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Show r-j CANADA'S SKY CROSSROADS ' y ' 1 ' " v v ft. " '- I "' A, x -,J3. ; AIR transport is a 20tli century development, and since the earliest ear-liest days Canada has been in the van;;uard of progress. Canadian airmen air-men in two wars have proved themselves them-selves second to none, and Canada has led the world in the application of the airplane to peacetime pursuits. pur-suits. Now, on the threshold of the new era of air transport, Canada stands at the crossroads of world airways, superbly equipped with bases and airmen and ready to take its place in international air commerce. com-merce. Comfortably equipped with a first-class domestic airways system with a tremendous expansion potential, poten-tial, Canada is confidently examining examin-ing its post-war position with regard re-gard to air commerce with other nations. A glance at the' globe shows that Canada lies squarely athwart the shortest air lines between the major cities of the North American continent con-tinent and those of Europe and Asia, whether the lines lie over the top of the north polar cap or girdle the shoulder of the globe. For instance, in-stance, the most direct route between be-tween New York or Washington and the British Isles and, western Europe cuts across Canada's eastern provinces. Routes from Chicago and other middle western cities to Europe bisect Canada even more deeply. Turning westward towards Asia, the lines run from Chicago and its neighbors north and west across the Canadian northwest to Alaska and Asia. From the Pacific coast, excluding present overwater, island-hopping routes across the Pacific, the safer, overland routes travel north through Canada and Alaska. Less Hazardous Crossing Canadian territory on such projected air routes is not unavoidable, un-avoidable, for non-Canadian air lines could, for instance, skirt Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in north Atlantic flying and could fly from The airline following the Alcan Highway through Canada to Alaska has been a vital supply route to our outpost. Photo shows a Norseman Norse-man taking off from Whitehorse Airfield. Seattle to Alaska without crossing Canadian soil. Such a procedure, however, would not be feasible because be-cause of the long and hazardous non-stop overwater flights involved. While Canada has established wartime air bases in Newfoundland and Labrador, which are not part of Canada, their peace-time use for international air transport remains to be determined by negotiations among the interested parties. The Newfoundland and Labrador bases constructed or improved by Canada because of wartime requirements require-ments are the most publicized of Canada's, new air centres, but they are not necessarily the most important. im-portant. From the view of post-war international air transport, the three most important Canadian terminals are likely to be Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton. Reimbursing U. S. Insistent that Canada retain ownership own-ership of all air bases on Canadian soil, the Canadian government has arranged to reimburse the United States for all expenditures made by it in Canada on works of permanent value. Such reimbursements amount to $76,811,551 in United States funds, including $543,000 spent at Goose Bay, Labrador. Canada thus has the air bases ready for the anticipated development develop-ment of international air transport on an unprecedented scale. Canada also has ready a tremendous reservoir reser-voir of skilled aviation personnel to fill every job from the maintenance and overhaul hangars, through the traffic control towers, administrative administra-tive offices, meteorological stations and radio rooms to the flight crews themselves. |