"His early presence in Canadian aviation and his ability to adapt the airplane to commercial tasks in the north set the scene for the many years of bush flying that followed."
Kenneth Saunders
"His early presence in Canadian aviation and his ability to adapt the airplane to commercial tasks in the north set the scene for the many years of bush flying that followed."
Kenneth Foster Saunders began his flying in 1915 at the Wright Company of Dayton, Ohio in preparation for entry into the RNAS and RAF during WW I. He became the Chief Pilot of the newly formed Fairchild Aerial Surveys (of Canada) Ltd. at Grand'Mere, Quebec in 1923, specializing in aerial photography. This led to early bush flying along the St. Lawrence north shore for Canadian (Quebec) Airways until 1936.
He then joined the Department of Transport, first in Vancouver, British Columbia and later in Edmonton, Alberta where he became Regional Superintendent - Air Regulations, covering Alberta, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. He was known as a strict disciplinarian with a fair mixture of fatherly advice and humour. In his later years, as the government's regulations administrator he rounded out 42 years of extraordinary service to Canada.
Born: 6 Feb 1893, Victoria, BC Died: 1 July 1974 Awards: DSC, AFC
