William “Bill” Tee: Toronto-area aviation enthusiast

posted April 2024

A self-described “aviator of sorts and an aviation enthusiast,” Bill Tee thoroughly enjoyed decades of rewarding professional and recreational activity in aviation.

Bill, CAHS #4515, died at the age of 93 on March 10. He grew up in Orillia, was inspired by aviation and obtained his pilot’s licence on February 28, 1951.

Bill worked at Avro Canada until the ‘Black Friday’ cancellation of the CF-105 Arrow in 1959. He later joined de Havilland Canada in 1966, retiring after 25 years of service in 1992.

Bill was a lifetime member of the Brampton Flying Club, where he enjoyed many hours and loved sharing experiences with his family. He was an original member of the Recreational Aircraft Association. He also designed and built a Zenith taildragger, an accomplishment that was featured in the Toronto Star.

Some of the aircraft that Bill enjoyed included aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz’ Zenair 100 Monoplane Z – a prototype for a kit plane that was narrow enough to be built in a single car garage. Registered C-GNYM, the aircraft was flown by Chris across western Canada and to Oshkosh several times. Bill and other RAA members fondly recalled flying it when Chris would let them.

The historic aircraft was relocated to Manitoba and eventually abandoned. Adrian Meilleur then purchased, restored and reassembled the Zenair. C-GNYM flew again at Lyncrest Airport on July 7, 2016. Mr. Meilleur described the impressive project in Recreational Flyer magazine, Issue 2, 2017.

Bill’s adventures included a ride in a 1952 de Havilland DH100 Vampire T11 during one of his annual visits to the Popular Aircraft Association annual rally in England. He watched the Vampire arrive while he was visiting a local airfield at North Weald. One of the jet’s owners, Boeing 757/767 captain Matt Hampton, convinced Bill to take a ride on the rare bird “for fuel cost only.” The picture above shows Bill, with sunglasses, as he entered the Vampire.

With the Vampire burning 1,000 litres per hour of jetA1 fuel, the ride wasn’t exactly frugal. As Bill stated in Recreational Flyer, September-October 2006, “The cost approximated 15 hours in the back of an Airbus 310 two ways across the Atlantic Ocean but was more than 30 times more fun.”

Bill described the ride as “fantastic,” beginning with “the typical jet zoom climb and 180 degree turn by the edge of the airfield” and continuing with two rolls and even a loop.

Bill’s instructor, Mark Hooton, a 757 pilot, gave Bill the stick and power lever --- a “great experience” for Bill.

As he recalled, “I felt at home with the aircraft immediately and at no time did it feel ahead of me like my brief time at the controls of a Dash 8…the control of the aircraft was easier than many much lighter and smaller aircraft that I have flown. Stability was great…”

Bill concluded with a wry observation: “The Vampire bit me but only my bank account bled!”

Bill was a gentleman with a passion for aviation. He leaves his wife Shirley and daughters Lynda, Debra and Dianne. A funeral service was held in Etobicoke on March 16.

To read Bill's obituary, please click here.

by Gord McNulty,
CAHS Vice President

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