G.E. (Gord) Hollonsworth
Gord joined the Fort William Aero Club in the spring of 1930 and commenced flight training June 1st, securing his Private license shortly after. The long process of building time (50 hours) to write the original Commercial license began. This license was issued in 1932.
He was successful in securing a summers flying on a Continental Waco out of Jellicoe, Ontario, covering the Long Lac mining area. When mining slowed up he was laid off and returned to Fort William Here he conducted a Ground School course for sixty students at the flying club.
In the early summer of 1936 he accepted a position with General Airway and Dominion Skyways operating out of Rouyn/Noranda on the regular East Run to the Val D’Or gold mines. Skyways operated both the first Norseman and the first Fairchild that were built, along with several Bellancas and Wacos.
During 1937 he flew the Hamiltons out of Port Arthur for the Ontario Provincial Air Service, and returned to Jellico where he operated Stinson and Fairchild aircraft on mining and fish-haul work.
The 1938 and ’39 seasons saw him flying the regular schedule mails runs out of The Pas, Manitoba for Arrow Airways Later he took over a base for Wings Ltd. at The Pas doing charter and fish-haul work. When Wings closed the base he moved to Red Lake as the resident pilot on the schedule Lac Du Bonnet/ Winnipeg mail run. Subsequently, he was moved to Kenora from where he flew both daily runs until the Canadian Pacific Air Lines takeover of independent bush airlines.
In 1942 at the request of National Selective Service, he accepted a position as test pilot with Boeing Aircraft of Canada. He moved to Vancouver for and a half years until the conclusion of the war contract. Returning to Kenora on a leave of absence, he again took up bush flying out of Kenora.
In 1947 arrangements were made with CP Air Lines for the purchase of two Fairchild 82s along with the bases at Kenora and Red Lake to start Ontario Central Airlines with Rex Kiteley. After five years of successful operation Hollinsworth disposed of his interests. (See the book Ontario Central Airlines – The Kenora Years)
In the spring of 1955 Gord was contacted by the Air Industries and Transport Association with the offer of a newly created position of Co-ordinator of the Mid-Canada Airlift. This was a project for the supply of transportation to deliver construction materials and personnel along the 55th parallel of latitude from Hopedale on the Atlantic coast through Labrador and Quebec to Great Whale River on Hudson Bay for the Mid Canada Radar line. Nine large Canadian operators of aircraft (ten Cansos and ten DC-3s) placed their crews and equipment in the charge of the Co-ordinator. Two summer airlifts and one winter season were carried out without a mishap.
By 1957 Gord was employed by Wheeler Airlines to act as supervisor on the Operation Budworm project for spraying forests in New Bruswick and Gaspe. In a period of 25 days some six million acres were sprayed with three million gallons of insecticide. This required 204 Sterman aircraft and 25 inspection Cessna 180s. At the time it was the largest aerial spraying project in record.
From 1959 to 1961 Gord Hollinsworth was general manager of Frobiser Airport on Baffin Island during the phasing in of the USAF’s Strategic Air Command bomber refuelling base.
