Membership
The CAHS Manitoba Chapter will be hosting an online presentation via Zoom at 7 pm CDT on Thursday 30 April and all CAHS members across the country are invited! Their topic this month will the the development and technical aspects of what is likely to be the last Canadian-designed jet airliner, the Bombardier C Series. The C Series is a technologically advanced aircraft with composite wings and Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines, which give outstanding performance and fuel economy. The aircraft has been ordered by several major airlines, including Air Canada and Delta Airlines. Unfortunately the aircraft's protracted development nearly drove Bombardier into bankruptcy and the project was sold to Airbus, which dubbed it the Airbus A220. Our speaker is Manitoba Chapter president Jim Bell, an Air Canada aircraft maintenance engineer who spent most of November and December learning the A220's systems in detail. The meeting poster is here.
Since this is their first attempt at a Zoom video meeting, no doubt there will be glitches. In order to minimise these, they will have a trial run on Thursday 23 April at 7 pm CDT. You can sign up for either or both presentations, but you will be able to attend only one.
Because we are limited to a maximum number of attendees on Zoom, you must register here. Please sign up early. Information for joining the meeting will be sent to attendees by a separate email.
CAHS Membership
Do you find yourself searching the sky when you hear the sound of an aircraft engine? Are you interested in Canadian aviation history – the aircraft that made it, the companies that made them, or the people who brought both to life? Then the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) is the place for you!
Give the gift of a CAHS membership to yourself or a loved one. When you purchase a CAHS membership, you receive all Journal issues for the calendar year in which you join. You can upgrade any level of membership to a Family Rate; for an additional $25, you can get the PDF version of the Journal delivered via email to two additional family members. Click here for more information about a CAHS membership.
The CAHS Needs Your Financial Support:
Donations to the CAHS are greatly appreciated and can be made online through our website or can be mailed in by downloading and mailing this form.
Do you have past or current business contacts from within aviation/aerospace industries? Have you ever thought of approaching these contacts about becoming a corporate sponsor of the CAHS? Managers of corporations are more likely to be interested if people they already know professionally make the suggestion and explain how sponsorship helps both the company (by providing exposure and a donation tax receipt) and the mandate of the CAHS (by covering costs of publishing aviation history in the Journal and on the website). Please download the Corporate Membership form, or visit our website to learn more. Please talk to your contacts about helping the CAHS preserve and disseminate Canada's aviation history.
VIMY 105
Three years ago this month, the Vimy Flight Team had a most marvelous adventure in France as part of Canada’s 2017 mini expeditionary force. The memories of that country and the people are etched forever in our minds.
In a time of coronavirus, we have no concept of what a new normal might be when this dreadful plague is finally over... But a thought of gathering two years hence at Lens Benifontaine Airfield for Vimy 105, has been broached.
For those who are able, such a meeting, once more, in the land that hosted, with the people who welcomed, would be proof that Remembrance efforts made on behalf of Canada’s First World War Fallen, can and will endure.
Click here to view the CPAC documentary: A Nation Soars – Flight Path of Heroes
The past and present come together during a flying celebratory road show that spans two nations and two treasured anniversaries of nationhood. Vimy: Flight Path of Heroes adds to the visceral and visual impact of two significant dates in Canadian history: our 150th anniversary of nationhood and the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
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 April are:
Question: Which American four- engine bomber was a huge disappointment for the RAF Bomber Command in 1941? What were some of its many faults and how long did it last with the RAF?
Answer: “Another huge, early, four-engine disappointment for Bomber Command, Boeing Fortress I, the RAF’s designation for the B-17C, a much inferior precursor to the formidable B-17E, F, and G models, which later were mainstays of the US Eighth Air Force in England and elsewhere. Twenty Fortress Is had been flown to England in the spring of 1941, and they served in Bomber Command briefly with 90 Squadron in 2 Group.” “Their many faults included manually operated versus power turreted machine guns for defence – which did not cover a vulnerable blind cone astern – inadequate amour plating, extreme physiological discomfort for their crews at the higher operating ceilings, shortcomings associated with the early Sperry bomb sights, a limited radius of action, and defective engines exacerbated by operations at rarefied altitudes. Daylight bombing operations with this disappointing aircraft were abandoned by the RAF after September 1941, by which time they had flown only 51 operational sorties. Fewer than half of these had been deemed effective.” “The surviving Fortresses were soon relegated to patrol duties with Coastal Command.”
Source: NO PROUDER PLACE – Page 40
Question: Where was Canada’s first school of aeronautics? Why and when was it created? What types of aircraft were used to illustrate its lessons?
Answer: “Consequently, virtually all the recruits who travelled to Toronto did so by train. When they arrived, they were billeted at the University of Toronto where they studied at Canada’s first school of aeronautics. Created specifically for the training of RFC flight cadets, the school’s instructors had only one type of aircraft with which to illustrate their lessons; the JN-4.”
Source: Dancing in the Sky – Page 25
Question: What was the military relationship like between Britain, the United States and Canada before the implementation of the Royal Flying Corps’ plan to train pilots in Canada?
Answer: “The Royal Flying Corps’ plan to train pilots in Canada marked a dramatic turning point in the military relationships between Canada, Britain, and the United States. Today, that close alliance is taken for granted, yet, for over a century, both Britain and Canada regarded the emerging American giant with a mixture of envy and foreboding. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, relations had deteriorated to the point where the United States was threatening to go to war against Britain over an obscure boundary dispute in Venezuela.”
Source: Dancing in the Sky – Page 11
Air Canada Pilots Association
Tribute to Captain Doug Anderson (Retired),
CAHS Life Member
The following announcement from the Air Canada Pilots Association on the passing of Doug Anderson was released shortly after the March edition of the Newsletter and we are pleased to publish it.
Passing of Captain Douglas (Doug) E. Anderson (Retired)
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of retired Captain Douglas (Doug) E. Anderson on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at the age of 90.
Doug's love for aviation began as a young child seeing Hurricanes and Hampdens flying over Vancouver while he was in school. He was an avid model builder using any limited resources available during the war years. Doug learned to fly at the Aero Club of BC before attaining his aeronautical degree at Cal-Aero Tech in California. After graduation, he accepted a job with Queen Charlotte Airlines in the engineering department. He also worked as a cleaner for TCA, and on Electras and DC-3s at night. Doug’s first flying job was as a First Officer on the “3” before he was promoted to Captain about five years later. He flew the usual “iron” up to the B-747, serving as an instructor and later check-pilot on L1011. Doug was a dedicated and proud employee of TCA/Air Canada, cherishing his time with his colleagues.
In 1956, Doug married flight attendant, Thelma Bjarnason, who had been with TCA since 1950, and who was previously a nurse at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. Thelma's passion as a nurse was cut short by an allergy to Penicillin and, as TCA was hiring nurses, she applied. Sadly, her airline career ended by marriage, which was company policy at the time. Doug became interested in Thelma when he heard stories of her stopping the crew cab on a layover to render roadside aid to the victims of a car accident in 1955.
An early and lifelong member of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, Doug contributed many highly detailed aircraft drawings and other information of significant Canadian bush planes. He also commemorated the restoration of Air Canada's Lockheed 10. Doug’s passion for flying extended to flying his favourite aircraft, a 1937 Stinson Reliant, which he flew to fly-ins and in airshows up and down the West Coast. The plane is now in the BC Aviation Museum in Victoria.
Doug is predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Thelma, in 2019, at age 93 of dementia and stroke, and his daughter Kathryn who passed away in August 2019. Doug is survived by two sons who were at his side as he declined from Alzheimer's. He has four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
There will be a private family service and a scattering of ashes by air.
On behalf of the Air Canada Pilots Association, our sincere sympathies are extended to Captain Anderson's family, friends and colleagues.
Bill Wheeler's observations on CF-OAZ
The history of Doug Anderson's distinctive Stinson SR-9 Reliant CF-OAZ was well described in CAHS Journal Vol. 46, No. 4, Winter 2008, by then Editor Bill Wheeler. Several CAHS members enjoyed flights with Doug in the aircraft. As noted by Bill, Doug was "the acknowledged Canadian expert on Stinson aircraft, particularly the Reliant."
Doug Anderson’s exceptional drawings
As noted in the obituary published in the March edition of the Newsletter, Doug Anderson was well known for his highly detailed, expert drawings of aircraft. In addition to bush planes that featured EDO floats, Doug depicted several notable aircraft.
Some examples included the Lockheed 10A Electra CF-TCC that flew across Canada to celebrate TCA/Air Canada’s 50th Anniversary in 1986; the reconstructed Waco 10 C-GAFD that commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Leavens Brothers in 1977; and the Pitcairn PAA-1 autogyro CF-ASQ, flown by Leavens for barnstorming, banner towing, agricultural and forest spraying.
Sheldon Benner, CAHS Toronto Chapter President, noted at least 15 drawings by Doug were published in the CAHS Journal. With thanks to Sheldon for his research, the drawings are found in the following issues (Vol.-No): 4-2, 9-1, 11-3, 12-1, 12-3 (3 drawings), 14-1 (2 drawings), 14-3, 14-4, 15-2 (2 drawings), 24-1 and 28-1.
The World of Edo equipped Seaplanes, CAHS Journal 28-1, Spring 1990.
Lockeed 10A Electra, CAHS Journal 24-1, Spring 1986.
Lockheed 10A Electra CF-TCC, CAHS Journal 24-1, Spring 1986.
Reconstructed Waco 10 C-GAFD commemorating Leavens Bros. 50th Anniversary in 1977, CAHS Journal 15-2, Summer 1977.
Top view of the reconstructed Waco 10 C-GAFD, CAHS Journal 15-2, Summer 1977.
CANAV Books Blog offers plenty for aviation fans
CAHS members who might have missed Larry Milberry’s recent posts on his CANAV Books Blog (www.canav.blog) will find his latest posts well worth a look.
The impressive content is exemplified by a post in March that featured 1950s vintage photos of light civil and surplus military aircraft from the substantial collection of Al Martin (1923-1993). One of the original directors of the CAHS, Al was also one of the first to become a life member. He grew up in the Niagara Peninsula and enlisted in the RCAF in 1942.
As described by Bill Wheeler in his obituary on Al in CAHS Journal Vol. 35 No. 1, Spring 1997, Al flew 33 ops as a mid-upper gunner on Lancasters with No. 12 Squadron, RAF. One operation ended in the ditching of Lanc Queen of the Chase in the North Sea in October 1944.
Returning to Canada, Al learned to fly at the old Hamilton Municipal Airport. He joined TCA/Air Canada in 1951 as a passenger agent, eventually moving to public relations. He retired in 1985 after almost 34 years with the company and honed his photographic skills throughout his aviation career.
Larry provides detailed captions with his selection from Al’s excellent negatives, prints and transparencies. What an outstanding representation of well-known airplanes covering the gamut from Aeronca to Waco. Blog readers have responded with many favourable comments. Keep scrolling down to find this treat. We hope to see more from Al’s collection in the CANAV Books Blog.
Larry has two big projects on the go: (1) Aviation in Canada: Fighter Pilots and Observers 1939-1945 (a sequel to Fighter Pilots and Observers 1915-1939); (2) a grand history for the 100th Anniversary of the RCAF. Stay tuned!
A Message from your President
This is a unique and difficult time we are in. As members of the CAHS, we are united because of our interest and passion for our rich Canadian aviation history. I value every relationship we have in our shared interest. At this time, when we need to protect our health and those around us, we must practice social distancing and can not meet, as we have, in our chapter meetings. We have had to cancel our annual convention for 2020 and we will be holding our AGM via conference call. I hope you will all strive to stay healthy and ask you to stay in contact with each other. Check on your friends and fellow CAHS members by telephone or whatever means you can. Although we must stay apart, we are truly in this together and together we will make it through this pandemic. Please do whatever you can to support one another and stay positive. I look forward to the day we can all gather again.
Blue skies,
Gary Williams,
National President
Canadian Aviation Historical Society
