very cool. Those Vampires are LOUD - I saw one do a demonstration at an air show at some RAF base many years ago - freakin' ear splitting for such a small bird.

13:10 first time i see footage from old Victoria Adacport (now MELS studio near Victoria bridge) in my hometown of Montreal! I have some pictures,but actual video just wow!!! Thank you!!!

Thank you for posting this video. I am stunned by both the history and the increadible planes that they built. I was fortunate enough to fly out of downsview on a Hurcules in the 80s with the Canadian forces 25 Medical company to a base in Quebec for a training excercise. First time ever on a plane and what a beast. The pilots joked that it was the shortest Canadian forces runway and that they would be sitting at the end of the runway with the engines running full tilt and the brakes on and praying we make it off the ground before we ran out of runway. I guess at the time it was a little Regular forces humour for the newbies! Everyone must have been proud of thier achievements working on such iconic aircraft as it shows in the photos. Again thank you for the video as I had no idea of the history of DHA in Downsview.

A proud Canadian Company Please keep it that way Keep China out of any part of ownership C A McLean

Pretty sure the narrator is Lorne Greene, long-time newsreader on the CBC network in Canada. Also narrated many documentaries like this excerpt. Then moved to Hollywood. Most well-known for his role as Ben "Pa" Cartwright in the "Bonanza" series that ran for 14 years 1959-73. Died at 72 in 1987.

I just watched this video and the takeoff could not have been at Dorval because we can see snow capped mountains in the background. However the landing was indeed at Dorval. More than 60 years later I still remember the thrill of my first takeoff in the DC-8: totally different experience than with North Star or Viscount. Exciting stuff!

Awesome! Thanks for uploading.

These were large powerful airplanes

I repaired all the Elevators at the Downsview Dehaviland Plant during the 90s. Each Bay had different stages of planes being built. Beautiful planes and the plant had a runway for test pilots. One true story, a plane is at the bottom of Lake Simcoe that had failed.

I used to work in Kenmore, WA USA. Just N of Seattle. A whole bunch of Beavers flew out of there from Lake Washington. Terrific sight every day. So glad the Mosquito showed up during WW2. Fastest piston plane in the war. Hitler hated them, oh yeah. Fantastic plywood plane with 2 RR Merlins. Democracy on a pair of wings. Thanks Canada. Then and now.

Very good, thanks

I am glad they are building Canadair cl-215 successors

8:49 Wardair I remember flying then as a Geologist :)

I'm an AME who has worked on Tiger moth right through to F35, my favourite plane CL215 T. Just because of what they do.

Learnt to fly on the Chipmunk and flew the DH6 for Air Ecosse in Scotland. Also completed the DH7 course at Downsview and later delivered 3 DH7 s to Eurocity Express later named London City Airways at LCY . This included Ship 113! My surname is Dash . My mother always told interested folks he had his name on the side of the aircraft. It is true when in the military but not implicitly true in this case.

Topgun subhunter #1 RCAF 415 Swordfish 🇨🇦

Hi. A commentary would have given these wonderful old photos more depth. Cheers, P.R.

🇨🇦🫡

Last month on the 100th anniversary of the RCAF I got to fly the chipmunk for the first time in 56 years. I took my RCAF tie that had my name the date and the Chipmunk aircraft written on it. I wanted to show members at the flying club to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCAF. The ritual when one soled their tie was cut off at the mess that evening and ones name, the date the aircraft type was written on it. The last time I had walked out on the tarmack to the chip was almost 56 years to the day. The last time was in 1968 at Camp Borden Ontario Canada taking my final check ride before going onto Tudor jet training. What a nostalgic moment as I never though i would ever fly this wonderful aircraft again or ever though of doing so. For me to look out on the wing and see the RCAF maple leaf roundel once again was beyond words. Thank you to Dave Gillespie of the Oliver flying club who owns this beautiful Chipmunk for making this possible.

my great uncle was Jim Follett, chief test pilot during the Mosquito days... I have many memories of my father recounting the action there, including his own first solo... I wish my dad could see and understand this video.

England. When my father got home from WW2, the first thing he did was take his boots off, the second was 'me'. Unlike so many, I have learned just how much Britain owes to the Commonwealth. Odd, really, only big country never joined. Thank God. Despite all the modern feelings of leaving 'the club', I really hope we stick together. United we stand, divided we fall. One last thing. I loved my Queen, who in their right mind would have a life where you can't go down and buy fish and chips or lift your skirt and have a paddle in the sea. I just hope King Charles III remembers King Charles II had his head 'cut orf' for being a plonker. Furthermore, I won't mention Mountbatten and Dieppe, Gawd we really do make um. Thank You, Canada.

Very interesting! Thank you. 🎉🎉🎉

Worked on Caribou's in Vietnam back in 1967. They were quite easy to keep them flying considering the circumstances.

old picture and history to different things you learn nothing about history of De Havilland here

My father flew a Gypsy Moth learning to fly for the RCAF. He was very proud having earned his wings. Many years later I had a chance to work on interiors for the Dash - 8. What a great history of aircraft inovation.

My first flight was in a Chipmunk in 1959 at RAF Hamble near Southampton. Since then I have flown in the Beaver and the Dash 8. All were fabulous aircraft, perfect for the job that they were designed to do!

9:07 What's going on here?

Is De Havilland still around

It looks like the Mosquito at 4:22 is flying on one engine. It could go that. Those are BIG engines...!

MIG MIG MIG F 16 F16 F16 Beaver Dassault De Beaver Beaver Beaver

Beautiful , well done documentary ,I wish you would have included the names of the persons in the photos

I was fortunate enough to get to fly into a remote lake in British Columbia in a DHC Beaver. What a wonderful, fantastic aircraft, so solidly built it was, along with its wonderful radial engine. It felt like a battleship compared to a Cessna. Thanks, Dad, for the experience!

👍

Q400 👍

Nice little video. Bad editing though, not an S-2 going over the shuttle, Banshee perhaps.

43, not 42.

A Canadian icon!

My father, J.L. (George) Thomas was there from late ‘50s through ‘86 when he retired. In charge of ground testing.

Nice 👍

Great video, but it should have some notes: The aircraft on the ground at the beginning of the video is a C47, not a North Star. The balance of the video is of the sole North Star C-5. This version had Pratt and Whitney R2800 engines, similar to the DC-6. The other 70 North Stars built had Merlin engines. The RCAF operated 12 North Stars, 11 Merlin, and 1 P&W R2800 powered. The others were operated by civilan companies.

Gorgeous plane unfortunately showcasing the idiotic practice of shooting wolves from the air...

Interesting design for sure.

12 Service Battalion in the 1980’s was located at RCAF Sea Island. I remember 12 Battalion was located in this hangar that was poorly maintained and the equipment was out of date. Canada was a proud nation in the 1950’s with military members taking pride in their branch histories. Unification of 1968 really destroyed this country’s proud history. It’s only got worse until this day with preference for military employment going to people without any historical ties to Canada’s military or to Canadians

RCAF news in the 1950’s was prominent in the public discourse and arena. Contrast with today in 2024, Canadian media rarely reports about RCAF and nobody cares

And now Canada is run by a dictator making fools of its citizens. What happened? Ah, that’s right. Idiotic minorities were allowed to control the majority. Nothing to be proud of now is there.

when you hire the right people the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts. DHC is proof of that. outstanding people. outstanding aircraft.

I flew several of those Beavers in the arctic 50+ years ago. Some of these great airframes are still with us. Great video. More please.

They look like tuna fish

Amazing! I wish they would have put one in the museum.

What a beauty!