Canadair North Star
The Canadair North Star is a 1940s Canadian development, for Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), of the Douglas DC-4. Instead of radial piston engines used by the Douglas design, Canadair used Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engines to achieve a higher cruising speed of 325 mph (523 km/h) compared with the 246 mph (396 km/h) of the standard DC-4. Requested by TCA in 1944, the prototype flew on 15 July 1946. The type was used by various airlines and by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). It proved to be reliable but noisy when in service through the 1950s and into the 1960s. Some examples continued to fly into the 1970s, converted to cargo aircraft.
| North Star | |
|---|---|
| BOAC DC-4M-4 Argonaut G-ALHS "Astra" at London Airport (Heathrow) in September 1954 | |
| Role | Passenger and cargo transport |
| Manufacturer | Canadair |
| First flight | 15 July 1946 |
| Introduction | 1946 |
| Retired | 1960s (RCAF), 1975 (last civil operator) |
| Primary users | Trans-Canada Air Lines Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Pacific Air Lines BOAC |
| Produced | 1946 - 1950 |
| Number built | 71 |
| Developed from | Douglas DC-4 |
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