Barkley-Grow

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Canuck Plumber
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by 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.

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Last edited by Canuck Plumber on Tue Oct 07, 2014 7:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Dibbley
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Dibbley »

Why did Coulson want a HUP? Where is it now?
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Canuck Plumber
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

I believe Mr. Coulson has a collection of aircraft. I couldn't get exact details. He still has it in B.C.
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Antique Pilot
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Antique Pilot »

CP,

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

AP
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Canuck Plumber
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

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

Salute.
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by CamAero »

Ocean Falls.
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beech 18
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by 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/
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by dogsbodymk1 »

Took this at Calgary back in '99.


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Canuck Plumber
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

Thats one of my favorite stories.
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

Great image CamAero. The image seems to have been reversed. Common with film. :)
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by CamAero »

Canuck Plumber wrote:Great image CamAero. The image seems to have been reversed. Common with film. :)

Yes indeed. Not sure the source of it. I shamelessly stole it from a stranger who posted it on Facebook.

Could have flipped it myself but too lazy.

CA.
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iflyforpie
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by iflyforpie »

What a neat plane. Never heard of it. I would have said it was a Lockheed product without a second glance. That spar system sure is neat.
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Geez did I say that....? Or just think it....?
Canuck Plumber
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

Bought another ad. They sure sounded optimistic as they were on the verge of a hostile takeover from Vultee.

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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

Image

photo credit: Robert Galway
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SheriffPatGarrett
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by SheriffPatGarrett »

Looked at one on floats that eventually went to Air Gava of Schefferville.

It was like a super Beech 18, a bigger cabin, more comfortable cockpit, lighter, faster, better payload.
However it had two problems, beaver type non feathering props, which would cause
a very short glide in case of an engine failure...
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Canuck Plumber
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

Which would explain why some of the crashes ended as they did.

I took this today while going through some great archives at the museum today. According to these documents, BQM was restored to air worthiness.

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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

Found the company logo finally.

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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Canuck Plumber »

I think I may have found the two missing BGs. While running through the archives at the museum, I stumbled on an article.

"Several other Barkley Grows were built, one being used for oil exploration in Columbia, South America, and another as a chartered executive transport in this country and still others in Canada."

CN 9 and 10?
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by Antique Pilot »

Canuck Plumber wrote:I think I may have found the two missing BGs. While running through the archives at the museum, I stumbled on an article.

"Several other Barkley Grows were built, one being used for oil exploration in Columbia, South America, and another as a chartered executive transport in this country and still others in Canada."

CN 9 and 10?
I found a reference in the following website: www.airhistory.org.uk.

Says that Barkley Grow serial # 9 was ordered by the Tropical Oil Company of Columbia and assigned reg # C-113.
It appears that the order was cancelled, no dates are given.

AP
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Re: Barkley-Grow

Post by TygardBird »

Just want to thank all of you for your posts. My Grandfather was Captain Harold Grow. He helped Barkley build this bird. If anyone wants to hear more about the "Grow" side of things, I'd be happy to boast! He was an early aviator, with family in Detroit. He went to Annapolis, married my G-Ma Betty, had my Dad-John. achieved the rank of Commander in WWI. Then Peru invited him to start their aviation school and industry. He couldn't say no. He made numerous flights in a bi-plane over the Andes in order to map the best route from Lima to the interior, where rubber plantations were located. He later was held Prisoner of War when President Leguia was overthrown. He was released and returned to the States. He then built the Barkley-Grow. They lost the company in a hostile takeover; not something they wanted. Then he joined WWII, achieved the Rank of Captain and accepted the surrender of the Japanese at Majuro in the Marshall Islands. He wrote a book about that too. When he was around his grandkids it was all about the kids. With his second wife Bea, he had 2 more sons, one who died tragically in a helicopter crash. His youngest son, Tom, lives in Florida and is an avid surfer.
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