Current and Finished Projects > Stories
Jackrabbit
apophenia:
--- Quote from: upnorth on July 25, 2022, 12:17:52 PM ---... Moving CL-215 development to Italy made sense for keeping space free at Cartierville at a critical time for the MB.326. It was also a bit of a nod to Aermacchi's heritage with seaplanes and using Lake Varese to test them.
--- End quote ---
And, of course, the Vigili del Fuoco becoming a major user of CL-215s in OTL.
GTX_Admin:
This thread needs some images... ;)
upnorth:
--- Quote from: GTX_Admin on July 27, 2022, 02:38:01 AM ---This thread needs some images... ;)
--- End quote ---
I know, but I've been lazy to get the drawing pens out and real life tends to get in the way too. :(
Apophenia can feel free to step up and make images if he'd like. :smiley:
upnorth:
November 12, 1963: Cartierville, Quebec, Canada
Things were going well for Canadair on both sides of the Atlantic. The MB-326 line in Cartierville was busy making aircraft for the new customers in South and Central America while the "Project Viper" team were busy refining what would be the armed variant of the aircraft.
The success of the MB-326 sales tour put Paul Hellyer on his back foot, for a while at least, and he concerned himself with other defense related matters for the time being.
The success of the CL-215 prototypes in Italy only served to embolden the team at Cartierville further.
A former Canadair employee:
"Those were really good days to be working for Canadair, everything was coming together so well. Motivation was high in all departments and seeing the defense minister with egg on his face made everything that much better!
I was working on the MB-326 line at the time, specifically building the aircraft to fill the Nicaraguan order; not that they were any different from the other MB-326s we were making. There was a true sense of pride in building those aircraft even the ones that weren't destined for the RCAF.
As it was, I didn't stay on the MB-326 line for long after that. Shortly after the CL-215 prototypes first flew and showed their potential, I was moved over to that project due partly to my seniority and the fact that I was of Italian ancestry and could speak the language fluently. While there would eventually be a Canadian production line for the aircraft, the first production batch at least would come from Italy. The company decided to send me there to help supervise production.
There was so much to be optimistic about at the company at the time, we were on a real high."
November 15, 1963: RCAF Station Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
The ramp at RCAF Moose Jaw was full, one end to the other, with MB-326s reflecting the winter morning sun in their silver laquer paint. Among the many RCAF student and instructor pilots at the base were pilots from the first four export customers for the Canadair built version of the aircraft.
A former Guatemalan air force pilot:
"We had been in Moose Jaw since August of 1963 to learn how to fly the MB-326. I enjoyed it emensely, with the exception of the cold prairie winter, and everyone on the base and in the local community were very kind to us.
We were being trained ultimately to be instructors on the aircraft so we could go home with the knowledge to teach pilots back home how to fly them. This meant none of us were novice pilots, we all had many hours in T-33s already.
Climbing into the MB-326 felt good from the start; not too different from the T-33, but certainly newer. It was that 'The same, but different' feel.
The aircraft felt right in just about everyway and I can't think of anything I really disliked about it. I have many great memories of flying it.
Getting in to an MB-326 after flying more advanced fighter types for a while was like getting into a sports car on the weekend and hitting the highway. There was just something smooth and carefree about it."
upnorth:
Early January, 1964: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
A former Bristol executive:
"It was a shock to say the least when we received the order directly from the Minister of Defense to immediately cease production of the Viper engine for the Canadiar built MB-326 fleet. It was an outrageous overreach by the minister if I'm to be perfectly blunt.
It didn't take long for us, Canadair and the RCAF brass to fire back at the minister for an explanation; the Prime Minister got directly involved not long after.
Initially, Hellyer was evasive about his reasons. However, his decision had raised the ire of the Prime Minister and he had no choice but to answer.
As it turned out, he wanted Bristol to stop producing the Viper as he had it in mind to order the Canadian MB-326s refitted with the General Electric J85 engines that were intended for the CL-41 and have the construction carried out by Orenda. In this way, he could create jobs closer to his own constituency in Ontario.
He was showing us he could still meddle with the Canadian end of the MB-326 even if he could not quash it outright.
Happily, before January of 1964 was out, Paul Hellyer was no longer a problem for us and we merrily continued Viper production in Winnipeg."
Hellyer paid dearly for his meddling. The RCAF brass, very happy with the MB-326, demanded Hellyer be relieved of his ministerial portfolio. Top executives of Canadair and Aermacchi as well as the Trade Ministers of Canada and Italy put additional pressure on the Prime Minister to take corrective action.
The beginning of February 1964 saw a reshuffled cabinet with the defense portfolio safely out of Hellyer's hands.
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