Bushcaddy on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Bushcaddy Aircraft Canada, usually just called Bushcaddy or BushCaddy, was a Canadian aircraft manufacturer based at the Cornwall Regional Airport in Summerstown, Ontario. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of
The company started as a flight training operation called ''Club Aeronautique Delisle Incorporated'' (CADI), based in
kit aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...
.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 47. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 98. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XBertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 179. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XHunt, Adam: ''Elegant Utility - Flying the CLASS R-80 BushCaddy'', Canadian Flight July 2005, page B-1. Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) (french: Association canadienne des pilotes et propriétaires d'aéronefs) is a federally registered not-for-profit association that provides information and advocacy services for Canadian pilot ...
.
By August 2020 the company website had been blanked and it is likely that the company is no longer in business.
History
The company started as a flight training operation called ''Club Aeronautique Delisle Incorporated'' (CADI), based in Lac Saint-Jean
Lac Saint-Jean (Canadian French: ) is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area ...
, Quebec. It was founded by Jean Eude Potvin who designed the CADI R-80 and put it into production as a kit aircraft in 1994. He went on to design and build the R-120 and L-160.
Sean Gilmore and Marlene Gill started a flight training venture at Montréal/Saint-Lazare Aerodrome
Montréal/Saint-Lazare Aerodrome is a small, general aviation airport located adjacent to Saint-Lazare and approximately west of Montreal Quebec, Canada.
See also
* List of airports in the Montreal area
The following active airports serve ...
, operating a CADI R-80 aircraft. Impressed with the design they became distributors for Potvin, handling marketing outside of Quebec. In 1998 Potvin expressed a desire to retire and Gilmour and Gill bought CADI, including the rights to the R-80, R-120 and L-160 aircraft designs. They renamed the company ''Canadian Light Aircraft Sales and Service'', commonly called ''CLASS''. Between 1998 and 2001 Potvin still produced parts, as CLASS assumed production. Potvin retired in 2001.
To preserve the CADI name the aircraft line was called ''BushCaddy'', a play on the abbreviation and the meaning of ''one who carries''. To expand production the company moved to larger accommodation at nearby Les Cedres, Quebec. By 2005 they had five employees with Gilmore doing the design and engineering work and Gill handling the marketing and financial aspects. Gilmore designed the Bushcaddy L-162 Max and L-164.
In about 2010 Gilmore and Gill retired and sold the company to Tony Watkin, an Australian who relocated it to Lachute
Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport. It is located on Autoroute 50, at the junctions of Quebec Provincial ...
, Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
and renamed it after the aircraft line itself, Bushcaddy International Inc.
In November 2012 the company moved production to the Cornwall Regional Airport at Summerstown, Ontario and also accepted a contract with the airport to operate the UNICOM
A UNICOM (universal communications) station is an air-ground communication facility operated by a non-air traffic control private agency to provide advisory service at uncontrolled aerodromes and airports and to provide various non-flight services ...
radio service.
Aircraft
References
External links
* {{Bushcaddy aircraft Aircraft manufacturers of Canada