Fleet Aircraft

Order of Battle · Aircraft manufacturers · Canada

Fleet Aircraft

Fleet Aircraft of Canada · Fleet Aerospace · Fleet Canada

A small factory on the Niagara River taught a generation of Commonwealth pilots to fly: Fleet built some 4,000 trainers in the Second World War, with a workforce made up largely of women.

1928Founded
Defunct 1957Status
5Aircraft on record
2Air forces flying its types
Photo: Bzuk / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
CountryCanadaFounded1928FoundersReuben H. FleetHeadquartersFort Erie, OntarioStatusDefunct 1957
The story

Fleet Aircraft: the company and the aircraft that made its name

Reuben Fleet’s Canadian door

In 1928 the board of Consolidated Aircraft decided to drop its light trainers. Its founder, Reuben H. Fleet, saw a use for them anyway and set up Fleet Aircraft at Fort Erie, Ontario, just across the Niagara River from Buffalo, to hold the foreign rights. Consolidated bought the business back as a division in 1929, and in 1930 Fleet Aircraft of Canada was formed. The little Fleet biplanes went on to be licence-built as far away as Romania.

Finches for the Empire

The Second World War made Fort Erie a training-aircraft factory for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The Finch, a tandem biplane with a sliding canopy added for the Canadian winter, was built for the RCAF from 1939; 431 went to its elementary flying schools. Then came the Fort intermediate trainer and the Fairchild Cornell under licence. At its peak Fleet turned out about 160 aircraft a month, with roughly 4,000 employees, largely women, and some 4,000 aircraft in all.

Canucks and after

Peace was harder. Fleet bought the rights to Bob Noury’s side-by-side N-75 and built it as the Canuck from 1945, but war-surplus aircraft and unemployed pilots flooded the market and production stopped in 1947. A light helicopter flew but was never built. Fleet ended aircraft manufacture in 1957 and became Fleet Aerospace, a parts maker under Magellan Aerospace. After a 2006 employee buyout it lives on as Fleet Canada, building parts for Twin Otters and cockpit enclosures for the Chinook.

A small factory on the Niagara River taught a generation of Commonwealth pilots to fly: Fleet built some 4,000 trainers in the Second World War, with a workforce made up largely of women.Fleet Aircraft · verified 2026-10-03
At a glance

Fleet Aircraft in numbers

The company

In short
Founded 1928

  • Set up by Reuben H. Fleet at Fort Erie, Ontario
  • Fleet Aircraft of Canada formed under Consolidated, 1930
  • About 4,000 wartime employees, largely women
  • Aircraft manufacture ended 1957

Production

Best known for
Fleet Finch

  • About 4,000 aircraft built in WWII
  • Fleet Finch, Fort, Fawn and Canuck
  • Fairchild Cornell under licence
  • Up to 160 complete aircraft a month

Today

Now
Fleet Canada

  • Became Fleet Aerospace, part of Magellan Aerospace
  • Employee buyout in 2006 created Fleet Canada
  • Twin Otter components and CH-47 Chinook cockpit enclosures

The numbers

Aircraft built in WWII
about 4,000
Peak output
about 160 aircraft a month
Wartime workforce
about 4,000
Fleet Canada revenue
about $20 million2016
The aircraft

Every notable Fleet Aircraft aircraft

Aircraft Role First flight Built Status Note
Fleet Model 16 Finch Elementary trainer biplane 447 Retired 431 for the RCAF under the BCATP; 15 for the Portuguese Navy
Fleet 50 Freighter Twin-engine utility biplane 1938 5 Retired Underpowered; could not hold height on one engine
Fleet 60 Fort Intermediate trainer 1940 101 Retired Too easy to fly; converted to wireless trainers
Fairchild PT-26 Cornell (licence) Primary trainer Retired Built for Fairchild; Fleet’s PT-23/PT-26 output given as about 1,150
Fleet 80 Canuck Two-seat light aircraft 1945 225 (incl. Leavens) Retired Developed from the Noury N-75; production later finished by Leavens Brothers
Who flies them

Fleet Aircraft aircraft in the world’s air forces

2 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Fleet Aircraft types. 0 of them still have one in service.

Air force In service Formerly flown
Romanian Air Force Fleet 10G
Royal Canadian Air Force Fleet Finch and Fleet Fawn
Places, people, records

Where Fleet Aircraft built, who led it, what it achieved

Factories

  • Fort Erie works · Gilmore Road, Fort Erie, Ontario — Original factory, still used by Fleet Canada

People

  • Reuben H. Fleet · founder — Founder of Consolidated Aircraft
  • J. Omer (Bob) Noury · designer — Designed the N-75 that became the Canuck
Timeline

Fleet Aircraft, year by year

1928

Reuben Fleet founds Fleet Aircraft at Fort Erie

1929

Consolidated buys the business back as a division

1930

Fleet Aircraft of Canada formed

1938

Fleet 50 Freighter first flight

1939

Finch production for the RCAF begins

1940

Fleet 60 Fort first flight

1945

First Fleet-built Canuck flies

1947

Canuck production ends

1957

Aircraft manufacture ends; becomes Fleet Aerospace

2006

Employee buyout creates Fleet Canada

The family tree

Before and after Fleet Aircraft

Came beforeConsolidated Aircraftlight trainer rights, 1928; owner from 1929Read the Consolidated Aircraft page
Questions & Answers

Everything people ask about Fleet Aircraft

What was the Fleet Finch?
A tandem two-seat training biplane built at Fort Erie, Ontario, used by the RCAF as an elementary trainer in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
Who founded Fleet Aircraft?
Reuben H. Fleet, founder of Consolidated Aircraft, in 1928.
How many aircraft did Fleet build in the Second World War?
About 4,000, including Finches, Forts and licence-built Cornells, according to Skies Magazine.
Does Fleet still exist?
Fleet stopped building aircraft in 1957. Its successor Fleet Canada, still in Fort Erie, makes aircraft parts.

Continue the tour

Around Fleet Aircraft

Canadade Havilland CanadaFounded to assemble British Moths for Canadian trainees, de Havilland Canada asked bush pilots what they wanted and built the Beaver, the Otter and the Twin Otter, the…Read the de Havilland Canada pageCanadaCanadairBorn in a wartime flying-boat plant in Montreal, Canadair built Sabres and Starfighters for NATO, gave Europe its word for a water bomber, nearly went bankrupt on the…Read the Canadair pageThe indexAll aircraft manufacturersEvery company that built an aircraft flown by the air forces in the Order of Battle, current and historic.Open the list
Sources & Further Reading

Every fact, checked

Verified 2026-10-03.