One good thing that came out of the tragic pandemic that swept the world in March 2020 was the quick improvement of video conferencing technology. All of a sudden, almost everyone was talking about, and using, Zoom or MS Teams for meetings that would otherwise have had to be canceled for months on end as we collectively struggled to manage the spread of the new disease we did not understand or have the capability to treat. Here in the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS), many of the Chapters quickly adapted and adopted video conferencing in order to continue holding their meetings during pandemic lockdowns. Not only were a goodly portion of our chapter meetings able continue in 2020 and 2021 using Zoom, but we also noticed that people from across Canada were using the link, joining the Chapter meetings, and hearing the excellent speakers - something that only people in the city where the meetings used to be held in person could do before the pandemic. There was such a feeling of unity as fellow CAHS members from all over Canada were connecting on a monthly basis to listen to the aviation talks; these cross-country connections used to only occur once a year at our in-person conventions.
Even now that public spaces have opened up and most habits have gone back to normal, including in-person meetings, our CAHS Chapters have continued to offer a Zoom link, so anyone anywhere can hear the speakers they feature each month. We encourage our readers to check out the Chapter's webpages (at https://www.cahs.com/chapters.html) on a monthly basis to see when meetings are being held, what the topics are, and if you wish to receive a Zoom link if you are not in town to attend in person. In the month of September, the following meetings have been scheduled (although some have passed by already, the topics can give you an idea of the high quality speakers and interesting material presented by the Chapters):
-CAHS Medicine Hat Chapter: "Reflections on the CAHS 2023 Convention" on 14 Sept
-CAHS Calgary Chapter: "The Dambusters After the Flood" on 21 Sept
-CAHS Montreal Chapter: "Jack Mack: First Winter Sub-Arctic Flight" on 21 Sept
-CAHS Manitoba Chapter: "Compromised Arrow" on 28 Sept
-CAHS Ottawa Chapter: "A Visit to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum" on 28 Sept
-CAHS Medicine Hat Chapter: "Observations on the Experimental Aircraft Association" on 12 Oct
All of that is to say please consider attending a Chapter meeting, anywhere in the country, via Zoom if you are not able to be there in person. Please check the website for updates or email Chapters directly to get on their meeting mailing list, so you never miss an announcement. Hope to see you there virtually sometime!
Cordially, Dr. Rachel Lea Heide,
National Treasurer,
Canadian Aviation Historical Society
Planning is underway for the 2024 National Convention of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society. Help us select a location in western Canada by completing this form, even if you're not planning to attend, but especially if you are.
Click the button above or, if you have a smartphone, simply point its camera app at the on-screen QR code to donate via mobile.
From the Desk of the Journal Editor
CAHS Journal Volume 58 No 2 will go to our mailing house on Thursday or Friday of next week. Click/tap the cover image to review the contents on our web site).
I’d also like to note our long-running “Wooden Wings over the Wilderness” series, chronicling the Fokker bushplanes in Canada, is coming to a close with author Clark Seaborn’s detailed coverage of the Fokker Super Universal he came to know more than any other, CF-AAM. Spread over a few issues, it features the storied machine’s operational history, as well as the recovery and restoration effort that brought it back to life – a life that featured coast-to-coast flying displays given by the author and two of his restoration associates, Don Mclean and Bob Cameron, before a well-earned retirement on static display in what is now the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
Some readers may already be aware of a video series published on YouTube documenting CF-AAM’s (and Clark’s!) journey. Clark just shared a link to the most recent episode of the series with a happy note:
“Hi friends
You might recall that a number of cinematographers had recorded the history, discovery, and restoration of the museum’s Fokker over the last 40-plus years. The previous edited episode of this history premiered two weeks ago at a reunion of us folks who had participated in the National Air Tour, which took place in 2003, as part of the US celebration of the Wright brother’s accomplishments.
Previous episodes 1 through 9 had been presented on YouTube as “Fokker Super Universal back to the sky” [still available if you search using the text in quotation marks].
Our part in the Fokker required 83 flying hours, five weeks away from home, and a lot of fuel.
I hope you enjoy this little bit of AAM’s history before it went to the museum floor.
Stay tuned for even more detailed coverage of this historic aircraft, including a few more spreads of Clark’s excellent scale drawings, between the covers of Journal editions currently in the making.
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 working on acquiring new items to sell in our online store this fall. In this newsletter, we are featuring Chris Weicht's new book The Defenders at a discounted rate. We are also commencing presales of the CAHS Aviation Artists' 2024 Calendar, our annual 13-month, full-colour, bilingual calendar featuring art from CAHS member artists. Watch the coming months for additional books from Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail.
We've placed orders for the books we were featuring this past summer; I am waiting for shipments of the Lilian Bland story, as well as Flying to Extremes. As soon as I receive the books, I will be shipping to the customers who ordered. There are a few copies of these books still available - order yours today before our inventory is gone!
We appreciate your interest in the items we have for sale. We are so pleased to be able to promote Canadian authors and artists while simultaneously securing discounted prices for our readers and members and fundraising for the CAHS. Please check out our store for other items still for sale.
Cordially, Dr. Rachel Lea Heide,
National Treasurer,
Canadian Aviation Historical Society
The Defenders by Christopher Weicht
On 2 June 1942, Japan launched an attack on the US Navy facilities at Dutch Harbour, Alaska. The United States officially appealed for Canada’s help in the defence of the besieged Alaska and its Aleutian Islands, that were under attack and partially occupied by Japanese Air and Naval Forces.
Canada immediately sent 15 Squadrons of battle hardened RCAF Fighter and Bomber Reconnaissance aircraft, which fought valiantly with the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero and Rufe and Aichi Jake Seaplane fighters, as well as with the atrocious Aleutian weather which together cost many lives.
Get yours for just $45.00 (GST included) plus $20.00 shipping per copy in Canada.
The book is 9" x11" requiring a flat rate box at $20 shipping.
The CAHS is pleased to feature this new book about the amazing life story of Lilian Bland, the first woman ever to design, build, and fly her own airplane, beautifully illustrated to inspire young readers. This delightful picture book celebrates the life of Lilian Bland, remembered both in England and in her adopted home of Quatsino Sound, on Vancouver Island, for her many achievements - especially her ground-breaking achievements in aviation.
Retailing for $19.95 + tax, the CAHS is selling the book as a fund-raiser at a discount rate of $15 (plus $6 shipping in Canada).
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.
We have created a sticker that you can affix to a car window to advertise your support for the CAHS. The adhesive is on the back, and the sticker background is clear. Size is approximately 4" x 4".
The 80th VFS Annual Forum & Technology Display is the world's leading international technical event on vertical flight technology. The conference will span three days and include 200+ technical papers on every discipline from Acoustics to Unmanned Systems and vertical flight history, as well as invited presentations and discussions by leaders in the military, government agencies and industry.
The non-profit VFS is the world’s premier vertical flight technical society. Since it was founded as the American Helicopter Society in 1943, the Society has been a major force in the advancement of vertical flight. VFS is the global resource for information on vertical flight technology. For more than 80 years, it has provided global leadership for scientific, technical, educational and legislative initiatives that advance the state of the art of vertical flight.
Second World War-era hangar being torn down at YYJ.
The massive West Camp Hangar at Victoria International Airport is being dismantled by the Department of National Defence.
Mikey McBryan, son of well-known Yellowknife pilot Joe McBryan, was front-page news in the Edmonton Journal in this photo by David Bloom. Mikey, a pilot himself and general manager of Buffalo Airways, and featured in the television series, Ice Pilots, was in Edmonton to announce Buffalo’s new cargo-only service from Edmonton to Yellowknife, Monday to Friday. Buffalo is offering the service with a new 737-300SF “Special Freighter” version of the Boeing airliner.
Wide coverage in the news media and aviation press carried the story, including stories you can see when you click here and see the aircraft with comments from Mikey McBryan in a video when you click here.
Edmonton Jounal photo by David Bloom, via the internet.
Aviation fans enjoyed Tiger Boys
Open House and Fly-In
The Tiger Boys vintage aircraft collectors and restorers held their Open House and Fly-In this September.
Cub Aircraft: Canada's Flivverplane - 1936 to 1949
Researcher Cameron Price explores the history of Cub Aircraft Corporation Limited, a company that was formed in Hamilton, Ontario in 1936 and assembled Taylor and later Piper aircraft in Canada under license with parts shipped from the United States. Cub Aircraft's factory and small flying school were located on the eastern boundary of the city of Hamilton. Throughout the Second World War, Cub Aircraft continued to assemble and repair aircraft, as well as train pilots. Despite post-war optimism, high sales of civilian aircraft never materialised, and within four years, the Cub Aircraft company would cease to exist. Today, several Cub built aircraft can still be found on the Canadian aircraft register.
Here are the questions and answers to this month's Canadian Aviation Moments:
Question 1: What skill did those pilots of the First World War have, who learned to fly very easily?
Source:
Canada’s Fighting Airmen,
pg. 106-107 (Drew)
Question 2:What feature of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was given little thought?
Source:
Wings For Victory,
pg. 44-45 (Dunmore)
Question 3:Why did Albert Speer, of the Nazi High Command, think that at the beginning of April 1944 that the Allies threw away success when it was already in their hands?
Source:
No Prouder Place,
pg. 303 (Bashow)
Spoiler alert - the answers to this month's questions follow. Skip the rest of this section and come back later if you wish to guess/research the answers first. Good luck and have fun!
ANSWER 1: “He was also a fearless rider and the sense of balance gained in the saddle probably contributed largely to the ease with which he later learned to fly. In the early days of the war some of the senior officers responsible for the choice of prospective pilots, caused much comment and some amusement because they apparently considered the only qualification required of any man who seemed reasonably sound in wind and limb, was an affirmative answer to the question, “Do you ride?” Knowing this, many a man who scarcely knew a horse’s mane from it’s tail, but did want above everything else to fly, posed as a finished horseman and justified the representation by his subsequent record. There may, however, have been much in the theory, as most good horsemen learned to fly very easily.”
Source:
Canada’s Fighting Airmen,
pg. 106-107 (Drew)
ANSWER 2: “By December, the essential features of the plan were in place. The participants agreed that the plan should produce 1,464 trained aircrew per month. The RCAF would be in charge, with assistance from the RAF. However, little thought had been given to how all these trained airmen would be employed when they graduated. On this point, as on so many others, the lines of communication between the interested parties were convoluted at best, totally ineffective at worst. The British had assumed all along that the graduates of the plan would be at their disposal, to be used as the Air Ministry saw fit. But the Dominions had other ideas; they liked the idea of having their own squadrons clearly identified as such and manned by their own airmen. Canada wanted even larger units to be identified as Canadian, an ambition realized with the creation in 1943 of 6 (RCAF) Group, which by the end of the war represented about one-fifth of the strength of RAF Bomber Command. Indeed, the Air Ministry had already agreed in principle to the eventual creation of such units, although Riverdale probably wasn’t aware of it.”
Source:
Wings For Victory,
pg. 44-45 (Dunmore)
ANSWER 3: “After this raid, the weather changed for the worse again, preventing follow-up action against the Schweinfurt complex, although there was certainly no determined push from the High Wycombe camp to re-visit this target or the other bearing plants in the Nazi production constellation. Albert Speer thought this was an incredible oversight, and he felt that, had the Allied counter-bearing campaign been prosecuted with vigour and determination, it could have forced Germany to sue for peace much earlier in the war: We were able to avoid total disaster by substituting slide bearings for ball bearings whenever possible. But what really saved us was the fact that from this time on, (the October 1943 raid) the enemy to our astonishment once again ceased his attacks on the ball bearing industry. Then (in February 1944) within four days. Schweinfurt, Steyr, and Cannstatt were each subjected to two successive heavy attacks. Then followed raids on Erkner, Schweinfurt and again Styr. [Here, Speer notes that after only six weeks their production of bearings which were greater than 6.3 centimeters had been reduced to just 29 percent of bearing output prior to the raids.] At the beginning of April 1944, however, the attacks on the ball-bearing industry ceased abruptly. Thus, the Allies threw away success when it was already in their hands. Had they continued the attacks of March and April with the same energy, we would quickly have been at our last gasp.”
Source:
No Prouder Place,
pg. 303 (Bashow)
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 to learn more about our corporate members and partner organizations.
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The Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS)
P.O. Box 2700 • Station D • Ottawa • Ontario • K1P 5W7