Viewing page 6 of 8

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Michael A. Gitt
94 Kings Point Road, Kings Point, NY 11024

JULY 5, 1988

Memorabilia:

The following is a brief account of Canadian Colonial Airways, as best as I can recall. The account is both factual and hearsay gathered here and there in my long association with the Company. I am sure that Captains Fred Smith, Herb Clark, Keith Murray and Rad Janas could add much to this yarn or even offer some corrections and I hereby suggest they do so because this is a story that should be told. They and I are perhaps the only ones around that can do so. It is a story of the nostalgic, romantic and formative days in the airline industry.

Canadian Colonial Airways was two organizations, i.e., a Limited Company registered in Canada and a incorporated Company in the U.S.A. It was just a holding company and American Airlines carried out it's operations with their equipment.

Some time prior to 1939 Mr. Sigmund Janas became a major stockholder in the Company. He has been a Vice- President with American Airlines and now as a major stockholder he began to set up Canadian Colonial as an operating company. American Airlines cooperated by furnishing the Company with two DC-2's and two DC-3's. Those pilots of American who wanted to were given the opportunity of joining the fledgling new company and some did. Including Fred Smith, Herb Clark and Keith Murray. Other American Airline people from other departments including Maintenance and Operations also joined up.

One of the DC-2's was registered in Canada. Since we were also a Canadian Company we had to have both Canadian as well as American Nationals as pilots to protect the Canadian as well as the American Radio requirments. This meant that we could not have two Canadian pilots flying an American airplane nor could we have two American pilots flying a Canadian airplane. This did not exclude one American and One Canadian pilot flying either national aircraft. With the advent of WW II the Canadian airplane went to war and the Canadian company was liquidated as an airline. The Company was now known as Colonial Airlines. As a dual Company we had both Canadian and American mail contracts, now we had just an American mail contract.