Kenneth Barry Marsden

Barry Marsden, D. of T. (Hon), was born on June 15, 1939 in Vancouver, British Columbia. He grew up in Creston, BC. As a teenager, he was fascinated by airplanes and by 1954 he was holding flag markers in farm fields for agricultural spray planes to aim at.

He earned his pilot licence in 1958 at Skyway Air Services of Langley, BC. He attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology's Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Program, then began his aviation career as a mechanic and pilot at Skyway.

In 1969 Marsden was a co-founder of Conair Aviation Ltd., which was formed as a spin-off from Skyway Air Services. There he assumed successive positions, including Chief Pilot, Superintendent of Flight Operations, and Director of Operations. He logged more than 3,500 hours in aerial forest fire suppression and specialty spraying operations, including spruce budworm control.

Under his leadership, Conair evolved from an aerial fire control operator to become a world leader in the development of fire control aircraft and products. The Conair Firecat was developed by modifying the Grumman S-2 Tracker military surplus aircraft. The first Firecat was modified in 1978, and Conair went on to develop the Turbo Firecat, which accommodates larger tanks, in 1988. In 1982, France ordered 14 Firecats and became one of many countries whose fire protection agencies adopted Conair's methods of safely fighting fires from the air.

During the 1970's and 1980's, Conair expanded significantly, and added a helicopter division to support its forest management operations and provide services for mining exploration and seismic work. Today, the fire control section operates more than 60 aircraft, including a variety of water-scooping Air Tankers and Air Attack (Bird Dog) aircraft types.

In 1991 Marsden became President and Chief Executive Officer of Conair. By the early 1990's, the company was providing maintenance for its own fleet of over 90 aircraft. Conair began to offer maintenance services to other operators, including line and heavy maintenance, custom repairs and modifications, aircraft and component overhaul, and avionics installations.

He soon envisioned the expansion of Conair's aircraft maintenance and engineering capabilities. Cascade Aerospace was formed in 2001, with Marsden as CEO. A $50 million state-of-the-art facility was built on the Conair property at Abbotsford International Airport, designed for the maintenance, repair, overhaul and modification of narrow-body commercial transport aircraft. This new 250,000 square foot hangar, about the size of a football field, is capable of holding eight Boeing 737 aircraft at any one time.

In 2004 Marsden assembled a world class management team, and, with several C-130 experts, won a $434,000,000. contract in 2005 to manage Canada's fleet of 32 C-130s for the Department of National Defence. This contract goes far beyond maintenance, repair and overhaul of the aircraft; it includes all of the engineering, maintenance planning and scheduling, modification design and installations, field maintenance support, parts procurement and component repair and overhaul.

Today, Cascade Aerospace's 606 professionals specialize in all models of Boeing 737, Boeing 757 and Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft and conduct about 850,000 hours of aircraft maintenance and modifications annually. Cascade serves some of the largest airlines in North America, including Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines, Southwest Airlines and WestJet, as well as several major aircraft leasing companies.

Marsden served as Chairman of the Board for both Conair Group and Cascade Aerospace. These two well-respected and thriving businesses employ more than 800 people and substantially contribute to the local economy and to the aviation and aerospace industries in Canada and BC.

He was instrumental in developing an innovative model for educating students to better meet aerospace industry needs. He worked in partnership with University College of the Fraser Valley to develop the Technician Programs in Aircraft Structures and Aircraft Interiors, creating an especially close relationship between the UCFV and Cascade Aerospace. Conair has provided UCFV with one of its hangars to house its programs, giving it a permanent training base with room to expand its programs.

Marsden is deeply committed to the aviation and aerospace industries and to the community, and is involved, or has been involved in the past, with these and many other associations:

• Past Chairman and Director, Aerospace Industry Association of Canada
• Director, Abbotsford Airport Authority
• Director, Industry Training Authority for the Province of British Columbia
• Past Member, National Research Council Associate Committee for Forestry Aviation

Marsden has received many honours for his effective leadership, including the Outstanding Achievement Award in Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul which he won in 2003 at Aviation Week's industry conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

In 2004 the University College of the Fraser Valley bestowed on him an Honorary Doctor of Technology degree for his long-term contribution to the Canadian aerospace industry.

In 2006 he received the Medaille de L'Aeronautique from the Government of France for his innovative leadership and ability to meet the needs of the government of France for almost 30 years by ferrying aircraft to southern France in the early 1980's, sharing his aircraft maintenance expertise and aerial fire control tactics, and delivering two state-of-the-art, Cascade designed and certified Q400-MR multi-role aircraft in 2005.

In 2007 the BC Aviation Council presented him with an Honorary Lifetime Membership and the Chairman's Award of Excellence for his substantial contribution to the aviation and aerospace industries in the province.

In 2008 Marsden was appointed to B.C. Premier's Economic Advisory Council which will provide advice and  recommendations to the government on enhancing the province's economy.

Barry Marsden is acknowledged as a man of vision and dedication. He personifies the qualities of an exceptional leader and entrepreneur, constantly striving for excellence and innovative ideas, energy and integrity.

Barry Marsden passed away on July 27, 2021.

Barry Marsden was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame at ceremonies held in Wetaskiwin, Alberta on May 30, 2009.