Larry Milberry celebrated his 80th birthday in style

Story by Gord McNulty,
CAHS Vice President
Photos by Gus and Clara Corujo
posted November 2023
Family and friends of Larry Milberry joined the famous Canadian aviation historian and publisher to celebrate his 80th birthday at the Balmy Beach Club in Toronto on October 27.
Neil McGavock, Archivist and Historian of the CAHS Toronto Chapter,  left; Larry; and Gord McNulty, CAHS Vice President, enjoying good conversation and camaraderie.
left to right, Larry; Ken Swartz, a CAHS Toronto Chapter Director and editor of the Flypast newsletter; and John Waymann, son-in-law of CAHF member and late CAHS member W. Ross Lennox, who was a postwar bush pilot and helicopter pilot and later Chief Test Pilot
at Pratt & Whitney Canada.
The large and lively gathering included neighbours, former students of Larry from his days in teaching in the 1970s, and numerous aviation associates.  It was a fitting tribute to Larry, who was among the foundational members of the CAHS dating back to 1962.  Larry’s first book, Aviation in Canada, was completed in 1979 and proved to be the catalyst for his own publishing company, CANAV Books, established in 1981.
 
Larry’s exceptional talent in researching, recording and disseminating the history of aviation in Canada is unrivalled.  To cite just one example, his massive two-volume Air Transport in Canada is an outstanding profile of information and illustrations on the history of Canadian civil aviation. 
 
Four volumes on the history of Canada’s Air Force are equally comprehensive. Books on important aircraft such as Avro Canada CF-100, the Canadair Sabre, the Canadair North Star and the Noorduyn Norseman and more occupy a prominent place in the libraries of aviation fans.    
 
CANAV has almost 40 titles to its credit.  Larry is now working hard on a much-anticipated book for the 100th Anniversary of the RCAF.
 
Larry’s many accolades were highlighted in 2004 when he was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. He proudly holds the title of an honorary Snowbird and has travelled to all parts of Canada in researching the achievements of Canadian aviators, the impact of Canadian aviation technology and much more.
 
Check out Larry’s CANAV Books blog for plenty of fascinating aviation news: www.canavbooks.wordpress.com
 
Also, for excellent photos of the celebration by Gus and Clara Corujo, check out their website.
Click Here to return to the articles page.