Air Canada Pt2: Conway DC-8s to CFM Stretch 70s

Trans Canada Airlines was one of only three airlines that ordered the DC-8-40 with Rolls Royce Conway engines (the others were Alitalia and Canadian Pacific). They entered service on transcontinental routes in April 1 1960 followed by international sectors on June 1.

Four DC-8-41s (CF-TJA-D), four DC-8-42s (CF-TJE-H) and three DC-8-43s (CF-TJJ-TJK) arrived up to December 16 1961. The series 40s with their older engines were the first DC-8s to leave the fleet being withdrawn from September 1975 to June 1979.

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TCA returned to Douglas when it became the launch customer for the Jet Trader freighter variant which it called the DC-8-54CF (Convertible Freighter). Eight were delivered from April 1963 with the last few being delivered in Air Canada colours. The series 54s were operated in a mixed passenger/cargo combi configuration until they were converted to pure freighters in the 1970s.

Air Canada received its first stretch eight in September 1967 when CF-TJT, a series 61, arrived. She was followed by seven more (CF-TJU-Z) before deliveries switched over to the more capable series 63 in February 1969. Thirteen of this type (CF-TIK-S & U-X) arrived forming the backbone of the long-haul fleet well into the 1970s even after the arrival of 747s, in 1971, and Tristars, in 1973. I assume CF-TIT was omitted for obvious reasons!

CF-TIL was the second series 63 and was re-registered as C-FTIL in 1974 and stored in 1983, not being converted to a series 73 like several of her sisters. Sold to ATASCO leasing in 1985 as N868BX she joined Burlington as a freighter in 1986 and passed through their ownership until they were BAX Global / ATI. She was withdrawn in December 2004. Her last operator was Heavylift Cargo as A6-HLA and she was stored in 2010.

In between the delivery of the DC-8-61s and DC-8-63s Air Canada received a trio of short DC-8-53s registered CF-TIH-J. The last of these was lost at Toronto in a fire whilst refuelling in June 1973 but the other pair carried on until being withdrawn in 1980. By now C-FTII the below aircraft was broken up at Montreal in 1982. Here she is seen wearing the updated red cheatline scheme, with red titles and without the black anti-glare shield which was introduced in 1977.

Apparently the two series 53s had poorly operating auto-pilots and were known as "Disco Duck" and "Waltzing Matilda" with reference to the gyrations at altitude. They operated Air Canada's last short DC-8 passenger services but the remaining DC-8-54 freighters out lasted them just and weren't gone until 1984 (two had been lost - in 1963 and 1967 respectively).

By 1983 Air Canada was suffering from the global recession and in 1982 it made a huge loss of $32.6 million, its first since 1976, whilst passenger traffic was down 21%. The DC-8s were being retired as quicky as possible, though there replacement with new Boeing 767s was hampered by a pay dispute with pilots who wanted to be paid more for flying the widebodies. The last DC-8 was retired from passenger service on April 23, 1983. Not only were the DC-8s comparatively fuel inefficient but new noise pollution legislation would have made them illegal by 1985. Most of the DC-8s were parked in the desert though six of the DC-8-63s were successfully converted to freighters and then re-engined as DC-8-73s. The series 73s re-entered service in November 1983 and served for just over a decade until October 1994.

In total Air Canada operated 42 factory delivered DC-8s as well as a pair of series 71Fs it leased for six months in late 1983. I'm afraid that's it for Air Canada for now as I don't own any other models at present. Maybe in the future someone will release a decent Tristar?