John William Sandford

Born in England on July 9, 1934, John Sandford began his career in aviation at 14, starting as an apprentice machinist with Westland Aircraft.  In 1953 he received Westland's Apprentice of the Year award and the opportunity to attend technical colleges. Two years later he was accepted at the Cranfield Institute of Technology and in 1957 John graduated with a Master of Science degree in Aircraft Design and Aerodynamics.

In early 1957, John married Shirley Bradshaw, was recruited by Avro Canada and settled in Toronto, where John began work with Avro as a professional engineer. Cancellation of the Avro Arrow program in 1959 left John among over 14,000 people looking for work. With five ex-Avro designers and engineers, they formed Avian Industries to design and produce an autogyro in Georgetown, Ontario.

John left after the first flight of the Avian Gyroplane and moved to Stanley Aviation in Denver, Colorado, Working from I960 to 1962 as Manager of Pre-Design. Rockwell International recruited him to work on the U.S. Space Program from 1962-73. He became manager of research and pre-design of advanced space launch systems and eventually became Shuttle Proposal Manager, leading the team that won the NASA Shuttle Contract.

In 1974, John returned to Toronto to run Rockwell's Canadian Admiral Corporation. From 1977-85 he was President and CEO of de Havilland Aircraft Canada Ltd. (DHC), seeing sales grow from $128 million in 1978 to $410 million in four years. He led the team that saw DHC become the primary supplier of turbo aircraft for the world's commuter airlines. This meant completing the introduction of the four-engine DHC Dash 7, followed by completion of the highly successful twin-engine Dash 8, certified on schedule in September 1984.

Sandford next became President and CEO of Fairchild-Republic Aircraft Corporation on Long Island, New York, from 1985 to l987. Then followed two years as senior Vice-President of Rohr Industries, an aircraft parts manufacturer in San Diego. He was then President and CEO of Gulfstream Aerospace Inc. in Savannah, Georgia, leading the company in successful design, production and marketing of Gulfstream corporate jets.

From 1990-92, John served as President and CEO of Rolls Royce U.S. Inc. in Reston, Virginia. In late 1992 he was seconded to the United Kingdom as Managing Director and CEO of Rolls Royce plc Aerospace Group, which had just recorded a $235 million loss. John was involved in restructuring and downsizing of operations, which became profitable in his second year.

In 1995-1997 John returned as President and CEO of Rolls Royce in North America. He oversaw growth of business in Canada, the United States and Mexico, plus sales and service of U.K. products to airlines and the military. In 1995 he oversaw the $525 million acquisition and integration of the U.S.-based Allison Engine Company into Rolls Royce.

Sandford is perhaps best known in Canada for his association with the DHC Dash 8, having taken it through development, certification and market launch. It was not an easy task. In an article describing political pitfalls in development of the Dash 8 John has written that, "Getting the Dash 8 programme launched, and keeping it alive, was a most complex political challenge." As President and CEO, he turned the company into a world competitor in the commercial market with the Dash 8. Under John's leadership, as an aircraft manufacturer, de Havilland Canada became a commercial and technological success.

In 1986, DHC was sold to Boeing, and then acquired by Bombardier Aerospace, which continued production of the Dash 8. The aircraft is a Canadian aviation industry success, with over 1,200 being built and continuing in production through its "stretched derivative," the Bombardier Q-Series aircraft.

Following retirement from Rolls Royce in Virginia in 1997, John and Shirley moved to La Jolla, California. Fifty-six years after coming to Canada, John Sandford continues his affiliation with the aviation industry as an aerospace consultant, and as a board member of MDS Technologies Inc and Avior Inc, both based in Montreal.

John Sandford was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame at ceremonies held on May 30, 2013, at a ceremony held in Ottawa, Ontario.