Barkley-Grow

[Antique Pilot]

I finally took some time to upload some pics I took of BTX back in around 1990. It had been salvaged by Coulson Industries from a Coastal BC logging site, from what I've been told. They were heli-logging and found the wreck and decided to pull her out of the woods. The shots are from the original Coulson Hangar at the defunct Port Alberni Airport.

So which story is true? Did it crash in Alberta or over here on the BC Coast? I knew it was sent to the museum in Alberta, when the above mentioned airport was closed. Somebody please put the story straight.

BTX definitely crashed at Porcupine/Kakwa Lk BC nw of Grande Cache AB. The first photo I posted shows the wreck with the letters BTX on the right side of the fuselage. I took the photo on Sept 4, 1981 while flying my aircraft from Prince George east to Red Deer. Went north of track for awhile. How BTX got to Port Alberni I do not know. In any case it was at Calgary later on. I took the photo of it behind the museum. Hope this helps.

AP

[Dibbley]

"Here is a photo of Canadian Pacific Airlines Barkley-Grow CF-BTX that had some problems at Kawka/Porcupine Lake near Cache Creek in 1945. I took the photo in Sept 1981"

Coulson Industries was doing a lot of heli-logging off of their barge back in those years and my recollection of the story was they found BTX up on the mid-coast of BC. I checked a few of my reference books and it would seem that BTX went down in Alberta. Maybe someone else with Coulson connections from these years can fill in the details.

[Canuck Plumber]

I think the confusion of where it went down is due to the close proximity to the Alberta/B.C. border. The plot thickens.

It's remarkable that the aircraft has travelled a considerable distance even after it crashed.

[Dibbley]

By my read, the crash happened more near the Saskatchewan/Alberta border - that is what I ascertained when I googled 'Cache Creek - Alberta' yesterday afternoon. I knew it was heading to the museum in Alberta, when my pics were taken but how it got to Vancouver Island inbetween is anyone's guess.

Feel free to use my pics for you Facebook page. No credit required.

[Antique Pilot]

By my read, the crash happened more near the Saskatchewan/Alberta border - that is what I ascertained when I googled 'Cache Creek - Alberta' yesterday afternoon. I knew it was heading to the museum in Alberta, when my pics were taken but how it got to Vancouver Island inbetween is anyone's guess.

Feel free to use my pics for you Facebook page. No credit required.

No. Porcupine Lake later re-named Kakwa Lake is in BC just west of the BC-Alberta border. It is about 40 miles NW of Grande Cache AB. Google it. Kakwa Lake is a fairly large running north-south and is now a BC provincial park.

AP

[beech 18]

Oct 03, 2014

CF-BTX at Sheldon Lake, Yukon Territory in 1942.

Photo found on the web.
Unknown photographer.
No other details of photo found.

[Canuck Plumber]

I wonder if one of them is Carl Brooks. The pilot who died in the crash of 45.

[Canuck Plumber]

I bought an ad for the T8P-1 online. It arrived on Friday.

['97 Tercel]

That's pretty cool!

[Antique Pilot]

CF-BQM Edmonton

CF-BMW Yukon Prince Ft. St. John

CF-BTX Edmonton 1942

[Canuck Plumber]

Great shots AP.

OK. Good new and bad news.

Lets recap the history of CF-BTX.

CF-BTX rolled off the assembly line in April of 1941 (reference General Dynamics and their Predecessors) and was sold to Mackenzie Air Service, later to become CPAL. Flown by Carl Brooks in 1945 leaving from Kawka Lake heading for Saskatoon Lake to the northeast. Shortly after takeoff engine failure caused the Barkley-Grow to crash to the north/north east in a marsh. Carl Brooks died on scene while the other four Americans survived. In 1989 Coulson Group of Companies (The Aviation division) out of Port Alberni, B.C. retrieved the aircraft for restoration and there it sat out on the west coast of British Columbia for a few years. Here's where things went a little foggy.... until now.

Coulson Industries traded CF-BTX for the Piasecki HUP-3 Retriever (PV-18) (reference from Coulson Industries records department) the Calgary Museum had in their collection in 1997(pictured below). The purpose of the trade was to bring CF-BTX to Calgary to assist with the restoration of CF-BLV "The Yukon Queen" which crashed near Peace River. The "Yukon Queen" sat for many years in what is now known as Water Spray Park outside of Peace River (reference The Peace River Records Gazette). It was retrieved by members of the Calgary Aerospace Museum.

The good news is that parts of CF-BTX live on in the Yukon Queen and parts are still strewn about around the edge of a far away marsh in the middle of nowhere.

The bad news is that the bulk of the wreck was sold to Calgary Metal Recyclers in 1998-99. Perhaps parts of the aircraft have made its way back into another aircraft.

I should also mention that the registration number CF-BTX is now registered to a Cessna 150L in Quebec.

The next Barkley Grow mystery is interesting. How many T8P-1's were sold to Peru? I have information that says two. Might be false....might not be.

[Dibbley]

Why did Coulson want a HUP? Where is it now?

[Canuck Plumber]

I believe Mr. Coulson has a collection of aircraft. I couldn't get exact details. He still has it in B.C.

[Antique Pilot]

CP,

Thanks for all your work. Now I have to have a couple of stiff scotches.

AP

[Canuck Plumber]

I'll pour one on this end as well. Single malt over ice.

Salute.

[CamAero]

Ocean Falls.

[beech 18]

Oct 08, 2014

Some good stories about the Barkley Grow.

Article found at Calgary Recreational and Ultra Light Flying Club.

http://crufc.ca/2011/01/18/down-north-w ... ley-grows/

[dogsbodymk1]

Took this at Calgary back in '99.






Chris

[Canuck Plumber]

Thats one of my favorite stories.

[Canuck Plumber]

Great image CamAero. The image seems to have been reversed. Common with film.