Wings Limited

July 17, 2020

This article was done in partnership with the Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society. It appeared in the July 9, 2020 edition of the Lac du Bonnet Clipper.

In July 1934, Manitoba was in the midst of a gold mining boom. At the forefront was Wings Ltd., an airline established by Lac du Bonnet bush pilots: Milt Ashton, Ted Stull, Jack Moar and their “flying president” Roy Brown. They had a fleet of five aircraft capable of heavy payloads on floats or skis, ensuring year-round service to remote mining communities and a reliable lifeline for trappers, hunters and fishermen throughout Southeastern and Northern Manitoba and into Northwestern Ontario.

Lac du Bonnet, accessible by road from Winnipeg, became the airline’s main base. Smaller bases were located at Norway House and Kenora, with their head office in Winnipeg’s Marlborough Hotel, at Smith St. and Ellice Ave.

Throughout 1934, Wings Ltd., and its pilots, proved to be very ambitious. In October, they announced plans to expand their operations to include a 48-hour flight from Winnipeg to London, England along a northern route. Then on November 19, Jack Moar flew emergency supplies into Island Lake in Northern Manitoba, shattering the previous record of October 20 for the latest flight on floats. Mild weather contributed to their success, leaving sections of the large lake ice-free. 

In April 1936, over two consecutive days, Wings Ltd. was plagued by mishaps. At 6:30 a.m. on April 9, while taxiing, the plane hit a hard snowbank resulting in a damaged fuselage and right wing. There were no injuries.

Then on the morning of April 10, Roy Brown took off with four passengers bound for mining claims in Southeastern Manitoba. Fifty feet off the ground, the propeller broke, resulting in a crash landing. Brown was trapped in the wreckage, freed moments before the plane burst into flames. Dr. W.J. Wood was quickly on scene, taking the injured passengers to Winnipeg in his own car. Brown sustained bruises and scratches on his face, but declined transport to hospital. Wings Ltd. was sued, in 1937 and 1940, by three of these men for damages, citing poor aircraft maintenance and pilot negligence.

However, nothing could stop this airline. By the end of 1937, Wings Ltd. was a leading airline in Canada. Contracts with the largest mining companies in the province contributed to their ability to transport “6,339 passengers and 2,318,010 pounds of freight” that year using their fleet of nine planes, most of which were equipped with two-way radios for constant communication, operating out of their ten bases throughout Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

At the outbreak of WWII, smaller airlines were finding themselves in trouble as their pilots joined the war effort and the mines’ labour force became scarce. In late 1941, the Canadian Pacific Railway purchased a number of these airlines, including Wings Ltd., eventually forming Canadian Pacific Air Lines.

Wings Ltd. only operated for seven years, but they left their mark on Manitoba’s aviation industry.

References:

Aileen Oder, ed., Logs and Lines from the Winnipeg River: A History of the Lac du Bonnet Area (Steinbach, MB: Derksen Printers, 1980), 78, 82.

Roy Brown. “The Origin and Growth of Western Canadian Aviation as I Have Seen It.” MHS Transactions, Series 3, Number 14, 1957-58 season. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/transactions/3/aviation.shtml

“Advertisement: Daily Air Service to Central Manitoba Mining Fields.” Winnipeg Tribune (Winnipeg, MB), July 27, 1934.

“New Air Transport to Serve Mines.” Winnipeg Tribune, July 28, 1934.

“Plan to Link Winnipeg, London by Air.” Winnipeg Tribune, Oct. 17, 1934.

“Plane Flies North and Sets Fall Record.” Winnipeg Tribune, Nov. 19, 1934.

“Three are Injured When Airplane Crashes and Bursts into Flames.” Winnipeg Free Press (Winnipeg, MB), April 11, 1936.

“3 Prospectors Injured When Plane Crashes.” Winnipeg Tribune, April 11, 1936.

“Wings Limited in Front Rank in Air Transport.” Winnipeg Tribune, Oct. 15, 1937.

“Prospector Asks $30,600 Damages Following Crash.” Winnipeg Tribune, Oct. 28, 1937.

“Ask $55,000 in Suits.” Winnipeg Tribune, June 18, 1940.

“CPR Acquires Control in Wings, Limited.” Winnipeg Tribune, Nov. 15, 1941.

“Aviation Pioneer Roy Brown Dies.” Winnipeg Tribune, Dec. 1, 1960.