Carlyle Clare Agar

Carlyle Clare Agar was born on November 28, 1901, in Lion's Head, Bruce County, Ontario and went by Carl. In 1905, he moved to Edmonton, Alberta, where he would attend primary and high school education.

Carl's desire and passion for flying took root in his early teens when his brother, Egan, six years his senior, and Egan's close friend, "Wop" May, a young man from the neighbourhood, joined the Edmonton 202 Battalion and then transferred to the Royal Flying Corps on their arrival to England. Unfortunately, Egan was killed in a strafing attack in the German lines with only 50 hours flying time to his credit, although Wop survived through the war and returned to Edmonton to carry out a career in bush flying.

Following the war, Carl and his family moved to a farm on the outskirts of the city. In 1923 he married his wife Anne Short and the following year their first child, Dorothy, was born.

Even with the long hours and hard work farming brought, Carl still had a dream of flying again and by 1928, had saved enough money to pursue  his life time goal of flying.

Carl joined the Edmonton Aero Club and under the tutelage of Maurice 'Moss' Burbidge, he earned his Private Pilot's License in 1929 at the age of 28, the same year his second child was born, a son, named Egan.

Unfortunately, this is almost where Carl's flying career comes to an end. In the years of depression following the First World War, the farm could not financially support the hobby of flying. Carl eked out a living on the farm for Anne and the family.

In 1932 in an attempt to increase their income he accepted a position with the Department of Indian Affairs as an agricultural instructor at Wabamun, Alberta. Two years later he returned to full time farming.

At the outbreak of World War II, Carl attempted to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as a pilot, but was rejected because, at the age 38, he was over the age limit. In 1940, he reapplied to the RCAF, since the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) was expanding and there was increased demand for instructors. He was accepted for pilot training and posted to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and Trenton, Ontario, where he graduated as a flight instructor. He was stationed at Edmonton and High River, Alberta, and Abbotsford, British Columbia. In 1944, he was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) for outstanding contributions as a flight instructor. He was discharged from the RCAF in 1945 when he reached the maximum age for aircrew.

Agar moved his family to Penticton, British Columbia, where he formed the South Okanagan Flying Club in partnership with two ex-RCAF members, pilot Barney Bent and maintenance engineer Alf Stringer. Their Club operations were limited to flight training only - no charter work was permitted. The lack of commercial flying business forced them to reassess their position, so they moved to Kelowna, British Columbia, and formed Okanagan Air Service. Their plan was to engage in instructional activities, charter flying, and crop spraying, but they were again forced to reconsider their operational activities due to high maintenance costs.

The partners learned of a Bell 47-B3 helicopter being demonstrated at Yakima, Washington, as a crop sprayer. They went to see this new machine and returned convinced of the helicopter's potential. To raise enough money to purchase one, as well as meet the costs of pilot and maintenance training, they decided to convert the Company to public ownership and sell shares. In this way, Carl was able to bring the first commercial helicopter, a Bell 47-B3, into Canada on August 9, 1947, to spray orchards in the Okanagan Valley with insecticides.

When it became evident that he needed to expand his operations to sustain his company, Carl contracted with the Government of British Columbia to spray forests affected by loop worm, and areas of the lower Fraser Valley which were infested with mosquitoes.

CF-F2X Helicopter, loading DDT spray to apply against hemlock looper. July 1948.       

Spraying hemlock looper with DDT by helicopter

When not engaged in these economically crucial operations, Agar learned the secrets of helicopter flying in the remote reaches of the Rocky Mountains. Flying at high altitudes brought new challenges: the higher one goes, the less dense the air becomes, causing the rotors to provide less lift and the power of the engine to diminish. As well, unpredictable winds created sudden up-drafts and/or down-drafts. The rugged terrain required the ability to land on a small shelf of rock and take off again. Carl practiced his theories and perfected new skills and operational techniques. When the company needed additional pilots, he taught them the intricate mountain-flying skills himself.

Landing a helicopter on a narrow mountain ledge was a skill to master. Taking off was another: the machine needed forward space to become airborne. A new, daring skill was needed. Carl learned to literally 'bump' his machine sideways off the mountain ledge, and as it fell, it picked up enough forward speed to fly.

When the British Columbia Government's topographical department needed a special survey of the Wahleach Mountain Range southeast of Chilliwack, Carl was ready. The operation was a complete success and his techniques for high altitude landings and takeoffs in hitherto inaccessible locations became the standard accepted world-wide.

Having conquered the altitude barrier, Carl then proved the effectiveness of using helicopters in contour flying for timber operations, and followed this successful manoeuvering strategy by transporting prospecting parties to and from remote bush areas. He accepted a contract from the Water Board of Vancouver in 1949 to airlift 400,000 pounds (181,000 kg) of construction material, equipment, and personnel to the 3,500 foot (1,067 m) level of a mountainside, and was credited with helping to complete the building of the Palisade Lake Dam on schedule. It was the first time a helicopter had been used in such a manner, and more than 2,000 takeoffs and landings were required to finalize the lift.  Today the dam stands as a monument to Carl Agar's mastery of vertical flight.

Carl Agar (1948). One of the first altitude landings for B.C. Topographical Surveys

The international publicity according this outstanding achievement prompted industry and the military to re-think their operational transportation methods. As a result, selected commercial and military pilots were trained in mountain flying techniques by Carl's company. His expertise led to a contract in 1951 with the Aluminum Company of Canada to assist in the construction of a giant smelter complex at Kitimat, British Columbia. Engineering survey work, which formerly would have taken up to two years to complete, was finished in a matter of weeks. His firm, now renamed Okanagan Helicopters Ltd., moved its operations to Vancouver and went on to become one of the largest commercial helicopter operations in the world.

Carl Agar received many honours and awards for his achievements. In 1950, he received Canada's highest aviation award, the Trans-Canada (McKee) Trophy for "outstanding contribution to advancement in the field of aviation in Canada during the year 1950, particularly in the use of rotary-wing aircraft over mountainous terrain." In 1955, he was awarded the William J Kossler Trophy by the American Helicopter Society for his development and operation of rotary wing aircraft. This was the first time the award was given to anyone outside of the United States. In 1959, he was awarded an Honourary Fellowship in the American Helicopter Society. In 1963, he was honoured by Helicopter Association of America.

"Mr. Helicopter", as he was dubbed, was invited to speak at many conventions and conferences, and requests for his services in a consulting capacity were increasing. In 1962, he gave up the demanding responsibilities he held with the Company.

Carl Agar passed away on January 27, 1968 in Victoria, British Columbia.

Carl was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1974 at a ceremony held in Edmonton, Alberta.