Vol. 1  No. 8  Sep. 2003

PRESIDENT - ROY RAMSAY
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (902) 436 5971

NEWSLETTER

PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Again, I would like to thank the members for attending our June meeting.
I want to thank Mr. Lowell Heustis for his work into the History of the Old Summerside Airport.
Also, a special thanks goes out for the History of the Upton Airport by Andy Anderson. Both gentlemen have spent a lot of time on those projects and which will be treasured for all time to come.
And as usual, I ask the membership to please bring a new member to our General Meeting which will be held at the Skyplex on September 6/03 at 2:00 P.M.
The CAHS 2003 Annual Convention was held in Halifax on June 5th to June 8/03. They stressed very strongly the importance of acquiring new and “Young People” by talking to University students, especially History students, Air Cadets and also visiting schools around Armistice Day and any other activity we can come up with.
Our Guest Speaker for the September meeting will be one of our own members, Mr. Sidney Clay, who has lots of stories to tell.
It is now time to start thinking about nominations for various offices as your old Executives are running out of ideas and we need some new Blood.
At our March meeting as you all know we had Dr. Bert Hunter speak at our meeting about his experiences during W.W.II. This was recorded on tape and then transcribed. We will maintain it with our records and anyone wanting a copy just needs to ask. This also applies to previous Speakers.

- 2 -

UPTON AIRPORT
Charlottetown, PEI
by Andy Anderson

The first aircraft to arrive in Prince Edward Island was shipped to the Island in crates, assembled, and flown at the Exhibition Grounds at Charlottetown in 1912. This aircraft, known as the “ Red Devil ”, was owned by Captain T. Baldwin. It was flown from the infield of the Exhibition Grounds by Cecil Peoli, nicknamed the “ The Bird Boy”. The flying demonstration was sponsored by a number of foresighted businessmen.

Captain Laurie Devere Stevens, who had started Devere Aviation Company in Truro, Nova Scotia, and his PEI representative, Lt. J. M. Stevenson, took off from Truro on September 24, 1919 with three hundred letters stamped “VIA AEROPLANE”. Though not official, this carrier had been approved by the Post Office. After a forty-five minute flight the JN4 aircraft landed at the Charlottetown Exhibition Grounds to become the first airmail flight to PEI. The return flight carried mail to Moncton, New Brunswick. The next PEI aerial postal activity did not occur until mid January 1929 when Canadian Airways officially flew airmail to PEI. The aircraft landed on the ice in the harbor where the mail was picked up by a horse drawn sleigh. These flights continued until March 27, 1929. They commenced again in the late fall, after freeze-up, and continued until April 26, 1930.

Sufficient numbers of Island residents were becoming so air-minded that the Charlottetown Town Council began to plan for an airport. They approached the Provincial Government for funds and determined that there was no money available to purchase an airport site. It appeared that an airport was not to be, however, on April 15, 1931 Lieutenant Colonel (Doctor) J. S. Jenkins offered 125 acres of his land for an airport. This was discussed and accepted by Council and work commenced on the Upton Airport in West Royalty. By August 13, 1931 the 1600 foot east/west runway was completed. On that date construction started on an office building, a gas tank and runway markers. By August 23, a north/south runway was almost completed at 2800 feet. Mr. Ivan Redding was working on the runways during the last week of August when H.S. (Junior) Jones in his Gypsy Moth CFADB landed the first aircraft at the Upton Airport prior to its official opening. Four more aircraft were to arrive prior to the official opening and Air Pageant on August 31, 1931.

Dr. Jenkins approached Junior Jones and requested him to accept the position of flying instructor. They came to a mutual agreement and on September 9, 1931 applications were being accepted from those interested in learning to fly. According to Junior Jones, by September 17 he had “quite a number of students”.

On October 9, 1931, the inauguration of passenger service between the Upton Airport and Moncton occurred with a number of flights per week.

- 3 -

On January 5, 1932, the first P.E.I. Aero Club was formed at Upton.

In June 1932, Junior Jones flew Mrs. Louise Jenkins’ new De Havilland Puss Moth CF-PEI from Montreal to Charlottetown. Louise Jenkins, the wife of Doctor Jenkins, was the first licensed female pilot on the Island. Junior Jones carried out a number of charter flights with the Puss Moth while the flying school still operated with Jones’ Gypsy Moth ADB.

On August 31, 1932, the PEI Second Annual Pageant was conducted at the Upton Airport with many visiting aircraft.

In November 1932, Doctor Jenkins made a deal with Canadian Airways to take over the operations of the Upton Airport and the Puss Moth aircraft. This take-over saw the beginning of six-day a week airmail and passenger service between Charlottetown and Moncton. About this time, Junior Jones sold his ADB and took a job as a pilot with Canadian Airways.

Due to spring airfield conditions, aircraft operating at the Upton Airfield used donut tires. Also, during this period, small holes in the runway were filled with gravel. Doctor Jenkins had a hangar built to shelter the aircraft remaining at the airport. Despite this, three aircraft were overturned during high winds in 1933. In the winter of that year, aircraft landed on the ice near the Brighton shore. A horse and sleigh were used to bring the passengers and mail into Charlottetown. On one occasion the snow was so deep that the horse became stuck. Manpower was used to recover the passengers and mail, then the horse.

On June 8, 1934, Russell Cint and Margaret Wood from Grandville Ferry, Nova Scotia, arrived on the scheduled flight to be wed and requested a charter flight for the ceremony. This could not be accommodated due to the weather that day. On the following day the first aerial wedding party took off from Upton Airport for the great event. Reverend J.G. Wakeling of the North River Baptist Church officiated. Walter Fowler, who piloted the aircraft, and Walter Grant from the Upton Flying Club were the witnesses. Due to the fact that the marriage license was issued in Nova Scotia Captain Fowler flew the aircraft over Pictou Island for the marriage ceremony. At 5000 feet, he cut the engines so that all could hear the service. It was reported that all kissed the bride after the ceremony.

In 1935 two students, Tom Edgett and Ralph Yeo, did menial grease monkey work for Leo Power, the Engineer at Upton Airport, after hiding their school books under Lockey MacKinnon’s sidewalk. As pay the received aircraft rides. A Mister Fletcher from Nova Scotia gave flying instructions to Tom Edgett, Bob Holman, Doctor Giddings and two or three other people in a Piper Cub. Edgett soloed and got his license, #2625, on 23 April 1938.

- 4 -

In 1936, aircraft operated out of Upton Airport on skis. This negated the need for the horse and sleigh trips. During that winter, Junior Jones flew Thane Campbell, Mister McPhee James MacIntyre and Senator Sinclair to Victoria for Premier Lea’s funeral. He landed the aircraft on the ice in Victoria Harbor.

On 26 Nov. 1936, fire destroyed the office building, storeroom and workshop at the Upton Airport.

During 1937/38, in addition to all other aerial activity at Upton, sixty-six emergency medical evacuations were flown from the Magdalen Islands to Charlottetown, surely some of the earliest medivac operations. Some of the flights were conducted from the beaches on Magdalen Islands.

During 1938, it was decided that the Upton Airport needed to be enlarged. Both the Upton and Brackley Point Road sites were considered. Due to the fact that the Upton site lacked land area for expansion the Brackley Point Road site was selected. In 1939, flying operations at the Upton Airport were phased out as work commenced on the Brackley Point Road site. The Upton Airport property, with all buildings intact, was purchased by Willard Lang. The hangar was converted to a barn, and was destroyed by fire in 1952.

Acknowledgments:

EDITOR’S CORNER:

Chestermn@pei.eastlink.ca or (902) 566 3944

Back to News and Views Page