Canadian Associated Aircraft
Encyclopedia
Canadian Associated Aircraft was a joint Canadian-United Kingdom
project to build Handley Page Hampden
aircraft in the late 1930s.
During the build-up to the Second World War
, Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. had joined together with five other aviation companies in setting up Canadian Associated Aircraft Ltd. The consortium was formed in 1938 to build the Handley Page Hampden
for use in the Royal Air Force
with Fairchild mainly contracted to build the Hampden's empennage.
Of 1,430 Hampdens manufactured, 160 were built in Canada by the "Canadian Associated Aircraft" consortium of three Ontario and three Quebec aircraft companies as a so-called "educational project" to build up the Canadian aircraft industry and provide the expertise for building the four-engined Short Stirling bomber (ultimately the Stirling project was dropped and the Avro Lancaster
was substituted).
Of the 160 Hampdens built, 84 were shipped by sea to Britain
, while the remainder came to Patricia Bay (Victoria Airport) British Columbia
, to set up No.32 OTU (RAF). Due to heavy attrition from accidents, a number of "war weary" Hampdens were later flown from the UK to Pat Bay as replacements.
Hampden Mk I P5436 was one of the Canadian-built Hampdens. It survived only 100 hours of flying time before crashing near Patricia Bay, on 15 November 1942, while engaged in torpedo dropping practice. In the 1980s, the Canadian Museum of Flight salvaged the remains of Hampden AN136 from Mt. Tuam on Saltspring Island and, later, N132 from a mountaintop near Ucluelet, B.C. Together with the salvage of P5436 in 1985, a lengthy reconstruction project was culminated in the unveiling of the composite P5436 Hampden now on display in the museum.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
project to build Handley Page Hampden
Handley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
aircraft in the late 1930s.
During the build-up to the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. had joined together with five other aviation companies in setting up Canadian Associated Aircraft Ltd. The consortium was formed in 1938 to build the Handley Page Hampden
Handley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
for use in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
with Fairchild mainly contracted to build the Hampden's empennage.
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
was substituted).
Of the 160 Hampdens built, 84 were shipped by sea to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, while the remainder came to Patricia Bay (Victoria Airport) British Columbia
Victoria International Airport
Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is north northwest of the city, in North Saanich, quite close to the town of Sidney on the Saanich Peninsula...
, to set up No.32 OTU (RAF). Due to heavy attrition from accidents, a number of "war weary" Hampdens were later flown from the UK to Pat Bay as replacements.
Hampden Mk I P5436 was one of the Canadian-built Hampdens. It survived only 100 hours of flying time before crashing near Patricia Bay, on 15 November 1942, while engaged in torpedo dropping practice. In the 1980s, the Canadian Museum of Flight salvaged the remains of Hampden AN136 from Mt. Tuam on Saltspring Island and, later, N132 from a mountaintop near Ucluelet, B.C. Together with the salvage of P5436 in 1985, a lengthy reconstruction project was culminated in the unveiling of the composite P5436 Hampden now on display in the museum.