| The Canadian Aviation Historical Society |
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January 2022 e–Newsletter |
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From the Desk of the Executive |
National Vice President's New Year Greetings for 2022 CAHS members can look forward to what promises to be an exciting year in aviation, with hope that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us. CAHS Chapters, directors, Museum and Individual members, and volunteers will be engaged in various ways, whether by participating in, supporting or recording significant developments throughout the year. Teamwork, based on the principle of sharing the volunteer workload so that individuals do not have too much to manage, has been a CAHS tradition since its inception. The people in our organization have always strived to work together to ensure that Canada’s aviation history is well-chronicled from one generation to the next. I recently found a good example of collaboration, CAHS style, in documentation dated 1986. A group consisting of some of the leading editors and historians in the CAHS produced a CAHS Journal “scanner” that enabled members to quickly find articles and details of interest in the Journal. The “scanner” outlined the tremendous scope and dedication of people who produced a veritable goldmine of data, without the advantages offered by computers that came later. Our current Museum Members reflect the same spirit of collaboration. I enjoyed reading the Alberta Aviation Museum’s new souvenir book celebrating 30 years of progress. This fine volume was produced by a mostly volunteer team of contributors, photographers, designers, supporters and donors. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, in a similar combined effort, is completing a commemorative book celebrating its 50th anniversary. The book will be released this year and will be limited to 1,000 copies. It’s shaping up to be a must for armchair aviators. Other much-anticipated events promise to make 2022 a year to remember. The newly constructed and almost completed Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg will be officially opened. “Airshow 50” will be hosted at Brantford Airport in Ontario in June by the Canadian Warplane Heritage, which will also conclude a momentous year with a gala in October among other things. Our Museum Members are preparing to move ahead with creativity, dedication and enthusiasm in overcoming the challenges of the pandemic. Count on the CAHS to be part of the action as history takes flight. |
Gord McNulty, National Vice President, Canadian Aviation Historical Society |
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Click the button above, then click on the little magnifying glass to begin your search. |
| 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. |
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From the Desk of the Journal Editor |
Volume 57 will soon be complete Onward to Volumes 58, 59, and 60 |
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Both print and digital* editions of Journal 57-3 have been delivered through January, and we are close to wrapping up 57-4. Three of the four numbers for Volume 58 are also well along, with the content for the fourth also blocked. Once these work-in-progress issues are completed, I will move on to Volume 60 – for which we already have some content in development – while a team of Associate Editors are taking the helm for Volume 59's content. While this arrangement will help us catch up our publication dates to our cover dates in the short term, we do hope they will be encouraged to stay on for the long term. All Associate Editors have been actively engaged in this catch-up project since the beginning of this year and, from this managing editor's / graphics director's perspective, the results are already starting to show. It is an ambitious project, but all members of the team were invited to "sign up" based on their individual track records in creating great content for CAHS chapters and/or past contributions to the CAHS Journal either as editorial board (CJEB) members or authors. Have you been considering contributing material to the CAHS Journal? Are you mulling over a full length article, a Historical Snapshot, or a thematic Photo Essay that you have not already submitted to me? Please consider getting in touch with one of our new Associate Editors about it. Even if it is not going to make Volume 59, it may be something that any one of the new editorial team can help you polish up for the pages of Volume 60 or beyond. I will introduce the team and provide their contact information in the next newsletter. Meanwhile… Follow this link for a preview of upcoming feature articles and for ongoing updates on other Journal content works-in-progress. … * Each digital edition is posted to the website as a high-resolution PDF (published with colour throughout since Journal 57-1) so that all current CAHS National Members will have immediate online access. … Have you ever found yourself looking for a specific CAHS Journal article but not wanting to spend hours flipping their your print-edition Journals to find it? Try using the search function in the main menu bar on CAHS.com to find out which Volume/Number it is in before "dog-earing" your print collection. The article titles, short descriptions, and authors for all volumes of our Journal have been indexed on our website for this purpose. |
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Terry Higgins, Creative Director, Website Administrator, CAHS Journal Managing Editor and Graphics Director, Canadian Aviation Historical Society |
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From the Desk of the Treasurer |
The CAHS would like to give you another chance to browse the aviation books we still have for sale by Shelia Serup, Carl Vincent, Chris Weicht, Shirlee Matheson, Tim Cole, Deana Driver, Joel From, Terry Higgins, and others. Click on the montage image below to find out more information about the books. It also isn't too late to order a CAHS Aviation Art Calendar for 2022, so don't forget to browse the calendar link below to see images of each month's artwork. If you need to renew your CAHS membership, we will have included a renewal form with that latest Journal that was mailed in mid-January 2022. I do wish to warn you that there will be an ongoing delay in my ability to pick up any cheques sent to the CAHS Post Office box, which is located in downtown Ottawa - literally only dozens of feet away from the convoy/protest red zone and right in the middle of the occupation/operations area. I have not felt safe enough to be able to check the Post Office box for the last two weeks, and I am not sure for how many more weeks our mail will be trapped in the PO Box. If you want your cheque cashed more quickly, please contact me for an alternative mailing address. Or feel free to renew and donate online using the buttons under our Vice President's above. We are so grateful for your support and for the ability to be able to serve you and share Canada's amazing aviation history with you! |
Cordially, Dr. Rachel Lea Heide, National Treasurer, Canadian Aviation Historical Society |
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CAHS Annual Aviation Art Calendar, 2022 edition |
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| | There are now less than two dozen left from our intial print run. Always popular, always fresh, open up a new, colourful window on aviation history each and every month of the new year. Get yours directly from our e-shop today. |
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| | S/L Joseph Peter "Joe" Pagnutti |
Joe Pagnutti, 93, of Ottawa, Ontario, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Born in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario, Joe was inspired at a very early age to be a pilot. He enrolled in the Royal Canadian Air Force at 17 having already earned his pilot license. He attended Royal Roads Military College in Victoria, British Columbia, graduating in Engineering from the RCAF Aeronautical program. Afterward he studied at Royal Military College and Queen's University where he obtained a degree in Advanced Mathematics and Thermodynamics. By Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail |
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| | In 1939, Boeing set up a plant at Sea Island Airport in Vancouver, initially to build Blackburn Sharks, of which seventeen were built. The plant also built 362 Consolidated PBY aircraft, both the Flying Boat and the Amphibian versions. Bev Furlong's mother, Anna Madalen Fahrni, who had a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba, got a position working in the Test Lab… By Bev and Bert Furlong |
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| | Grey Cup Delivered by RCAF |
The Grey Cup took place on December 12, 2021, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, Ontario and just days before, the Grey Cup itself was delivered by the RCAF. For photos of the delivery, ceremony and specially painted Griffon… Report and Photos by Gord McNulty |
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| | Comox: Highlighting West Coast RCAF History |
The Comox Air Force Museum, located in Comox, British Columbia, highlights military aviation throughout the 20th Century and those Squadrons that were positioned on the West Coast. Read about their exhibits and activities here… Katherine Simunkovic |
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| | Robert Archibald Logan: Renaissance Man |
Mathias Joost explores the life and achievements of Robert Archibald Logan, a 20th Century Renaissance Man. Among Logan's many careers were RFC pilot, aerial surveyor, RCAF officer, instructor, navigator, Director of Intelligence for the RCAF, Arctic and African explorer, author, and prospector. This presentation was given to CAHS Ottawa Chapter on 28 October 2021. via Kyle Huth |
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| | The team at Bomber Command Museum of Canada are continuing their recovery of Halifax bombers with a funding drive to support their return trip to Sweden this year. The team plans to return to Sweden in June-July for two weeks to recover more of the Halifax HR871.… Katherine Simunkovic |
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| | Authors, Sheila Serup and Svend Serup would like to share the release of No Old, Bold Pilots, a Memoir with my Honour Roll of Cessna Pilots (2nd Ed. 2021). For excerpts, details on the book, and where to purchase it… via Katherine Simunkovic |
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The Second World War Canadian Women's Project |
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After working on Wings Over High River and She Made Them Family, Anne Gafiuk was asked to give presentations about the books. The audience was interested in learning stories about both men and women's service. The deliberate inclusion of women's stories piqued Anne's research interest. After receiving a scrapbook created by an RCAF WD, Ruth Eva Owen, Anne wrote up her story for Elinor Florence’s blog and then created a Power Point in Ruth’s honour. Provided later with a spreadsheet of the women who died while in service for Canada, she started to research them, bringing about The WWII Canadian Women’s Project. Women from all parts of Canada, some with humble backgrounds to those from the society pages, signed up to serve. Their deaths ranged from illness, accidents, suicide, and murder. Tuberculosis claimed many. A companion page was created on Facebook to commemorate those women who served and continued with their lives after the Second World War. To visit the Facebook page, please click here. If anyone has someone they would like to add to the Facebook companion page, or additional photographs of a woman shared on the website, please contact Anne at: anne@whatsinastory.ca |
Katherine Simunkovic with Anne Gafiuk |
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A Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Commemorative Book |
Fifty Years: Canadian Warplane Heritage by Al Mickeloff & Bill Cumming |
Triumph, tragedy, and perseverance can best describe the first fifty years of the Canadian Warplane Heritage. While it has grown into a world-renowned aviation museum, it began rather innocuously in the early 1970s under the leadership of two friends who had a dream of flying a P-51 Mustang. Fifty Years: Canadian Warplane Heritage chronicles the organization’s history including the many trials and tribulations – from the growing pains of a fledgling volunteer organization to the loss of a co-founder in a tragic crash, to a devastating hangar fire, and to narrowly escaping financial ruin. Highlights of this meticulously researched book include a behind-the-scenes look at the many aircraft restorations, the Hamilton International Air Shows, and the Lancaster’s journey culminating in an ambitious trip to England. Readers will enjoy over 600 photos of people, aircraft, and events. Each aircraft that has been part of the museum is profiled in a detailed history for armchair aviators. Exclusively available from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum for $79.99 with quantity limited to only 1,000 copies. To pre-order now for May 2022 release, please click here. |
via the CAHS Digital staff |
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Artist Charles Thompson's piece, Red Tails In The Sunset, depicts a de Havilland 98 Mosquito PR.XVI of the 653rd Bomber Squadron (Light), 25th Bomb Group, United States Army Air Forces. The USAAF began using the British Mosquito in 1944 on reconnaissance operations. However, they often found themselves being fired at by their own trigger-happy fighters, and so to overcome the possibility of a disaster they took to painting the tails of their Mosquitos red. |
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Canadian Aviation Moments |
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Question One: How much training did the IRFC (Imperial Royal Flying Corps) training plan in Canada provide to the United States during 1917-1918? Source: Dancing in The Sky, pg. 290 (Hunt) |
| Question Two: What role did the Avro 504s play in the Canadian Air Force and the RCAF? Source: Jericho Beach and the West Coast Flying Boat Stations, pg. 234 (Weicht) |
| Question Three: What lesson about electronic technology and electronic countermeasures was slowly and painfully learned? Source: No Prouder Place, pg. 200 (Bashow) |
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The answers will appear in the February 2022 Newsletter Here are the answers to December's Canadian Aviation Moments: |
QUESTION 1: How was the RAF/RFC training plan in Canada crucial to the outcome of the First World War? |
ANSWER: “The training plan was crucial to the outcome of the air war. In less than two years, the RFC/RAF plan graduated 3,135 pilots and 137 observers. In addition, the plan trained 357 pilots for the United States. As of 11 November 1918, RAF (Canada) had 240 pilots and 52 observers. These were impressive numbers and helped speed the Allied victory and end the war.” From Dancing In The Sky, pg. 289 |
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QUESTION 2: What was the requirement of the RCAF that was fulfilled by the Canadian Vickers Varuna II? |
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ANSWER: “In 1925, the Department of National Defence issued a requirement for a twin engine flying boat to transport men and equipment to fight forest fires. Canadian Vickers developed a prototype, the Varuna I, and after test flights were completed, it was taken on strength by the RCAF on June 2, 1926. The Varuna I was powered by two Wright J-4 Whirlwind engines and seated seven people. The aircraft was flown to Rockcliffe for further testing and never left. After a very short career of four years, the Varuna was put into storage and eventually taken off strength in 1932. New specifications were drawn up and a second prototype, the Varuna II, was accepted by the RCAF. Seven of these aircraft were delivered in the spring and summer of 1927. The 200 hp Wright engines were replaced in the Varuna II was two 180 hp Armstrong Silddley Lynx IVs; and the RCAF requested a number of other design changes which, in the end, greatly affected the performance of the aircraft. The Varuna IIs spent most of their service time in Manitoba, with the exception of G-CYZV. It was shipped to eastern Canada and taken on strength at Dartmouth Air Station in Nova Scotia. By 1930, the RCAF acknowledged that what they needed was a more powerful machine, and redesigning the Varuna was not the answer. The Varuna IIs were gone by the end of 1930.” From Jericho Beach and the West Coast Flying Stations, pp 232-233 |
QUESTION 3: How many members of the RAF Bomber Command and RCAF became prisoners of the Axis Nations during Second World War? |
ANSWER: “While the odds were stacked against bomber Command’s crews surviving a mortal wound to their aircraft over enemy territory, especially in the Lancaster, many men did successfully exit their stricken aircraft. In all, 9784 Bomber Command aircrew and 54 ground crew became prisoners of war of the Axis nations, and 138 of them perished in captivity. During the course of the entire war, 2276 RCAF aircrew and fourteen ground crew members of the RCAF Overseas became prisoners of war. The vast majority, 1849, were members of Bomber Command and thirty-one of them died in Axis hands.” From No Prouder Place, pg. 192 |
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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! |
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Special Thanks To Our Supporters |
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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. Corporate Members: |
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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. Click here to renew immediately online, or to join as a new member. If you would like to register or renew by mail, printable forms are also available in the bottom area of this page on our site. 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. |
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The Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) P.O. Box 2700 • Station D • Ottawa • Ontario • K1P 5W7 visit us at www.cahs.com The CAHS is incorporated as a Canadian Registered Charity under a Federal Charter with the business registration number 118829589 RR001 |
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