Early Years
Born at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on February 10, 1913, the son of Frederick and Agnes Kirkwood (Fraser) Burke. His mother died from the Spanish flu pandemic in 1919 when Carl was age 6, and in later life he would ensure that the Kirkwood name would be memorialized in both a street name in Charlottetown as well in a modern motor lodge he opened. Carl Frederick Burke started flying lessons at Saint John, New Brunswick in 1936, subsequently earning a commercial license and, in 1939, qualifying for an air engineer's certificate. In 1939, he became a pilot for Canadian Airways Limited (CAL) at Moncton, New Brunswick, during which he was involved in the air rescue of a pilot in Musgrove Harbor, Newfoundland, flying a ski-equipped de Havilland Dragon Rapide, and also recovered the bodies of Sir Frederick Banting, navigator William Bird and Wlliam Snailman.
He joined the Royal Air Force Ferry Command (RAFFC) after CAL was purchased by Canadian Pacific Air Services. In 1941, along with Josiah Anderson, he received a license to operate a scheduled commercial air service between Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Moncton and Saint John, New Brunswick. Following the death of Anderson, Burke opened his business, Maritime Central Airways, alone.
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Famous quotes containing the words early years, early and/or years:
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“Furnished as all Europe now is with Academies of Science, with nice instruments and the spirit of experiment, the progress of human knowledge will be rapid and discoveries made of which we have at present no conception. I begin to be almost sorry I was born so soon, since I cannot have the happiness of knowing what will be known a hundred years hence.”
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