Fleet Aircraft was a Canadian manufacturer of

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

from 1928 to 1957. In 1928, the board of

Consolidated Aircraft The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 in aviation, 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet in Buffalo, New York, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the ...

decided to drop their light trainer aircraft and sold the rights to Brewster Aircraft.

Reuben H. Fleet Reuben Hollis Fleet (March 6, 1887 – October 29, 1975) was an American aviation pioneer, industrialist and army officer. Fleet founded and led several corporations, including Consolidated Aircraft. Birth and early career Fleet was born on Mar ...

founded Fleet Aircraft in

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of N ...

, to acquire the foreign rights to these aircraft. Consolidated bought back Fleet Aircraft as a separate division in 1929 and formed Fleet Aircraft of Canada in 1930. The Fleet name was dropped for the Consolidated business name in 1939. Fleet Aircraft of Canada produced the

Fleet Finch The Fleet Finch (Fleet Model 16) is a two-seat, tandem training biplane produced by Fleet Aircraft of Fort Erie, Ontario. There were a number of variants mainly based on engine variations. Over several years beginning in 1939, a total of 447 ...

for the RCAF, and later the

Fleet Canuck The Fleet Model 80 Canuck is a Canadian light aircraft featuring two seats in side-by-side configuration. The Canuck was designed for the flight training, personal use and light commercial roles. A total of 225 Canucks were built by two manufactur ...

. Fleet developed a prototype light helicopter, which flew successfully, but was not put into production.Page and Cumming 1990 Fleet ended aircraft manufacturing operations in 1957. The company was renamed Fleet Aerospace, and operated as a division of

Magellan Aerospace Magellan Aerospace Corporation is a Canadian manufacturer of aerospace systems and components. Magellan also repairs and overhauls, tests, and provides aftermarket support services for engines, and engine structural components. The company's busin ...

. The Fleet Aerospace division was closed in 2003, and later re-opened as

Fleet Canada Fleet Canada Inc., the successor to the Fleet Aerospace Inc division of Magellan Aerospace Inc, is a manufacturer of aerospace structures, component parts, and assemblies to approved design data. It is located in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, wh ...

. The new company was not affiliated with Magellan Aerospace, and it has operated independently since.

Aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Page, Ron D. and Cumming, William. ''Fleet: The Flying Years''. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press, 1990. . {{Aircraft manufactured in Canada Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States Defunct helicopter manufacturers of the United States