FLEET MODEL 80 CANUCK
The beginnings of the Fleet Model 80 Canuck go back
to 1939, when J. Omer (Bob) Noury, an air engineer with the Ottawa Flying
Club, decided to design and build a light aircraft for the Canadian market.
The aircraft was a high-wing monoplane of conventional structure using
a welded steel-tube fuselage and tail surfaces, and powered with a 65-horsepower
Continental flat four-cylinder engine. The Noury T-65 Series 1 design
was first flown on January 21, 1940. The aircraft was given a certificate
of airworthiness and Noury sold it in 1941. Bob Noury became a well-known
aircraft subcontractor during the war years.
The side-by-side seating in the Fleet 80 Canuck was unusual for the period even though it was a far better arrangement for instruction than placing the instructor either in front of or behind the student.
It was test flown from the Hamilton Airport at Mount Hope late in 1944 by T. Borden Fawcett, Noury's test pilot and sales manager. Noury also designed and built a tandem-seat version with a slightly reduced wingspan. It first flew on November 24, 1945, from Hamilton Airport with Fawcett at the controls. Noury built three aircraft before selling the rights to Fleet.
The original panel
Fleet Aircraft felt that the side-by-side design aircraft
met most of their specifications, so in May 1945 they purchased the prototype
and design rights for the plane from Noury Aircraft.
The principal modifications were to the forward fuselage
geometry, lowering the engine four inches to improve the forward visibility,
and moving the engine forward four inches to allow the relocation of the
fuel tank from the centre section of the wing to the forward fuselage.
This made possible the installation of a clear skylight in the cabin roof.
The original Continental C-75 engine was replaced by a more powerful Model
C-85, and a new fin and rudder were installed.
Fleet's wartime experience with wooden aircraft had
proved conclusively that wood is definitely unreliable as a structural
material. The canuck's fuselage was constructed of welded steel tube and
fabric covered. The wings for all production Canucks had extended Duralumin
ribs and were fabric covered.
Fleet obtained certification from the Department of
Transportation once the developement and design were completed. Production
rose to four aircraft per day. Standard Canucks were finished in combinations
of RCAF yellow and Consolidated blue. The expected sales were slow in
coming, and according to one company executive, "Planes were soon
stacked about the plant on their engine mounts like dominoes." It
was a sturdy aircraft he noted.
Between 1945 and 1948, 198 Canuck aircraft were built
by Fleet. The Canuck proved popular and initially sold well to flying
clubs, charter companies, and private owners in Canada. In addition 24
were exported: 19 to Argentina, 3 to Brazil, and 1 each to Portugal and
the United States. By late 1947, plagued by postwar financial difficulties
and the sales slowdown that affected all aircraft manufacturers, Fleet
was forced to terminate production of the Canuck model. To raise necessary
cash to keep the company going, all the jigs, tools, and completed components
were sold to Leavens Brothers Ltd. of Toronto. Leavens continued to assemble
Canucks by special order until 1958, when the last steel-tube fuselage
was used. The earlier assembled aircraft used mostly Fleet-built
components, but later aircraft required more and more manufacturing of
parts as the stock of Fleet-built parts was used up. Leavens Bros. assembled
25 aircraft and one additional aircraft was assembled by the St. Catharines
Flying Club, using a production frame and spare components. Total number
of Canucks built was 225, including the Noury prototype.