Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame
2022 Inductees and Induction Ceremony
by Katherine Simunkovic,
CAHF Staff and CAHS Digital Editor
posted 25 May 2022
CAHF Staff and CAHS Digital Editor
posted 25 May 2022
Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame
Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame is excited to announce our first Induction Ceremony following a two-year hiatus.
The 47th Annual Induction Gala for 2022, will take place at The Marriott Calgary Airport In-Terminal on Thursday, June 23, 2022. Individuals slated for induction at this event are Clifford McKay McEwen, Shirley Render, Bjarni Tryggvason, Don Laubman, and Rhys Eyton. The Belt of Orion Award for Excellence will be awarded to the RCAF Red Knight solo demonstration team.
Profiles for each inductee follow below.
Information on individual tickets, ways to sponsor the event, donations for the silent auction and table purchases can all be found Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame website (www.cahf.ca/induction-ceremony).
If you would like to come, please purchase your ticket as soon as possible as seating is limited at this smaller venue. We look forward to celebrating these incredible people with you!
The 47th Annual Induction Gala for 2022, will take place at The Marriott Calgary Airport In-Terminal on Thursday, June 23, 2022. Individuals slated for induction at this event are Clifford McKay McEwen, Shirley Render, Bjarni Tryggvason, Don Laubman, and Rhys Eyton. The Belt of Orion Award for Excellence will be awarded to the RCAF Red Knight solo demonstration team.
Profiles for each inductee follow below.
Information on individual tickets, ways to sponsor the event, donations for the silent auction and table purchases can all be found Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame website (www.cahf.ca/induction-ceremony).
If you would like to come, please purchase your ticket as soon as possible as seating is limited at this smaller venue. We look forward to celebrating these incredible people with you!
The Red Knight
2022 Belt of Orion Award for Excellence
The Royal Canadian Air Force Training Command’s solo performer between 1958 and 1969, the Red Knight flew over 600 air show appearances – making it second only to the Snowbirds for the number of performances flown by a military aerobatic display team.
During its twelve-year run, seventeen different pilots flew as the Red Knight, beginning with Roy Windover, an RCAF Central Flying School instructor. Equipped with their venerable Canadair CT-133, ‘T-Birds’ (and later with Canadair CT-114 Tutors) decked out in Day-Glo red, various Knights flew alongside the Golden Hawks and the Golden Centennaires. But the solo display is best remembered for performing in smaller communities with venues unable to accommodate larger established teams. Notably, all the Red Knight’s manoeuvres were performed within the airfield’s boundaries. |
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All told, the team performed in each of Canada’s 10 provinces and in the Yukon. It also made appearances in the Bahamas and in the United States, flying in Alaska, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington. The Red Knight was awarded the Centennial Medal in 1967. As a testament to its lasting impact, and as a tribute to the influence of the Red Knight’s displays, the team’s distinctive paint scheme has been revived by civilian operations across North America.
The 2022 Inductees
Bjarni Tryggvason
Bjarni Tryggvason was born in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1945. Captivated by aviation at a young age, in Richmond, British Columbia, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and earned his commercial pilot wings by age 20. He has been involved in Canadian aviation ever since.
Tryggvason completed a degree in engineering physics and, despite his goal to become a commercial airline pilot, he accepted a position with the Atmospheric Environmental Service. His work as a researcher then took him to the University of Western Ontario, at the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel, and to Kyoto, Japan and North Queensland, Australia. Keen to add to his piloting skills, he earned his instructor rating.
In 1982, Tryggvason joined the National Research Council’s Low Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory. A year later he applied for and was accepted to Canada’s first astronaut corps. With the NRC and the Canadian Space Agency, he helped design and develop satellites and fluid dynamics projects, but his primary focus was vibration isolation systems.
In 1997, as part of STS-85, Tryggvason served as payload specialist aboard the shuttle Discovery. Since returning to earth, he has remained active in Canadian aviation. But, having been at the forefront of Canada’s aerospace program, this more recent work involves Canada’s aviation heritage and the flying of vintage aircraft, notably his 2009 flight of the replica Silver Dart – the first aircraft to fly in Canadian skies.
Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame is saddened to relay that Bjarni Tryggvason passed away on April 6, 2022.
Tryggvason completed a degree in engineering physics and, despite his goal to become a commercial airline pilot, he accepted a position with the Atmospheric Environmental Service. His work as a researcher then took him to the University of Western Ontario, at the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel, and to Kyoto, Japan and North Queensland, Australia. Keen to add to his piloting skills, he earned his instructor rating.
In 1982, Tryggvason joined the National Research Council’s Low Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory. A year later he applied for and was accepted to Canada’s first astronaut corps. With the NRC and the Canadian Space Agency, he helped design and develop satellites and fluid dynamics projects, but his primary focus was vibration isolation systems.
In 1997, as part of STS-85, Tryggvason served as payload specialist aboard the shuttle Discovery. Since returning to earth, he has remained active in Canadian aviation. But, having been at the forefront of Canada’s aerospace program, this more recent work involves Canada’s aviation heritage and the flying of vintage aircraft, notably his 2009 flight of the replica Silver Dart – the first aircraft to fly in Canadian skies.
Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame is saddened to relay that Bjarni Tryggvason passed away on April 6, 2022.
Shirley Render
One of Canada’s foremost aviation historians and a leader in the stewardship of this country’s aviation heritage, Shirley Render, born 1943 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, earned her wings in 1973 and continued to fly for decades. In the late ‘70s Shirley was asked to volunteer at the Western Canada Aviation Museum. Soon, Render was sitting on the Museum’s board, writing for and editing its quarterly magazine, and curating its exhibits. After earning an MA in History, she undertook two influential books: No Place for a Lady, the first on Canada’s women pilots, and Double Cross, about James A. Richardson and his importance to Canadian aviation. Render held multiple positions of leadership at the Museum and was critical to its growth.
In 1990, she entered politics, being elected as the MLA for St Vital. She served as Legislative Assistance to Premier Gary Filmon and as Miniter of Consumer & Corporate Affairs. With the Museum in difficulty, Render, no longer in government, was keen to return as Executive Director & Curator in 2002. Her leadership, which has been recognized with her appointment as Executive Direct Emeritus, helped revitalize the Museum, a process that culminated in it re-designation as the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
A recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, a YM-YW Women of Distinction Award, and a University of Winnipeg Distinguished Alumni Award, among many others, Shirley is a role model for young people across Canada.
In 1990, she entered politics, being elected as the MLA for St Vital. She served as Legislative Assistance to Premier Gary Filmon and as Miniter of Consumer & Corporate Affairs. With the Museum in difficulty, Render, no longer in government, was keen to return as Executive Director & Curator in 2002. Her leadership, which has been recognized with her appointment as Executive Direct Emeritus, helped revitalize the Museum, a process that culminated in it re-designation as the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
A recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, a YM-YW Women of Distinction Award, and a University of Winnipeg Distinguished Alumni Award, among many others, Shirley is a role model for young people across Canada.
Clifford MacKay McEwen
Born in Griswald, Manitoba in 1898, Clifford MacKay McEwen enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916 before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps. He flew the majority of his war in Italy, distinguishing himself as a scout pilot. McEwen then joined the fledgling Canadian Air Force in England and remained in uniform after war’s end, serving as part of the Air Board and the inter-war Royal Canadian Air Force.
A Group Captain when war again broke out, McEwen was promoted Air Commodore working to establish Canadian authority over aerial operations in the north- west Atlantic while conducting antisubmarine warfare. A disciplined leader, he was transferred to England and further promoted Air Vice-Marshall, taking command of 6 (RCAF) Group as part of Bomber Command. Facing low morale and lacklustre performance, McEwen instituted a rigorous training regimen that achieved results: by the end of 1944, 6 Group was considered a premier force, sustaining the fewest losses of the heavy bomber groups.
In recognition of his outstanding leadership, McEwen was appointed command of the RCAF’s contribution to Tiger Force in preparation for the Pacific theatre. McEwen supported veterans’ causes in his postwar career, working with both the Royal Canadian Legion and the Last Post Fund. He died in Montreal in 1967 having made a lasting mark on Canadian aviation.
A Group Captain when war again broke out, McEwen was promoted Air Commodore working to establish Canadian authority over aerial operations in the north- west Atlantic while conducting antisubmarine warfare. A disciplined leader, he was transferred to England and further promoted Air Vice-Marshall, taking command of 6 (RCAF) Group as part of Bomber Command. Facing low morale and lacklustre performance, McEwen instituted a rigorous training regimen that achieved results: by the end of 1944, 6 Group was considered a premier force, sustaining the fewest losses of the heavy bomber groups.
In recognition of his outstanding leadership, McEwen was appointed command of the RCAF’s contribution to Tiger Force in preparation for the Pacific theatre. McEwen supported veterans’ causes in his postwar career, working with both the Royal Canadian Legion and the Last Post Fund. He died in Montreal in 1967 having made a lasting mark on Canadian aviation.
Rhys Eyton
A leader in Canada’s commercial aviation sector, Rhys Eyton joined the Finance Department of Pacific Western Airlines in 1967. Over the next decade he assumed positions of increasing responsibility until, in March 1976, he was appointed President and CEO of the airline. In addition to streamlining the company, Rhys began to acquire regional carriers and then, in 1987, Canadian Pacific Air Lines. The new company, Canadian Airlines, expanded again following a merger with Wardair. In 1989 Rhys was appointed Chairman, President, and CEO of Canadian Airlines International and served in this capacity until retirement in 1995.
During a transformative era in Canada’s airline industry, which included deregulation, Rhys’s vision, decency, and leadership played a key part in the growth of his company into one of the largest private sector employers in Western Canada; indeed, between 1976 and 1994, revenues rose from approximately $100 Million to $3 Billion. Having shepherded his airline through regional mergers and building it into a true national carrier, there is little question that Rhys Eyton reshaped the nature of the airline industry in Canada.
Widely recognized by his peers, Rhys served as Chairman and Director of the Conference Board of Canada, the Air Transport Association of Canada, and as President of the International Air Transport Association, among many other positions.
During a transformative era in Canada’s airline industry, which included deregulation, Rhys’s vision, decency, and leadership played a key part in the growth of his company into one of the largest private sector employers in Western Canada; indeed, between 1976 and 1994, revenues rose from approximately $100 Million to $3 Billion. Having shepherded his airline through regional mergers and building it into a true national carrier, there is little question that Rhys Eyton reshaped the nature of the airline industry in Canada.
Widely recognized by his peers, Rhys served as Chairman and Director of the Conference Board of Canada, the Air Transport Association of Canada, and as President of the International Air Transport Association, among many other positions.
Don Laubman
A leading Canadian air ace of the Second World War, fighter pilot Don Laubman had a distinguished career in the RCAF. A graduate of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, Don received his wings in 1941. Made a flight instructor, he logged over 2000 hours before being posted to 133 Squadron. Don proceeded overseas in March 1943, joining 412 Squadron flying Spitfires. After D-Day, Don was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar. He was posted back to Canada when his tour ended, but managed to arrange for another overseas posting, this time in command of 402 Squadron. During his wartime service Don destroyed 15 enemy aircraft, all of but one between June and October 1944.
Shortly after demobilization, Don returned re-enlisted in the RCAF. His postwar career included postings to 410, 416, and 418 Squadrons. In 1949 he led the RCAF’s first post-1945 aerobatic team, the Blue Devils. Don also assumed increasing administrative responsibility. After attending the RCAF Staff College in 1957, he was promoted to Wing Commander, then to Group Captain, Air Commodore, Major General, and Lieutenant General. In 1966 Don played a key role in implementing the unification of Canada’s armed forces and, in 1970/71, he served Commander of Canadian Forces Europe. Don retired in 1972 and passed away in 2018.
Shortly after demobilization, Don returned re-enlisted in the RCAF. His postwar career included postings to 410, 416, and 418 Squadrons. In 1949 he led the RCAF’s first post-1945 aerobatic team, the Blue Devils. Don also assumed increasing administrative responsibility. After attending the RCAF Staff College in 1957, he was promoted to Wing Commander, then to Group Captain, Air Commodore, Major General, and Lieutenant General. In 1966 Don played a key role in implementing the unification of Canada’s armed forces and, in 1970/71, he served Commander of Canadian Forces Europe. Don retired in 1972 and passed away in 2018.