Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

This memory sent in by Bill Norberg (now deceased) appeared in NetLetter #323, October 29, 1998

Subject: Lockheed 14's and Parachute flares.

When TCA started operations in the late 1930's initially with Lockheed 10A's and later 14's the system of airports and airway facilities across the country was fairly limited.

As an aid to the flight crews in event they had to make a forced landing or land at a relatively unequipped airport the aircraft were equipped with two parachute flares. These were fuelled by magnesium which burns with an intense white light after ignition. The flares were located on either side of the front cargo compartment directly ahead of the cockpit area. These could be jettisoned by the flight crew when and if needed.

When the aircraft were to be hangared for major maintenance work, the flares were removed to prevent inadvertent deployment as they could be a serious fire hazard. These flares were not of course removed when the aircraft were hangared for short periods or overnight.

I forget the exact date but it was probably in the 1943-1944 period when an exciting event took place in hangar # 1 at the Winnipeg Base.

An aircraft was in the hangar close to the rear (or north) wall of the hangar when for reasons unknown, to me at least, one flare was discharged onto the hangar floor beneath the aircraft. It immediately burst into flames and started to burn with an intense heat. It was also giving off a great deal of smoke and in a relatively short while the complete hangar was filled with smoke down to within about 3 feet of the floor.

The fire alarms went off of course and I left the Instrument shop where I was working in accordance with the fire plan. Upon entering the hangar all I could see was a very bright light in a pall of smoke and the legs of many people running around in a frenzy. As luck would have it the hangar doors were opened to clear the smoke while the aircraft was towed out of harm’s way.

The burning flare was eventually extinguished using sand from the many fire buckets placed around the hangar. Before being extinguished it managed to burn a hole in the concrete floor about 15 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches deep.