In 1982, when I was 11, we moved to Comox BC from Lahr, Germany. We were right across the road from the hospital and Labrador SAR helicopters landed there from time to time. Once I went over to get a closer look and I was invited inside by the crew and given a tour. Definitely a red letter day for a wide-eyed kid!
As a Canadian I am blown away with your well researched historical looks at these Canadian aircraft! Hope you keep at it would love to see some older stuff too like the sabers and WW2 crafts!
@@agfrench82 I got sick and tired of doing SAR for those old birds.... Then we retired them and good riddance. It's been a while now, but I think 3 or 4 in a month or two's time.
@@alanlahay8693 We have more lakes than the rest of the world. Our coastline is more than 200 000 km. We have almost 10 million km² of land in a wide variety of topography and climate - it's now 18°C in Vancouver and -7°C in Alert
Thank you for making this video! Just a couple of weeks before I was born, my uncle's helicopter crashed somewhere in the wilderness in Newfoundland while on a rescue mission. All crew died except for one who courageously stayed and helped defend their remains from the wildlife. I've never been able to find much about the helicopter he flew so I really appreciate the insight you have provided us. Thank you!
I was medevac'd at sea by one of the CH-113's in Spring of 1977. Always described it as a CH-47, thanks for the clarification. Thank you 103, you guys were the best!
The great majority of my flight time is in the CH-46 and its civil counterpart the BV-107II and KV-107II . I still have a muscle memory of that beat they have.
One of my favourite childhood memories is getting a tour of one of these when they landed just for fuel on the south coast of Newfoundland. They even gave me a sticker aha
@@agfrench82 I knew a lot of the people growing up always said how they hated living in Newfoundland but after they grew up and left they’d always come back and talk about how much they missed home.
@@geriatricjoe7871 yes it's very isolated in many communities and not much to do so when you're young you think it sucks that the store closes at 9 pm, or the closest movie theatre was 2 hours away... But as you become an adult you realize how much you didn't need those things that you thought were important... It's the beauty and peace of the place
@@agfrench82it is always nice for a Newfoundlander to see the rest of Canada but you’re right as you get older you realize you don’t need all the extra stuff. Tho I wish they’d let people carry and use guns more leniently
I can remember attending several air shows at Comox when I was a youngster. At one show, the announcer made repeated calls for the owner of a certain automobile to move their vehicle. Getting no action after a long time, a Piasecki was tasked with moving the offender's car. Flying in front of the audience, with the car slung below, something "malfunctioned", and it fell to the ground in a cloud of dust. A lot of people were taken in by the stunt, but not my father, a former 1 Can Para vet, he knew it was staged. I wonder if this stunt played out at other air shows.
I am pretty sure I saw something similar in Winnipeg, early 70’s. With dropping the car. Also saw a Hercules with rocket assist take off, which was cool. But The thing I will never forget was a fedex 727 doing a full speed low level pass about 50ft off the runway and then straight up. The thunder was insane and it climbed and sounded like a rocket. Never seen anything that big do that again. The announcer said something to the effect of ‘that was extra special folks, that was supposed to be 500 ft. ‘. The previous comments reminded me of that, had to share.
All of your videos really point out one main theme - Canada takes a plane and then makes it better and do things that they were normally not meant for in the first place! Great job on the content
I know its not the CH-113, but the CH-149 cormorant is awe inspiring to watch fly overhead, and if you live near the coast youre bound yo see it one day. One time i was on a tall ship summer camp and we were docked at this tiny town, and way past dark a CH-149 flew in and started hovering around above us, with a spotlight on the forest. Someome had hurt their leg while hiking and needed air rescue, so it just flew around there above us in the pitch black rumbling away
Excellent video! Well thought out, good use of graphics and effects. One little detail: Chinook is CH-47, not CH-46. The one shown at 4:02 in Afghanistan sling loading a M777 howitzer is not a C model since they were sold to the Netherlands, but more likely a D. Canada now has CH-47F. Love all the pictures of the FN rifle!
Four squadrons are mentioned as receiving the upgraded Labs, from 1975. Actually, CFB Summerside had 413 Sqn, transferred from CFB Greenwood in 1968. In Greenwood they were 103 Sqn. Summerside later had half 413 squadron transferred to Gander Nfld, where they became 103 again. After CFB SUmmerside closed, 1992 , 413 was sent back to Greenwood.
Privileged to end my CF career in support of the CH113/113A. Satisfying change from working on aircraft designed for war. Retired just before the fleet was retired. Shared the T58 powerplant with the Sea King. Upgraded to -100 engines a few years before retirement, Sea Kings continued to benefit from the engine upgrade. A good thing as that replacement program dragged on forever as well. 8 of our Labs live on with Columbia Helicopters in Portland Oregon. If you've never seen a Vertol 107 doing Heli logging, you're missing out. Different kind of flying vs the relative cruising nature of SAR.
I was stationed at 8ACCS in Trenton and we did comms support for 424 SAR when they received the cormorant. It was a bitter sweet time. The Lab will always be the iconic bird or the RCAF SAR. She was an airframe that didn't fail us. Glad we preserved some airframes for history. I enjoyed the flights I the Lab more than ANY rotary airframe I've been in.
That was a sad time. I was a tech with 442 and the day 305 crashed we were deployed on a major search in Prince Rupert. Had to finish the search without the Labs as they were grounded following the crash. IIRC crash was caused by a fire fed by a fuel line leak. Another sad day was when 311 crashed during a hoisting op. RIP Phil Young, SAR Tech.
Thank you for making these episodes, it's really about time someone seriously covers canadian military aviation industry, a truly rich history that should be known all around the world!
Worked on them 1983 to 1991. Was in Trenton Bameo and had worked in 9hgr on Buffaloes and Twin Huey's. 83 transferred to 103 RU. 85 transferred back to Trenton as CH113A reintroduced to 424 Sqn. 1990 move to be in charge T58 and T64 section in engine bay.
I was in the US Marine Corps in the late 70's to the early 80's. I reenlisted in 1979 to work on helicopters. The Marine Corps in its infinite wisdom had me work on CH-46 helicopters (the American Marine Corps, Navy variant of the CH-113). They were the latest modifications to the CH-46 D and F models the E model. The E model had 1870 SHP engines, full self sealing fuel tanks, safer seats and armor for the pilots. The composite rotor blades came soon after. I made 2 deployments on board ship with CH-46's and they were a great and forgiving helicopter. The last Marine Corps CH-46 was retired in 2015 and I attended that ceremony. The Marine Corps CH-46 was nicknamed the Phrog because of its appearance on the ground. Phrogs Forever!!!
I subscribed early last week, and I've been binging your awesome channel a bit! I was in the shower this morning and had a catchy cello piece running through my head. I took me a while to identify it within my consciousness, but guess where it was from? LOL!! Love the channel, and thanks for all your hard and detail-oriented work. We notice it out here!
Nice to see this video. I was able to grab a fly over of the Sandbanks and the retired Quinte airfield with a bunch of snowbirds with my section when on job training in Trenton with 424. To boot is was just before they were retired in summer 2002. Very fun memories. Didn't knew these helis could pull almost one G while my face and helmet was licking the side window during a turn. Still impressed to have lived that with so many hours on these. A true price of SAR history in Canada.
Wee niggle: 413 operated out of CFB Summerside, PEI from 1968 until Summerside was closed in 1991. That moved 413 to Geenwood (and put an end to 880 as an active squadron - it still exists on paper as a zero-strength unit, oddly as a RN Fleet Air Arm unit seconded to Canada - and the CP-121 Tracker).
Why would anyone ever give a thumbs down to this video? Polyus is doing an amazing job! A much needed channel to preserve the legacy of Canadian aviation.
Fascinating - I remember when they were up for replacement, and all the kerfuffle around it, but I didn't realize what a great whirlybird was being phased out! Love the channel - it's nice to see some CanCon aviation!
Lost a high school buddy in a Labrador crash, brave man, gave his life saving others. Sad he was forced to use a 40 year old piece of equipment at the time. Too bad Canadians don’t demand the best for those willing to risk all. But we have to spend millions on the Governor Generals remodels every time we get a new one.
Growing up it was nothing to see/hear the Labrador flying overhead, nowadays the only one here in my area is the one that's on static display at our local aircraft museum
You can thank successive Liberal governments for that… beginning with Pierre Trudeau. He’s started out by scraping HMCS Bonaventure, the last Cdn aircraft carrier which was only 10 years old and had just undergone a major refit in 1968 when Justin’s daddy Pierre had it sold for scrap. Pretty boy Justin has been in power for over 5 years. Where are the replacements for the CF-18? The replacements for the Halifax class frigates? What’s going to replace the griffon utility helicopter? Where are the new replenishment ships? Where are the replacements for the old Wardair planes we bought second hand? If you care at all about our military and basic self defence, don’t vote for the Liberals. They have a sad history which every serving and retired CAF member knows.
Served in two of those squadrons(424 and 413) with the Lab as an Aviation Tech, then retired and onto the Cormorant for 12 more years. Cormorants are maintained by civilians but operated by the RCAF.
When I was a kid, the helicopters out of Greenwood would land at CFB Halifax: Windsor Park practically daily. It's been my understanding this was due to them being too heavy to land on the rooves of the hospitals. Whatever the reason, I always get excited to see one in a museum now.
That's true, they would land at CFB Hailifax, Windsor Park. While working there I saw one land and they had an ambulance ready to take whatever organ they brought in a special cooler to the hospital and they were fast doing it.
My Dad did many "Air Evacs" out of Summerside. In Summerside they would land on the football pitch at QE Park, a hop away from the hospital, transport the patient by ambulance, fly them to Halifax, and land at Windsor Park, another ambulance to VG. Don't recall the VG having a roof landing pad, not until the New Infirmary and by that time, NS Air Ambulance had taken over Air Evacs. Much smaller aircraft, as it didn't have any other duties, unlike the Labs. I remember 413 deploying to Goose Bay for training exercises, and the crews, maintenance, the whole gang, "the fishing gear they brought with them" remember all the gear waiting to be loaded, then one guy with his long station wagon comes along, they loaded it too! Those Air Force guys looked after themselves!
The 1998 crash was tragic, and it was before my time... Canada seems to lack the insight for new machines to carry out the various ops needed to be carried out. Great video!
My dad worked on these and was part of the salvage crew to build the memorial for the crashed Labrador in northern Quebec. I wish I could have flown on it.
I remember watching a video on the History Channel about replacing the Lapador. I can't for the Life of me Remember the name of the TV series, but it was great. They talked about most Canadian Aircraft, both Military and Civilian.
I just found this channel through RU-vid recommending me the video on the CF-100. I was instantly interested to see a video on the CF-100 as it's a plane I have always been interested in from when I saw it at the Warplane Heritage Museum. Loving the focus on the Canadian aircraft as it can be difficult to find some love for Canadian aircraft other than the Arrow.
Congrats on the 10k subs👍. I just watched the video on the CF5, and you were at 9.9k, so I subscribed. Ironically enough watching this video, I noticed you were now at 10k.😎
Awsome historical video! I remember when I was 2-3 years old when one in the olive-rescue scheme landed @ the helipad of the hospital that was across the street from our house..we were accustomed to Bell UH-1 Hueys landing there due to our local Army base supporting local EMS with emergency airlift assistance.. Can't remember if it was an international training event or a patient S&R to hospital mission.. Either way, for me it was a BIG deal, a BIGGER HELICOPTER !🤯
Who'd have thought the vast and sparsely populated country with drastic temperature and weather extremes would have serious search and rescue capabilities. Fun fact the Canadian army also has several Hercules aircraft (424 Trenton as mentioned here) on standby for search and rescue. When you hear those puppies flying overhead for 3 hours at 1000ft you know shit went down.
I flew those for years, don't recall any auto-hover capability, they were very hands on without automation of any sort. They may have had auto-hover as part of the wish list but it never made it into the aircraft. The upgrade to CH113A was call SARCUP for Search and Rescue Capabilities Upgrade.
US Navy and I believe Marine Corps models had auto hover and I used it more than once. It would not fly you from 150 feet 50 knots into a 40 foot hover hands off like the Sea King could, you had to slow it down manually with the coolie hat trim on the cyclic but as you slowed it the aircraft would descend on its own to 40 feet. From there you had to manually trim the hover a bit but it would hold an altitude for you. The Swedes used theirs for ASW with a dipping sonar so their surely had an auto hover feature.
These videos are some of the best yt aircraft ever made, there well put together, have great stock footage/pictures and that music never gets old. There quality short documentarys. By the way what does Polyus mean?
I thought the extra large fuel tanks were unique for the Swedish air force and marine (under the designation HKP-4) but apparently not. I'm pretty sure they were not fitted to CH-46 in US service.
Info on fleet designation following standardization is incorrect. While the Voyageur name was dropped it was given the designation CH113A. The original Labradors were still designated as CH113, without the A. Thus the fleet was known as CH113/CH113A Labrador.
I remember watching a long and quite close-up demonstration of the Labrador on Dow's Lake in Ottawa (1983? ... 84?) that included it motoring about on the lake just in front of us. I was transfixed. As capable as the Cormorant is, it can't do that. (Nor does the Cyclone float like the Sea King could). 413 was my Dad's squadron except he flew PBY 5 Catalinas out of Koggala Ceylon (hence the Indian elephant on the Squadron crest).
I've flown both the Sea King and Sea Knight and neither in my experience will really float. You can cruise around a bit on the water with rotors turning and pulling a bit of power but if you shut the rotors down on either helo it will roll over as the rotors coast down. If you even lower the collective in a CH-46 water comes pouring in over the ramp. I think you would have to have a perfectly calm glass smooth body of water, zero wind and more than a little luck to get the rotors to coast down and not roll over. A Chinook will do it on perfectly smooth water because they are so wide relative to their height.
@@philsalvatore3902 There's a RU-vid video featuring an RCAF Labrador shutting down & restarting on the water. It was done during an airshow demo on relatively calm water very early in the life of the fleet. I don't think it was common practice or even done at all after that as it is a risky operation. Remember that the CH113 Labrador has the larger fuel tanks that will give it more stability afloat vs a CH46 with its stubbies. Found the video, owned by Periscope films incorrectly titled Boeing Sea Knight test program whereas it's an in-service RCAF CH113 Labrador. Rotors shut down at about the 3 minute mark. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-f-zKgb60_yE.htmlsi=GJuhnJI1ZDsnq1zq
@@MikeSiemens88 We could never shut down our CH-46s on the water. We couldn't even lower the collective fully or water would come up over the ramp and into the rear of the cabin. I have seen still photos of an early CH-47 test article sitting still on a river with the rotors not turning. I don't think I would have the courage to pull the ECLs back while sitting on the water. My you know what would inhale the seat cushion O_O
As a rampie in Brandon mb I seen fuelled and put labs to bed in the hangar and as a Casara member got to ride in the cormorant at a sarex which rather poed a friend of mine as he had to ride in a Blackhawk
That was the first of the horrible procurements for Canada. Just look at the Seaking replacement program, the Victoria class submarine disaster, the fighter jet replacement program, and the new S and R fixed-wing airplanes. They have all had major delays, been way over budget and or cancelled just to be restarted with more delays.
Because the Labrador had a ramp that would allow the water in when on water, there was a large piece of plywood placed horizontally across just at the fuselage/ramp junction. Landing on water, place the dam, and the inside stays dry.
We landed CH-46s on a local San Diego area reservoir for training but never did it operationally. I think it was done to let us know we could do it in a pinch but water gets in everywhere. Yes the Chinook is the CH-47. The Civil Chinook is the BV-234. Chinooks are wonderful to fly.
Coastguard were a different outfit and different helicopters. The Lab was a pleasant aircraft to work on, and as a tech that is about the highest praise I could give. They saved a lot of people.
Auto Hover? Got a source for that? If you are going to produce videos that purport to be definitive, you need to get your facts correct. As well, GPS was a much later mod. Well after the Bendix Radar and the updated "Speedline" front door hoist.
US Navy CH-46s certainly had an auto hover feature. I used it more than once to deploy SAR swimmers and pick up "victims" during training but luckily didn't need to use it once deployed.
@@philsalvatore3902 All well and good. The CANADIAN as in Royal Canadian Air Force Labradors (aka your CH-46s) did not have auto hover. I believe this video is about the Canadian aircraft? My tour flying them out of Gander Newfoundland is my source.
