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We hope you enjoyed answering the Canadian Aviation Moments in October. We encourage readers to send in their responses to the Canadian Aviation Moments questions at: info@cahs.ca. Your responses will be included in the following month's newsletter. Here are the correct answers:

Question: In 1919 and 1920, the British Government bestowed upon Canada a number of different types of airplanes with associated equipment. This was called “The Imperial Gift.” What Imperial Gift aircraft occupied the public spotlight 1 October 1920?

Answer: “In October, 1920, several Imperial Gift aircraft occupied the public spotlight as participants in the Trans-Canada Flight. The event was not a continuous expedition but a series of hops by different crews using different aircraft. It began badly on the 7th when the sole Fairey IIIC crashed en route from Halifax to Saint John, fortunately without injury to the pilot, Lieutenant – Colonel Leckie.” “Leckie returned to Halifax and switched to a Curtis HS-2L flying boat, formerly used by the United States Navy and part of an unrelated aircraft gift from that country. With this machine, he resumed the flight as far as Riviere-du-Loup, where an F.3 was substituted on the 8th. Three days and 14 stops later, it arrive at Winnipeg, where a D.H.9 took up the flight, arriving at Vancouver on the 17th after mechanical and weather delays and adventurous flights through the Rockies and 11 landings.”

Source: Canadian Aviation Historical Society Journal – Vol.47 No.1 – Spring 2009 – Page 29.


Question: In what year did the RFC decide to establish a training organization in Canada? How many stations and training squadrons were established in that year?

Answer: “In 1917 the RFC decided to establish a training organization in Canada.” “RFC Station Camp Borden was the main training site and was accepted on 2 May 1917. In no time, all five squadrons and a school for aerial gunnery were operating at full capacity. RFC Station Deseronto consisted of aerodromes at Mohawk and Rathburn and it was operating with five training squadrons by the end of May 1917. RFC Station North Toronto consisted of aerodromes at Long Branch, Leaside and Armour Heights, and by the end of June 1917 there were three training squadrons operating.”

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – A Military Compendium – T.F.J. Leversedge – Page 22


Question: What aircraft type was modified with the 180 hp Wolseley Viper water-cooled engine (S.E. 5A fighter design) and what was it used for by the RCAF?

Answer: After the First World War, the availability of thousands of cheap power-plants from the S.E. 5A fighter design in the form of 180 hp Wolseley Viper water-cooled engines complete with frontal radiators led to the modification and upgrade the of Avro 504 aircraft type. Considerable modifications were needed to the air-frame to accommodate the new more powerful engine installation. In 1923 following the assembly of six long-range, single-seat Avro 552As at Camp Borden, the RCAF ordered another five single-seat and nine two-seat versions for forest fire patrol work." TOS: 1924, SOS: 1928, No: 14" "Model No: 552 A"

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – A Military Compendium – T.F.J. Leversedge – Page 58

 


The Canadian Aviation Moments were submitted by Dennis Casper from the Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter of the CAHS.

The Canadian Aviation Moments questions for November are:

Question: What aircraft, from the Imperial Gift, were experimented with in adapting World War I war-time photographic reconnaissance methods to mapping in Canada?

Source: CAHS Journal – Vol.47 No.1 – Spring 2009 – Page 30


Question: When and who established the original Snowbirds team in 1971? The establishment of the Snowbirds was connected with the Golden Centennaires in at least 2 ways. What were the two links between the Centennaires and the Snowbirds?

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


Question: What was the connection between Rockcliffe and W/C William Barker, VC, the famous WW1 fighter ace?

Source: Airforce – The Magazine of Canada’s Air Force Heritage – Volume 28 No. 3 - Fall 2004