De Havilland DH.60 Moth in flight over Leaside Aerodrome
Image Credit: City of Toronto Archives
In 1923, the Ontario Department of Lands and Forest contracted Laurentide Aviation to conduct forest fire patrols across the north of the province with a fleet of 12 Curtiss HS-2L flying boats after charting aircraft for forest sketching and photography.
In 1924, the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) was formed with the purchase of 12 HS-2Ls and 16 pilots and 19 aircraft maintenance engineers hired to support the operation which established a base on the waterfront in Sault Ste. Marie.
The HS-2L fleet was replaced by new aircraft in the late 1920s and early 1930s including 14 DH 60 Moths and other aircraft that could be equipped with wheels, skis or floats to fly on a year-round basis to manage and protect the province’s natural resources.
The OPAS is recognized as the oldest aviation organization in the world established to detect and control forest fires and a pioneer when it came to the development of the first postwar waterbombers.
The agency has also played an important role in the development of the Ontario aircraft manufacturing industry by placing large customer orders for the de Havilland Aircraft of Canada DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-3 Otter, DHC-2 Mk. III Turbo Beaver, DHC-6 Twin Otter as well as orders for CL 415 waterbombers and Airbus AS350B2 and H130 helicopters assembled in Ontario factories.
– Kenneth Swartz
Today, students from Centennial College, Toronto Metropolitan University, Queens University, McMaster University, York University and the University of Toronto are working together on collaborative DAIR projects, developing skills and helping to build an even stronger aerospace industry for Ontario and Canada.