229. Clear Skies Vancouver Airport 1947

229. Clear Skies - Vancouver Airport 1947

image size: (22" x 15")

An original Brian Croft watercolour, framed as depicted.

$2800

Vancouver's original but temporary airport occupied a 40-acre parcel south and east of Alexander road in Richmond. Eventually Sea Island’s broad and flat expanses beckoned and, by 1931, Vancouver’s new airport opened there with a runway as well as grass strips for taxiing and landing. Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), inaugurated its very first flight on September 1, 1937 from Vancouver to Seattle.

Following the Second World War both Trans Canada Airlines and the newly formed Canadian Pacific Airlines acquired over 40 DC3 aircraft, many of which were redundant to the needs of the Royal Canadian Air force.

My painting “Clear Skies” catches one of these resilient and remarkable airliners embarking passengers for a summer afternoon departure. Behind stands the original airport terminal with lawns, gardens and shrubbery and a simple chain link fence for security.

In February of 1949 the airport building burned down perhaps accelerating the first of many airport expansionary developments at Vancouver International Airport, Canada’s “Gateway to the Pacific”.