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Saskatchewan Government Airways – the government-owned commercial
airline, was formed through Order-in-Council No. 1200/47 on August 15,
1947. To develop the northern half of the province, the government
purchased M&C Aviation to create Saskatchewan Government Airways
(SGA)
in 1947. SGA was a Crown Corporation that operated scheduled and charter
services in the north, and also developed the “smokejumpers,” to fight
forest fires.SGA maintained operations until 1965, when the newly
elected Liberal government sold it to a group of private investors to
form North Canada Air Limited, more commonly known as NORCANAIR.
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Summer of 1948, the La Ronge water base. To
the left of the tree, barely visible is a single engine float plane
taking off. The truck displays the SGA logo on the side. The flat roof
building looks very similar to the building used as the DNR Office,
which was located farther up the hill.
This picture was taken where the present
day Harbour Inn now stands.(2010) Barely visible behind the peaked roof
building is a tall pole for the two-way radio antenna. |
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CF-BDM
Waco ZQC-6 Custom>AQC-6
c/n 4594
Ownership history: Skylines
Express > Fleet Aircraft > leased to Yukon Southern > M&C Aviation >
Sask Gov Airways > D Lamb > R Gray > Western Airmotive
> G Dalziel
Withdrawn from use- Jan 25, 1954.
Barely visible is the lower wing- this is a
bi-plane, which makes "docking" difficult at times.
It does not appear that these foats are equipped
with water rudders. Note the extra dorsal fin below the rudder to
increase stability. Also note how much float is ahead of the propeller.
CLICK HERE
for more pictures of this aircraft. Opens as a PDF
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Stinson 108 at Prince Albert, 1948.
Capable for wheels, floats amd skiis. 165 hp- Franklin Engine.
One distinctive feature was the partial leading edge slot on the wings
which aligned with the ailerons on the trailing edges, ensuring that,
that part of the wing stalled at a higher angle of attack than the rest
of the wing, making for a docile stall.
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Anson Mk5
CF-FVZ Prince Albert 1948.
January 6, 1955, crashed at Buffalo Narrows, all 8 occupants on board
perished. The aircraft was written off. |
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Mr. H. Waugh, Superintendent for Northern Schools, boards the Stinson
108
on the river at Prince Albert in 1949. Notice the bedroll being handed
to the pilot. There were very few hotels in Northern Saskatchewan and
most stops meant staying at someones house. Often the visitor brought
fresh vegetables and other "treats" for the very appreciative hosts. |
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The famous
Norseman CF-SAM at Goldfields, 1951. Note the ski pedestals. They
are known as "M&C pedestals" which were designed, tested and
manufactured in Prince Albert by Mayson & Campbell Aviation. In the
lower part of the pedestal was a heavy rubber cell just over a foot long
and about 8 inches thick. The weight of the aircraft rested on this air
bag which cushioned the forces exerted on the skiis. This design was
popular across Canada and different sizes were made for different skiis. |
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CF-EXS Stinson
108 taken in 1951. These aircraft were 4 seats with a useful load around
900-1,000 pounds not counting fuel.With full fuel (40 gallons) the real
useful load was commonly reduced to 2 large adults and some gear. This
was an ideal machine for the lone prospector. |
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Norseman
CF-SAN hauling freight, La Ronge. |
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Anson Mark5
CF-FVZ, SGA Hangar Prince Albert, July 1954. The other aircraft is a
Fleet Canuck CF-FAB. |
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Norseman
CF-BEM at La Ronge July 1957. |
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Uranium City,
August 1957. 3rd from left-JHBrockelbank. |
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DC3 - CF-SAW
Uranium City August 1957. |
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DC3
CF-SAW at Uranium City |
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Beech 18
CF-HXU |
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Martin Lake
(Uranium city) July 1954, Cessna 180 at SGA dock. |
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Fleet Canuck
CF-FAB and Anson CF-FVZ, SGA Hangar Prince Albert, July 1954. |
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10th
anniversary of employees with SGA since the beginning, taken in 1957. |
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SGA Officials
& Cabinet Ministers, October 1957. |
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