Membership

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 December are:

Question:  What was the main purpose of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan relief fields at both the Elementary and Service Flying Training Schools?

Answer: “The main purpose of the relief fields was to provide pilots in training with an aerodrome to fly circuits or “touch and go” landings. Circuit flying was a major component of the flying training syllabus at both the Elementary and Service Flying Training Schools and proficiency in takeoffs and landings required considerable circuit-flying practice. The relief fields effectively doubled or tripled the capacity of the schools.”

Source: CAHS JOURNAL - WINTER 2008 – Page 125

Question: Who was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and raised on a farm near Zehner, Saskatchewan, and became one of the 17 Red Knight pilots?

Answer: “D.C. “Tex” Deagnon was born in Regina and was raised on a farm near Zehner, Sask. He joined the RCAF in 1957 and received his wings in 1959. After training on the F-86 Sabre at Chatham, he was posted overseas in Nov 1959. Deagnon went to Grostenquin, France, to No. 2 Wing and served with 430 “Silver Falcon” Sqn. He returned to Canada in late 1962 and became a flying instructor at Portage La Prairie. While at Portage Deagnon was selected as the 1964 alternate Red Knight. In 1965, he assumed the role of the Red Knight. Deagnon completed 21 displays during his year as the Red Knight.”

Source: Airforce Revue Magazine – Fall/2008 – Page 15

Question: How many personnel were recruited by the RFC / RAF during its approximately 21 months in Canada? How many pilots graduated and how many fatal crashes were there?

Answer: “In its twenty and a half months in Canada the RFC/RAF training establishment had recruited 16,663 personnel and had graduated 3,135 pilots, of whom 2,539 went overseas and 356 remained in Canada as instructors, and 137 observers, of whom 85 were sent overseas. At the time of the armistice, it had an additional 240 pilots and 52 observers who were ready for overseas service. There had been 130 fatal crashes involving RFC/RAF aircraft in Canada during this same period.”

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – T.F.J. Leversedge – Page 23