Events

CAHS 2018 Aviation Calendar

Did you miss the deadline to pre-order one of the 2018 CAHS Aviation Artists' Calendar?  Did you wish you had received one of the calendars for this past Father's Day?  Good News!!  There are still copies of the stunning, full colour, and bilingual 2018 calendar available to purchase for $15 each plus shipping.

These will make beautiful birthday, and even Christmas gifts, so stock up now! To learn more about the gifted artists involved, click here.

Payments can be made by cheque, credit card, or Paypal.

For orders of 4 or more calendars, or US and International addresses, please contact Rachel Heide at: treasurer@cahs.ca.

Blatchford Field Celebrates 90 Years

Story and photos by John Chalmers
CAHS Membership Secretary

The 90th anniversary of Edmonton’s Blatchford Field, the first licensed municipal airfield in Canada, established in 1927, was celebrated at the Alberta Aviation Museum on June 24. Originally established as an early airport on farmland, the field was named for Kenneth Blatchford (1882-1933), who served as alderman, then mayor of Edmonton from 1923-25 and served also as a Member of Parliament. He was instrumental in acquiring the land to be used as an airfield.

Later known as the Edmonton Municipal Airport, fondly called the “Muni,” the airfield was last known as the Edmonton City Centre Airport. Over the decades, it had a rich history related to bush pilots, commercial airline service, charter service and flying school training. During the Second World War, particularly during the days of the Northwest Staging Route when American aircraft were flying through Edmonton, the airport at times was the busiest in the world with up to 800 aircraft movements per day. It was home to No. 2 Air Observer School and No. 16 Elementary Flying Training School.

However, in 2013 the airport was closed by Edmonton city council, runways have been removed, and many of the aviation-related buildings at the airport are now gone. The former airport land is now being redeveloped as the Blatchford District. It will be a town within a city, ultimately housing 30,000 residents, with no single-family dwellings.

To be developed over a 20-year period, the district will have 100% renewable energy systems, be carbon efficient, will feature parks, lakes and shopping facilities, and have convenient access to roads and light rail transport. Development of the district will recognize the rich aviation heritage of the area through such means as naming of streets and features.

One building remaining at the airport site is the 1941 hangar of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the last double-wide, double-long BCATP hangar in Canada. It is the permanent home of the Alberta Aviation Museum where Blatchford Field’s 90th anniversary was celebrated. Incidentally, Mayor Blatchford’s son, W/C Peter Blatchford, was killed in action in 1943 while flying with Royal Air Force squadrons. (For more info on Peter Blatchford click here).

Zena Conlin, Marketing and Events Coordinator at the Alberta Aviation Museum, served as M.C. for the 90th Anniversary celebrations of Blatchford Field.

Denny May, son of Wop May, was the first speaker on the program, telling the story of Blatchford Field and his father’s involvement with it. Wop May flew as a fighter pilot in the First World War, afterwards became famous as a bush pilot and commercial pilot. He was manager of No. 2 Air Observer School during the Second World War in the hangar that is now home to the Alberta Aviation Museum.

While speaking at the anniversary celebrations, Denny May and the audience were watched from above by a larger-than-life image of Wop May from the third-floor office which Wop had occupied as manager of No. 2 AOS.

A new display at the Alberta Aviation Museum pays tribute to the adventurous and colourful career of Captain Wop May.

The Alberta Aviation Museum provided a most appropriate setting for speakers and a large audience as Blatchford Field’s history was recounted.

Pat Barford, a granddaughter of mayor Blatchford, for whom the airfield was named, spoke of her grandfather’s work in establishing the airfield.

Speakers at the Blatchford Field celebrations were recorded on video by the museum’s volunteer Communications Coordinator, Steve Finkelman, centre. At left is Curator Lech Lebiedowski, responsible for much of the design and implementation of the museum’s new floor layout and displays.

From a script written by Elspeth McKown, the museum’s Program Coordinator and Assistant Curator, a dramatic presentation performed by summer student employees told about the establishment of Blatchford Field. Left to right, they portray mayor Kenneth Blatchford, Wop May, and a newspaper reporter. At rear is the story’s narrator.

Final speaker on the program was Mark Hall, project manager for Blatchford District development, who described in detail the changes and innovations that will occur over the next 20 years on land of the former airfield.

Among the many new displays at the Alberta Aviation Museum, this one is dedicated to the significant history of Blatchford Field and subsequent airport development.

Visitors attending the 90th Anniversary program had the opportunity to tour the Alberta Aviation Museum and see the new floor plan that emphasizes stories about the aircraft on display. Shown here is the unique Curtiss Special replica built from scratch over 25,000 hours by volunteers at the museum. It is an exact copy of the aircraft flown by Katherine Stinson in western Canada’s first air mail delivery, from Calgary to Edmonton on July 9, 1919. The backdrop mural is an enlargement of an original painting by Canadian artist Jim Bruce which he donated to the museum, showing the aircraft in its historic flight. Jim has often contributed his fine art to CAHS calendars, including the 2018 version.

Hall of Fame New Members

On June 15 at the Vancouver International Airport, 400 guests gathered to celebrate Canadian aviation history and heritage at the 44th annual induction dinner and ceremonies of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.

Above, left to right, are famed test pilot Rogers Smith; Porter Airlines president and CEO Robert Deluce; Fern Villeneuve, the first team leader of the RCAF Golden Hawks; Jean Butters; and Danny Sitnam, president and CEO of Helijet International Inc. (Rick Radell photo)

Rogers Smith, Robert Porter and Danny Sitnam were inducted as Members of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. Jean Butters nominated and represented the late Erroll Boyd, the first Canadian to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean, now installed as a Member of the Hall. Fern Villeneuve, who was inducted as a Member in 2006, represented the Golden Hawks in receiving the Hall’s Belt of Orion Award for Excellence. Several former Golden Hawks pilots and ground crew members were present for the event.

For more info, and to read the story from SKIES magazine, click here.

For several years, I have been researching RAF Catfirth, which was a flying boat station in the Shetland Isles in 1918. The Canadian connection is that there were at least 3 Canadians who served at Catfirth and one in particular, Captain Arnold Bonnell Massey AFC (1897-1984), who flew the first aeroplane to Shetland in June 1918. If any of your members have information about the Canadians who served in the RNAS and RAF, especially in RAF Houton in Orkney and RAF Catfirth in Shetland in WW1, I would be glad to hear from them.

Simon Gunn. (Ross-shire, Scotland), simonjgunn@hotmail.com

BAKER, Raymond George - February 25, 1931 - January 26, 2016 Ray Baker passed away at home surrounded by his loving family after a short but valiant battle with cancer. Raymond was born in Kenora Ontario, the second of six children. He married Grace Hodgson in Winnipeg on July 6, 1957. Ray is lovingly remembered by his wife Grace of 58 years, children Brenda (Tim) Noble and family and Joanne Woilford (Kevin Stieh) and family, sisters Dolores Wise and Darlene Massey, brothers Bob Baker and John Baker and their families as well as numerous other family members and close friends. Ray was predeceased by his parents John Ebers Baker and Evelyn Mae (Paul), sister Florence Parnell, brothers-in-law Buddy Parnell, Al Massey and Doug Wise, and son-in-law Luke Woilford. His main interests were flight, faith and family. He spent five years in the RCAF, worked for 32 years in the Kenora Paper Mill and was also employed at both OCA and Kuby's Aircraft. He served as a Missionary in Thailand for four years and then represented OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) in Northwestern Ontario. He was also very interested in sailing, cross country skiing, canoe trips, and Ancestor Seekers of Kenora. He was an active member of the First Baptist Church for over 60 years, volunteered at Longbow Bible Camp, the Gideons, and the Kenora Library. Ray was a founding member and executive of the Kenora Flying Club, and founding member of the Lake of the Woods Aero Modellers Club where for many years he mentored new members as well as helping build models with troubled youth at Muriel Lake. Funeral Services will be held at First Baptist Church, 510 Second St. S. at 10:00 am on Friday January 29, 2016 with Reverend Gord Day-Janz officiating. A private family interment ceremony will be held at a later date. The family would like to express appreciation to the staff on the 2nd floor of Lake of the Woods District Hospital and the ParaMed workers who came to the house. A special thank you to Drs. Foidart and Dudley for their caring support. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of your choice. Condolences for the family may be offered online at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre.

Grossmith, Seth Walter

January 5, 1922 - March 17, 2017

Source: CAHF

We note with sadness the death of CAHS Ottawa member Seth Walter Grossmith.

"During his long and distinguished career, his dedication to research and experimental flying had improved the future of Canadian aviation." - Induction citation, 1990

Seth Walter Grossmith, C.D., B.Eng., was born on January 5, 1922, in Montreal, Quebec, where he received his education. At the age of 18, he joined the RCAF. He received his wings and then performed instructional duties until 1942. He spent a year as Flight Examination Officer, then proceeded overseas until 1945. He instructed at Instrument Flying School until 1946, then was released to further his education by attending the refresher course for veterans at Sir George Williams University. He received a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) from McGill University in 1951. He then participated in a technical training course at Westinghouse Co., Hamilton, Ontario, and worked for them as a design engineer on transformers, motors and generators before re-enlisting for military service.

While with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Grossmith completed the Empire Test Pilot's Course in 1954 at Farnborough, England, where emphasis was placed on flight evaluation techniques of new aircraft and preparation of flight and technical reports. He also conducted experimental flying on the English Electric Canberra and Hawker Hunter aircraft programs. His career with the RCN included work with the United States Navy (USN) development test centre, and a tour of duty with a USN Helicopter Anti-submarine Warfare Squadron. His training with the U.S. forces included nuclear weapons safety and delivery systems.

Grossmith served as Executive Officer of RCN Squadron VX-10 with a staff of 75 officers and men whose tasks ranged from operational research to proposing operational doctrines for front line use. The squadron won two safety awards and was officially commended by the Board of the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Chief of Naval Operations. He also did a tour with the USN HSS-2 Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron No. 10 and was Naval Air Technical Liaison Officer with United Aircraft of Canada Limited for helicopter system development CHSS-2 program. He then became a test pilot for United Aircraft which later became known as United Air Lines following several mergers with other airlines.

From 1967 to 1970 he was a test pilot with Canadair Ltd. on the CF/NF-5 and the Canadair CL-215 water bomber, planning flight test programs, and safety and emergency procedures.

In 1970 he joined the Department of Transport, Airworthiness Project Group, as a test pilot, and was involved in certification programs in Canada, U.S.A. and Europe on more than 25 fixed and rotary wing aircraft as well as glider certification programs in Poland and Finland.

In 1972 he was seconded to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Centre in California, as research pilot on the Augmentor Wing Jet Research Aircraft. Here, he and R.H. Fowler (Hall of Fame 1980) tested the de Havilland Canada (DHC) Buffalo fitted with the augmentor wing and found it greatly enhanced the short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. Grossmith also served on the Advanced STOL Project. Much of the research was concerned with handling qualities and evaluation of airworthiness certification criteria pertinent to propulsive-lift STOL aircraft. Grossmith also participated in studies using the Lockheed C-141 Transport High Altitude Infra-Red Observatory. He also took part in Zero 'G' studies using the LearJet 23.

From 1981 to 1983 he served with the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce engaged in the planning, development and implementation of policies to promote the growth of Canada's aerospace industry. As test pilot for DHC he worked on and demonstrated the Augmentor Wing Research Aircraft at RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.

In 1983 Grossmith became Project Leader, Design, for the Airworthiness Manual Project at Transport Canada, where he was in charge of formulating Canadian Aeronautics Code Chapters 527 and 529, Normal and Transport Category Rotorcraft. He was the airworthiness representative to the working group on Aircraft Operating Regulations and Commercial Operations and also participated as flight specialist for briefings on the Lockheed Hercules C-130 Hercules at USAF Systems Command. Grossmith retired in 1986 and passed away 31 years later.

Since earning his wings in 1940, Grossmith flew in excess of 12,400 hours in 170 types of aircraft and had many of his research papers published. In 1987 he was awarded the Trans-Canada (McKee) Trophy for "outstanding achievement in the field of air operations in recognition of his significant contribution to aeronautics in Canada as an Engineering Test Pilot." In 1988 he was made a Fellow of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute.

Seth Walter Grossmith was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1990 at a ceremony held in Edmonton, Alberta.

The Canadian Aviation Moments were submitted by Dennis Casper from the Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter of the CAHS. The questions and the answers are now being published together in the same e-newsletter, rather than questions one month and the answers the next. We are hoping this instant gratification might encourage more interest and research by our readers. Spoiler alert - if you read any further than each question, you will find the answer to June's questions directly below. Good luck and have fun!

The Canadian Aviation Moments questions and answers for June are:

Question: How many Canadians were in RAF service as aircrew at the outbreak of World War II?

Answer: “During the 1920s and early 1930s, a trickle of worthy Canadian lads joined the RAF through nomination to the RAF Cadet College at Cranwell, and also as recent graduates of Canada’s Royal Military College. Once rearmament commenced in earnest during the mid-1930s, an ever-increasing number of “Imperials” applied to join the RAF as both aircrew and ground crew. Hugh Halliday maintains that as many as 950 CAN/RAF aircrew, serving as both commissioned and non-commissioned members, and many additional members in the ground trades may have been in RAF service at the outbreak of the war. However, Halliday feels that there would not have been more than 700 CAN/RAF pilots or observers who had achieved a measure of operational proficiency by that time.”

Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience 1939-1945 – Page 20

Question: What was the World War II fighter pilots’ survival tactic?

Answer: “They climbed to height as quickly as was permitted, and they treasured possession of an altitude advantage. The pilot’s hope was to sight the enemy before he himself was sighted and use his slight advantage to gain a position between the enemy aircraft and the sun. Diving out of the sun, he was virtually invisible to his foe. He accelerated in the dive and positioned himself to attack the rear of the formation. Thus he hoped to avoid their defensive fire and maintain enough speed to carry out a successful attack on his first dive and still be able to maneuver away. If the attack failed, a dedicated professional fighter pilot used his speed to flee in order to fight another day rather than pursue an alerted enemy.”

Source: Canada’s World War II Aces – Introduction (1st Page)

Question: Who devised the name “Snowbirds” for Canada’s formation team? What year did the Snowbirds first appear, and where was their first appearance? How many shows did they do in the first year and what was the public’s reaction?

Answer: “The new team was named “Snowbirds,” the result of a name-the-team contest held at the base elementary school in June 1971. The winning entry was submitted by Doug Farmer, a Grade 6 student. The team first appeared as the Snowbirds at the Saskatchewan Homecoming Air Show in 1971. This performance was followed by appearances at other major air shows and at military bases across Canada. During their first show season, the team performed twenty-seven times. Public response indicated that re-establishing a Canadian formation team was a popular move.”

Source: Snowbirds –Behind The Scenes With Canada’s Air Demonstration Team – By Mike Sroka – Page 23

Plaque Celebrating Aviation History in Mount Dennis

Saturday, July 15 - 10:45 am

Hearst Circle and "The Wishbone" (Opposite Harding Park in Mount Dennis)

Reception to follow at The Atrium, 12 Division Police Station, 200 Trethewey Drive, North York

This event is a joint function of Heritage Toronto, CAHS (Toronto Chapter & National) and 400 Squadron Historical Society.  The plaque is honouring the airfield that hosted 1st flight over Toronto in 1910, the startup location of de Havilland Aircraft in Canada in 1928 at this airfield and in 1932 the first operational base of the RCAF 400 "City of Toronto" Squadron as 10 Sqn and later 110 Sqn.

RSVP at www.heritagetoronto.org. For more information, please click here.

CHAA FlyDay at Tillsonburg among the highlights of the 2017 CAHS Convention at London

Gord McNulty

Sunny skies provided ideal conditions for CAHS Convention attendees who travelled from London to nearby Tillsonburg Regional Airport on 10 June to enjoy a Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association (www.harvards.com) FlyDay. Check out Gus Corujo’s spectacular images of the people and aircraft involved at www.gusair.com. The outing began with an overview of “CHAA,” as it’s called, by Terry Scott, Director of Public Relations. He outlined how a handful of aviation enthusiasts formed an association to keep the memory of the Harvard and the BCATP alive so that future generations would never forget the sacrifices that were made to maintain our freedom. That was 32 years ago. Today, the all-volunteer, Tillsonburg-based CHAA owns 10 aircraft including six airworthy Harvards, a beautifully restored Yale and a Tiger Moth, along with two hangars and two portable buildings.

Convention attendees enjoyed conversing with CHAA stalwarts including President Bjarni Tryggvason, Past President Pat Hanna, and Technical Operations Chief and Archivist Shane Clayton. Then it was time to take to the air, as several CAHS members were thrilled to experience Harvard flights. Convention Chairperson Jim Bell savoured a formation flight with John Bertram, Marco Jonker and Jack Twells. Marco and Hugh Halliday each had a separate flight, while Robert Orr had an aerobatic flight. John has provided a five-part photographic post-mortem of the Convention, including excellent coverage of his experience in the formation flight, including video clips, click here.

A special Convention attraction --- the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Norseman Mk. V, piloted by Steve McIntosh --- flew in to add to the excitement. The museum’s Norseman, CF-GSR, was built in 1950 by Canadian Car and Foundry, Fort William, ON. Mounted on floats, it first flew with a forestry company in the Queen Charlotte Islands. Later it moved East and operated with a succession of companies in Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba until it finally went to Huron Air and Outfitters in Ontario. CWHM acquired CF-GSR from them and it arrived at the museum in 2015. The CAHS would like to thank CWHM President and CEO Dave Rohrer, Flight Co-Ordinator Laura Hassard-Moran and Marketing Manager Al Mickeloff for facilitating the much-appreciated appearance of the Norseman.

Two Canadian-registered T-28 Trojans were among some of the other notable aircraft that participated. A T-28C, C-GKOL, in U.S. Navy colours, was flown by Alf Beam of Fort Erie, ON, and a T-28B, C-GDKR, in U.S. Army markings, was flown by Danny Richer of Tillsonburg. The pilots flew in formation, adding to an impressive FlyDay enjoyed by everyone before the group returned to the Best Western Plus Stoneridge Inn for the remainder of another successful Convention.

Photos and notes courtesy of Jim Bell

 CHAA is working at a steady pace to restore this Harvard Mk. 4, 20304, C-FBZT, to airworthy condition.

 North American Yale 3399. It appeared in the film Captains of the Clouds. It didn't fly while we were at CHAA.

Marco Jonker, a CAHS member from Calgary, flies in the back seat of 422.

John Bertram and Jack Twells in aircraft three and four.

This is 436, the slot aircraft with Jack Twells. It's painted as a No 2 Flying Training School aircraft from the late '50s / early '60s, as you can see from the "Big 2" badge on the engine cowl.

John Bertram in aircraft 242, and Jack Twells in 436. We were flying to the east of Tillsonburg while these photos were taken.

Tiger Moth 5030 needed a wing walker to keep straight in the breeze while taxiing back to the apron after a flight.

The vintage CWHM Norseman, CF-GSR, arriving as a special Convention visitor at Tillsonburg June 10, 2017 - Photo: Gord McNulty

The CAHS Sesquicentennial Book List

By John Chalmers
CAHS Membership Secretary

The Canadian Aviation Historical Society decided to celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday on July 1, by asking CAHS members to recommend books about Canadian aviation. The goal was to compile a list of 150 books. We have done more than that!

The list has 201 titles compiled by author’s name, title in italics, name of publisher and the year published. An example is:

Milberry, Larry. Aviation in Canada: The CAE Story, CANAV Books, 2016

The list of books includes publications from 1919 to 2017. It includes books from large and well-known publishers to small and little-known publishers, and books that have been self-published by the authors who had a story to share. Books named on the list cover every aspect of Canadian aviation from its very earliest days to the present.

Descriptions of the books were neither requested nor included. While most titles make it very clear what the subject is, other titles may only hint at the contents. Regardless of the topic, each book has been recommended as worthwhile reading, whether it be a book for a young reader or an authoritative reference on some aspect of aviation.

Some books have been produced by more than one publisher, sometimes with slightly different titles, and different dates. Effort was made to list the book under its original title, publisher and date. In a number of cases, not all information requested was received, so research was needed to fill in the blanks, and the internet was most helpful for that.

So where can you find books listed that you would like to read? Start with the author’s name. Check your local library, book stores and archival and aviation museum collections. If you can’t find what you want there, you will probably find the book you want with an internet search.

A great resource I used many times to check details is www.abebooks.com . It connects to an international network of book vendors that carry used and out-of-print books. In recent years I have bought many books through abebooks.com -- from Canada, the U.S., England and Australia. In compiling our CAHS Sesquicentennial Book List, I checked nearly all books named at that site. Nearly every book on the list can be found there!

To see our Book List as a Word processing document, click here.

The list is also posted as a pdf file in case you have difficulty in opening the word processing file. To see the list in pdf format, click here.

Or, click on either icon below to download the list in Word or PDF format.

Thanks to all who recommended books. Download the list and enjoy the reading!