Events
WISE, Louis Troiano
Louis Troiano Wise, in his 99th year, husband to Lena Wise of Toronto, Ontario, has passed away at Sunnybrook Hospital on July 24, 2019.
Born April 27, 1921 in Toronto, Ontario, he was the son of the late George and May Wise.
Mr. Wise graduated from Central Technical High School in 1939 and then served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He worked for Avro Aircraft following the war running the photographic department. He graduated from OISE with a Masters degree in education in 1975, followed by a long career with the Toronto Board of Education as the Director of Teaching Aids. In retirement, he focused on conservation providing aerial photography services for the Government of Ontario, conservation authorities and engineering firms. Mr. Wise was the proud recipient of the Lieutenant Governor Award for Conservation and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
For 71 years, Lou had a passion for flying and enjoyed 141 flights with his daughter Melanie and extended travels to many destinations.
He is survived by his son Stephen and his wife Viviane of Brantford, Ontario and his daughter Melanie, his 3 grandchildren Matthew, Andrew and Katie and his great-‐grandson Clinton.
His family would like to extend sincere gratitude for the care and compassion provided by the doctors, nurses and staff at Sunnybrook Hospital and the exceptional healthcare they provided over the past 5 years. A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday July 31, 2019, service at 11:00AM with a light lunch to follow. To be held at the Shepherd Village Chapel, 3760 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough, ON. In lieu of flowers, we would request a donation be made to Community Living or Sunnybrook Hospital.
Alis the Aviator
The CAHS has partnered with aviation historian and former President of the CAHS, Danelle Metcalfe-Chenail, and her publisher to be able to offer CAHS members and friends a discounted rate for Danielle’s latest book. Alis the Aviator is a delightful and colourful children's (ages 3-7) book that teaches ABCs by using aircraft names. At the back, for parents and older children, it has a glossary that gives a description of each type of airplane mentioned in the book. The main character, Alis the Aviator, is named for the real-life Dr. Alis Kennedy, one of the first Indigenous female commercial pilots in Canada; the book includes a mini-bio of Dr. Kennedy for readers to get to know this inspirational woman.
Sneak peak inside the book - the letter W.
A sample of the glossary.
Shown below: Danielle and her son Andre at a book launch.
Danielle has kindly arranged with her publisher for the CAHS to be able to sell the book as a fundraiser at a discounted rate. Retail price online and at your local bookstore is $21.99 plus HST. The CAHS is able to offer each hardcover book for $17.00 (HST included), plus $6.78 (HST included) shipping to Canadian addresses. This fun book is a great gift for parents and grandparents to buy for their loved one, or for local libraries, daycares, and Kindergarten classes.
The deadline for this special offer is 15 September 2019.
Visit the store at www.cahs.com to buy your copy!
New CAHS Website!
Have you had a browse through the new website at www.cahs.com yet? Check here first for site-wide updates.
Elsie MacGill Northern Lights Awards
The Northern Lights Aero Foundation announced the 2019 winners of its annual "Elsie" award, honouring Canadian women who have made outstanding contributions to aviation and aerospace: Business Award: Wendy Tayler; Education Award: Dr. Suzanne Kearns; Engineering Award: Lyndsey Poynter; Flight Operations: Major Alexia Hannam; Government: Kathrine Stewart; Pioneer: Captain Mary Cameron-Kelly; Rising Star: Dr. Joelle Thorgrimson; and Rising Star: Lauren Egglestone. The 2019 gala awards dinner will be held on Saturday, September 28 at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel and Suites Conference Centre in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Tickets are now on Sale! For more information, click here.
A New Display for the Link Trainer
Story and photos by John Chalmers,
CAHS Membership Secretary
One of the newest displays at the Alberta Aviation Museum in Edmonton is based on the famous Link Trainer, used to provide simulation training for pilots during the Second World War. A far cry from today’s simulators for jet airliners and other aircraft, the Link Trainer was produced from the 1930s to the 1950s by Link Aviation Devices, founded by Edwin Link. It’s probably a safe bet that the trainer was used by every pilot trainee in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
The Link Trainer display at the museum includes two of the trainers as well as the adjacent equipment such as the “crab” used at a desk to plot the simulated flights, and the intercom radio for instructors to speak with trainees in the cockpit.
Of note is that the display’s trainers are staffed by women members of the RCAF. As well, a mannequin representing trainer Margaret Littlewood is a key component of the exhibit. She is seen wearing a blazer with a crest bearing the name, Empire Air Training. The cover for the cockpit could be closed for simulation of night or instrument flying.
Margaret was hired by Captain Wop May to come to Edmonton as a Link Trainer instructor at No. 2 Air Observer School (AOS) based at the 1941 hangar that is now home to the Alberta Aviation Museum. An accomplished pilot with a number of licences, Margaret served as a civilian instructor for No. 2 AOS. A sign at the display is a tribute to her, and there is a must-read item about her at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum here.
The scene in this photo from No. 2 Air Observer School in April 1944, showing Margaret Littlewood and a trainee in a Link Trainer, is replicated in the display at the Alberta Aviation Museum. A classic Link Trainer is located in at least a dozen Canadian aviation museums. The display was made possible by a grant of $2,100 from the Canadian 99s for the museum when it received the Canadian Award in Aviation for 2018. The successful grant application was made by assistant curator Ryan Lee. The Award was established in 1974 to promote aviation within Canada.
At the museum, the display is adjacent to a restored Avro Anson, the type flown from the hangar during the war when it served as home for both No. 2 AOS for navigators and No. 16 Elementary Flying Training School for pilots learning their skills in de Havilland Tiger Moth and Fleet Finch aircraft. The Anson also provided multi-engine experience for the pilots. Dr. Lech Lebiedowski, curator and archivist at the Alberta Museum, designed the exhibit, as well as all others telling the story of aircraft displayed at the museum. Construction of the displays is done by museum volunteers, who are also involved in restoration projects, including aircraft in the collection.
During the war, my father earned his navigator wing at No. 2 AOS. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had his Link Trainer experience under the direction of Margaret Littlewood!
CWHM C-47 Dakota Officially Dedicated on July 6
Story and photos by Gord McNulty, CAHS Vice President
Douglas C-47 Dakota FZ692 fires up at CWHM.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum on July 6 for the Official Dedication of the museum’s C-47 Dakota, FZ692, a D-Day veteran. The ceremony was held in the hangar on a very rainy Air Force Day that featured visiting aircraft from the RCAF, the Waterloo Warbirds and the Great War Flying Museum among others.
C-47 Dakota FZ692 returns after commemorative flight.
It has been an exceptionally busy summer for FZ692 (C-GRSB), which made its first post-restoration flight on June 3 and then led a commemorative flypast for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day in sunshine at the museum on June 6. The C-47 flew with the museum’s Avro Lancaster and B-25 Mitchell over Hamilton and surrounding area.
CC-177 Globemaster III 177704 arrives at CWHM for the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6.
Airbus CC-150 Polaris 15002 arriving at CWHM.
Two Hercules arrive at CWHM from CFB Trenton.
Lockheed Martin CC-130J Super Hercules 130614 in the foreground at CWHM.
An impressive group of aircraft from RCAF 8 Wing/CFB Trenton participated in the start of the flight: a CC-177 Globemaster III; a CC-150 Polaris painted in attractive 1975-vintage “retro” colours to celebrate the 75th anniversary of 437 Squadron, established in 1944; and two CC-130 Hercules.
David Rohrer, CEO & Chairman of CWHM, speaks at the Official Dedication as Padre Rev. Doug Mitchell looks on. (Osborne R. Love)
The subsequent July 6 dedication included a presentation by David Rohrer, CEO & Chairman of CWHM; Stephen Quick, former Director-General of the Canada Aviation & Space Museum; and LCol Diane Baldasaro, CO of 437 Squadron. Members of 437 Squadron also attended the dedication.
FZ692, painted in wartime RCAF 437 Squadron markings, flew 16 operational trips with RAF 233 Squadron and was transferred to 437 Squadron in September 1944. It then completed another 208 operational flights, returning to service in Canada in 1946 and retirement from Squadron service in September 1971.
I was unable to attend the dedication on account of a vacation in France, but I’m grateful to CAHS and CWHM member Osborne Love for providing a program and photos. Gus Corujo has extensive coverage of both the dedication and the D-Day 75th Anniversary commemoration on his website, Gusair.com.
After the dedication, FZ692 was flown to Oshkosh, WI for EAA AirVenture, July 22-28. In fact, a YouTube video with sound of early arrivals at Oshkosh (part two) shows the C-47 making a smooth landing on July 21 at Wittman Regional Airport for the 67th annual edition this year.
The C-47, Skytrain in the USAAF and Dakota in the Allied air forces, is saluted in this postcard at the Juno Beach Centre.
Canadian troops landing at Juno Beach on D-Day. (Juno Beach Centre postcard).
Welcome to our Liberators. (Postcard at Juno Beach Centre).
Attendees received a program for the Official Dedication of the CWHM C-47 Dakota.
A Brief History of FZ692
Photos in the brochure illustrate some of the various stages in the long career of FZ692.
Visitors tour Airbus CC-150 Polaris during rainy Air Force Day at CWHM, July 6, 2019 (Osborne R. Love).
The Canadian Aviation Moments were submitted by Dennis Casper from the Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter of the CAHS. Spoiler alert - if you read any further than each question, you will find the answer to the questions directly below. Good luck and have fun!
The Canadian Aviation Moments questions and answers for July are:
Question: Which bomber, that was in service from 1938 onwards, was seen as blisteringly fast and for a short period of time was employed as a night fighter?
Answer: “Light yet powerful, the Bristol Blenheim was in service from 1938 onwards. It was blisteringly fast for its day with a top speed of 307 mph. However, it lacked range and, like its contemporaries, it was under-armed. Furthermore, it was only able to carry a disappointing maximum of 1000 pounds of bombs in its minuscule bomb bay. Nonetheless, because of its speed, its vulnerability and its limited effectiveness as a daylight bomber, it was employed for a short period as a night fighter until more suitable types became available.”
Source: NO PROUDER PLACE – Page 23
Question: How were Janney (Provisional Commander of the Canadian Air Corps and Webster (Company Pilot for Burgess-Dunne) treated when they entered Canada with Canada’s first warplane?
Answer: “The Burgess-Dunne was so stable it could almost fly itself. Consequently, Webster was able to turn the controls over to Janney for about 40 percent of the trip. Janney might have had more time at the controls but – as if on cue in a Gilbert and Sullivan Opera – problems arose. Strong headwinds hampered the delta – winged aircraft’s progress, resulting in the flying boat taking some two hours to cover the eighty miles to Sorel, Quebec, where the craft ran out of fuel. A large crowd awaited the aviators at the wharf where, once the Burgess-Dunne was safely moored, the local sheriff promptly stepped forward and arrested the aviators as spies. This mix-up resulted from an order-in-council passed under Canada’s War Measures Act, which banned all airplane flights in Canada except with the militia’s permission. Janney’s situation was further complicated by the minister of militia’s failure to advise his headquarters; no one in Ottawa had any idea that Sir Sam’s airforce was raggedly winging its way northward towards the plains of Val Cartier. Indeed, they had no idea Canada had suddenly acquired an air force.”
Source: Dancing In the Sky – Page 20-21
Question: What did First Flying Officer Allen B. Thompson of Penetanquishene, Ontario accomplish on September 10, 1939?
Answer: “The following night, Flying Officer Allen B. Thompson of Penetanquishene, Ontario, became the first Canadian wartime guest of the Third Reich when his 102 Squadron Whitley was brought down on another leaflet raid. This occurrence was still such a novelty that Thompson was personally greeted by Reichmarschall Herman Goring before the Canadian was packed off to prison camp.”
Source: NO PROUDER PLACE – Page 26
