Fleet
Time Air’s Aircraft Fleet
The airline was started by Stubb Ross in 1966 as Lethbridge Air Service. Service commenced from Lethbridge to Calgary using two Beech 18 aircraft and by 1970 the route network covered 5 destinations including Medicine Hat, Edmonton and Red Deer. The Beech 18s were replaced by two DHC-6 Twin Otters (CF-QSC and CF-DKK) and by 1976 the network had added Grande Prairie as a 6th destination. In 1974 a Fairchild F-27 (C-GWRR) was added to better help Time Air compete against Pacific Western Airlines on the Calgary-Edmonton route. This aircraft was sold in late 1977 as the airline replaced it with the new Short Brothers Short SD-330 aircraft (C-FTAV). Time Air was the initial launch customer for the new Short Brothers Shorts SD-330 aircraft and built up a fleet of 3 during their tenure with the airline (C-GTAM and C-GTAS).
Time Air began four engine turboprop service in late 1980 on its trunk Calgary-Edmonton route when its first of two De Havilland Dash 7 (DHC-7) aircraft joined the fleet (C-GTAJ followed by C-GTAZ in September 1981). Fleet expansion continued with the acquisition of a small fleet of 52 seat Convair 580 and Convair 640 aircraft used for both Scheduled and Charter Service. In 1985 a pair of new Short Brothers Short SD-360 aircraft were added to the fleet with the expansion into British Columbia. The Short SD-360‘s were used primarily on the Time Air Connector routes which linked Vancouver to 3 destinations on Vancouver Island whilst the sturdy and larger Convairs serviced northern cities such as Cold Lake, Fort McMurray, Fort Chipewyan, High Level, Rainbow Lake, Peace River and Grande Prairie. The De Havilland Dash 7’s (DHC-7) were used for the more competitive southern routes in British Columbia and Alberta.
In 1987, Time Air acquired both Southern Frontier Airlines (and its Beech 99’s), and another long time regional airline Norcanair and its fleet of Fokker F28-1000 aircraft. The Norcanair purchase enabled expansion east to Manitoba and Winnipeg.
By the mid 1980s, Time Air had acquired a mixed fleet of Short SD-360, De Havilland Canada Dash 7 (DHC-7), Convair 580, Convair 640 and Beech 99 aircraft, but the future began to arrive in 1986 as the first of a new series of De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 (DHC-8) series aircraft joined the fleet. As part of its fleet renewal, four De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 series aircraft were ordered followed by an order for six De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 series aircraft for which the carrier was the launch customer.
Jet operations used the Fokker 28-1000 aircraft, which Norcanair had been using since 1985. Two more aircraft were added to the fleet in 1988 and six further ex-USAir aircraft were picked up from 1991. To celebrate the airline’s 25th anniversary one aircraft was put into a ‘Silver Bullet’ scheme, stripping the cheatlines and polishing the aluminium.
By 1988 Time Air was operating to 38 destinations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon Territory and the United States of America, with hubs in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. International services with the De Havilland Canada Dash 7 (DHC-7) and De Havilland Canada Dash 8 (DHC-8) aircraft connected Vancouver with Seattle whilst the Fokker F28-1000 aircraft served Minneapolis from Regina.