CAHS Online Articles Archive

Articles archived from our legacy website

This area of the site is intended as a curated publishing space for CAHS members to present the results of their digs and dives into any aspect of Canadian aviation history. Ideally, the presentations selected for publication here should, when taken as a whole, exhibit to the world the range and depth of our nation's aviation heritage.

Enjoy!
Terry Higgins,
CAHS Journal managing editor & graphics director

Access the archived articles directly from this list or scroll to the bottom to view the lead-ins for each.
Editor's note: We could use some help completing the captioning of some of these articles. Please get in touch with the webmaster, citing the specific article and photo, if you are able to assist.

CAHF Induction Dinner
(By John Chalmers)

National Aboriginal History Month
(By Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail)

Navy Tiger Moths
(By Leo Pettipas)

Cedric Mah: Chinese Canadian Air Hero
(By Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail)

Squadron Pennant Comes Home
(By Carl Mills)

Rockcliffe Flying Club Celebrates 50 Years
(By Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail)

Bomber Command Museum
(By Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail)

Black Canadians in the RCAF
(By Mathias Joost)

2011 Convention a Huge Success!
(By Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail)

National Aviation Day
(By Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail)

Those Fabulous TCA Super Connies
(By Peter F. Marshall)

Air Canada and the Supersonics
(By Clayton Glenn)

Prime Minister Trudeau's Preferred Transport
(By Gord McNulty)

Bombing the South Saskatchewan River in 1951
(By Mathias Joost)

My Snowbirds Flight – Aide-Memoire
(By Bill Upton)

High Flight
(By Bill Zuk)

Prairie Flying

By John Lowe
posted 1 August 2012

Four RCAF veterans formed prairie Flying Service in the spring of 1946. The principals involved were Bob MacKnight, Paddy Watson, Art Davis and John Howe.
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Paddy Watson with Tiger Moth (Photo Courtesy John L. Howe)

L–R: John How and Bob Macknight with Prairie Flying's second airplane, a 65 hp Piper J3 Cub (Photo Courtesy John L. Howe)

Crop Spraying (Photo Courtesy John L. Howe)

Crop Spraying 2 (Photo Courtesy John L. Howe)

L–R: John How with brother Tom, in front of a Cessna Skymaster (Photo Courtesy John L. Howe)

The Bell P-39 Airacobra in the RCAF

By Jerry Vernon
posted 15 February 2012

During one of my visits to the Directorate of History in 1983, I was given a copy of a couple of research papers by Dr. Steve Harris on the procurement of fighter and other aircraft for the RCAF early in the Second World War.
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Bell 14 Airacobra I (RAF s/n AH621) with engine running, Bell test pilot Robert M. “Bob” Stanley is at the controls, Buffalo, New York, c. 1941. Photo reproduced with permission from the Rudy Arnold Photo Collection, National Air Space Museum Archives.

Bell Aircraft publicity photograph of RAF AH621

Bell Airacobra I RAF AH621 (Stan Piet Collection)

Victory Over Kiska by Rich Thistle - Aleutian Islands, 25 September 1942, Ken Boomer of 111 Sq. RCAF - but fighting with the USAAF's 11 Sqdn. and their "extra" fighter aircraft – reportedly downs an A6M2-N "Rufe" Float plane over Kiska to become the only Canadian to shoot an enemy aircraft in North American skies.

Yukon – The Coldest Place in North America

By Mathias Joost
posted 15 January 2012

The record for the coldest recorded temperature in North America is held by a tiny locale in the Yukon, at-81.4° Fahrenheit (-63° Celsius). Snag, 30 kms east of the Alaska-Yukon border and 25 kms north of the Alaska Highway had an aviation connection when the record was set on 3 February 1947.
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A Life through a Lens

By Eric Dumigan
posted 4 January 2012

I grew up spending time in the darkroom listening to classical music and watching my father develop photos during the ‘70s. My grandfather, Robert Dumigan, also enjoyed photography and when the R-100…
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My grandfather took this photo of my aunt and father standing in front of the R-100. I’m sure this is where my father caught his love for aviation. (Eric Dumigan)

My father, Richard Dumigan, began taking photos in the mid 1940s and this is the first image he remembers turning out good with his Kodak Hawkeye camera: a postwar Lancaster landing at Dorval. From the ‘50s on, Richard actively photographed aircraft in the Montreal area. (Eric Dumigan)

Factory-fresh Starfighter 12847, lacking roundels, is seen landing at Cartierville. (E. D.)

The prototype swing-tail version of the Canadair CL-44, CF-MKP-X, is seen landing on a cold winter day at Cartierville. (E.D.)

The first landing at Dorval airport of a de Havilland Comet-3, G-ANLO.

A classic shot of a Trans-Canada Air Lines Constellation on the ramp at Dorval.

A heavily laden BOAC Stratocruiser departs Dorval.

Hiding in tall grass at the end of the runway, my father was surprised to see several RAF Canberras arrive one sunny afternoon at St. Hubert.

A trio of 423 Squadron Mark 3 Avro CF-100s depart St. Hubert during an Open House.

The Erickson S-64 Skycrane is seen lifting one of the 36 pieces of the CN Tower‘s antenna.

The CWH Lancaster is seen from the tail of the museum’s B-25 Mitchell. (E.D.)

Three of Canada’s flying museums come together to form a unique sight in the skies over Ottawa. (E.D.)

Pete Spence peaks over the top wing of the Swordfish to keep formation while Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield enjoys the view from the gunner’s position. (E.D.)

The Chimo Air Service Noorduyn Norseman is seen diving in for a pass at the Orillia Lake St. John airport before departing for Red Lake. (E.D.)

Pete Spence is seen leading Dave Hewitt in Harvard Two through a loop while I ride with Kent Beckham in Harvard Three. (E.D.)

After a long day of barnstorming rides, the Edenvale Classic Aircraft Foundation’s Tiger Moth is seen silhouetted against a July evening sky. (E.D.)

When Ladder Lake Freezes Over

By Mathias Joost
posted 1 January 2012

One of the risks of operating flying boats into the autumn months, was the risk of having the boats caught in the ice if the weather suddenly turned very cold. This had happened before to RCAF detachments and in October 1930, that’s exactly what happened in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan when these areas were subject to a rapid and unexpected deep freeze. The RCAF detachments at Cormorant Lake, Lac du Bonnet and Ladder Lake were caught flat-footed and their flying boats were caught in the ice.
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Showing the Vancouver in various states of dismantlement, as the wings, engines and tail were removed to make the aircraft easier to lift out of the ice.

This photograph shows the wingless Vancouver back on solid ground with the Vedette to the left.

Go to archived articles, page 2