The Junkers F-13 first took to the skies on June 25, 1919. Widely regarded as the world’s first all-metal commercial aircraft, it represented a revolutionary departure from the wood-and-canvas biplanes that defined early aviation. Designed by Hugo Junkers, it featured his trademark corrugated duralumin alloy skin, offering strength, lightness, and durability. The semi-open cockpit seated two, while the enclosed cabin accommodated four passengers. Notably, there was no windshield for the pilots—many aviators of the era distrusted “new-fangled” instruments and preferred to “feel the air” to judge performance.
Over 300 Junkers F-13s were produced during the 1920s and 1930s, including CF-ALX—The City of Prince George—a remarkable restoration now nearing completion at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
Arrival and Service in Canada
CF-ALX arrived in Canada in May 1930 via sea freight from Germany and was assembled at Wells Air Harbour on Lulu Island, Vancouver. Although its operational career in Western Canada was brief, spanning just three years (1930–1933), it played an important role in connecting remote northern communities and supporting mining operations in British Columbia and the Yukon.
Originally named Koenigsgeier (“King Vulture”), the aircraft was renamed The City of Prince George in 1933. Today, CF-ALX is one of only five preserved Junkers F-13s in the world—a truly rare example of aviation heritage.
Design and Technical Innovation
The Junkers F-13’s most distinctive feature was its all-metal construction—a revolutionary concept that provided exceptional structural integrity and resistance to the elements, making it ideal for bush flying. It could be fitted with wheels, skis, or floats, enabling operation in a variety of conditions.
With a cruising speed of 158 km/h and a range between 560 and 1,400 km (depending on configuration), the F-13 combined flexibility with reliability—key traits for a bush plane. It carried four passengers in an enclosed, heated cabin or up to five when flown without an engineer or co-pilot. The aircraft could also be converted for freight, hauling loads of up to 700 kilograms.
Operations in Western Canada (1930–1933)
Purchased by the Air Land Manufacturing Company, CF-ALX served as an indispensable aerial lifeline for isolated communities and industries. Mining and exploration outfits relied on aircraft like the F-13 to transport supplies, mail, and personnel across the rugged wilderness.
Its distinctive corrugated fuselage and dependable performance drew public fascination. When CF-ALX landed at Prince George, large crowds often gathered to watch from the lakeshore as it took off or landed on Six-Mile Lake—a spectacle that captured the wonder of early aviation in Canada’s frontier regions.
The “City of Prince George”: New Ownership and Tragic End
In May 1933, the aircraft was purchased by Colonel Victor Spencer, a Vancouver businessman and rancher who had served as a lieutenant-colonel in the Canadian Army during the First World War. He renamed it The City of Prince George.
Tragically, on July 23, 1933, the aircraft crashed on take-off from McConnell Lake, British Columbia. Heavy tailwinds forced it into a wooded area, where it struck a field of boulders and was severely damaged—the tail section was torn off. Remarkably, all four men aboard, including pilot Fred Staines, survived with only minor injuries. The crash stood as a testament to the F-13’s robust design.
As was common at the time, the wreck was stripped for salvageable parts. When RAMWC founder Gordon Emberley later visited the crash site in 1981, he noted that all the cabling had been removed—likely by trappers, since the aircraft’s “reverse-wound” cables made ideal wolf snares. Such anecdotes have become part of the enduring folklore surrounding The City of Prince George.
From Crash Site to Restoration
The wreckage of CF-ALX lay undisturbed at McConnell Lake for nearly 47 years until recovery efforts began in 1980. Its retrieval marked a growing awareness of the need to preserve Canada’s early aviation heritage.
In 2004, a historic partnership was formed between the Western Canada Aviation Museum (now the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada) and the Deutsches Technikmuseum (DTM) in Berlin. The agreement saw DTM restore CF-ALX in exchange for the museum’s Junkers W-34, CF-AQV—a true “win-win” collaboration.
After two decades of meticulous work, the fully restored Junkers F-13 returned to Winnipeg in September 2024—its fourth Atlantic crossing. Today, CF-ALX sits proudly in the museum’s gallery, perched on a new set of floats, as restoration efforts continue to perfect its display.
