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 October are:
Question: How many operations was Canada’s first warplane (the Burgess-Dunn) on during WW 1 and where was it’s final resting place?
Answer: “The Burgess-Dunne was severely damaged during transit and never repaired. In February, 1915, the Canadian Division moved from England’s Salisbury Plain, but without the CAC’s only warplane, which was inadvertently – or perhaps deliberately – left behind. Three months later, Canadian soldiers were ordered to locate the airplane, but no one was told what type of machine they were actually looking for. In June, the search was called off. A few rusty parts and two inner tubes were all that was found. Somehow, the inner tubes had wound up in a friendly pub.”
Source: Dancing in the Sky – Page 22
Question: What role did Ernest Lloyd Janney, a motor mechanic from Galt On, who had no experience in flying, nor in building airplanes, but he was a gifted hucksters who in all probability could have sold baby seal meat to Brigitte Bardot and Paul M, play in the Canadian Air Corps in 1914?
Answer: “How the virtually unknown Janney gained access to Hughes is not known, but on 16 September 1914, the minister of militia made Janney the provisional head of the new Canadian Air Corps (CAC). Hughes also appointed Janney a captain in the Canadian Militia, and had him outfitted with a new uniform, Sam Browne belt, and shiny new service revolver. All this was done without consulting any governmental authority or advising Major-General Alderson, commander of the Canadian Expeditiomaru Force (CEF). Moreover, Janney was never properly gazetted as a captain, although he drew pay from the militia as of the date of his probationary appointment.”
Source: Dancing in the Sky – Page 19
Question: Why did the RAF switch from target specific bombing, during WWII, to night area bombing from 1941 to late 1944?
Answer: “From 1941 until late 1944 the majority of Bomber Command’s sorties consisted of area-bombing by night: and the chief reason for this turn of events was that “the only target on which the night force could inflict effective damage was a whole German town.” The Raf’s Pffocoa; Jostory Branch Marrative identifies this linkage directly with Sir Charles Portal and the more pessimistic, yet pragmatic attitude which he would bring to future Air Staff deliberations on bombing policy. Ultimately, due allowance was made for the inaccuracy of bombing, by ensuring that targets selected were not isolated, but if possible in large centres of population and industry. This was the reason for the initiation of area bombing and the selection of “industrial centres” instead of factories.”
Source: NO PROUDER PLACE – Page 33
Hi at the CAHS,
As you may know the Ventura Memorial Flight Associations project Canada’s Air War – A Chronology has been put on the Internet at last.
This is the result of nearly 25 years of work correlating information on the events of the Second World War, the part the Canada played, and notably what Canadian Airmen did during the war, and what it cost us in terms of lives lost and men wounded.
While the focus of the project was to stimulate students in High School and University level to know and further research the history of this country during this period, a secondary purpose was to provide in one place accurate information on events, dates, people and the aircraft involved with Canadians in the RCAF and other armed forces.
Thus for researchers the site can be a go-to place to quickly find out the basic information on an aircraft event or loss, with information on available supporting material in many cases.
If you could take the time to check out the material now online and perhaps point it out to the Membership.
There is another reason for this request. If there are any events which are unclear they have been noted in the text. I am still engaged in updating the data. And I am particularly interested in correcting any errors made and clarifying some of the entries.
Please explore the site, and see if there is any information you or the CAHS membership can add or correct. Click here to access the site.
As mentioned the information is always being reviewed. The next page now being prepared will be a listing of Canadians Lost by Unit in the Commonwealth Air Forces. This has already turned up several errors in the dates of those in the Fatalities by Date file which are being corrected.
After that is complete and posted we plan to create a long-overdue Errata for the book They Shall Grow Not Old.
Finally in this work we created a cross-reference for W.R. Chorley’s Bomber Command Losses which provides a quick page and volume reference to his work by aircraft serial number, and this is available to any interested CAHS member at no charge.
Below is a sample page. The references are to Bomber Command Losses volumes for 1939-1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, Operational Training Units and Heavy Conversion Units as well as Gunby & Temples Bomber Losses in the Middle East and Mediterranean Vol. 1, 1939-1942. This can give a researcher the volume and page reference for a bomber loss in seconds:
R1299 Wellington BCL' OTU 52
R1320 Wellington BCL' OTU 43
R1321 Wellington BCL' HCU 224
R1322 Wellington BCL'41 53
R1323 Wellington BCL'41 63
R1324 Wellington BCL'43 181; BCL' OTU 227
R1325 Wellington BCL' OTU 250
R1326 Wellington BCL'41 30
R1328 Wellington BCL'41 145
R1329 Wellington BCL' OTU 102
R1330 Wellington BCL'41 57
R1331 Wellington BCL'41 43
R1332 Wellington BCL'41 152
R1333 Wellington BCL'39-40 140
R1334 Wellington BCL' OTU 60
R1335 Wellington BCL'41 34
R1336 Wellington BCL' OTU 127
R1337 Wellington BCL' OTU 242
R1339 Wellington BCL'41 69
R1340 Wellington BCL' OTU 94
R1341 Wellington BCL'41 114
R1342 Wellington BCL' OTU 104
R1343 Wellington BCL'41 80
R1344 Wellington BCL' OTU 185
R1345 Wellington BCL' OTU 146
R1346 Wellington BCL'42 209; BCL' OTU 153
R1348 Wellington BCL'41 65
R1349 Wellington BCL'42 132; BCL' OTU 128
R1365 Wellington BCL'41 68
R1366 Wellington BCL' OTU 60
R1367 Wellington BCL' OTU 41
R1368 Wellington BCL'41 45
R1369 Wellington BCL'41 102
R1371 Wellington BCL'41 95
R1372 Wellington BCL'41 74
R1373 Wellington BCL'41 78
R1374 Wellington BCL'41 52
R1375 Wellington BCL' OTU 125
R1377 Wellington BCL' OTU 116
R1378 Wellington BCL'41 32
R1379 Wellington BCL'41 56
R1380 Wellington BCL'41 38
R1381 Wellington BCLME'39-42 44
Doing a quick search it appears that 17 of the 43 Wellington aircraft referenced above had Canadian airmen involved in their losses. For example, R1346 was lost September 10-11, 1942 with the following information:
10-11 Dusseldorf attacked by 479 bombers, including OTU aircraft, with Target Finding support. This operation saw the first use a purposely designed Target Indicator, a 2,800 lb. device (modified from a 4,000 lb. Blockbuster casing) that burned with a distinct pink colour (hence it's name, "Pink Pansy"). Very heavy damage caused for the loss of 33 bombers (BC War Diaries).
10-11 #16 OTU Wellington Ic R1346 JS-F lost an engine off the coast of Holland on an operation to Germany and ditched short of the English coast, Sgt B.A. Rodgers killed, Sgt A.E. Sedin RAF missing, Sgt K.J. Johnston RAF, Sgt I.F. Leng RAF and Sgt A. Boswell RAF rescued.
Sgt Rodgers, highlighted in red, was a member of RCAF.
Any CAHS member who would like a copy of the Bomber Command Losses cross reference document can contact me (Paul Squires) at the CAPA-ACCA e-mail address and I will send this to them.
As an aside if any member has a copy of Hagedorn’s Latin American Air Wars by Hitoki Press, we have a copy of the text for the book that Hitoki was to provide to purchasers on the internet at no charge, an experimental idea that faltered when Hitoki went out of business. For any serious historian of Military Aviation in the Americas this is a must have text, and I obtained my electronic copy on the understanding that I would pass it on to interested researchers. Again, please contact me at the CAPA-ACCA e-mail paul@capa-acca.com.
All the Best,
Paul Squires
Ventura Memorial Flight Association
Canadian Aircraft Historical Society
I am happy to announce that the CAHS application, on behalf of Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, to the 99s Canadian Award in Aviation Trust has been approved. Their letter of acceptance follows.
I want to thank Danielle for the dedication and commitment she has made to forward this worthwhile project. On behalf of the Board of Directors and all the members of the CAHS, I want to extend our congratulations and look forward to reading the completed profiles and articles. Great job Danielle!
On another positive note, the CAHS has now sold 41 copies of her new children’s book, “Alis The Aviator”. With this success, I encourage other member/writers to make their book available through us.
Blue skies,
Gary Williams
National President
Click on letter to view larger image.
I'm working on a story for The Points Guy about why most Canadian IATA airport codes start with the letter Y. Is this something you or someone else in your organization would be able to speak on?
Thanks so much,
Zach Wichter
Aviation Industry Reporter
+1 (917) 438-9567
zach.wichter@thepointsguy.com
I'm writing a book on monuments across Canada. One of these monuments is the retired Gypsumville radar turned into a time capsule. I'm looking for information on the Gypsum base, what was done there, and background on the Pinetree Line. Mainly was it built and used during the Cold War, what their goal was, and what the line was.
Air Force Heritage Park at Summerside, PEI:
a fitting memorial
Photos and report By Gord McNulty, CAHS Vice President
An opportunity to visit three aviation museums in Atlantic Canada, beginning with the Air Force Heritage Park in Summerside, PEI, (www.airforceparkpei.ca and www.aviationheritagepei.ca) proved to be a rewarding experience.
Air Force Heritage Park, just outside the gates of the former RCAF Station and CF Base Summerside, is an attractive destination for aviation fans.
The Park, located just outside the gates of the former RCAF Station/Canadian Forces Summerside at Slemon Park, is dedicated to the memory of those military and civilian personnel who served at the station/base during its lifetime. Three refurbished historic aircraft: a Canadair CP-107 Argus, a Grumman/de Havilland Canada-built CP-121 Tracker, and a McDonnell CF-101B Voodoo, are displayed in an attractive, well-landscaped setting.
Grumman Tracker 131 was the 30th Tracker built by de Havilland Canada and first carried RCN serial number 1531. Sept. 5, 2019
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An impressive Memorial Wall and descriptive Commemorative Plaques are among the features of the Park. The displays describe the history and importance of the aircraft, and honour the memory of airmen who perished in crashes.
The Park is edged with Commemorative Stones which provide a way for personnel to be remembered in the form of an engraved granite stone. More than 600 stones are installed along a Walk of Honour.
The Park was built with the dedication and hard work of the Aviation Heritage Society (PEI). The current Society, formed in 2009, was inspired by previous initiatives that formed and disbanded over more than 20 years. It is led by a group of retired military and civilian air force personnel with a mandate to collect, preserve and promote the military aviation history of PEI from the early days to the present.
Barry Rowan, of the Society, underlined the financial support the Park has received from the members of 200 Wing Summerside RCAF Association and the staff of Slemon Park Corporation who also maintain the grounds and shrubbery.
The Society and its supporters deserve full credit for their achievements in restoring these aircraft and making an outstanding contribution to air force history. The Park is a must-see for aviation fans whenever they visit PEI and we wish the members of the Society every success in maintaining the aircraft and the appearance of the surrounding grounds for years to come.
The Argus, 10739, was taken on strength by the RCAF in February, 1960, and accepted by 404 Maritime Patrol Squadron at RCAF Station, Greenwood, NS. In 1965, it was re-assigned to 415 Squadron at Summerside.
In June/July 1966, 739 flew from Summerside to Pisa, Italy, via the Azores. It participated in NATO torpedo exercises and, according to the park historians, was probably the only Argus to ever visit Italy. 739 was ultimately transferred back to Greenwood and took its final flight to Summerside on 5 June, 1980. It was retired from flying duty after exactly 20 years and four months, with a grand total of 15,087.4 flying hours.
The CP-121 Tracker first carried the Royal Canadian Navy serial number 1531 while serving in the anti-submarine role. When Trackers were taken over by the air force and re-assigned under the CP-121 designation to anti-drug patrols, fishery patrols, and search and rescue, the aircraft was renumbered to 12131.
Tracker 131 was renumbered 1531 to 12131, as shown, when the Trackers were re-roled to anti-drug patrols, fishery patrols and more and redesignated as the CP-121.
Tracker 131 was also utilized as an Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator during its time with 880 Maritiime Reconnaissance Squadron at Summerside.
McDonnell CF-101B Voodoo 101037 at Air Force Heritage Park was taken on strength in 1970 with 416 Squadron at CFB Bagotville and flew in the squadron's air demonstration team.
The CF-101B Voodoo, 101037, first entered service with the USAF. It went to the Canadian Forces on 2 December, 1970, with 416 All Weather Fighter Squadron at Bagotville, Quebec. It also participated in the 416 Squadron Air Demonstration Team.
On 23 June, 1975, 037 sustained a fuel tank explosion and fire during maintenance. The fire was quickly contained by ground crew and the aircraft was repaired. In 1984, 037 became an instructional airframe and was eventually shipped to CFB Summerside for use in battle damage repair training.
For more information, contact Barry Rowan at (902) 436-7336 or barry@aviationheritagepei.ca
I will have a report on two museums in Nova Scotia --- the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum and the Shearwater Aviation Museum --- in future editions of the Newsletter.
Informative, well-illustrated plaques describe the role of the Tracker and other aircraft at Air Force Heritage Park in Summerside, PEI.
Voodoo 101037 sustained a fuel tank explosion and fire during maintenance on 23 June, 1975. The fire was quickly contained by ground crew and the aircraft was repaired.
Another view of CF-101B Voodoo 101037.
CP-107 Argus 10739 at Air Force Heritage Park, the 30th Argus built by Canadair, flew for more than 20 years, with a total of 15,087.4 flying hours.
A brief trip down memory lane
By Gord McNulty, CAHS Vice President
On a sunny Saturday morning, Sept. 8, 1956, my father Jack and I arrived at Malton Airport to see two demonstration teams that flew in the Canadian International Air Show at the CNE. I was nine years old, but the day stood out in memory as it was the only occasion that I ever saw the McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee in Royal Canadian Navy service.
RCN Banshees, VF 870 Squadron, at Malton for the 1956 CIAS. On the left, USN Blue Angels Grumman F9F-8 Cougars. (Jack McNulty)
The Banshees of the VF 870 Squadron Aerobatic Team were parked next to the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, who flew the Grumman F9F-8 Cougar at the time. The other aircraft that I recall, in an attractive U.S. Navy white and orange paint scheme, was the navy equivalent of the Beech Expeditor, a Beech SNB-5.
My father specialized in photos of Canadian-registered aircraft and I have attached some of the Banshees. (A good colour photograph of the overall scene, credited to John Searle, appears in both Carl Mills’ book, Banshees in the Royal Canadian Navy, and in A Tradition of Excellence: Canada’s Airshow Team Heritage, by Daniel V. Dempsey.)
As described in these excellent books, it was the first visit to the CIAS by the VF 870 Banshees. Eight Banshees participated, supported by an Expeditor. After the air show, the team flew to St. Louis for a three-day visit to the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation plant, where they saw the assembly lines for the new F3H Demon for the U.S. Navy and the F-101 Voodoo for the U.S.A.F.
McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, RCN 126102, Malton 8 Sept., 1956. (Jack McNulty)
The VF 870 team performed for the last time in October, 1956 for “Navy Day” celebrations in Quebec City, but a new, more formal Banshee aerobatic team --- the Grey Ghosts --- was soon established. The Grey Ghosts began air show displays in 1958 and flew until 1960.
F2H-3 Banshee, RCN 126313, at Malton Sept. 8, 1956 (Jack McNulty)
RCN Banshee 126429 at Rivers, Manitoba. VF 870 Banshees deployed to Rivers in the spring of 1957 for live weapons firing. (Jack McNulty Collection)
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The Royal Air Force Red Arrows completed flypasts over Victoria and Vancouver on Sept. 26 before moving to California to complete their largest-ever tour of North America this year. As we don’t often have an opportunity to see this remarkable team in Canada, I have a few more photos of the Arrows that I took at the CIAS over the Toronto waterfront at the CNE on Aug. 31.
BAE Systems Hawk T1 jets flown by the Red Arrows at CIAS, Aug. 31, 2019.
The Red Arrows split up in a dynamic manoeuve during the CIAS Aug. 31, 2019.
A flypast by five Red Arrows at the CIAS exemplifies synchronised, formation aerobatics.
The nine-jet Red Arrows team at the Canadian International Air Show Aug. 31, 2019.
The Snowbirds and their trademark nine-team formation concluded the 2019 CIAS.
RCAF Fighter Pilot Honoured in U.S.
By John Chalmers, CAHS Membership Secretary
David Charles Fairbanks, who flew with the RCAF during the Second World War, has been honoured in his hometown of Ithaca, New York. A Tempest fighter pilot with 15 victories to his credit, he was three times awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Fairbanks joined the RCAF as a 19-year old in 1941, before the United States had entered the Second World War. He reached the rank of squadron leader as commanding officer of 274 RAF Squadron before being shot down himself on February 28, 1945, and spent the last few months of the war as a prisoner of war.
Post-war, David returned to Ithaca and earned a degree in engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca. He then returned to Canada and was soon hired by Russell Bannock as a test pilot with de Havilland Canada (DHC). “At de Havilland we were looking for an additional test and demo pilot when Fairbanks applied,” says Bannock. “At the time, Dave was working in Montreal, flying Vampires with one of the Montreal reserve squadrons and held a Commercial Pilot Licence. When I looked at his logbook, I said ‘Wow!’ and hired him on the strength of his experience. He soon showed us that he could be a skilled test pilot.”
David eventually became Manager of Flight Operations for DHC. In May 2019 he was posthumously inducted as a Member of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, largely for his work with DHC in development of Short Takeoff and Landing Aircraft such as the Dash 7 and was involved with promotion of the Beaver, Twin Otter, Caribou and Buffalo in countries around the world. Sadly, Fairbanks died at the age of 52 in 1975.
At left, Russ Bannock, DSO DFC, himself a member of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, hands the induction certificate for David Fairbanks to retired USAF Major General Mike Hall, for placement of the certificate in a historical display at The History Center in Tompkins County, located in Ithaca. Since 2014, Mike has been manager of the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport and was instrumental in organizing a special dinner to honour David Fairbanks. (Rick Radell photo)
On September 13, a dinner at the Ithaca Regional Airport celebrated David Fairbanks. An American who became a Canadian citizen, he is now remembered in both the home of his birth and in the country he served during the war. A B-17 bomber named Aluminum Overcast, provided a backdrop for the event. It had been flown in for the airport’s open house weekend, when the dinner was held for Fairbanks. (Dale Schenck photo)
Tom Appleton, who worked with Fairbanks at DHC and is a former chairman of the board for Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, spoke about David Fairbanks at the dinner held in Ithaca. Tom has said, “He was my boss and a very good one. He provided the same sort of direction and management supervision that all of the demonstration and instructor pilots at DHC received. He was very supportive and encouraged everybody to perform well. As a pilot, Dave was an artist, the airplane was his brush and the sky his canvas.” Standing at left is airport manager Mike Hall. (Dale Schenck photo)
A Hawker Tempest of the Royal Air Force, an interceptor and fighter/bomber, the type with which David Fairbanks scored all but one of his victories as a fighter pilot of the RCAF, while attached to the RAF. A 2019 fellow inductee to Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, Barry Lapointe, announced at the induction ceremonies that the Hawker Tempest he is restoring to flying condition will be named to honour David Fairbanks. Barry is the head of KF Aerospace, based in Kelowna BC. Of all the Tempest aircraft built for the war, only eight survive. Barry’s will be the only one flying. (Internet photo)
Shown above is the masthead of an article about David Fairbanks, written by long-time CAHS member, Hugh Halliday. The story appeared in the Vol. 35, No. 2, Summer 1977 edition of the CAHS Journal. To see the complete article, click here. To see more about David Fairbanks and the video of him shown at the May 16 inductions for Canada’s Aviation Hall of fame, click here.
