Max Ward (aviator) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Max Ward
OC AOE
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Ward in 1989
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Maxwell William Ward
22 November 1921 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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| Died | 2 November 2020 (aged 98) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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| Occupation | Aviator, entrepreneur |
| Spouse(s) | Marjorie Doretha Skelton |
| Children | 4 |
Maxwell William Ward (born November 22, 1921 – died November 2, 2020) was a brave Canadian pilot and a smart businessman. He started his own airline, Wardair Airlines, which grew to be one of the biggest in Canada!
Early Life and Air Force Days
Max Ward was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on November 22, 1921. After finishing school, he worked for the Canadian National Railways. In 1940, when he was 19, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
During World War II, Max became a pilot. He earned his pilot's "wings" on November 2, 1941. He then became an instructor, teaching other pilots how to fly. This was part of a big training program called the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. While he was stationed in Regina, he married Marjorie Doretha Skelton in 1944.
Starting an Airline
After the war, in 1946, Max left the air force. He tried a few different jobs before teaming up with another pilot, Jack Moar, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Max wanted to start his own flying service to help people travel and move goods in the northern parts of Canada.
He bought a small plane called a de Havilland Fox Moth. This plane could carry both passengers and cargo. He named his first company Polaris Charter Company. It was tough to get a flying license on his own, so he partnered with George Pigeon. They started Yellowknife Airways together. This company didn't last long, and Max had to buy out his partner in 1949.
After working in construction for a couple of years, Max returned to Yellowknife in 1951. He worked for Associated Airways but lost his job the next year.
Wardair Takes Flight
Max kept flying as a charter pilot. In May 1953, he finally got his own license to run a commercial air service. With this license and a brand new de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter plane, he started Wardair.
At first, Wardair flew only within Canada. But in the 1960s, Max saw a chance to fly people overseas. In 1961, he made Wardair a public company, but he still owned most of it. By the mid-1970s, Wardair Canada was the biggest international charter airline in Canada. From 1984, they even started flying regular routes, not just charters.
Wardair faced a lot of competition from other big airlines like Air Canada and Canadian Pacific Airlines. After many years of ups and downs, Max sold Wardair in 1989. It became part of a new airline called Canadian Airlines International.
In 1991, Max Ward wrote a book about his life called The Max Ward Story.
Awards and Honours
Max Ward received many awards for his amazing work in aviation:
- International Northwest Aviation Council – Billy Mitchell Award, 1971
- Order of Icarus, 1973
- Trans-Canada Trophy (McKee Trophy), 1973
- Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, 1974
- Officer of the Order of Canada, 1975
- Alberta Order of Excellence, 1989
- Canadian Business Hall of Fame, 1993
- Canadian Travel Hall of Fame, 2018
