Cherry Red Airline

Cherry Red Airline, also known as the Cherry Air Service, was an early Canadian airline based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1928 by Norman Cherry and H. Holroyde, it emerged during the formative period of aviation in western Canada, when aircraft were beginning to connect remote communities, industrial sites, and resource-producing regions that were difficult to reach by conventional transport. The company is recognized as the first airline established in Prince Albert. The airline was created in response to a practical commercial opportunity. Norman Cherry had identified a need for faster transportation to Saskatchewan mining operations, particularly the requirements of Consolidated Mining and Smelting. Rather than operating as a large scheduled carrier, Cherry Red Airline appears to have focused on local and regional transport services associated with industrial traffic. The business hired pilot Alva Malone and operated a small fleet consisting of two aircraft: a two-seat Pheasant biplane and a six-seat Buhl CA-6 Airsedan, registered CF-AAY. Cherry Red Airline also pursued supplementary aviation revenue by carrying airmail. It issued its own stamps, with denominations beginning at ten cents, for mail transported by the company. This made it the first airmail provider in Prince Albert and gave the airline a place in Canadian postal and aviation history beyond its passenger and charter activities. The stamps issued for the service later became collectible artifacts, providing surviving evidence of the company’s operations. The airline’s business was vulnerable to the economic conditions of the early 1930s. The Great Depression reduced mining activity and eliminated much of the industrial traffic on which the company depended. By 1932, Cherry Red Airline had failed and ceased operations. Its aircraft also had difficult individual histories. The Buhl Airsedan was lost in an accident that caused no fatalities. The Pheasant biplane was sold and crash-landed in 1932, after which it was no longer operational. The surviving Pheasant ultimately became an important heritage object. It remained in storage until the Moose Jaw branch of the Western Development Museum acquired it in 1950. Volunteers restored the aircraft between 1960 and 1964, and it has remained in the museum’s permanent collection. It is described as the oldest surviving airplane in Saskatchewan. Consequently, Cherry Red Airline’s lasting significance is not based on scale or longevity, but on its role in the early development of aviation in Prince Albert, its pioneering airmail operation, and the preservation of one of the province’s earliest aircraft.

Cherry Red Airline was established in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in 1928 by Norman Cherry and H. Holroyde. Its formation reflected the expanding use of aircraft in western Canada for commercial transportation, especially in areas where mining operations and dispersed settlements made surface travel slow or difficult. Cherry had identified a transportation need among Saskatchewan mines, including Consolidated Mining and Smelting, and organized the airline to serve that market. The company employed pilot Alva Malone and maintained a small fleet of two aircraft. One was a two-seat Pheasant biplane, suitable for light transport and aviation operations in the early commercial era. The other was a six-seat Buhl CA-6 Airsedan, registered CF-AAY, which provided greater capacity. The airline’s operations made it the first airline in Prince Albert and placed it among the early carriers serving Saskatchewan’s developing aviation network. Cherry Red Airline did not rely exclusively on passenger or industrial transport. It issued stamps for carrying airmail, beginning at a denomination of ten cents. Through this service, it became the first airmail provider in Prince Albert. The stamps are now of interest to collectors and are among the clearest surviving reminders of the airline’s commercial identity. The company’s dependence on mining-related traffic left it exposed to the economic collapse of the Great Depression. As mine traffic declined, the airline lost the business that supported its operations. By 1932, Cherry Red Airline had failed. Its aircraft were also removed from service through separate events. The Buhl Airsedan was lost in an accident without fatalities. The Pheasant biplane was sold and crash-landed in 1932, leaving it inoperable. Although the airline disappeared, the Pheasant survived as an artifact of Saskatchewan aviation. The aircraft remained in storage until the Moose Jaw branch of the Western Development Museum obtained it in 1950. Museum volunteers restored it from 1960 through 1964, after which it entered the institution’s permanent collection. It is regarded as the oldest surviving airplane in Saskatchewan. Cherry Red Airline therefore remains historically important as an early Prince Albert carrier, a pioneering local airmail operator, and the organization associated with a preserved aircraft central to the province’s aviation heritage.

• 1964

  Aircraft restoration completed

  [1]Cherry Red Airlineen.wikipedia.org

  Volunteers completed the restoration of the Pheasant biplane, which entered the museum’s permanent collection.

• 1950

  Surviving Pheasant acquired by museum

  [1]Cherry Red Airlineen.wikipedia.org

  The Moose Jaw branch of the Western Development Museum acquired the former company Pheasant biplane after years in storage.

• 1932

  Airline fails during the Great Depression

  [1]Cherry Red Airlineen.wikipedia.org

  Reduced mining activity and the resulting loss of mine-related traffic brought the company’s operations to an end.

• 1928

  Airline founded in Prince Albert

  [1]Cherry Red Airlineen.wikipedia.org

  Norman Cherry and H. Holroyde founded Cherry Red Airline, making it the first airline established in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

• 1928

  Airmail service introduced

  [1]Cherry Red Airlineen.wikipedia.org

  The company began issuing stamps for its airmail carriage, becoming Prince Albert’s first airmail provider.

A pioneering local and industrial aviation service designed to connect Prince Albert and Saskatchewan mining interests through small-aircraft transport and airmail carriage.

• Passenger and charter aviation · 1928

  Regional air transport

  Cherry Red Airline operated small-aircraft transportation from Prince Albert and served practical regional and industrial needs. Its aircraft were suited to the limited passenger volumes and specialized transport requirements of early Saskatchewan aviation rather than to a large scheduled-airline model.

• Industrial aviation · 1928

  Mining transportation

  The airline was established partly to address transportation demand from Saskatchewan mines, including Consolidated Mining and Smelting. Mining-related traffic was a central commercial rationale for the company and later became a major vulnerability when the Depression reduced industrial activity.

• Airmail

  Cherry Red airmail service

  The company carried airmail and issued stamps beginning at ten cents. This service made Cherry Red Airline the first airmail provider in Prince Albert, while the surviving stamps later became collectible material associated with the airline.

• 1928

  Targeting mining-related transportation demandStrategy

  Background

  Norman Cherry identified an unmet transportation need among Saskatchewan mines, particularly Consolidated Mining and Smelting.

  Action taken

  Cherry and H. Holroyde founded a small airline in Prince Albert and hired pilot Alva Malone to operate the service.

  Aftermath

  The strategy established the first airline in Prince Albert, but the company remained dependent on industrial traffic that weakened during the Great Depression.

  Source

• 1928

  Introduction of branded airmail carriageOther

  Background

  The airline sought additional revenue beyond its transportation work.

  Action taken

  It issued stamps for carrying airmail, with denominations starting at ten cents.

  Aftermath

  Cherry Red Airline became Prince Albert’s first airmail provider, and its stamps later acquired interest among collectors.

  Source

1. 1Cherry Red Airlineen.wikipedia.org