of the deadwood, principally destroyed aircraft which had never been officially deleted from the CCAR, as well as unused reservations. This exercise appears to have been completed at about the time the CF-GZ. range was being allotted. And, apparently, it was decided to re-use the now-deleted marks, starting with those in the CF-G.. range, and going back as far as some of the CF-D.. range, before re-starting the allotment of new marks with the CF-H.. range.

We try to make sure that the data is as accurate as possible, but we are still human! We appreciate all the corrections and additions that people have supplied; nothing is too small not to be corrected. However, we recently noticed that the registration dates for the various Cessnas imported by Foothills Aviation Ltd under registrations CF-FRO/CF-FRT were incorrect, and we have now fixed them.

This will be the last update until sometime in August.  Firstly, I need a break in order to catch up with other non-website projects I am involved with, and secondly, I will be out of town for most of July for my annual visit to family and friends across Canada.

 

31 May 2018.  The Index for CF-GRA/C-FGRA to CF-GZZ/C-FGZZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of March 2018.

This update contains the second Department of Transport range, CF-GX. (the first being the CF-DT. range). This range is covered by almost 100 files (56 on microfilm, 39 in paper files, though there are some duplicates between microfilm and paper files), so there’s lots of data, except ... There is a lot, if you are into the minutia of the daily maintenance of these aircraft!

Ian Macdonald spotted an interesting article in the May 1945 issue of Canadian Aviation magazine. In September 1939 an attempt was made to steal Taylorcraft BC CF-BLY. In preparation for this attempt, the thief repainted the “L” as an “E” – and from a photo with the article, he did a very professional job. We have taken the opportunity to fully update the details for this aircraft.

 

21 April 2018.  The Index for CF-GLA/C-FGLA to CF-GQZ/C-FGQZ has been added.

As noted below, in the entry dated 28 February 2018, large numbers of reservations were being canceled.  And although the DoT would still allot a full range if requested (for example, CF-GOA/CF-GOZ to Aircraft Industries of Canada Ltd (only CF-GOA used!) and CF-GQA/CF-GQZ to De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd (all 26 used)), by now the default was to only allot ten consecutive marks

Since the last update, we have discovered, tucked away almost out of sight, two “new” registrations. Canadian Associated Aircraft Ltd was formed in 1938 to build Handley-Page Hampdens in Canada – a pilot manufacturing project. Marks CF-CZY and CF-CZZ were allotted as call signs to this company, presumably for radio use while test flying the Hampdens.

 

31 March 2018.  The Index for CF-GFA/C-FGFA to CF-GKZ/C-FGKZ has been added.

The CF-GK range points up how little we know about the interconnection of a number of Canadian firms which were originally set up by Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd of the UK. In early 1948, Photographic Surveys Co Ltd (soon to be absorbed by Kenting Aviation Ltd) applied to the DoT use the use of the CF-KA range. At that time it was not Departmental policy to allot such special marks. However, marks in the CF-GI range had just started to be allotted, and the Department bent the rules a bit by allotting Photographic Surveys Co Ltd the CF-GK range!

 

28 February 2018.  The Index for CF-GAA/C-FGAA to CF-GEZ/C-FGEZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of December 2017.

The original allotments have now reached mid-1947, and it is apparent that the bottom had fallen out of the light plane market as large numbers of reservations were being cancelled. The original CF-GB range is particularly perplexing as a close examination of the original register indicates that these reservations covered different dates as well as different types, though only a couple are clear enough for positive identification.

Cessna 140 CF-GDU is an anomaly. It was originally allotted CF-EKM, which had also been allotted to an Anson, and both aircraft operated with these marks for some time before the authorities caught on. The problem is that the date of allotment of CF-GDU does not fit in with the rest of the CF-GD range.

 

31 January 2018.  There has been no work done on the website, so far this year, as I am attempting to work my way through a large backlog of non-website projects and correspondence.

 

31 December 2017.  The Index for CF-FSA/C-FFSA to CF-FZZ/C-FFZZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of October 2017.

The CF-FU range is peppered with possible variations of the phonetic pronunciation of the F-word; somewhat surprisingly, some have been/are in use!

Oddly, the range CF-FX range was originally “reserved” for the Toronto district office on 29 May 1947, but an examination of the actual allotment of the individual registrations makes no sense. Although the decentralization of the allotment of marks did not occur till May 1954, I wonder if this was a trial run.

May everyone have a successful 2018.

 

29 November 2017.  The Index for CF-FPA/C-FFPA to CF-FRZ/C-FFRZ has been added.

There is an apparent anomaly in the CF-FR range. I think that the whole range was originally reserved for Algoma Air Transport Co Ltd on 31 Mar 1947.  However, three months later the reservations for CF-FRG to CF-FRZ appear to have been re-allotted to Ed Ahr. Algoma Air Transport was Ahr’s company but around this time he appears to have switched to another of his companies, Welland Aviation. Since, at that time, Welland Aviation was not incorporated, Ahr’s name appears on the reservation. Whatever the reason, all the Ansons within this range appear to have found their way to Mexico.

 

November 2017.  The Index for CF-FMA/C-FFMA to CF-FOZ/C-FFOZ has been added.

Leavens Bros. Air Services Ltd reserved two of these ranges which they used concurrently; CF-FMA/CF-FMZ for Aeronca 7’s, and CF-FNA/CF-FNZ for Aeronca 11’s and 15’s. It took two years to exhaust these reservations.

 

16 November 2017.  The Index for CF-FJA/C-FFJA to CF-FLZ/C-FFLZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of September 2017.

Reservations for imports continue apace, though there is considerable volatility; see the latter part of the CF-FJ range, in particular CF-FJT!

Marks “not to be allotted” are beginning to appear with some regularity, although, for non-Canadian visitors, CF-FLQ may need some explanation. In October 1970, the FLQ (Front de liberation du Quebec kidnapped a provincial minister (Pierre Laporte, whom they later murdered) and the British diplomat James Cross. Subsequent negotiations led to Cross's release and the kidnappers' exile to Cuba.

 

2 November 2017.  The Index for CF-FGA/C-FFGA to CF-FIZ/C-FFIZ has been added. The Bell Manufacturers Production Mark C-FEXW have now been added as the discrepancy in dates has been resolved.

Marks CF-FHA to CF-FHZ were reserved for De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd and it is apparent that the parent company had great expectations in the Canadian market for its D.H.104 Dove, expectations which did not materialize.

 

19 October 2017.  The Index for CF-FDA/C-FFDA to CF-FFZ/C-FFFZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of July 2017. The Bell Manufacturers Production Mark C-FEXW are still under review so have not yet been added.

Marks CF-FAA to CF-FCZ were originally reserved for an unknown entity (or entities).  Unfortunately, the original Register is impossible to decypher. Quite a number of Cornells appear in this range, many passed from War Assets Corp to the Royal Canadian Flying Clubs Association and thence to various flying clubs.  In addition, Ronald Fennell of Minnedosa, MB, bought 15 (CF-FDA/CF-FDO) but appears to have had varying success in moving them onto the market. Those with sharp eyes will note that the date of registration of CF-FDA is earlier than the date the marks were allotted! The date of Registration was often back-dated to a significant date (ie the date of the first civil inspection) but in this case it was back-dated to the original Application for Registration, where that Application resulted in the allotment of the marks!

 

30 September 2017.  The Index for CF-FAA/C-FFAA to CF-FCZ/C-FFCZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of July 2017. The Bell Manufacturers Production Mark C-FEXW are still under review so have not yet been added.

Marks CF-FAA to CF-FCZ were originally reserved for an unknown entity (or entities).  Unfortunately, the original Register is impossible to decypher.

 

17 September 2017.  The Index for CF-EVA/C-FEVA to CF-EZZ/C-FEZZ has been added. Index information has been updated to the end of July 2017.

This update has been delayed as I have been attempting to reconcile the reported cancellation dates of the Bell helicopters which have been assigned the Manufacturers Production Mark C-FEXW. As these dates have not yet been resolved we are going ahead with this update, less the hundred or so C-FEXW registrations which will be included in the next update.

The CF-EY range was reserved for Kepler Aviation Ltd. These marks were originally for Luscombes but only one, CF-EYF, was imported before Kepler Aviation re-used this range for the Stinson 108, the last of which was CF-EYK. The remaining marks, CF-EYL/CF-EYZ, were later reserved for De Havilland Canada.

 

30 July 2017.  The Index for CF-EQA/C-FEQA to CF-EUZ/C-FEUZ has been added.

More of the same with one odd exception; the CF-ET range which appears to have been allotted out of sequence and to The T. Eaton Co Ltd. Unfortunately, we have been unable to find documented proof of this allotment, though all only four registrations of this range were issued in 1946, and all four were for this Company, or for a family member. But why would this famous retail empire require a range of 26 registrations?

At the time of the last update we fully expected to have loaded the remaining CF-E marks by the end of this month.  Unfortunately, the laptop died!  It took a while to get a new one at which time we were persuaded to install Open Office.  Whatever its good points, however, it couldn’t do the job, so it was replaced by Microsoft Office, which brings to now.  And in two days we are taking our annual, month-long trip to visit relatives and friends all across Canada.  See you in September.

 

9 July 2017.  The Index for CF-EKA/C-FKA to CF-EPZ/C-FEPZ has been added. Information is up to the end of April 2017. [The previous update (below) was in error, though the Registration page had the correct range!]

These CF-E allotments continued the post-war optimism that returning military pilots would be buying their own private aircraft. But by the CF-EO range the wave had begun to break. Fleet 80 production had collapsed, and when Leavens Bros Air Services (LBAS) took over their production the Fleet registration marks were re-reserved to LBAS. However, by the time LBAS started to deliver their Fleet 80s they decided to opt for more “modern” marks, so only a few CF-EO registrations were used before the original “old” marks were replaced by the more “modern” ones. In the meantime the Department of Transport had conducted a major cleanup of the “deadwood” registrations, freeing up a large chunk of the CF-EO range which was re-re-reserved for Vancouver’s-U-Fly Ltd who were quite happy to allot these “old” marks to their imported Cessnas.

 

30 June 2017.  The Index for CF-EAA/C-FEA to CF-EHZ/C-FEHZ has been added.

There is some confusion over the range CF-ECR/CF-EDU which was reserved for Curtiss-Reid Flying Service Ltd. CF-ECR/CF-ECZ were allotted to Republic RC-3 Seabees, CF-EDA/CF-EDL to Stinson 108s and CF-EDM/CF-EDU were not (originally) taken up. However, in the original register the ntu marks show as “RC-3 [crossed out] Stinson 108”. It would therefore appear that the original range (CF-ECR/CF-EDU) were for Seabees, but with CF-EDA the remaining marks in this range were switched to the Stinson 108. Later, CF-EDM/CF-EDN was re-used by Curtiss-Reid Flying Service Ltd for two Douglas C-54s.

Happy Canada Day – our 150th birthday!

 

15 June 2017.  The Index for CF-CXA/C-FCXA to CF-CZZ/C-FCZZ has been added. The CF-CX. and CF-CY. ranges handled the Chipmunks for the flying clubs, while the CF-CZ. range was one final reservation for Canadian Pacific Air Lines. Now we can start work on the CF-E.. series!

Thanks to Ian Macdonald the problem with CF-CUQ has been solved.

 

5 June 2017.  The Index for CF-CSA/C-FCSA to CF-CWZ/C-FCWZ has been added.

The CF-CS., CF-CT. And CF-CV. ranges continue the allocation of aircraft to the flying clubs. The CF-CU. range was an additional reservation for Canadian Pacific Air Lines, while the CF-CW. range was subject to the mysterious “W as a second letter” constraint.

There is a slight problem with the Douglas DC-6B CF-CUQ; although it left the CCAR on three occasions before its untimely end, no known registrations have been found for the first two times.  Anybody have any ideas?

 

4 May 2017.  There were a number of obstacles on the road last month, including a couple of detours, so this update is rather thin. The Index for CF-CPA/C-FCPA to CF-CRZ/C-FCRZ has been added, plus the Tiger Moths in the range CF-CKA/CF-CKZ (which were dropped from the last update at the last moment).

The CF-CP and CF-CR ranges were allotted for the use of Canadian Pacific Air Lines. At the time it was the responsibility of the airline to inform the Department of which aircraft had been allotted to which registration. Canadian Pacific Air Lines, naturally, used the CF-CP range repeatedly, and it was often necessary for the Department to re-issue reservations for the registrations vacant at that time. Later, around the 1964, the Department took over the responsibility for matching an aircraft to a registration, and the resulting reservations reflected aircraft on order by Canadian Pacific Air Lines. Despite this close watch a couple of registrations were allotted for non-Canadian Pacific Air Lines aircraft; CF-CPA in 1965 for a Beech C18S for La Cie Photographic Aerienne Ltee, and CF-CRB for an Aeronca that Mike Hackman planned to import but which was not taken up. In addition, Canadian Pacific Air Lines agreed to give up the use of a further two of their registrations; CF-CPL for Canadian Packers Ltd, and CF-CPW for Canadian Pratt & Whitney (but registered to United Aircraft of Canada).

Use of the CF-CQ range only started in early 1970. There are two references to “CF-CQA to CF-CQZ not to be used” but no reason is given. Googling indicates that this initial prohibition was due to the use of the code “CQ” in morse and radio communications.

The website has now been up for a year, during which there have been some 3,900 Registration Requests which is gratifying, considering the somewhat limited amount of data available.

Many thanks to everyone for your support.

 

31 March 2017.  This month the Index for CF-CKA/C-FCKA to CF-COZ/C-FCOZ has been added, plus appropriate Details from our own research. Information is up to the end of December 2016.

The range CF-CMA/CF-CNZ was allotted to the Department of Munitions & Supply, and started off with three Avro York aircraft which were looked at because the type was a dedicated transport version of the Lancaster. However, Trans Canada Air Lines (the operators of the Canadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS)) rejected the type. Next, chronologically, were the Lancasters for the CGTAS which started at CF-CMS – obviously a “fixed” registration. The remaining 40 registrations in this range were not allotted until mid 1954 for Chipmunk production which never materialized.

Two blocks of Details have been loaded. The first is the range CF-CFM/CF-CHF which were allotted to aircraft supplied to the Flying Clubs for elementary training of RCAF personnel under a little-known agreement signed in early 1939.  The other block is for the Tiger Moths in the range CF-CKA/CF-CKZ (less CF-CKF which is still current). [Just noticed some problems with the second block; hope to upload it next week.]

This is the last of the monthly updates.  From now on we propose to update the website as and when available material (either Index or Details) is ready.

 

28 February 2017.  This month the Index for CF-CFA/C-FCFA to CF-CJZ/C-FCJZ has been added, plus appropriate Details from the John Ellis Register, augmented by our own research.

The range CF-CFM/CF-CHF is a particularly interesting one and highlights the work that the flying clubs (and later the commercial schools) performed in elementary training of RCAF pupils, both before and during the setting up of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Because our interpretation is somewhat different from how John Ellis saw things, we have not used his detail data. Unfortunately, because it has been a short month, plus other problems, we have been unable to complete our version in time for this update.

31 January 2017.  This month the Index for CF-CAA/C-FCAA to CF-CEZ/C-FCEZ has been added, plus appropriate Details from the John Ellis Register, augmented by our own research. Information is up to end of November 2016. This is less than the usual amount of data, but I’ve found that my original schedule was too ambitious, too stressful.

The CF-C series was (initially) reserved for “Light Aeroplane Clubs”, and, like the early CF-A series, pre-War documentation can be very untidy. Among other problems, it appears that certain files have been culled of documents prior to 1930 or later. Also, the method of recording CofA renewals is, at best, ambiguous.

Subsequent to the above reservation, the range CF-CCA/CF-CCZ was reserved for the aircraft of the Controller of Civil Aviation, who continued to use this range even after the Civil Aviation Board became the Department of Transport in November 1936. Post-War, the range CF-CAA/CF-CAZ was reserved for the Department of Transport (Civil Aviation).

31 December 2016.  This month the Index for CF-BSA/C-FBSA to CF-BZZ/C-FBZZ has been added, plus appropriate Details from the John Ellis Register, augmented by our own research. Information is up to end of October 2016.

The initial allotments of these registrations were mainly during the war and the early post-European-war period when things were a bit chaotic. The Department of Transport was badly under-staffed and the market in surplus RCAF aircraft was active and, consequently, some of the documentation is lacking. Nevertheless, there are plenty of interesting tidbits.

This is also the series in which the prohibition of “W as a second letter” came into effect. Although the explanation for this has yet to be determined, it appeared around 1930. It applied only to those registrations which consisted of a two-character nationality mark and a three-character registration, so much of the rest of the world was not affected. The two countries that appear to have been most affected were Canada and Brazil. We have been unable to find even a hint in the Canadian archives as to the rationale for this prohibition, but (thanks to Phil Yeadon) Brazil actually included this prohibition in their published air regulations. Now it is just a matter of making the appropriate contact!

In Canada this prohibition lasted until around 1958; the CF-K series included the CF-KW range in the correct chronological order. After that, the previously unalloted W registrations were gradually used up, starting with the CF-J series and working its way back to the CF-BW range, the task finishing in the early 1970’s.

Best wishes to everyone for 2017 (Canada’s 150th birthday!).

30 November 2016.  [Oops! I appear to failed to update this page with the November System Update message!]

This month the Index for CF-BKA/C-FBKA to CF-BRZ/C-FBRZ has been added, plus appropriate Details from the John Ellis Register, augmented by our own research.

The most interesting finds are those marks actually issued as “call signs” for use with radio-equipped aircraft, and which were not painted on the aircraft. In addition to those noted by John Ellis (CF-BPL/CF-BPO and CF-BPY/CF-BQD) there was an earlier allotment, CF-BMJ/CF-BMM.  But the most intriguing allotment of a call sign was CF-BRM to Fairchild FC2-W2 G-CARM.

 

7 November 2016.  All known (!) problems have been fixed and we are back in business.

The major update is in the Index data – the addition of a row showing a registration reservation (to a person/organization), before such a reservation was allotted to an actual aircraft. Up until the mid 1950’s it was the responsibility of the organization to make the allotment and to inform the Department of Transport. After that date, the Department took over the responsibility for allotting the next registration from a reservation range, informing the organization of what to paint on their aircraft (see the FAT. Series of North American AA-1 registrations).

However, for the pre-1950’s that allotment information had been in long lost company files. In order to give some consistent idea of timing we have adopted the following system. For aircraft assembled/built in Canada we have used the date of the Factory Release (where available in Department of Transport files) and shown the subsequent id as “released”.  For aircraft imported we have used the date of the CofA for Export and shown the subsequent id as ‘imported”.  If neither of these documents are available then we have used the date of the first CofR and shown the subsequent id as “registered”.

 

1 November 2016.  Unfortunately, “Murphy’s Law” has now raised its head!

Having updated both the Index and the Detail files, when we came to check that everything was in place we found that under certain conditions clicking on the Details Available icon on the Index screen either led to nothing showing on the Detail screen or it pulled up the wrong set of details. The problem was a programming error in the website which had not been detected earlier because of the relative simplicity of the first data up-loaded. I hasten to add that the new data followed the original specifications exactly.

I have not yet heard from the website people as to when this problem will be fixed. Hopefully it will be only a matter of days.

Many thanks for your patience.

 

1 October 2016.  The problem with the non-appearing dates in italics had a straight-forward solution.

The problem of the reservation ranges also had a straight-forward solution, although they have needed a fair amount of additional research. Unfortunately, I failed to appreciate that changes to the Index had also to be reflected in the Details. As a result we were unable to complete all the changes by the end of September, and have put off re-implementing the Registration Search menu until the end of October. This should allow us time to make all the necessary changes without undue haste, and keep any errors down to a minimum.

9 September 2016. “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men ......”! We have decided that it is necessary to temporarily deactivate the Registration Search menu in order to correct a couple of problems.

In designing the Index screen we attempted to keep things as simple as possible – just one row per registration. To help achieve this, we used the first date column for two purposes; (1) the date the marks were allotted (if known), in normal type, or (2) the first date of registration, in italics. All the input was prepared on this basis. However, we failed to notice (very embarrassingly) that when the website was implemented the dates in italics appeared on the website in normal type. Fortunately, there is a straightforward solution to this problem which we are currently working on.
 
The second problem results from the same one registration/one row philosophy. Certain companies (manufacturers, dealers, airlines) have had a range of marks “reserved” for their use for future aircraft. As each aircraft is built or bought the next available mark in their range is allotted to that aircraft. By trying to push a round peg into a square hole we produced some odd results; a mark “allotted” to an aircraft which would not be built or bought until several years later. We are now modifying the data (by inserting an additional row) to solve this problem. Fortunately, most of these situations are easily identified, though some will require re-investigation to get them straight.
 
We apologize to all those who, in good faith, have used what is currently tainted data in their own research.
 
31 July 2016.  There’s always a learning curve! Earlier this week, when checking out the website, I found that all the Detail records for the FD.. series had been missing since the last update. Somehow I had deleted them from the production file. More curiously, nobody seems to have emailed me. However, when I tried the email access from the Contact Us screen it was a disaster; the robot feature came into play and I was unable to answer the test correctly! The robot box has now been removed. If you have tried to contact us and failed, I do apologize for your frustration.

This month the Index for CF-BAA/C-FBAA to CF-BJZ/C-FBJZ has been added, plus appropriate Details from the John Ellis Register, with a small number of additions. Data up to May 2016 has been included for all Index entries.

By the way, don’t think that once data has been added that it’s cast in concrete. There are constant corrections, whether because of typos or new information. For example, check the Index for FAQR; there is more data on the Minikin, plus a previously undetected homebuilt.

Please note that due to vacations there will not be an update at the end of this August.

 

3 July 2016.  Apologies for the delay in this update. Last Thursday my computer got in a snit and refused to have anything to do with the internet. The next day being Canada Day, followed by a long weekend, no computer guru was available until Monday afternoon! Today, more by sheer luck (“I wonder what would happen if I did this?”), I managed to outwit the computer and found a way to get back on the internet.

The Index for CF-AKA/C-FAKA to CF-AZZ/C-FAZZ has been added, plus appropriate Details from the John Ellis Register, with a small number of additions. Data up to April 2016 has been included for all Index entries.

Those who have a copy of the John Ellis Register may be interested in some additional information for the registrations Ellis noted as “Not allotted”; CF-AHB, ‘AKK, ‘APP, ‘ARS, ‘ART, ‘ASS and ‘ATC.

For those with an interest in the early Canadair Challenger, check out the Alcan registration C-FAAL. Presumably, the troubles that Canadair were experiencing allowed Alcan to get an earlier slot in the production.

If there are any film buffs, please check out CF-ATB and ‘ATC; which film was being made?

 

31 May 2016. There will now be a regular monthly update to the data.  Data will be reloaded during the evening (Canadian time) of the last day of the month.

The Index for CF-AAA/C-FAAA to CF-AJZ/C-FAJZ has been added, plus appropriate details from the John Ellis Register. Over time these histories will be updated. Data up to February 2016 has been included for all Index entries.

Unlike the post-Second World War files, the pre-War ones are not nearly as tidy.  Among other problems, it appears that certain files have been culled of documents prior to 1930 or later.  Also, there is very little data on allocation dates and deletion dates, and in the latter case we have used the final accident date (in italics) where there is no other data.

The following additional data and corrections to the Index have been forwarded to us; many thanks.

CF-DGB (2)      PA-28   si added

CF-DGM (1)     J3          del date corrected

CF-DGN (1)      J3          del date corrected

CF-DIE (4)        PA-28   msn corrected

CF-DJY (1)       RC-3     si updated

CF-DNJ (2)       J3          pi & si added, msn corrected

C-FDNY (1)      J3          del date updated

CF-DOC (1)      J3          msn corrected

CF-DOI (4)       PA-31   date regd corrected

CF-DNS (2)       H369    msn corrected

CF-DRY (1)      J3          del date corrected

CF-DSB (1)       J3          si updated

CF-DYJ (1)       RC-3     pi corrected

CF-DZK (2)      AC100  pi corrected

 

18 May 2016.  We have not made as much progress as we would have liked as we have been concentrating on the proposed Photo Galleries.  We will, however, be scheduling updates and corrections on a monthly basis, as of the last day of each month.

 

30 April 2016.  Here is our first, modest offering: CF-DAA/C-FDAA to C-FDZZ/C-FDZZ. The Index is complete up to Jan 2016. However, due to a last-minute decision to make certain changes in the presentation of some elements in the individual histories (Details), there are fewer such histories loaded than anticipated (FDAA to FDGZ). We will upgrade and load the remaining histories that we have as soon as possible. 

Test Line 8 pt

Test Line 10 pt

Test Line 12 pt