Editing Canadair (section)

==History==
Canadair was formally created on 11 November 1944 as a separate entity by the government of Canada. Having absorbed the operations of the [[Canadian Vickers]] company, it initially operated as a manufacturer of [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|Consolidated PBY "Canso"]] [[flying boat]]s on behalf of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF). Benjamin W. Franklin became its first president.<ref>[http://projectnorthstar.ca/html/northstarprimer/ch03s01.html "Canadair."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207222133/http://projectnorthstar.ca/html/northstarprimer/ch03s01.html |date=2011-02-07 }} ''Project North Star Restoration Primer,'' April 2003. Retrieved: 31 December 2011.</ref> In addition to the PBY contract, a development contract to produce a new variant of the [[Douglas DC-4]] transport was also underway. The resulting aircraft, the Canadair [[DC-4M]], which was powered by an arrangement of four [[United Kingdom|British]]-sourced [[Rolls-Royce Merlin]] engines, began production during 1946; it was marketed under the "Northstar" name.

[[File:Canadair Sabre.jpg|thumb|left|Canadair Sabre in the colours of the [[Golden Hawks]], on display at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Mount Hope, Ontario]]

During the immediate [[postwar]] era, Canadair purchased the "work in progress" on the existing [[Douglas DC-3]]/[[Douglas C-47|C-47]] series. In 1946, the [[Electric Boat Company]], an American industrial group, bought a controlling interest in the company; shortly thereafter, the two companies merged to form the American company [[General Dynamics]] in 1952. During 1954, General Dynamics opted to purchase [[Convair]], which had been created by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft; as a result of this purchase, Canadair was reorganised as Convair's Canadian subsidiary.

During the 1950s, Canadair decided that it would develop its own indigenous trainer aircraft as a private venture. This aircraft, which would become the [[Canadair CT-114 Tutor|CT-114 Tutor]] was the product of the company’s in-house Preliminary Design department.<ref>Dishlevoy 2005, pp. 8–10.</ref><ref name = "norris 22">Norris 1998, p. 22.</ref> By August 1957, the basic configuration had been completed, which was of a [[turbojet]]-powered, low-wing aircraft, complete with a [[tricycle landing gear|tricycle undercarriage]] and a side-by-side cockpit arrangement.<ref name = "upton"/> Despite a lack of official backing from the Canadian Government, the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]'s (RCAF) Directorate of Training’s Jet Trainer Liaison Committee had closely engaged with the company; their involvement in the project had reportedly made a significant impact in the aircraft's final design.<ref name = "upton">Upton, Bill. [https://www.cahs.ca/chapters/954-public/front-page-newsreel/798-tutor-prototype "CL-41 Prototype."] ''Canadian Aviation Historical Society'', Retrieved: 31 May 2019.</ref> During September 1961, the Canadian government, having been impressed by the performance of the prototype, placed a sizeable order for 190 production aircraft  on behalf of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF). Serving as the service's primary trainer platform, the Tutor would be operated as such for over thirty years.<ref name = "norris 22"/><ref name = "rcaf">[http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/en/aircraft-current/ct-114.page "CT-114 Tutor."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065821/http://airforce.forces.gc.ca/en/aircraft-current/ct-114.page |date=2021-12-07 }} ''airforce.forces.gc.ca'', Retrieved: 31 May 2019.</ref>

Another indigenously-developed design was the [[Canadair CL-215|CL-215]] amphibian. It arose from an internal research study during the early 1960s at Canadair, originally conceived of as a twin-engined [[floatplane]] transport based on the design of the ''369 Canso'' (a variant of the PBY).{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} However, it was altered into a "firefighter" following a request by forestry officials in the [[Quebec Service Aérien]] ([[Quebec Government Air Service]]) who wanted a more effective way of delivering water to forest fires. The 1962 preliminary design, designated as the ''CL-204'', was a purpose-designed [[Aerial firefighting|water bomber]] that evolved into an amphibian flying boat configuration, powered by two shoulder-mounted {{convert|2100|hp|abbr=on|0}} [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800]] [[Reciprocating engine|piston engine]]s.<ref name = "fi 269">Flight International 1968, p. 269.</ref> Its design was shaped by a desire for the CL-205 to be well-suited for performing a range of roles, including air-sea [[search and rescue]], cargo haulage and commercial passenger-carrying, in addition to the water bomber mission.<ref name = "fi 26971">Flight International 1968, pp. 269, 271.</ref> The definitive design was publicly revealed at the 1965 [[Paris Air Show]].<ref name = "fi 871">[https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1968/1968%20-%202735.html "Canadair CL-215."] ''Flight International'', 21 November 1968. p. 871.</ref> While the ''CL-215A'' served as the standard water bomber configuration, another model, designated as the ''CL-215C'', had been envisioned to dispense with compromises meant to enhance its performance at the water bomber role, allowing it be furnished with larger doors on the sides of the fuselage and a revised underfloor hull structure.<ref name = "fi 272">Flight International 1968, p. 272.</ref>

Perhaps the company's most commercially successful product was the [[Bombardier Challenger 600 series|Challenger 600]] [[business jet]]. Originally conceived of by the American aviation inventor [[Bill Lear]] as the ''LearStar 600'', at the end of 1975, Canadair gave its backing to the concept; during April 1976, the company opted to acquire the whole project, formally launching it with the backing of the [[Canadian federal government]] shortly thereafter.<ref name=Upton2007>{{cite web |publisher= Canada aviation museum |title= Canadair CL-600 / 601 / 604 Challenger serial 1003, registration C-GCGT |author= Bill Upton |date= 2007 |url= https://documents.techno-science.ca/documents/CASM-Aircrafthistories-CanadairCL-600Challenger.pdf |access-date= 2020-03-14 |archive-date= 2019-03-06 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190306042810/https://documents.techno-science.ca/documents/CASM-Aircrafthistories-CanadairCL-600Challenger.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name=Flight12aug1978>{{cite magazine |author= Mike Hirst |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%201521.html |title= Challenger |magazine= Flight International |date= 12 August 1978 |pages= 470–478}}</ref> Development of the Challenger 600 was hampered by a deadly crash amid the [[flight test]] programme on 3 April 1980; despite this, [[type certification]] for the aircraft was approved by both [[Transport Canada]] and the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] later that same year.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/nico-celn/c_d.aspx?lang=eng&aprv_num=A-131&ISU_NUM=60&START_DATE=2019-11-22&AUTH_DESC=&DESC=&FRGN_NUM=&aprv_type=TA&PARTS_NUM=&id_num=1189 |title= Certificate A-131 |date= 2019-11-22 |publisher= Transport Canada}}</ref> The high cost of developing the Challenger 600 has been attributed as a major cause of Canadair's poor financial situation during the 1980s, being reportedly close to [[bankruptcy]]; the company's condition in turn ultimately contributed to its acquisition by [[Bombardier Inc.]] during 1986.<ref name=Flight25Nov2018>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/opinion-in-praise-of-the-challenger-453872/ |title= OPINION: In praise of the Challenger |work= Flight International |date= 25 November 2018}}</ref> In the long run, the business jet was well received by the market and can be considered to be a success, being produced for over four decades. In excess of 1,000 Challenger 600s had been reportedly completed by late 2018.<ref name=Flight12oct2018>{{cite news |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/nbaa-business-jet-designs-that-changed-the-industry-452471/ |title=NBAA: Business jet designs that changed the industry |date=12 October 2018 |author=Murdo Morrison |work=FlightGlobal}}</ref>

[[File:MUCTC-CTCUM Flxible 5063.gif|thumb|right|In 1965–66 Canadair built a batch of [[Flxible New Look bus]]es under license. All 50 were for the [[Société de transport de Montréal|Montreal Transit Commission]].]]
Outside of the field of aviation, Canadair opted to diversify into various other sectors, developing its own range of industrial and commercial products. The "Canarch" division was involved in [[curtain wall (architecture)|curtain wall]] design and manufacture for a number of buildings. They also produce the cabins for many [[Control tower|air traffic control towers]] operated by the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] in the United States. Both tracked and [[hovercraft|air-cushioned vehicle]]s were designed and underwent testing; however none proceeded into commercial production.{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}

In the late 1950s, the [[United States Army]] contracted Canadair to develop a small light-weight all-terrain amphibious tracked vehicle. In turn, Canadair developed the CL-70 RAT ''Remote Articulated Track'';<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=wyoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA118 "Canadian RAT can scurry anywhere."] ''Popular Science'', December 1959, pp. 118–120.</ref> this vehicle, while not a commercial success, gave Canadair useful experience towards the development of the upgraded CL-91 Dynatrac, which was a marketing success and purchased by the US Army as  ''XM-571''.<ref>[http://www.casr.ca/bg-army-mosv-origins-dynatrac.htm "CL-91 Dynatrac."] ''Canadian America Strategic Review.'' Retrieved: 31 December 2011.</ref>

During 1976, the Canadian government [[nationalization|nationalized]] Canadair Ltd., by completing the purchase of the [[asset|corporate assets]] from General Dynamics. It remained a federal [[crown corporation]] until 1986 when, having experienced record losses during its development of the [[Bombardier Challenger|Challenger]] business jet, the [[24th Canadian Ministry|Mulroney government]] sold it to [[Bombardier Inc.]] Shortly after Canadair's acquisition, Bombardier was able to restore it to profitability; the company soon acquired other aviation companies, such as the near-bankrupt [[Short Brothers]] of [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland, and the [[business jet]] specialist [[Learjet]] of [[Wichita, Kansas]], as well as [[de Havilland Canada|de Havilland Aircraft of Canada]] of [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=0_0&lang=en&file=%2Fen%2F0_0%2F0_0_1_6_2.html |title=Inc. – Bombardier – Home |publisher=Bombardier |date=25 February 2011 |access-date=14 March 2020 |archive-date=15 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515103140/http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=0_0&lang=en&file=%2Fen%2F0_0%2F0_0_1_6_2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Together with these other entities, Canadair became a core component of [[Bombardier Aerospace]].

Following the company's acquisition by Bombardier, the Canadair name had continued to be prominently used in the branding of its larger series of [[business jet]]s and [[regional jet]]s, which have been marketed as the [[Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet|Canadian Regional Jet]] (CRJ). However, this branding has since been dropped; new projects from all of Bombardier's various aircraft divisions have since simply been known as Bombardier Aerospace.