Lamb Air - Operations

Operations

Lambair grew by public demand, as there was no other means of transportation for fish to market at the time except horse-drawn sleighs. Airplanes shortened the time to market and ensured higher quality fish to the large North American market. While transportation of fish, fur, trappers and fisherman were its primary business, the largest expansion of Lambair was during the construction of the mid-Canada line during the 1950s. The airline served all of Canada and parts of the United States and Greenland during its years in service. Lambair continued to haul fish, but its primary cargo was people - Inuit families from Resolute, Northwest territories to the far Arctic island hunting camps; equipment - oil drilling rigs to Sable Island from Halifax and food supplies. Medical evacuations and emergency mercy flights also accounted for a substantial amount of the company's traffic from the far north.

As development in the north progressed, Lambair opened new bases and served Wabowden, Thompson, Churchill, Norway House and Gillam as well as The Pas. These bases were established to serve all of northern Manitoba and the North West Territories (and current day Nunavut). It carried out its own maintenance operations in its hangars at Churchill, Thompson and The Pas and in 1965 built a new headquarters at The Pas.

Lambair was Canada's oldest airline still under the original ownership. Upon the death of Tom Lamb in 1969, the founder's six sons, all pilot-engineers, (in order of age, Greg, Donald, Dennis, Jack, Doug and Connie) managed the airline. By 1979, Lambair had a fleet which included Bristol Freighters, Curtis Commandos C-46s, Fairchild F-27, Twin Otters, Otters, Beavers, Cessna 180s, Bell G4A helicopters, BN Islanders, Aztecs and DC-3s. The planes were purchased from all over the world including Norway, England and Afghanistan. This fleet offered the greatest variety of aircraft to look after the traffic of the north, according to Donald Lamb, President of Lambair, in 1973. The combination of heavy freight aircraft with short takeoff and landing aircraft, to the fast light instrument flight rules (IFR) twin engine planes allowed the company to take on assignments for governments, oil companies, mining operations and continue to haul passengers throughout the north. The helicopters were for prospecting, hydro-electric development and forestry operations.

The airline served all of Canada and parts of the United States and Greenland, supporting the isolated communities of northern Canada. Their motto was "Don't ask us where we fly, tell us where you want to go".