Fleet Canada
The founding of Fleet on March 23, 1930 by Reuben Fleet was
marked by the construction of a modest 7,500 square foot
plant. Within the first decade, Fleet had already established an
international reputation for excellence and had produced over
300 aircraft for customers within and outside Canada. Fleet had
already begun to attract the finest engineers and craftsman and
the facilities had increased tenfold to over 70,000 square feet.
The Outbreak of War (1939 – 1945)
Fleet is very proud of its contribution to the Canadian war
effort. From its very outbreak in 1939, Fleet focused all of its
efforts in the design and production of various training aircraft
for the Royal Canadian Air Force as well as the overhaul and
refurbishment of British and Canadian fighter planes. Production
reached a feverish pitch in the early 1940’s when Fleet was
pumping out over 160 aircraft each month; the highest
production of any Canadian aircraft manufacturer at that time.
Post War Production
Always adaptable, Fleet retooled its operation at the end of
the War and began manufacturing the Fleet Canuck, a 2 place
high wing monoplane; worldwide demand pushed production to 4 aircraft per day.
Fleet’s skill for on-demand designs and
production to specification was already widely known, which
soon found the company branching out into a diversity of
commercial products including trailers, twin coach buses, ship’s
furniture and even refrigerators.
Expansion and Diversification
Fleet’s reputation was built on the aerospace industry and it
was not long before production returned exclusively to that
arena. The next decade saw Fleet constructing rear fuselages,
wing spars, wing panels, trailing edges and centre wing box
assemblies. It was also during this period that helicopter parts
became a component of the Fleet operation; a division that has
remained a key feature of Fleet’s modern framework.
Seventy Five Years of Experience
During more than seven decades of continuous operation
at its Fort Erie plant, Fleet earned a solid reputation within
the aerospace industry for quality, on time, and cost effective
products. Today, Fleet Canada’s current customers include
Boeing, Bombardier (De Havilland) and Viking Aircraft. We credit
our success to the fact that we have never lost sight of our most
important asset: our people.
Canada Business Directory @ January 17, 2009