William Munroe Archibald (February 23, 1876 – November 10, 1949) was a pioneering Canadian
aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
.
Early years
He was educated at
McGill University,
Montreal, where he graduated in 1897 with an engineering degree. Following extensive experience in various mining camps he joined the staff at Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company at
Trail, British Columbia in 1911 to investigate mining properties.
As general manager of mines for the company in 1928, he determined that aircraft could be used to great advantage in mining exploration. During the following year, at age 53, he purchased an aircraft from
de Havilland Aircraft Company at Toronto and learned to fly at that company's school. He then organized Cominco Flying Service at
Creston, British Columbia
Creston is a town in the Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. By road, Creston is roughly equidistant between Cranbrook ( to the east) and Castlegar ( to the west) along the Crowsnest Highway. The town is approximately nort ...
, as the company's pilot training school and staffed it with
First World War aviators to train young company engineers to flying licence standards.
In his early days with Cominco, he lived at
Rossland, British Columbia
Rossland is in the West Kootenay region of south central British Columbia. High in the Monashee Mountains, the city lies immediately east of the intersections of BC highways British Columbia Highway 3B, 3B and British Columbia Highway 22, 22. The f ...
, but then moved to Creston. He commuted to work almost daily by air from Creston, a road distance of 150 miles, but less than half that in his aircraft. He made the first recorded flight into the interior of British Columbia in 1929, and in 1931 completed a coast-to-coast flight of Canada in a wheeled aircraft.
The peak period for Cominco's use of aircraft under his supervision was reached the following year when ten aircraft were in use almost daily.
Archibald inaugurated the first air route to
Stewart, British Columbia
Stewart is a district municipality at the head of the Portland Canal in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, near the Alaskan panhandle. In 2011, its population was about 494.
History
The Nisga'a, who live around the Nass River, called the h ...
and to
Ketchikan, Alaska in 1935 and his numerous cross Canada flights earned him the title of "Canada's Flying Businessman".
The
McKee Trophy The Trans-Canada Trophy, also known as the McKee Trophy, is awarded by the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute to a Canadian citizen who has made an outstanding, contemporary achievement in aerospace operations, whether a single act within the ...
for service to Canadian aviation during 1935 was awarded to Archibald and he went on to become known as the "Father of the Yellowknife Gold Fields".
[Sutherland, Alice G., ''Canada's Aviation Pioneers'', McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1978, pg. 90]
He retired from Cominco in 1938 to become a senior mining consultant.
Second World War
During the
Second World War, Archibald served as a government liaison in
Cuba.
He died in
Toronto on November 10, 1949.
Honours and legacy
*
Trans-Canada (McKee) Trophy (1935)
*
Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame
Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, based in The Hangar Flight Museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, commemorates and honours those whose accomplishments in aviation contributed so much to Canada's development as a nation. Founded in 1973, the Hall of ...
(1974)
References
Bibliography
* Oswald, Mary, They Led the Way, Wetaskiwin: Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, 1999.
* Sutherland, Alice Gibson, Canada's Aviation Pioneers: 50 Years of McKee Trophy Winners, Toronto, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1978.
External links
Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archibald, William Munroe
Aviation history of Canada
Canadian aviators
1876 births
1949 deaths
McGill University Faculty of Engineering alumni