Eric Blackwood (born December 7, 1921) is a Canadian aviator. A noted navigator, during World War II, serving in both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force, Blackwood is the founder of Eastern Provincial Airways. In the early days of EPA, Blackwood acted as pilot, operations manager and director. [1]
Blackwood was born in Brookfield, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. He was educated at Wesleyville and went on to Prince of Wales College at St. John's. He joined the air force in 1942. In 1945 he formed Newfoundland Aero Sales and Services Inc. with James McLoughlin and Ren Goobie. Newfoundland Aero Sales and Service was eventually sold to Maritime Central Airways in 1949. Then on March 10, 1949 Blackwood founded Eastern Provincial Airways with a single plane, a Twin 50 Cessna. [2]
Timeline for EPA
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Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 40 km (25 mi) south of Gander Bay, 100 km (62 mi) south of Twillingate and 90 km (56 mi) east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the northeastern shore of Gander Lake, it is the site of Gander International Airport, once an important refueling stop for transatlantic aircraft. The airport is still a preferred emergency landing point for aircraft facing on-board medical or security issues. On 11 September 2001, Gander International Airport accommodated 6,000 evacuees from Olympic Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, Alitalia and more.
Gander International Airport is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is operated by the Gander International Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base Gander shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport. The airport is sometimes referred to as the "Crossroads of the World", and is classified as an international airport by Transport Canada.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is the provincial police service for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The primary function of the RNC is to enforce provincial laws, the Criminal Code, and provide security details for VIPs and the Premier of Newfoundland. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is also responsible for providing metropolitan police services to the northeast Avalon Peninsula ; western Newfoundland ; and western Labrador.
Canadian Forces Base Summerside was an air force base located in St. Eleanors, Prince Edward Island, Canada, now part of the city of Summerside.
A Canadian Forces base or CFB is a military installation of the Canadian Armed Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces base, it must station one or more major units.
Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, commonly referred to as CFB Goose Bay, is a Canadian Forces Base located in the municipality of Happy Valley-Goose Bay in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 5 Wing, commonly referred to as 5 Wing Goose Bay.
The Newfoundland Railway operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. With a total track length of 906 miles (1,458 km), it was the longest 3 ft 6 in narrow-gauge railway system in North America.
Eastern Provincial Airways, also known as EPA, was an airline that operated in Atlantic and eastern Canada. At its peak, the carrier operated jet service with Boeing 737-200 aircraft connecting many communities that today only have scheduled passenger flights provided by 18-seat commuter turboprop aircraft. The airline traces its history from Maritime Central Airways (MCA) from 1961. It merged with CP Air to form Canadian Pacific Airlines in 1986.
Labrador Airways Limited, operating as Air Labrador, was a regional airline based at the Goose Bay Airport in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It operated scheduled daily passenger and freight services throughout Labrador and Quebec, as well as charter operations with the options of landing in remote and off strip destinations with skis, wheels and floats. Its main base was Goose Bay Airport, with a secondary hub at Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon Airport, Quebec. Its motto was "The Spirit of Flight".
PAL Airlines is a Canadian regional airline with headquarters at St. John's International Airport in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. PAL operates scheduled passenger, cargo, air ambulance and charter services. PAL is the commercial airline arm of the PAL Group of Companies. In addition to its head office, it also has bases in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Montreal. PAL is the second largest regional airline operator in Eastern Canada next to Jazz Aviation.
Happy Valley-Goose Bay is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
St. John's International Airport is in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located 3 nautical miles northwest of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and serves the St. John's metropolitan area and the Avalon Peninsula. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by St. John's International Airport Authority Inc.
Air Saint-Pierre is a French airline based in Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas collectivity. The airline operates scheduled services between the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon-Langlade and to Canada. Its main base is Saint-Pierre Airport, from which it serves six destinations. In addition to the collectivity's other airport, Miquelon Airport, it serves five airports in Canada. The airline operates a fleet of an ATR 42 for international services and a Reims-Cessna F406 on the inter-island service.
Churchill Falls Airport is owned and operated by Churchill Falls Labrador Corporation Limited. Provincial Airlines provides regularly scheduled passenger service at the airport, which handled about 1,400 passengers annually over between 2000 and 2003. The airport is located 4 nautical miles northwest of Churchill Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Maritime Central Airways was a predecessor of Eastern Provincial Airways and was founded by Prince Edward Island native Carl Burke and Josiah Anderson in 1941 out of Moncton, New Brunswick and provided standard passenger, cargo, and charter flights throughout the Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador - at the time not yet part of Canada. This early fleet consisted of a Boeing 247 and a Fairchild 24.
Canadian Forces Base Gander, is a Canadian Forces base located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is home to search and rescue operations that cover a vast swath of the western North Atlantic and southern Arctic and a Canadian Coastal Radar station amongst other things. It is home to 9 Wing Gander.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax is a rescue coordination centre operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).
Dan Crummell is a Canadian politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, who represented the district of St. John's West in Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 2011 to 2015, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. In a 1995 by-election and the 1996 provincial election, Crummell was the Progressive Conservative candidate in the district of Gander.
Edward Samuel Spencer was a civil engineer and politician in Newfoundland. He represented Grand Falls from 1949 to 1959, Bonavista North from 1959 to 1962 and Fogo from 1962 to 1966 in the Newfoundland House of Assembly.
John Alastair Haggie is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2015 provincial election. He represents the electoral district of Gander as a member of the Liberal Party.