Events

CAHS Journal Complete Set

Special Offer – purchase a complete set of the CAHS Journals (from the first issue in 1963 to the 2018 issues) for a special price of $325 (postage included). This would make a great gift for an aviation literature collector, for a young person with a budding interest in aviation history, or for a local school, public, or museum library.

Canadian Warplane Heritage takes flight again

Aviation fans are delighted to see the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster in the sky over southern Ontario this summer. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum reopened on June 26 after an extended 103-day closure with the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum is operating in a limited and controlled fashion, consistent with public health restrictions and safety precautions mandated by government and public health authorities.

Visitors, following social distancing guidelines, were thrilled to see the Lancaster make its first flight of the season on Canada Day. The iconic aircraft was sporting a Snowbirds 50^th Anniversary logo on the nose in memory of Captain Jenn Casey and the aerobatic team’s remarkable 50 years of precision flight demonstrations across Canada and the United States.

The flight, also commemorating the 75^th Anniversary of VE Day, took the Lancaster over Niagara Falls, across the lake to Toronto, around the CN Tower, and back to Hamilton International Airport.

On Aug. 8, CWH pilot and CEO Dave Rohrer flew a special Lancaster flypast over St. Peter’s Residence in Hamilton in honour of a lifelong fan, Sylvia Cook. The moving tribute to Sylvia, who has been diagnosed with dementia, earned front-page coverage in The Hamilton Spectator as shown.

As frustrating as the pandemic has been, aviation organizations continue to show the flag, as it were. Earlier this month, a very successful formation training clinic was held at Waterloo Region International Airport by the Waterloo Warbirds, the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, and the Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team. A total of ten aircraft were involved.

The Snowbirds logo shown on the Mynarski Lancaster this year. (Gord McNulty)

The exercise gave pilots who have been flying much less because of the pandemic an opportunity to brush up on their formation skills. The action wasn’t publicized, as participants didn’t want to draw crowds to the airport, but the event attracted media interest. Check out the website update link in www.gusair.com for excellent coverage by Gus Corujo.

--- Gord McNulty, CAHS Vice President

Aviation fans enjoyed the resumption of action on the flight line at CWHM on Canada Day.  (Gord McNulty)

CAHS Manitoba Meeting

Our next meeting, on Thursday 27 August at 7 pm CDT, will feature a presentation on the famous Link Trainer, by CAHS National Membership Secretary John Chalmers. A native of Edmonton, Alberta, John will be speaking via Zoom from his hometown to the August 27 online meeting of the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society. John’s topic is “Learning to Fly With the Link Trainer,” presented in a new PowerPoint show he has prepared for the occasion. His presentation will deal with the famed Link Trainer flight simulator designed by inventor Edwin Link, and used to provide basic training for Allied pilots during the Second World War and for several years afterwards, earning a special place in aviation history.

John is a retired educator with B.Ed. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Alberta, and is widely published as a writer and photographer in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. John recently retired as Historian for Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame after 10 years in that position, and remains as a member of the Hall’s operations committee.

The meeting poster is here. To attend, you must sign up at www.bit.ly/CAHS-MB, no later than three hours before the meeting, so that we can send you the link.

RYAN, DANIEL CHARLES

May 18, 1937 – Aug 1, 2020

The CAHS is sad to learn of the passing of former CAHS Vancouver Chapter member Dan Ryan. He was also a Member of the Air Force Officers’ Association and 801 (Vancouver) Wing of the RCAF Association.

Dan was born and raised in the Trail, BC area. After completing High School, he joined the Air Force and enjoyed life as a pilot. He later left the Air Force to enter the advertising world. He spent the last many years of his working life as the advertising manager for the Windsor Plywood stores.

He combined his love of aviation and art in his aviation paintings and airplane models.

He is survived by his wife Marilyn; daughters Ruth (Gord) Lockwood, Crystal Bessem (Michael Harle); grandchildren Ryan Lockwood, Sarah (Bruce) Baldini, Christopher (Kirsty) Bessem and Michael Bessem.
Our many thanks to the staff of Nicola Lodge for their excellent care.

Donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society of BC or Military and Veterans Charities at www.canadahelps.org. Condolences can be made to www.BurquitlamFuneralHome.ca.

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 August are:

Question: What does the Finnish Phrase (Pelti Heikki) mean in English and which British Bomber is it a nickname for?

Answer: “The FAF bomber force was a tactical airforce serving as ground support against gun emplacements and troop concentrations. It did make several attacks on Soviet bases in Estonia to boost civilian morale and to show the Soviets that it could be done. The Blenheim was known as the TIN HENRY's (Pelti Heikki) to their crews. According to Professor Aho, Finnish pilots had only a 1300 to 2200 US lb load capability depending on the bomb racks being used and true operational 240 mph speed at sea level increasing to 270 mph at 4000 meters. Couple that with light armament, armor and a nasty habit of bursting into flame it is no surprise that missions were flown primarily at dawn and dusk. Supplies of aircraft trickled into Finland but never enough to tip the scales.”

Source: www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/WW2History-KaukoAhoProfile.html#heikki

Question: Which bomber, classified as heavy in 1939, became known, along with a number of other names, as the Ferocious Frying Pan?

Answer: “The Handley-Page Hampden – also known as the “Hamp,” “Hambone,” “Ferocious Frying Pan” and the “Flying Suitcase” – was one of three British types considered in 1939 to be “heavy” bombers, the others being the Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley and the Vickers Wellington. The Hampden’s career as a bomber lasted until September 1942, as a torpedo-bomber to November 1943, and as a meteorological reconnaissance machine to the end of 1943. For much of its history it had links with Canada through limited production runs here as well as by Canadians serving in RAF and RCAF units that flew the type.”

Source: Canada and The ?, by Hugh A. Halliday, CAHS Journal, Spring 1998, Page 100

Question: What airliner was the Lockheed Aircraft’s two engine bomber (The Hudson) derived from?

Answer: “The American manufacturer had developed the type from its successful fourteen-passenger “Super Electra” airliner for the British Air Ministry, which in 1938 turned to U.S. firms to supplement Britain’s overburdened aircraft industry. The Hudson, with a 19.8-metre wingspan and loaded weight of 6500 kilograms,, was smaller than the Digby, but, with a cruising speed of 350 kilometres per hour was considerably faster. It could also patrol to a distance of about 650 kilometres, although, because of its higher speed it had less endurance, about six hours compared to ten hours or more for the Digby. All Hudson production was tied up by British and Australian orders, but the British agreed to release ten of their Hudsons to Canada.”

Source: War In The St. Lawrence – Page 27

3 Books for You to Read

By John Chalmers, CAHS Membership Secretary

Perhaps this pandemic summer and Covid-19 crisis that has resulted in quarantining ourselves at home, social distancing from other folks when we go out, and wearing masks that make us all look like bank robbers has also given us more time to stay at home and read.

While we may at times feel like we are under house arrest or confined to barracks, our time at home can still be spent on worthwhile activities that range from mowing the lawn to curling up with a good book. Neither of those projects require wearing a mask!

I have just finished reading three fine books that I recommend highly to all. Each has provided a great experience in providing me with information and knowledge that I didn’t know before. Two are great aviation stories of world wars and one is of a naval exploration story of the 19^th Century.

The Candy Bombers: the Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America’s Finest Hour by Andrei Cherney (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2008) is a superbly researched and written story with 550 pages about the governing of post-war Berlin and the Berlin airlift. Reading this book revealed how little I knew about those important aspects of European history and a massive aviation undertaking. Vital to the story is the initiative of American bomber pilot, Gail Seymour “Hal” Halverson. His practice of dropping candy for German children led to a practice that mushroomed to raise the morale not only of the children but of the military. Over 50 pages of bibliographic references are an indication of the massive amount of research done by the author in creating an excellent and absorbing read. See more here.

A fascinating discovery was Masters of the Air: The Great War Pilots McLeod, McKeever and MacLaren, by fellow Edmontonian and aviation enthusiast, Roger Gunn (Dundurn, 2019). I was completely captivated by the stories of three ace fighter pilots of the First World War. Roger’s extensive research to write this compelling story has taken him from Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa to archives in London, England. Based on wartime letters from the highly-decorated airmen and the hair-raising accounts of their aerial dogfights, this book is hard to put down, and should be read by anyone who enjoys stories about masters of the air. Both Alan McLeod, the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross at age 19, and Donald MacLaren, DSO, MC*, DFC and Croix de Guerre, are Members of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. Andrew McKeever, DSO, MC*, DFC who with his gunners is credited with 31 victories and was the highest scoring pilot with Bristol F.2 two-seater fighter aircraft. The book is Roger’s second about Canadian aviation heroes. His first was about another members of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame: Raymond Collishaw and the Black Flight, also published by Dundurn. Book info here.

To order Masters of the Air from CAHS at a discounted price, which also supports the CAHS, click here.

I knew something about the ill-fated expedition led by Sir John Franklin in a failed attempt to discover the North-West Passage and that both ships involved, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were lost along with all men aboard. I also knew that it was only in recent years that both ships were discovered at the bottom of the sea in northern Canada. What I didn’t know was the fascinating story of both ships in their voyages to Antarctica prior to their fatal journeys in the North. Erebus, by Michael Palin (Greystone Books Ltd., 2018) is a fascinating story about iron men in wooden ships. Like the other two books mentioned here, the story is well researched and well written. Palin has travelled to all places visited by Erebus and Terror. He brings to life the story of the ships themselves and the intrepid men who sailed them. More info here.

After you read those three books, we have 150 more for you to read! The list of books recommended by CAHS members was a sesquicentennial project for the 150^th anniversary of Canada in 2017. We have posted that list which you can see when you click here.

Pictorial book celebrates Guelph Air Park

Aviation enthusiasts will definitely enjoy a coffee table-sized pictorial book outlining the rich history of Guelph Air Park.

Cindi Conlon, a resident of the Royal City, was really impressed with her first visit to the famous Tiger Boys vintage aircraft restoration works at Guelph. In fact, she was inspired to write a book about the entire airport. She dedicated the publication to the pilots --- past and present --- who have called Guelph Air Park their aviation home, and to its visionary founder, Len Ariss. As Cindi says, the generosity of Ariss led to the Air Park becoming “a jewel in the crown of the Royal City” over the past 65 years.

The book is a lively panorama of pilots, planes and stories. The Tiger Boys. Aerobatic champions like Gerry Younger and Al Hauff and stalwarts like Fern Villeneuve and Adele Fogle, to name only a few. The many “firsts” in civil aviation recorded at Guelph Air Park. How the airport has grown and continues to flourish today.

Find a full review and report, by CAHS Vice President Gord McNulty, in the Aviation History Books link of the CAHS National website, www.cahs.com.

This volume is well illustrated and provides long overdue recognition of Guelph Air Park.

GoFundMe campaign to establish
Capt. Kevin Hagen memorial scholarship

A fundraising campaign to create a memorial scholarship in honour of Capt. Kevin Hagen is receiving widespread support. The RCAF pilot was among six Canadian Armed Forces members who died in the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crash in the Mediterranean Sea near Greece April 29.

Organized by family, friends and former Royal Military College classmates of Hagen, in collaboration with his former air cadet squadron, 848 Royal Roads Squadron in Victoria, the campaign aims to raise $15,000 to establish a pilot scholarship for a member of the squadron. As of mid-August, the campaign had raised $13,920. Hagen, 30, was born in Nanaimo but spent time in Ladysmith, Quadra Island and Victoria.
Hagen’s remains returned home to Vancouver Island and were escorted by military and civilian dignitaries in a police-escorted motorcade on June 27.

To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/kevin-hagen-memorial-flying-scholarship-rmc-03911
Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald, Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, Sub-Lt Matthew Pyke, Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins also died in the crash and will always be remembered.

CAHS Journal Update

All four numbers for Volume 57 (2019 publication year) are currently at some stage of preparation. Of these, the first two will enter the final layout proofreading phase preparatory to print production and distribution, within the coming week or two.

Visit this link to learn more about the four Volume 57 CAHS Journals – including cover art and a list of feature articles – currently in the works.

Note from the Treasurer

The CAHS Executive would like to thank everyone who has responded in the past couple of months with renewals and donations. Your attentiveness and generosity is much appreciated and very helpful. Nevertheless, we are not out of the woods yet. As mentioned before, the CAHS has maintained 100% of its operations on the Journal, the website, the e-newsletter, and the behind-the-scenes administration - all of which incur costs. The income sent to the CAHS for renewals and donations between March and July 2020 remains less than 50% of what was received by the CAHS in 2019 over the same period of time. Unfortunately, this decrease in income over our first and second quarters will affect our ability to carry out our operations over the rest of the year. Specifically, we still do not have the cash in our bank account to pay for the printing and mailing of the next two Journals which our editor and editorial committee have been working on over the past weeks. Furthermore, one of our insurance policies is due early in September - we need additional funds in the bank account in order to cover that cost as well.

We ask our members who still need to renew for 2018, 2019, and 2020 to do so as soon as possible. Even when people are behind in renewing for a year or more, the CAHS has had 100% of its operating costs for 2018 and 2019, and even now in 2020. You can renew online (paying with your credit card or PayPal) at the following link: www.cahs.com/membership. If you would prefer to mail a cheque or credit card number for your renewal or donation, you could can download the PDF version of the membership form here or the donation form here. If you choose to mail your renewal, we ask that you email our treasurer (Rachel Heide) for her home address, which will ensure quicker processing of your renewal. You may also email her to inquire as to your membership status.

Donations are also an important part of our funding streams. We would greatly appreciate it if you could consider donating to the CAHS to help us maintain our bills, website, and Journal production. You can donate online at our website (paying with your credit card or PayPal) at the following link: www.cahs.com/donations. Do you know of a corporation that would be interested in, or is in a position to, support the CAHS through a Corporate membership (form here) or a sponsorship donation? It would be greatly appreciated if you could reach out to your corporate donor network and advocate supporting the CAHS financially. More information about Corporate membership is available at the link www.cahs.com/sponsorship.

Cordially Yours,
~Dr Rachel Lea Heide
CAHS National Treasurer