It is really hard to believe that we are past Labour Day weekend already and that the first day of fall is just a few weeks away. While we had all hoped that the pandemic might just be a memory by this point in time, there is still hope on the horizon: a vaccine to combat the rising delta variant, some looser restrictions so we can visit more friends and family, and the fact that we are each still alive and well-enough to read this newsletter. Your CAHS team has continued to be hard at work, despite the pandemic. Although our annual convention was canceled for a second year in a row, we have been able to maintain other operations. Terry and the Editorial Board have never stopped working on Journal editing and production (see update below); Katherine and the rest of the editorial team have been finding, writing, and sharing material in the monthly newsletters; Rachel and various authors have been filling the special book offer orders purchased by our readership (see offers below); and so many of our chapters have been able to continue their monthly meetings via Zoom, and people from across the country have been able to join in and watch the top-notch guest speakers. While so many aspects of our lives have been put on hold for about 1.5 years, the CAHS - through the dedicated efforts of our volunteers and members - has continued to research, record, and share Canada's aviation history.
The CAHS wants to say 'thank you' to every newsletter reader and CAHS member - for your continued interest, support, and patience when things take a little longer than we want them to. Thank you for sharing the newsletter with a continually wider network of interested readers - please keep doing so. Thank you for each member who continues to support the organization by paying your membership each year and through generous donations; these funds are what enable us to pay our bills and continue our operations (whether it be paying for insurance, expanding the website, or printing the Journal). Thank you also to the avid aviation readers who purchase the books in our special offers: this support is so encouraging for the authors we have been able to feature. We also need to say thank you to our corporate supporters; your sponsorship enables us to go the extra mile and pursue new paths. Thank you also to the museum membership - we are so proud to include you in our membership and to be able to let more people know about your efforts to preserve and share Canada's aviation history and heritage.
If you would like to join the CAHS, renew your membership, give a donation, or purchase a book article, or Journal back issue, please use the buttons below to go to the appropriate page of the CAHS website. We hope that you continue to enjoy the history we share through this newsletter and the Journal. We look forward to being able to interact in person again - at chapter meetings and at the national convention. Until that time comes, please stay safe, watch over those around you, and take good care of yourselves.
The individual articles from each are also available as instant download PDFs.
To access the most recent entries in the shop's articles section, just scroll to the bottom of the last page here, and click on the last web page number.
Next Up
Journals 57-3 and 57-4 are well advanced in layout. Follow this link to check the website's Journal area to preview the lists of upcoming articles and for ongoing updates in between Newsletters.
The digital editions will be posted to the website individually on completion of the editorial process, while the print editions will follow as soon as possible (taking into consideration mailing house queues and potential Canada Post delays).
Terry Higgins, Creative Director, Website Administrator,
CAHS Journal Managing Editor and Graphics Director,
Canadian Aviation Historical Society
From the Desk of the Treasurer
The CAHS is honoured to be able to let our readers know about new books by Canadian authors about various aspects of Canada's aviation history. We are also grateful to the authors/publishers for allowing us to offer these books at a discounted price as part of our fundraising effort. This month, we have one new offer to feature, and we have extended the pre-order deadline on last month's new book. We hope that you find these very interesting - for yourself and for anyone you might decide to give a book to as a gift.
Cordially, Dr. Rachel Lea Heide,
National Treasurer,
Canadian Aviation Historical Society
Recalling some of the most memorable escapades ever conducted in the Canadian Arctic with bush planes, Flying to Extremes takes place in the late 1960s and early 1970s from a base at Yellowknife, in the heart of the Northwest Territories. Illustrated throughout with colour photographs. Click the "Buy Now" link below to learn more.
Get yours for just $21.00 (GST included) plus $6.00 shipping per copy in Canada.
The publisher's retail price is $24.95 plus shipping and GST.
Click here to see a recent CAHS Ottawa Chapter monthly meeting where Dominique spoke about flying experiences described in the book, Flying to Extremes: Memories of a Northern Bush Pilot.
The story of a young Canadian and his life's journey as a bush pilot, and then as a bureaucrat, and how he found his way back to his aviation roots.
This special offer – $31.99 (GST included) plus $6.00 shipping per copy in Canada, is extended through to 19 September.
The publisher's retail price is $34.99 plus shipping and GST.
CAHS Membership Secretary John Chalmers highlights Amelia Earhart's place in history with a focus on Canada, including a link to fellow CAHS member Bill Zuk's detailed article in Canada's History magazine. As well, mention is made of lesser-known Erroll Boyd, a Canadian who, like Earhart, made a record-setting trans-Atlantic flight that also began from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland.
The CAHS Ottawa Chapter is happy to announce the release of their new video sharing the story of Lee Hammond’s 11 September 1911, flight in Ottawa. The first video of a series demonstrating Ottawa’s heritage can be watched on the CAHS YouTube channel.
Submissions Being Sought for the J.A. Wilson Air Power and History Essay Contest
The Royal Canadian Air Force Journal is pleased to assist the RCAF Heritage Fund (RCAF HF) in announcing the first annual J. A. Wilson Air Power and History Essay Contest. The top prize in the contest is $1,750, with the runner-up garnering $750. Interested? Download the Submissions Guidelines here. Entries must be received no later than Friday, 26 November 2021.
In Memoriam
Ray Lank Remembered
Former CAHS Director and Chairman of the Board, Raymond Lank has passed away at the age of 93. With a career in aviation that spans fifty years, Ray served in many different capacities over his lifetime and was instrumental in the preservation of the Silver Dart model that has made various appearances across Canada over the years.
Andrew Carswell, a decorated rescue pilot and Bomber Command veteran who brought safety to Canadian air travel, has passed away at the age of 98. His death on July 25, marks the passing of one of Canada’s last Second World War bomber pilots. With a legacy that includes shaping the current state of Canadian passenger aviation, Carswell’s impact will not be forgotten. To read his story, please click here.
John Walter "Jack" Phipps 1928-2021
John Walter Phipps, known to friends and family as Jack, and one of the earliest members of the CAHS, passed away on August 2, 2021. An accomplished artist, Jack was a technical illustrator for many aviation companies throughout his life. To read about his life and legacy, please click here.
By Sheldon Benner
Canadian Aviation Moments
Question One: What was somewhat unusual about the bomb dropping and aerial target range that was part of the Beamsville camp built for the RAF – Canada’s training plan in Canada?
Source:
Dancing in The Sky, (Hunt)
Question Two: How did the Curtiss HS-2L flying boat come to Canada?
Source:
Jericho Beach and the West Coast Flying Boat Stations, (Weicht)
Question Three: How did the mid-upper gunners of the RAF Bomber Command air crew during the Second World War save more lives by not firing their guns than firing them?
Source:
No Prouder Place, (Bashow)
The Answers Will Appear in the September Newsletter
Here are the answers to July's Canadian Aviation Moments:
QUESTION 1: How did the training of skilled and semi-skilled workers during the RAF/RFC training plan in Canada benefit Canada post-First World War?
ANSWER: “In addition, another 7,453 men were trained as ground crew. Although not officially on strength as mechanics with RAF (Canada), several hundred women were also trained in various aspects of airplane servicing and repair. Equally important to Canada’s postwar economy were the hundreds of men and women trained in the various skills of airplane manufacture at the IMB plant on Dufferin Street. At peak production, approximately 2,000 workers were employed at the plant. These skilled and semi-skilled workers laid the basis for a post-war airplane industry. They further contributed to the public’s increased awareness of airplanes and their growing importance to Canada’s post-war security.”
FromDancing In The Sky – Pages 289-290
QUESTION 2: What was unique about an exploratory flight of the Northwest Territories by twoo RCAF pilots in the late summer of 1930?
ANSWER: “During the late summer of 1930, Mawdesley and F/S Harry Winey, flying a Fairchild 71B, G-CYVX, and a Vedette, departed on a survey flight of the North West Territories. They flew west to Fort MacMurray, then north down the MacKenzie River to Aklavik, and west to Herschel Island on the Beaufort Sea. The pair then flew eastward via Great Bear Lake, Coppermine on Coronation Gulf, then to Thelon River and Churchill on Hudson Bay, and continued north to Repulse Bay on Melville Peninsula before heading south via Winnipeg, to land at Rockcliffe, Ottawa, on October 1, 1930. The two pilots had completed a survey of over 15,000 miles and took more than 3,000 photographs. At the time, this was the longest exploratory flight every accomplished in Canada.”
From Jericho Beach and the West Coast Flying Stations – Pages 217-218
QUESTION 3: What approach option during the Second World War did the RAF need that would permit the returning aircrew to penetrate the last few hundred feet of fog and low cloud that totally obscured the ground?
ANSWER: “However, the RAF knew it needed an approach option for returning aircrew that would permit them to penetrate the last few hundred feet of fog and low cloud in conditions that totally obscured the ground. To that end, an innovative chain of emergency landing fields with long wide runways was constructed, primarily along the coastal approaches, to provide sanctuary to the returning bombers. The airfields were also equipped with a system designed by the Fog Investigation Dispersal Operation (FIDO), consisting of elevated pipes paralleling the length of the runway, which warmed the air and burned off the fog with a double row of burners that were fed with gasoline under pressure and distributed by a pipeline. Fearsome in appearance, they were very effective and saved many lives, although they were extremely costly to construct and to operate. One such base in the chain, equipped with a 9000 by 700-foot runway, was opened at Carnaby in the east Yorkshire coast in March 1944, and it saved many aircraft and crews, particularly from 6 Group. At Carnaby alone, over 1500 operational landings utilizing FIDO were recorded during the European war.”
From No Prouder Place – Pages 185-186
Help From Above
presented by the CAAA Chapter of CAHS
– Announcing our first annual Virtual Art Show! –
The CAAA presents their first annual virtual art show on the theme Help From Above - Humanitarian Aviation. To see all of the featured artwork, please click here.
The Old and the New, by Avi Barzel (Traditional and digital media)
This illustration of an imagined preparation for a rescue mission shows the Bell CH-146 Griffon multi-role utility helicopter being readied for departure and the arrival of the newly acquired CC-295 Kingfisher (Airbus C295W). The Kingfishers are slated to replace the CC-115 Buffaloes and CC-130H Hercules operated in the search and rescue role for many years.
Chapter News
Select a chapter to discover what they have been up to since the last newsletter.
Many of our Chapters remain very active on Zoom with presentations every bit as good as they would be if we did not have pandemic restrictions to deal with!
Special Thanks To Our Supporters
In addition to its members, contributors, and newsletter subscribers, the CAHS is thankful for the ongoing support of its Corporate Members, Museum Members, and Partner Organizations, as well as the many individuals and organizations whose financial donations are so generously given.
If you would like to become a Corporate Member or Museum Member - or if you know an organization that might like to join - we are always happy to receive new applications. Please use the hyperlinks above.
If you have changed your mailing or e-mail address, please get in touch to keep us up to date. Contact the Membership Administrator here. To enquire about membership payment records, contact the Treasurer here.
If you have any aviation history-related news or events to share, please contact our newsletter editor here.
Please feel free to forward to friends and family members, or encourage them to sign up on our website to receive the newsletter directly for FREE.
We hope that you enjoy receiving this monthly newsletter and find the contents informative and enjoyable. If you no longer wish to receive it for any reason, please use the unsubscribe option below to have your email address removed immediately from the mailing list.
The Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS)
P.O. Box 2700 • Station D • Ottawa • Ontario • K1P 5W7