James Stewart McBride

Born on November 23, 1930, James Stuart “Jim” McBride was one of three sons and a daughter born to his parents, Jack and Lillian. Jim was raised on the family farm near Benalto, Alberta. He attended school at Benalto and nearby Red Deer, then left home at 16 to work in gold mines of the Northwest Territories. Jim’s first experience in uniform was as an air cadet while still in school, then in the army reserve before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1950. Starting a career in aviation as an aero engineer with the RCAF, Jim saw service in France, Germany, England and at various stations in Canada, working on Mustang and Sabre aircraft.

In September 1952, while in Ottawa, he met and married Margaret Ruth Dawson after knowing her for ten days, before being posted overseas with the air force! After returning to Canada, at MacDonald, Manitoba he took flying lessons and qualified for a Private Pilot Licence. In 1953, while still in the RCAF, he purchased an Aeronca 7AC aircraft to log the 200 hours he needed to earn a Commercial Licence. Jim left the RCAF in 1956 with the rank of Leading Air Craftsman. He then made his first commercial investment in civil aviation when he and Ruth put his $1,550 severance pay from the RCAF and $1,100 from selling the Aeronca into starting Midwest Aviation Ltd. in Winnipeg with one aircraft, a Piper P18 Super Cub.

The company soon became a dealer for Piper Aircraft, selling the Super Cub. Business was expanded with the addition of a flying school and sale of aviation fuel. Eventually Jim leased a wartime RCAF Training Command hangar from Transport Canada at Winnipeg and used it to provide storage space for several Winnipeg aviation-related firms.

In 1960 his company began providing regular charter service for Manitoba Hydro, using Piper Commanche aircraft, which Jim often flew himself. In 1961 Jim obtained a Hughes Helicopter franchise for Midwest Aviation, and earned his helicopter endorsement. In 1962, two Bell 47G2 helicopters were purchased and used on forestry and Manitoba Hydro contracts.

In 1964, Toronto-Dominion Bank had opened a branch at the Winnipeg airport, and manager Dan McDougall approached Midwest Aviation for its business. The company secured a major loan which gave Midwest the opportunity for growth and expansion, making TD Bank a major player in Midwest’s future. Within two years Dan McDougall became Vice President of Midwest Aviation and remains a lifelong friend of Jim McBride. By 1967, Midwest had purchased 16 helicopters, including a Bell 205 helicopter for support of fire fighting and oil exploration programs in the high Arctic. With aviation safety a priority, Jim introduced a training program for the company to qualify engineers as pilots who were capable of servicing the aircraft they flew.

In 1965 the company began scheduled service between Winnipeg and Gillam, Manitoba to support the Kettle Rapids project for Manitoba Hydro. Starting with a de Havilland Twin Otter, a Douglas DC-3 was then used, followed by purchase of a Hawker-Siddely 748 fifty-passenger turboprop aircraft. When a strike of Air Canada in 1969 cancelled service between Winnipeg and Toronto, the 748 filled the gap, leading to the purchase of a second Siddely 748 type.

From 1962-69, Jim McBride served as a director of the Air Transport Association of Canada and in 1970-71 was the founding director and president of the Manitoba Aviation Council. In 1969, Midwest Aviation merged with Northland Airlines, becoming Midwest Airlines Ltd. with Jim McBride as president. Service expanded to communities in northern Manitoba and northwest Ontario, while amphibious Canso aircraft were converted to water bombers. At the same time, the Province of Manitoba began developing airstrips at several locations served by Midwest, which allowed for transfer from water bases to airports, improving operational safety and enabling greater regular service.

Activity in the Canadian Arctic by petroleum companies drilling for oil and gas created a demand for delivery of fuel, goods and services. Thus Midwest established a base at Resolute Bay NWT (now Resolute, Nunavut) and purchased Hawker-Siddeley Argosy 220 turboprop freighters to meet the demand for short-haul flights, complementing the long-haul requirements met by Pacific Western Airlines.

In November 1969, Midwest merged with Transair under the name of Transair Ltd. with Jim as president and major shareholder. Service from Winnipeg to Regina and Saskatoon was granted, and later from Winnipeg to Toronto with stops at Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. To service the routes, the company took delivery of two Boeing 737-200C “combi” jet aircraft, carrying both freight and passengers. They allowed elimination of the company’s aging piston aircraft, and were well suited for service from Winnipeg to Cambridge Bay and Hall Beach, Nunavut. With the 737s, vacation charters served Florida, the Caribbean and Mexico from Toronto, and the company was now operating 80 aircraft, employing nearly 700 people.

Having taken the new company to a profitable position, Jim sold his shares in Transair in 1973, after more than 20 years in aviation. Jim’s next decision was to move with his family to Calgary, Alberta in 1973. He purchased an 800-acre farm some 20 miles south of the city, naming the property Goldenview Farms, but did not leave aviation. In 1974 he obtained the Piper Cheyenne Aircraft franchise for Canada. The Cheyenne was a high-performance, eight-place twin-engine turboprop model sold from Jim’s newest venture, Corpac Canada. He held Corpac until 1983, when he sold the company. Then Jim re-entered the helicopter industry in 1978 by establishing Turbowest Helicopters Ltd. in Calgary, introducing the Aérospatiale Lama and Alouette 111 helicopters, which supported seismic operations in Alberta and British Columbia. He held the company until 1998, and today continues with IMS Ltd., his investment company.

While still with Transair, Jim became interested in Limousin beef cattle and later bred Limousin cattle with great international success at Goldenview Farms. He received the Limousin Breed of Distinction from the Canadian Limousin Association in 1996. He promoted agriculture for the next 20 years and in 1982 served as chairman for the Canadian Limousin World Congress. The McBrides sold their interest in Goldenview Farms in 2010 and their interest in Limousin cattle in 2014.

Jim McBride has been recognized by former employees and colleagues for management skills and concern for employees, for providing service and equipment for customers, and helping to shape the careers of others in aviation. Douglas Fletcher, retired Senior Vice President of Operations for CN Rail, has written that,

“I have known Jim McBride for over 50 years. From his early days through the creation of Midwest Aviation to the merger with Transair, he demonstrated his love for the industry, a keen business sense, a vision of the future in aviation and a total commitment to air safety.”

Jim and Ruth made their home in Calgary. They have one daughter, Patricia, and a grandson, Patrick.