After the Bell Model 47 — the first helicopter developed for commercial use — was certified in 1946, it didn’t take long for operators to begin springing up across the U.S. and Canada. North of the border, three helicopter companies started business in 1947, marking the start of the Canadian commercial helicopter industry.
The first was the Photographic Survey Company in Toronto, Ontario, followed by Skyways Services Ltd. in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Okanagan Services Ltd. in Penticton, British Columbia. All three used the Bell Model 47B-3, and all saw agriculture as the main industry for the new technology, which could be used to dust and spray crops and orchards.
Skyways Services was formed by several businessmen in Winnipeg, including H.R. Drummond-Hay and Walter A. Hastings, who were already well established in the Manitoba agricultural industry.
Hastings’ two sons, George and Robert, were both in service during the war, with George in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a bomber pilot, and Robert in the Canadian Army. George survived the crash of his Handley Page Halifax twin-engine bomber near Holland in September 1943, and spent the remainder of the war in a German prison. There, he met fellow Winnipegger Paul S. Ostrander, who was a Spitfire pilot.
At a family gathering after the war in Winnipeg, Walter and his sons discussed what they were going to do next. Aviation and agriculture were talked about in great length, and Robert brought up the advent of commercial helicopter use. He said that since he was thinking about getting into the manufacture of dust and sprays for agriculture, why not use the helicopter as a means to apply them on the wheat fields across Manitoba. “The seed was sown!” said George Hastings. “This was how Skyways Services Limited came into being.”
During 1946, George Hastings visited Larry Bell at Bell Aircraft in Niagara Falls, New York, to discuss buying the 47B-3 agricultural helicopters for spraying and dusting operations in Manitoba. At the same time, the new helicopter company needed to look for pilots and licensed engineers to maintain the aircraft. George Hastings also worked closely Fred Bone, the Department of Transport’s local aviation inspector in Winnipeg.
In April 1947, Drummond-Hay become president of the newly formed Skyways Services Ltd., with Walter Hastings vice-president. George Hastings was the operation manager, and his brother Robert was put in charge of sales.
Skyways’ helicopter operations were set up at Stevenson Field in Winnipeg. The McDonald Brothers Aircraft Company — a repair and overhaul center for the R.C.A.F. — supplied space for the company in its hangar.
Arthur R. Limmert, a well-liked young aircraft engineer, soon joined Skyways as chief engineer, and helped George to organize the small company. To fly the aircraft, George hired two former military pilots — Ostrander and James A. Sampson (a Vickers Wellington medium bomber pilot). Limmert, Ostrander, and Sampson were sent to the Bell Aircraft helicopter training school for pilots and mechanics in 1947.
Skyways received its first two 47B-3 two-place helicopters on May 8, 1947. The type was built for the agricultural industry, with an open cockpit and a payload of 400 pounds, at a cost of $33,000. Powered by a 178-horsepower Franklin engine, the aircraft had a cruise speed of 92 mph, a maximum climb of 900 feeet/minute, a service ceiling of 11,500 feet, and a range of 212 miles.
Limmert had Skyways’ two helicopters airworthy by May 15 — and the company was ready for business.
Life in the Prairies
Skyways’ main focus was dusting crops in Manitoba against weeds, insects and fungus. Compared with application from heavy farm machinery, these low-level aerial dusting operations would prevent damage to the crops, and were extremely rapid — they could dust 195 acres per hour. The downdraft from the helicopter spreading the dust could also help to dry any water-soaked grains. And, in addition to dusting, the aircraft could spread fertilizers and seeds.
While the company’s operating license was only for crop dusting, it was looking at other uses for the aircraft. These included aerial transportation for powerline and timber surveys, fish stocking, and charter services for mining companies.
Skyways’ helicopters began dusting practice in Winnipeg on May 19, attracting hundreds of curious onlookers, and numerous demonstrations and practice runs followed. The company received its first paying customers in June, and the same month, it was named a dealership by Bell Aircraft Corp. (along with one other company in Canada).
On June 19, Ostrander was in Kenora, Ontario, on a contract to complete forestry surveys. The helicopter had recently changed to floats from wheels, and he was flying over a calm lake. The instrument panel indicated hot engine cylinder temperatures, so he decided to carry out a precautionary landing on the water. The right float touched the surface in an unlevel position, and the helicopter immediately turned over. Ostrander and his passenger were able to swim to shore unhurt, but the helicopter was destroyed. It was the first recorded commercial helicopter accident in Canada.
George Hastings decided to replace the damaged helicopter with another 47B-3, which arrived in Winnipeg on July 3.
Dusting operations in Manitoba lasted until July 12, and Sampson then ferried one of the Bell 47s to Regina, Saskatchewan, for work in the region. The following morning, Sampson was dusting on a farm south of Regina, when he made a turn and struck a telephone pole with the aircraft’s main rotor. The aircraft hit the ground, but Sampson escaped unhurt. The aircraft, however, was badly damaged.
Skyways had lost its first two helicopters in just two months. The company needed to regroup and decide what its future plans were.
After a lot of soul searching, the Hastings family forged ahead, believing in the value and success of the helicopter industry. “We had made it through the first summer alright (baring the unfortunate accidents),” George Hastings recalled. “The only option was to move out west as the season in Manitoba was over.”
Limmert purchased the remains of the two damaged helicopters from the insurance company, with plans to rebuild them in future years.
A move out west
Hastings arranged a contract with a small mapping company called Aero Surveys Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia. Aero Surveys acted as an agent for Skyways, agreeing to supply it with work under a lease contract, which ended on Feb. 1, 1948.
Flying commenced on Aug. 25, with Sampson transporting singer Allen Jones to the Pacific National Expedition (PNE) from the Vancouver Court House for the opening ceremonies. The next day, the helicopter was used for dusting demonstrations near Vancouver.
Most of the rest of August was spent performing demonstrations at the PNE, but at the end of the month, Sampson flew prospectors looking for gold to the Pitt Lake area. This type of flying was a new use for the helicopter. The work carried on for many days.
After fellow operator Okanagan suffered a crash in September, the company arranged to lease Skyways’ helicopter in order to complete their contracts. The management of Okanagan and Skyways got along well, and the companies agreed to cooperate in future work.
More spraying and demonstration work followed, as well as one of the first helicopter rescue flights in British Columbia. This took place on Oct. 4, 1947, when Sampson flew an injured man from Rogers Lake to a public park just two blocks from the North Vancouver hospital. A doctor had requested the use of a helicopter in order to transport and rescue the man.
Later that month, the roles were reversed, and it was the helicopter pilot (and his mechanic) who needed rescuing. Skyways had received a contract to move supplies into a mine near Squamish, British Columbia, when the fan belts on the helicopter’s cooling system broke, causing the engine to overheat. The aircraft settled to the ground in a rugged canyon.
The pilot and mechanic had little food and warm clothing, and ended up sheltering in a cave for several days. They were finally found by a miner and forest ranger after they were able to get the aircraft briefly airborne again and cross a creek.
Limmert and Sampson made the grueling trip back the downed helicopter to repair it, before flying it home.
That November, Sampson left the company, and ultimately decided to get out of flying helicopters altogether.
The following year, Ostrander was appointed Skyways’ chief pilot. The company completed more demonstrations to show the capability of the aircraft, including to snowy Grouse Mountain in January. However, with the onset of February, the lease with Aero Surveys was terminated.
Around that time, Bill Harvey, an ex-RCAF officer, approached Skyways about learning to fly the Bell 47. He was willing to pay up to $900. Hastings had Ostrander contact the Department of Transport. “They replied that since Harvey was already a pilot with the Air Force, that they would allow the training by Paul Ostrander,” said Hastings.
The instruction was one of the first examples of helicopter flight training in Canada, taking place from March to April 1948. Harvey had his flight test on April 18, and was subsequently hired by Skyways.
On May 10, Harvey flew the Bell 47 on floats to Sea Island, where he was take fly government workers to Grouse Mountain for a snow survey. After completing the first shuttle run, Harvey was attempting to land on the Capilano Golf Course in West Vanvouver when the helicopter began to sink. It bounced on the ground, broke its right float bracket, and slewed around. The main rotor hit the ground, and while the aircraft’s bubble was shattered, the pilot and passenger were unhurt. It was Skyways’ third helicopter crash.
The aircraft was recovered by Limmert and taken back to Vancouver, where it was eventually repaired. It returned to service in October, working on a dam construction project with the Vancouver Water Board. While the work continued into early November, Skyways ran into insurance problems and issues with the Department of Transport. Its operating license was cancelled in March 1949.
Okanagan Air Services negotiated the purchase of Skyways’ assets, and Ostrander ended up joining Okanagan. He was soon back to flying for the Vancouver Water Board’s dam project. Limmert went back to Winnipeg to manage a fixed-wing crop dusting service, but later came back to the helicopter industry. George Hastings returned to his family business in Winnipeg, and left the helicopter industry for good.
Although Skyways was ultimately unsuccessful in the tough new Canadian helicopter industry, the company — and Walter Hastings’ family — have a lot to be proud of. They helped pioneer the use of rotary-wing aircraft in the Great White North, establishing the foundations for the country’s flourishing sector in years to come.