Curtiss opened a Canadian subsidiary based in Hamilton, Ontario in 1928. In 1936 while setting up production for the Hawk 75, it was discovered that replacing the Twin Wasp engine with a Vauxhall Victoria V-12 inline led to improved performance. A proposal was made to the RCAF. Unfortunately, the Air Marshall vetoed the nice, pointy prop spinner, stating "This expensive item is needless, ornamental frippery! Good God don't they know there's a Depression on?!"
So the new aircraft was given a Hamilton Non-Standard prop and the RCAF saved a whopping $4.79 per plane. Thus the Curtiss Canada Kingbird was born.
The new fighter was just what the RCAF needed. It outclassed anything else then in service in North America. For a couple of years, RCAF fighter squadrons based near the U.S. would play tag with their American counterparts across the border. The Yanks could never catch them.
The Curtiss Canada's Kingbird would be put to the test in May, 1938. It all started when ground observers in Dead Horse, B.C. near Yukon spotted an unusual intruder.
The strange aircraft landed and a man jumped out and ran inside Tim Horton's. By the time the observers got near, the man had already got back inside the aircraft loaded with coffee and muffins and it drifted away. A call was put in to 412 1/3 Sqn. based in nearby Skunk Pass. A flight of Kingbirds was scrambled to intercept.
Unfortunately, they never caught up with the aerial invader. The strange craft made it back to its base.
This would spell doom for the Kingbird which was replaced by license-built Hurricanes and relegated to advanced training duties and is completely forgotten today.
Brian da Basher
