Morningstar Air Express
Encyclopedia
Morningstar Air Express Inc. is a cargo airline
based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
. It operates a contract all-cargo service from Montreal
to Winnipeg
for FedEx Express, as well as all-cargo charter services. Its main base is Edmonton City Centre Airport
.
Brooker Wheaton Aviation Ltd. was founded in Edmonton in the summer of 1970 by two Edmonton businessmen, Mr. Don Wheaton, Sr. and Dr. Bev Brooker. The Company enjoyed rapid growth due to the "oil boom" economy of Alberta during the 1970s. During this period, the Company expanded into a Cessna sales, service and parts center, a fuel dealership and a full service "FBO" center. Company flying activities initially involved cabin class piston and turboprop twins. In the late 1970s, the Company added a Lear 36 and a Hawker Siddely HS-125 to its fleet.
In the early 1980s, the Company divested of its piston fleet, continued to expand its turboprop and corporate jet fleet and went into aircraft leasing business. Also, during this period, Mr. Don Wheaton, Sr. became the sole shareholder of Brooker Wheaton Aviation Ltd. During the mid-1980s, the Company began flying for various courier companies. Brooker Aviation Ltd. expanded in this market in subsequent years with the addition of Fairchild Metroliners and Cessna 208 Caravans. In July 1990, the Company acquired a contract to initially operate two Boeing 727s nationwide for FedEx Express Canada. November 1991 saw the addition of the Fokker F-27 aircraft for the FedEx Express Canada contract.
Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, and Halifax.
Cargo airline
Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...
based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It operates a contract all-cargo service from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
for FedEx Express, as well as all-cargo charter services. Its main base is Edmonton City Centre Airport
Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport
Edmonton City Centre Airport, , is located within the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is bordered by Yellowhead Trail to the north, Kingsway to the south, 121 Street to the west, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology to the east. It encompasses approximately of land just north...
.
History
The airline was founded in Edmonton in the summer of 1970 as Brooker Wheaton Aviation Ltd. In January, 1992 the Company became Morningstar Air Express. It is owned by Donald Wheaton (50%) and Kim Ward (50%).Brooker Wheaton Aviation Ltd. was founded in Edmonton in the summer of 1970 by two Edmonton businessmen, Mr. Don Wheaton, Sr. and Dr. Bev Brooker. The Company enjoyed rapid growth due to the "oil boom" economy of Alberta during the 1970s. During this period, the Company expanded into a Cessna sales, service and parts center, a fuel dealership and a full service "FBO" center. Company flying activities initially involved cabin class piston and turboprop twins. In the late 1970s, the Company added a Lear 36 and a Hawker Siddely HS-125 to its fleet.
In the early 1980s, the Company divested of its piston fleet, continued to expand its turboprop and corporate jet fleet and went into aircraft leasing business. Also, during this period, Mr. Don Wheaton, Sr. became the sole shareholder of Brooker Wheaton Aviation Ltd. During the mid-1980s, the Company began flying for various courier companies. Brooker Aviation Ltd. expanded in this market in subsequent years with the addition of Fairchild Metroliners and Cessna 208 Caravans. In July 1990, the Company acquired a contract to initially operate two Boeing 727s nationwide for FedEx Express Canada. November 1991 saw the addition of the Fokker F-27 aircraft for the FedEx Express Canada contract.
Destinations
Morningstar Air Express Inc. operates a contract all-cargo service for FedEx Express between the following cities.Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, and Halifax.
Incidents and accidents
- October 6, 2005: a Morningstar Cessna 208 was flying from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, Ontario., when it went down. The pilot was killed but she is credited with trying to avoid casualties on the ground and avoiding several tall buildings.
Fleet
As of June 2011, the Morningstar Air Express fleet includes:- 1 × ATR 42-300FATR 42-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
- 5 × Boeing 757-200FBoeing 757The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
- 7 × Cessna 208 CaravanCessna 208The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the United States by Cessna. The airplane typically seats nine passengers, with a single person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to fourteen passengers...