The BC Forest Service first evaluated the Douglas A-26 Invader for firefighting in June 1969 when three aircraft attacked 30 fires over a 12-day period from the Kamloops tanker base. In 1970, Conair Aviation won contracts for three A-26s which joined three Flying Fireman PBY-5 Cansos, and five Conair TBMs Avengers to form BC's provincial firefighting fleet. This Douglas A-26C was delivered to the USAAF as 44-34520 in June 1945. In 1958 it became N9420Z and flew as a corporate aircraft. Conair imported it in 1974 as C-GHCF. Sold it to Hawkins & Powers Avn. in 1988 as N94207. To N126HP in 1989.

Douglas DC-6B, C-GHLY was acquired by Conair from Delta Air Transport in Belgium. It's seen here being painted on July 6, 1975 with No. 46 on the tail prior to the installation of an external belly tank. Previous with Northwest Orient Airlines (N581) and Kar-Air in Finland (OH-KDB), it joining DAT in 1992 as OO-EVG and later OO-VGE. Conair's first DC-6Bs were ex-PWA CF-PWA (Tanker 41) and CF-PWF (tanker 42) bought in 1972 & fitted with 2,500 imp gal tanks. No. 41 crashed Aug 2, 1974, but many more DC-6s were purchased for fire contracts in BC, the NWT, Alaska etc. To Alaska in 2014 as N651CE.

Conair Aviation Douglas A-26, C-GHLI was photographed at the fuel pumps at Abbotsford Airport on April 4, 1976 during pilot training to the start of the wildfire season. This A-26 carried the USAAF serial 44-34423 and flew in the Korean War. It remained in USAF inventory until 1958. Sold to Stahmann Farms, Las Cruces, NM as N9594Z and owned 1958-1972. Sold to Victor Newman in TX in 1972 and to Conair in 1974 for airtanker conversion and use. Damaged by fire at Williams Lake, BC on July 1, 1984 and to scrap yard. To Aero Nostalgia 1990. Rebuilt & Preserved at Fairchild AFB, WA.

Set up and ready to showcase the type to the media at today's Aerial firefighting fleet launch is the FieldAir/Conair Q400 C-FFQE or Bomber 390 at its Avalon base.

Built in 1973 and here on standby for bird-dog/ transport duties during the forest fire season. In 2004 it was donated to the British Columbia Institute of Technology at Vancouver and was deleted from the register in 2009.

Now a permanent fixture out front of the KF Center for Excellence here in Kelowna. All that is missing is to have a CV5800 or a 737-200 here.

Previously a passenger airliner in Europe since 1958, this DC-6 was converted to an air tanker by Conair. It was in their fleet from January 1975 - May 2001. Since that last date it's been with Everts Air Fuel as N444CE and is still current at the time of uploading.

C-FFQE has returned to Bundaberg in Queensland as Bomber 141 for the 2022/23 Fire season. It will return to Victoria in December taking up the Bomber 390 tail code.

Ex US Navy 53337.

Aircraft sustained fuel management problems (misidentified as a mechanical issue) during a low-level spraying flight out of Sussex, NB and attempted a wheels-up forced landing on McLaughlan Road / Highway 126 north of Moncton, NB, Canada. A wingtip struck a telephone pole and the aircraft swerved off the road into a field, sustaining significant damage. Normally prior to spraying a block there was a radio call for "spray check" at which time a full wing tank was selected and revs increased among other items. Pilot missed this call due to radio malfunction. The fuselage was trucked out the previous day. Pilot was unhurt.

Ex US Navy 53337.

Ex US Navy 53337.

Departing Avalon after supporting fire bombing operations in Victoria is C-GVFT Bomber 166 returning to Dubbo.

Conair Aviation Douglas A-26, C-GHLK was photographed departing the Abbotsford air tanker base on July 6, 1975. Conair was operating a large firefighting fleet of Grumman TBM-3 Avengers, A-26 Invaders and Douglas DC-6Bs at the time, all of which would be parked on the grass at Abbotsford during the off season. For more information of the history of C-GHLK, see Gary Vincent's 1980 photo on this site.

Skyway Air Services of Langley, BC first acquired Grumman TBM-3s in the 1960s for spraying and fire fighting. The fire fighting division was spun off as Conair Aviation in April 1969 with a fleet of ex-RCN and US Navy single-engine Grumman Avengers which were later sold to Forest Protection in New Brunswick. Avenger CF-MUE/618 was photographed being washed at the BC Forest Service tanker base north of the Conair hangars at Abbotsford on July after attacking a receives a wash after a mission on July 6, 1975. It was exported to the USA as N40402 in 2001.

This Douglas A-26, C-GHLX, was imported from the US in 1975 and became by Conair Aviation's air tanker No. 32. The aircraft still wears its former US colour scheme, with the US history documented on this site by other photographers. On the far left of the photo is a gunbutt from there wartime RCAF Abbotsford (No. 5 OTU) base and on the right are the fuel pumps and fire retardant tanks of the old BC Forest Service air tanker base. This aircraft was later repainted in Conair's new red and white colours. It was de-registered by Conair in Dec 1985 and registered to Air Spray 1967 Ltd. in July 1987

Appropriately sombre weather to mark the last flight for this 1955 built Convair 580. It has just arrived at the B.C. Aviation Museum from its former base at Abbotsford (CYXX). I first saw it as Convair 440 OO-SCS of SABENA on 1 February 1964. Behind is Douglas Invader CF-BMS which is also an ex Conair fire bomber.