| 26" x 20" | "Fox Moth at Redrock" Robert Bradford Countersigned Edition Size: 850 |
$145.00 (Cdn) |
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Redrock Lake is a scenic wonder located near the Arctic Circle in Canada's Northwest Territories. In 1946 Max Ward purchased a brand new DeHavilland DH83C Fox Moth "DJC" and set out to build one of the world's finest airlines. The Ward Family reached this goal during each phase of their airline's growth. First, a premier bush operation based in Yellowknife, then the famous Wardair international charter service, followed by a superb international scheduled airline. Maxwell W. (Max) Ward's legendary accomplishments in the field of aviation are an outstanding example of the meaning of the Royal Canadian Air Force motto, "PER ARDUA AD ASTRA" - "through adversity to the stars". Max Ward received his RCAF pilot's wings on November 2, 1941, at Claresholm, Alberta, and like thousands of other aircrew graduates of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, expected to go overseas immediately. But it was not to be. Max's abilities as a pilot were deemed valuable to the training of other pilots and he was retained in Canada as an instructor throughout the war. Always fascinated by Northern flying, Max decided to establish a bush flying service when the war ended. He purchased a new DeHavilland DH 83C Fox Moth in July of 1946, and flew it to Yellowknife. His first company, Polaris Charter Company Ltd., lasted only a brief 2 years, but the die was cast and he was determined to succeed. Wardair Ltd. came into being in 1953 with a new DeHavilland Canada DHC-3 Otter based at Yellowknife's Back Bay. The Wardair saga had begun. The highly successful northern operations of Wardair were to be the foundation of his dream to create a world class airline. During the next three decades Max Ward would receive both national and international acclaim for his outstanding achievements in providing efficient, top quality airline service. In 1971 the Northwest Aviation Council of the United States presented him with the Billy Mitchell award. He was elected a Companion of the Order of Icarus in 1973 - the same year he received Canada's highest Aviation Award, the McKee Trophy. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974, inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in Edmonton, awarded the Gordon R. McGregor Memorial Trophy (1979), and through the years received honorary degrees from seven Canadian universities.  Having built one of Canada's premier 'bushpilot' operations, Max inaugurated Wardair jet transport operations in 1966 with the first Canadian purchase of a Boeing 727, thus forming the bridge between the bush/age and the jet/age. Boeing 707's and 747's came next, followed by McDonnell - Douglas DC-10's, Airbus A300's and A310's. 'Wardair class' service set the highest standard during a quarter century of exemplary service. However, despite the success of this remarkable airline and the driving spirit of Max Ward, the incompatibility between his free enterprise airline and the decades of Canadian Government monopolistic airline policy proved destructive. Time ran out before he could build his airline of the nineties. On May 2nd, 1989 Max Ward's dream passed into history when Wardair was purchased by the PWA Corporation, the holding company of Canadian Airlines International.Today, Max and Marjorie Ward spend as much time as they can in the Northwest Territories they love so much, where Max can usually be found at the controls of his Twin Otter. During their nearly half century of marriage, they have been part of the amazing, changing world of aviation. Although Wardair was denied its final objective, it was a magnificent company and a proud contribution to Canadian Aviation History.
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