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Hawk One for Sale

22 March 2017

Dear Friends:

It is with considerable sadness that I forward you this email. Mike Potter of Vintage Wings of Canada has decided to sell Hawk One. Those of us who have worked on or flown this magnificent aircraft would really like to see it remain in Canada. If you know of any organization or individual who might be prepared to purchase the jet please forward this email to them immediately. It won't be on the market long and it will be a real shame to see it leave Canada. There will never be another one like it.

Hawk One

Photo: Peter Handley

Please see this link for details of the sale.

In addition, I am attaching several items of interest as follows:

1. Our 2011 and 2012 Historical Reports representing the last of the four cross-country tours we did starting in 2009. I am including these reports mainly for some of the PR photos showing the popularity of the jet. I also wrote the 2009 report and can forward the same to anyone who might be interested.

2011 Historical Report

2012 Historical Report

2. A magazine article from the UK's "Jets" Magazine authored by myself in November 2012. Between this magazine and a similar article I wrote for "Air Classics" at the same time, we had Hawk One on 120,000 magazine covers in North America and Europe in Nov/Dec 2012. I worked with Doug Fisher and the respective publishers to get this PR coverage. There is some very nice history on the jet in this article. Click here to read the article.

3. My latest list of the 82 former RCAF and Canadian Forces pilots I have identified who flew Sabre 23314 between Jan 1955 and Jan 1969. Note that the stats include the dates of their first and last flights but not total flights flown on the jet. A total of seven former Golden Hawks flew this aircraft, either operationally or in training with the team in 1962-1963. Also included at the end of the list are the names of the 11 Vintage Wings of Canada pilots who were checked out to fly the aircraft from March 2009 to the end of 2013. Our latest designated demo pilot was to be Maj Erick "Hom" O'Connor who was the CF-18 demo pilot in 2011 and is now a sim instructor and reserve Hornet pilot in Cold Lake. Click here to access the list.

Here are some key facts concerning the aircraft:

- Canadair Sabre 5 construction number 1104; RCAF Serial number 23314, manufactured in 1954.

- First Flight 13 Aug 1954 by Canadair Test Pilot Glen Lyne

- Taken on Strength by the RCAF on 14 Sep 1954

- First tour 441 (F) Sqn, RCAF No. 1 Air Division, Marville, France

- Seconded to the RCAF Golden Hawks as a training aircraft in November 1962

- Total of just over 14 years service with the RCAF/Canadian Forces; last operational flight 31 Dec 1968 with the closure of the the Sabre Transition Unit at CFB Chatham, NB, birthplace of the Golden Hawks.

- Feb 1972 - Sep 2007 - various American owners under registration N8687D; flown by legendary pilots Bob Hoover and Steve Hinton, the latter claiming it was the nicest Sabre he had ever flown. Note that the jet was equipped with brand new F-86F wings and an Orenda 14 engine circa 1972.

- New Canadian registration C-GSBR effective Sep 2007 with the purchase of the jet by Vintage Wings of Canada.

- Jan 2009 - aircraft repainted in the colours of the RCAF Golden Hawks courtesy Air Command to celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Canada. Aircraft equipped with a Tutor ejection seat courtesy the Air Force under a MOU with DND as approved by both Transport Canada and PWGSC under a Controlled Goods Program.

- Hawk One national tours from 2009-2012 inclusive.

- Hawk One is currently dedicated to W/C (ret'd) Fern Villeneuve, original Team Leader of the Golden Hawks, along with Honorary Crew Chiefs MWO (Ret'd) Bill Briggs, a five-year crew chief with the team, and Cpl Jean Blache, the original designer of the Golden Hawk paint scheme while serving as a graphic artist at AFHQ in Ottawa in 1958-1959.

Please, let's give this information the widest possible dissemination in the hope of finding a Canadian buyer.

Thanks for your help and best regards,

Dan

D.V. Dempsey
Hawk One Pilot 2009-2012
High Flight Enterprises Ltd.
1174 Sloan Terrace
Victoria, B.C.
Canada V8Y 3C4
www.CanadasAirshowHeritage.com/Introduction.aspx
Ph/Fax 250-658-4397
Cell 250-661-0702