Museum Newsletter

No.19 CANADIAN MUSEUM OF FLIGHT AND TRANSPORTATION Dec., 1982

Another Crisis

Surrey Council turned down the application to temporarily re-zone part of the Zalesky farm to allow the museum to continue to use it as a storage site and a temporary place from which to operate. This puts us right back where we started with Surrey.

The Zaleskys will, of course, appeal, but with the obvious lack of support of CMFT by the majority of council, the appeal has little chance. It is quite possible that museum members may be asked to send in letters of support, as they did with great effect, the last time that the problem flared up. Or, perhaps better than a letter, a delegation of 150- 200 people might prove more effective in convincing Surrey Council of their error.

We have not had much success with raising funds to purchase the Fort Langley site. The offers of assistance that we originally had evaporated with the deteriorating economy. While this location is still our best bet for all clubs and groups to get together at a permanent location, and we are continuing to pursue its purchase, it is not an immediate problem.

We need time to make the move, and Surrey has not seen fit to allow us that time. We must persuade them to change their mind. Our members are our strongest voice in matters such as this. Especially those who live in Surrey and/or pay taxes in Surrey, and vote in Surrey.

If we call on you please do not let us down. Be prepared to help with a letter and/ or a willingness to be a part of a delegation lobbying that the re-zoning be approved.

We Need You

Our most valuable resource is our members.

That is why, in this issue of the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation newsletter you will find a survey form.

CMFT has grown.considerably since we were incorporated under the Societies Act in March, 1977. Our membership stands at over 600 and our collection includes approximately 45 aircraft. We have reached the point where it is almost impossible to mentally remember each member’s interests and skills. Many of you have expressed a willingness to help with various CMFT projects. By filling out the enclosed membership survey form, and mailing it to CMFT, you can be sure our membership information is complete, up-to-date and accurate.

Also at this time, we are turning to you, our members, in order to determine the most convenient times and locations for regular CMFT general meetings. Take a few minutes to fill out the reverse side of the enclosed form, tear out and mail it to the CMFT office.

This publication is the official newsletter of the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation, a non-profit society dedicated to the establishment of an aviation museum on Canada’s West Coast. The museum was incorporated under the Societies Act of British Columbia in 1977 and has actively been seeking a permanent home at which to house its collection of aircraft and artifacts, archives and library. The museum’s aims are the preservation and restoration of aircraft and artifacts significant to the development of aviation and transportation and the education of the public in the role of aviation in the history and development of our society.

The newsletter is published by the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation. Registered offices: 11040 Camble Road, Richmond, B.C., V6X 1L2, telephone (604) 531-2465/278-9804.

NEXT MEETING-Thurs., Jan 20, 1983, 8 p.m. Museum Storage Site

EXPO 86

An unusual logo has been revealed for the World Exposition on Transportation and Communications to be held in Vancouver May 2 to October 13, 1986. The design, clever in its simplicity, is composed of three intersecting circles, each representing a basic transportation/communication environment.

The circles-symbolic of land, sea and air- overlap to reflect the intermodel aspects of 20th- century transportation and communications. A diagonal line, thrusting upward and outward, suggests man’s dedication to progress and improvement. Color of the logo is specified as white on a blue background, with the only acceptable variance being the reversal of colors.”

The design is an optical illusion which, when viewed slightly differently, creates the number. 86-the year when the World Exposition will take place.

As the official symbol of Expo 86, the logo will identify all Expo and Expo-related activities and events. The copyrighted design will be used extensively in marketing and merchandising programs, and may not be used without written permission except by the news media.

The logo was designed by artist Frank Mayrs, Creative Director of the World Exposition.

Just as air transportation is represented by one of the three circles of the Expo 86 logo, so too is aviation history represented by CMFT.

With two major themes converging in B.C. in 1986 that of transportation and of history-the occasion demands that CMFT be at that point of convergence.

With 1986 approaching, there is much that CMFT can do to assure that aviation history is preserved, that historic aircraft are restored and the public is educated on the role aviation has played in the development of Canada.

Centennial projects are possible, just as obtaining a permanent museum home remains a priority. Over the next few months, our newsletter will be used to publicize your ideas for 1986. We welcome your suggestions.

Manpower Program To Benefit CMFT

Under the Manpower/Provincial Ministry of Labour Community Recovery Program, 8 full-time aviation mechanics or trainees, and a number of qualified, licensed supervisors who will volunteer their time, will take on the overhaul of a DH Moth. The program, expected to start about the end of November, runs through to March, 31, 1983. It provides for additional payments to current recipients of UIC benefits, to a maximum of $240.

Through an arrangement with the PVI, participants will be able to count the tiem on this project towards earning an AME (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer) license. Work will be carried out in the shop on Crescent Road in Surrey.

This is an example of superb co-operation and support, and we warmly thank the people responsible for organizing the project. We will probably never get a better opportunity to get one of our derelicts into the air. If you want to help, there are a number of ways:

Loan or donate hand tools or shop equipment. Lots will be needed.

Join the volunteers on this project. If you can spend a reasonable amount of time on a regular basis there is much to learn as supervisors have combined expertise second to none.

If you are currently on UIC and have the skills you can offer, write or phone the office.

CMFT pays for all materials, and for travelling expenses for volunteers and those who could not otherwise travel. Your cash donation to the DH Moth Fund will be wisely spent, and your name will be added to a plaque permanently attached to the airplane. Large and small amounts gratefully accepted.

Policy

Every letter, newsletter or other communication throughout the year contains a return envelope or other form of solicitation. We urge you to use these forms to recruit new members and to make memorial, tribute, anniversary or other additional contributions. Remember, in order to help build and maintain the Museum, and to acquire outstanding exhibits, we will remind you of the need for funds in every mailing.

Vampire Arrives at CMFT

By Rose Zalesky

“Do you guys have a Vampire in your collection?” was the opening remark of a phone call received during a work bee at the CMFT shop in late August. To which the reply was “no.”

“Would you like to have one?” was the next question. Of course Ed’s reply was “You’re bloody right we would. We’d give our right arm to have one!”

“Well, that case, I’ve got some bits and pieces here that are in my way. How would you like to come and get them? And make sure you bring Rose.”

The caller, Don Campbell, of Kapuskasing, Ontario, didn’t have to ask twice, and the trip was planned during the pandemonium of regular museum work over the next few weeks. Bill Thompson came through with the loan of his truck, Roy Briscoe gave the loan of his trailer, and Mr. Mairs the loan of his camper van. The trip was tied in with the picking up of a Tiger Moth the Zaleskys had personally acquired a year ago at Thunder Bay, Ontario. The plan was to cook our meals in the van (which we did) and use it for sleeping to save motel costs (which we did).

Gordon Dann used some of his holidays, Mark Zalesky took 10 days off work without pay, Ed and I just left the phones ringing, and off we went at 3:30 a.m. on a Friday morning in mid-September. Transmission problems 300 miles out forced us back home that night. After a $387 overhaul, we were off again Saturday night at 10:30 p.m.

The prairies, with harvest in its final week, were lovely and roads good, except for the ring road around Winnipeg. Because of the road’s concrete pad construction, the pickup was forced to travel at less than 40 kph with two wheels on the shoulder. Something to do with the distance between the axles of the pickup and the trailer made the trailer buck so hard the wheels left the ground. Very exciting, especially when we knew we would have to face that stretch again, with a load, on the way back.

Other than for coffee breaks, the first stop was to try for a few hours sleep in a small town alley west of Moose Jaw on Sunday night. The cold soon woke us up and we were greeted with a flat 10-ply trailer tire, and no one willing to tackle the repair.

Hours later, Centennial Tire in Moose Jaw opened for business and repaired the tire, the tube, mounted and dismounted, all for $5.50. The owner-operator was the first of many great people who were to help out during the haul.

We discovered that Saskatchewan has nothing but wide spots in the road to serve as rest areas, and that Manitoba provides lovely roadside parks. There is very pretty lake country around Kenora, Ontario and there are a lot of spruce trees between the Lakehead and Kapukasing and not much else. This is the land where charging moose replace jumping deer on roadside warning signs. We nearly left a couple of trailer axles on some of the bridges being repaired. They were rough and narrow!

Motel rooms, with real beds and showers, were waiting for us on arrival at 9:30 p.m. at Kapuskasing Tuesday night. Don came out to get us and we talked airplanes until late that night. what else?

The first stop early next morning was Louie’s Cafe for a BIG breakfast. The hole in the door where a lock had been many years before was eloquent testimonial to the wonderful people who live in the area. Out to the airport where the first job was to take out the end wall of the storage building where the Vampire was housed, followed by a long wait for a crane which never did materialize. Finally, Don disappeared and after a while a whole crew of people and a machine rolled up, pitched in and the next thing we knew, we’re being rolled into a warm shop-just as the rain started. Materials appeared to make wing racks, a welder to put it all together and we were ready to roll at 5:30 p.m. on the second day. No one would accept payment and we will never be able to adequately thank the many people who worked so hard to get us on our way. Special thanks go to Len and Marc Brideau and Bob Laberge. At last sight, Don was shaking his head, wondering how we were ever going to get more than 4 tons of airplane on a spindly little trailer with only two axles the 2,500 miles back to Vancouver without disaster.

After 8 hours of steady driving, we stopped at the very beautiful Terry Fox memorial to take pictures, none of which turned out because it was pitch black and pouring rain. That at least 10 people were there at 1:30 a.m. is an indication of just how much this young man touched the hearts of all Canadians.

By prior arrangement, the van we had left at Thunder Bay was waiting for us in the K-Mart parking lot at 2:00 a.m. with the trailer neatly loaded with the Tiger Moth, all hooked up. There was even a note telling us where to find the only all-night gas station. We stocked up on food at a huge super market staffed by three young men. Choosing their own music must be a privilege of those who work the graveyard shift there, as they had the sound system turned up to the top belting out hard rock. Police officers in a patrol car were very co-operative here, as everwhere else along the way, and wished us well.

Exhaustion caught up to all of us at once, and we stopped for a few hours sleep somewhere around Dryden, in rotten weather.

Lovely weather again across Manitoba but with strong head winds. That ring road was waiting for us alright, but we survived. By now it is 4:30 on Friday afternoon and we discover we’ve lost the front seal-along with the oil-from the rear end of the van. The caravan limped into Carberry, Man., and as usual wonderful people were there to help out. A man strolling down the street was very interested in what we were doing and helped persuade the owner of a service station to stay late and replace the seal (total cost only $37.51). He turned out to be the MP for Portage-Marquette, Charles Mayer.

The heavy load proved a problem on the hills, and the trip through the mountains was done at very slow speeds in places, but other wise uneventful. Gordon Dann was dropped off at his doorstep in Clearbrook and we rolled into the storage yard at 7:30 a.m, just one week and a few hours after leaving it for the second time.

Those “bits and pieces” turned out to be most of a Vampire, RCAF 17058, with no flight damage, but with some previous hauling damage caused by apparent lack of expertise in disassembly, loading and packing for transport. It is a very welcome addition to our collection. Thank you, Don Campbell.

Now we are looking for a sponsor to restore it to flying condition.

New Members

Andrew Chapman, Victoria; Owan Nean, Vancouver; Kenneth Ma, Vancouver; Tim Nicholson, Vancouver; Dan Bruckert, Surrey; Gerry Hayson, Winnipeg, Man.; Stephen Wicks, Surrey; Marvin Bell, Maple Ridge; Gary Gibson, Surrey; Charles Knowles, Victoria; Tom Letherby, Delta; Dennis McAulay, Surrey; Myron Olson, Langley; Rod Haywood, Delta; Ed Williams, Bellingham, Wa.; Doug Craig, Vancouver; Dennis Effer, Victoria; Dr. John Reilly, Richmond; Tim Fowler, Richmond; A. F. Day, Penticton; F. R. Barclay, Surrey; Edward Picard, Langley; Charlie Rennie, Surrey; Gordon Foster, Delta; Sean Watkins, Port Coquitlam; Betty Martin, Surrey; H. D. McTaggart, Langley; Don Manson, Surrey; Robert Harvey, Burnaby; Bonnie Knight, Richmond; Mike Meeker, Mission; Vancouver Transportation Club, Vancouver; Roy Thompson, New Westminster; W. T Glover, Burnaby; Tito Montezuma, New Westminster; Monty Demara, Kelowna; H. R. Paterson, North Vancouver; Bruce Guest, West Vancouver; Harry Stephens, Surrey; Gordon Emerslund, Vancouver.

COVER PHOTO:

A Tiger Moth belonging to the Aero Club of B.C. is seen here on approach to Langley Airport (c. 1950). Many of B.C.’s pilots received their first instruction from the Aero club. (Photo CMFT files).

Early Jet Joins CMFT Collection

By Jerry Vernon

The museum’s deHavilland Vampire jet fighter, ex-RCAF 17058, ex-N6860D, arrived at the storage site on Sept. 19, 1982, a donation to CMFT from Don Campbell, of Kapuskasing, Ontario. The following is a brief history of the Vampire Mk. III in RCAF service, and of the museum’s own aircraft in particular.

Following evaluation of the deHavilland Vampire and Gloster Meteor by the RCAF, an order was placed for the purchase of 85 Vampire Mk.111 aircraft, which were then delivered through 1948, 1949 and 1950. Both the Vampire and the Meteor were WWII designs, with the prototype DH.100 having flown in Sept. 1943. The RCAF Vampires were supplied to both Regular Force and Auxiliary squadrons of the RCAF, including an initial allottment of 4 aircraft in 1948 to 442 “City of Vancouver” Squadron, plus others to Winnipeg (402 sqn.), Toronto (400 sqn.) and Montreal (401 and 438 sqns).

The Vampires were withdrawn from 442 (Aux.) Squadron in 1951, along with those from the other reserve units, due to the rapid build-up of regular force squadrons prior to the availability of the Sabres. In mid-1952, the Vampires were returned to the auxiliary units, including a full complement of eight aircraft for 442 (Aux.) Squadron.

De Havilland Vampire Mk. III, RCAF 17071, at Paine Field, Everett, Wash., July, 1953. Photo by Sgt. Pete Holborn, via Jerry Vernon.

The Vampires served with the auxiliary units for nearly 4½ years, until replaced by Sabre Mk. 5 aircraft in 1956 in the case of the Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal squadrons. Approximately 36 aircraft survived RCAF service and, of these, 27 were sold to the Formetal Division of Flightways, Inc., West Bend, Indiana; one other went to Stinson Field Aircraft, San Antonio, Texas; and RCAF 17074 was ferried east from Vancouver for the RCAF’s museum collection. The Formetal aircraft went on to the U.S. Civil Register as N6860D through N6886D, including approximately 9 or 10 that later went on to serve in the Mexican Air Force, after a fuss in Parliament squashed a deal to send 12 to the Dominican Republic..

The sale price to Formetal was reported to have been $24,600 for the 26 aircraft involved. A number of these were operated, after much hassle with the FAA, in U.S. civil markings, for corporate and pleasure purposes. To the best of my knowl edge, at least eight of the U. S. civil Vampire Mk. III aircraft are still in existence-ours, one at the Calgary Museum, one with the Canadian Warplane Heritage, one with Ed Maloney’s Planes of Fame at Chino, and four with various other U.S. owners. In addition, the National Aeronautical Collection in Ottawa still has RCAF 17074 (albeit with a bogus sign saying it came from one of the Montreal squadrons!) plus Vampire Mk. I (in dismantled storage) that came to Canada in 1946 for winterization trials.

RCAF Record Card

The following history of our own RCAF 17058 was supplied through the courtesy of John Griffin:

• 23 April 46 TOS 6 RD, Trenton
• 14 Oct 49 421 (F) Sqn., Chatham
• 06 March 50 6RD, Trenton, for repairs
• 04 April 50 12 TSU (deHavilland), for repairs
• 12 oct 50 OTU, Chatham
• 29 March 52 12 TSU (de Havilland), for P400 inspection
• 20 May 52 400 (Aux.) Sqn., Toronto
• 12 Jan 53 12 TSU (de Havilland), for wing change
• 04 May 53 400 (Aux.) Sqn., Toronto
• 25 Aug 53 C&PE, Rockcliffe
• 05 Aug 54 Air Defence Command
• 04 May 56 RR (Ready Reserve), St. Hubert
• 25 Sept 56 APDAL Storage (Awaiting disposal), St. Hubert
• 04 Mar 58 SOS, sold to Formetal Division of Flightways, Inc..

Although my own inspection of the aircraft the day it arrived did reveal that it has a replacement wing, per the mismatched serial number and various handwritten 33-year-old pencilled notes, such as “Canadian Mk. III”, “2506 spare”, and so on, the RCAF record card gives no clue as to what sort of accident, either flying of ground handling, might have damaged the original wing.

Following RCAF service and sale to Formetal, the aircraft became N6860D, and was purchased in 1958 by the Dewey-Shepard Boiler Co., of Peru, Indiana, for use as an “executive jet” to enable their vice-president, Charles Harris, Jr., to flit about between their plants in Indiana and Costa Rica. Harris was given the full run-around through all possible FAA regulations for many months, eventually attempting (successfully?) to have N6860D and four other aircraft exported to a foreign country, licensed there and re-imported to the U.S. to satisfy one bureaucratic suggestion.

N6860D was still, in 1981, registered by the FAA to George Arnold, of Peru, Indiana, although it was thought by this Vampire researcher to have been scrapped years ago. However, it now turns out that it was trucked back to Canada sometime in the 1960s, where it joined the collection of the now-defunct Air Museum of Canada, at Calgary. In 1970, Don Campbell acquired the Vampire and a Spitfire from the Calgary group, and had them trucked east to Kapuskasing, but various published research sources had identified this as being a different ex-RCAF Vampire. Don Campbell donated the Vampire to the museum, and it was brought to B.C. by Ed, Rose and Mark Zalesky and Gordon Dann.”

The aircraft is fairly complete, mainly suffering from a lot of “trucker’s rash” in the form of skin damage, from its several trips across the continent in less-than-careful hands (not you, Ed!). Some panels and fuel tanks are missing, but it does have an engine, a “new” canopy, wheels, tires, etc., and it still bears traces of the various lettering painted all over it by the Dewey-Shepard people 24 years ago.

Guildford Mall Show

A week-long display at Guildford Mall took place Sept. 27-Oct. 2. This was our best-yet, made possible in part by the beautiful location with trees and all. On display was a Tiger Moth on wheels, with skis, borrowed from the Zalesky family, the Bolingbroke nose section and the 2- scale Nieuport 17, along with the usual informational signs, photo boards, etc. T-shirts, posters, mugs and the usual items were offered for sale.

The display was well accepted by the public, with many people running home to get other family members. A number of new members have joined our group as a result, and we have made new friends and contacts. A well-worth- while effort, and a financial success.

The following people get our thanks for manning and/or setting up and tearing down: Rob and Ross Kimberly, Gary Gibson, Ron Stunden, the four Zaleskys, Mike McGowan, Mike and Heather Weeks, Ron Krywiak, Bill and Wilma Thompson (who made a special trip from Pender Harbor), Ross Gregory, Jerry Vernon, Bev Jackson, Mike Peddemores, Dolly DeAngelis and Betty Martin. A special thank you to Betty, who helped Rose nearly every day with the 12-hour setup, and worked many hours during the week, and to Gary Gibson and April Zalesky, who each put in multiple shifts. JA

Totem Anniversary

1982 marks the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the Boeing Totem, the only aircraft wholly designed and built in British Columbia to fly commercially in Canada.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

Please check your address label, the date on the upper right hand corner is the date your membership expires. Send in your $15 annual renewal today. CMFT needs your support. Thanks to all of you who have already renewed your memberships.

Felixstowe F.3, G-CYDI was the largest aircraft operated by the Air Board from Jericho Beach, Vancouver, in the early 1920s. (Photo Vancouver Library, Stuart Thomson Collection, No. 17379).

Many Pilots Trained At the Jericho Air Station

Nine years after Jericho Beach was established as a seaplane base, the waters of English Bay were busy with activity. This article, from 1929, written by Aubrey Roberts of The Province, recalls the development of the air station.

Founded in 1921 as one of the operations branches of the Canada Air Board, Jericho Beach Air Station has made a notable contribution to aviation in the Dominion. In its early days, it surpassed every other air station in Canada in the variety of operations carried out and often topped the list in the number of hours flown.

The station remained under the civil aviation department until 1925 when it was taken over by the military branch of the RCAF. Since then it has been primarily a teaching station and in the three years which have lapsed it has trained hundreds of RCAF pilots. These men have been posted to operations such as forestry patrol, photographic reconnaisance and survey work in all parts of the Dominion

Although most of its flying now is done for training purposes, Jericho Beach still records many an unusual and specially interesting flight. There was the recent aerial raid on an immense distillery at Pocohontas Bay, Texada Island; there were special flights over the rocky shore of B.C. near Port Hardy in the vain hunt for the missing young people whose derelict launch was found high and dry; and there are occasional flights of mercy such as one recently in which a man whose wife was seriously ill here was brought from one of the islands up the coast.

From 1921 until 1925 the station was very active, doing fisheries patrol for the Dominion Government, forestry patrol for the provincial authorities, photographic reconnaisance, experimental flights for the white pine blister rust control board, co-operation with officials of Military No. 11 in artillery spotting and other duties and transportation of topographical survey parties. Much of this work was done on a repayment basis and gradually the amount of flying requested by various government departments declined, partly because the equipment, being obsolete, was expensive.

Major Clare McLaurin, one of Canada’s most outstanding students of aviation, was the station’s first commanding officer. He was succeeded in 1923 by Squadron Leader A. Earl Godfrey, M.C., Vancouver’s flying son, who has since distinguished himself in two transatlantic flights. In 1924 Squadron Leader J. H. Tudhope, M.C., succeeded Godfrey.

In addition to the commanding officers which it has relinquished for larger duties, the Vancouver station has done its share in providing personnel for special flights. Four members of the staff were selected for the Hudson Bay Straits expedition and did yoeman service there. Two of them were forced down in a blinding snowstorm and were lost for two weeks as they hiked over broken ice and barren lands to headquarters.

The Vancouver station of the RCAF is one of the two military units in the Dominion, the other being at Camp Borden. Each is a training centre for air force officers who learn to pilot land machines at Camp Borden and seaplanes and flying boats here. This spring and summer, some 20 officers and 5 non-commissioned officers will fly more than 400 hours in training here.

All RCAF pilots receive their initial training in the East before they are posted to Vancouver so that the course at Jericho Beach serves as a finishing school to enable them to master all types of aircraft. There is a great deal of difference in methods of handling an airplane as compared with those of handling a seaplane and first-class land pilots do not always make the best sea flyers.

In addition to the actual piloting of seaplanes and flying boats, the officers who go to Vancouver learn to handle the machines on the water and on the ground. They are taught the proper methods of tying up to and taking off from buoys, of taxiing with and against the wind, of making forced landings, and of beaching their machines. They also attend a course of lectures on aircraft, engines and seamanship. Each man does approximately 20 hours flying in the course, the amount depending on his ability. He must stick at it until his instructor passes him as “OK.”

Pilots trained in Vancouver go on the nonpermanent staff of the RCAF. After completing their course, they are posted to civil operations for the summer. If they make good, they are given the opportunity to join the permanent staff of the force. Some enter commercial aviation after their year with the RCAF.

“The object of the course is to make every pilot capable of flying any kind of a seaplane or flying boat for operational duties. Fancy flying is not taught, only safe, sane piloting,” Flight Lieut. A. H. Hull, commanding officer of the station, explains.

Stunting, which is part of the training for military flyers the world over, is not permitted at Jericho Beach. Seaplanes, because of their heavy flotation gear, are easily strained by fancy flying and therefore are not permitted to perform the evolutions such as the loop, the spin, the dive and the falling leaf, which are familiar to every pilot.

Each year’s training course starts after the New year when the first party of officers and NCOs reports for duty. Other groups arrive from time to time, so that one can find pilots in all degrees of proficiency when the spring rush is at its height- when a large number of pilots are being trained for operations duties, such as forestry patrol, a second instructor is appointed to assist the commanding officer of the station at this period.

Atter preliminary lectures, each pilot is assigned to an instructor who takes charge of him “for the duration.” He has about three hours dual flying with this instructor before he is sent off “solo.” At intervals of two or three trips, the instructor makes a flight with each student to check up on progress. As a rule, the instructor does not touch the controls in his cockpit during such flights but merely observes and advises through the speaking tube and earphones attached to their flying heimets.

Recruits for the piloting staff of the air force must have university training. Students of applied science in any accredited university can sign up for three years’ summer training. They are appointed provisional pilot officers and are paid for their time on duty. Their course is completed in three summers, but they are not bound to join the air force when they finish. They may enter commercial aviation or do private flying.

Old-time types of aircraft with which the sta tion was equipped in its early days are gradually being replaced by modern planes. The HS2L flying boats equipped with Liberty water-cooled motors-leftover stock purchased from the United States at the close of the war-have given way to Vickers Vedette boats powered with Lynx 210-horsepower radials, Avro Avian seaplanes with single floats were added in 1927 and now Gipsy Moths-England’s famous light airplane- fitted with twin floats, have been ordered for the training duties.

‘Moth Memories’

The Tiger Moth was the completion of a series of light aircraft designs begun in 1924 with the D.H. 51. The original idea was to develop a touring airplane that would be simple and economical to maintain. The D.H. 82A Tiger Moth more than met these requirements, many still giving safe, low-cost flying today. after the maiden flight on October 26, 1931, large scale production began. almost at once. Most of the initial production I went to the Royal Air Force, but until the war started in 1939 the deHavilland company was able to build a number of Tiger Moths for civilian flying schools.

This small biplane was the standard trainer during the early years of the war for military flying in England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Thousands of pilots around the world were taught to fly in this famous airplane. Greater production was generated by the war, and Tiger Moths were built by the deHavilland branches in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. With the end of WWII, the Tiger Moth was declared obsolete by the RAF, and many of the planes ended up on the civil market. Flying clubs throughout the Commonwealth bought the surplus aircraft, because aircraft manufacturers weren’t able to supply the peacetime demand for light airplanes. Today, many flying clubs still have Tiger Moths giving excellent service to fledgling aviators.

• Aircraft: deHavilland D.H. 82A Tiger Moth
• Manufacturer: The deHavilland Aircraft Co.
• Type: Trainer
• Year: 1931
• Engine: deHavilland Gipsy Major, 4-cylinder inline, air-cooled, 130 h.p.
• Wingspan: 29 ft., 4 in. (8.94m)
• Length: 23 ft., 11 in. (7.29m)
• Height: 8 ft., 9 in. (2.66m)
• Weight: 1,825 lbs. (838 kg)
• Maximum speed: 104 mph (167 km/h)
• Ceiling: 14,000 ft. (4,200m)
• Range: 300 miles (480 km)
• Crew: 2

The Versatile Tiger Moth- Favorite of Many for 50 Years

The Tiger Moth certainly isn’t much to look at. Its flying characteristics leave a little something to be desired. It has enough struts and wires to build a couple of Pitts Specials. Yet, to many people there is something very special about this open-cockpit biplane.

The deHavilland 82 Tiger Moth has been in active, daily use longer than almost any other type of airplane. For more than 50 years it has been one of the world’s most versatile aircraft. Tiger Moths have been used for just about everything: trainer, sport plane, aerobatics plane, agricultural crop spray plane, air ambulances and even replicas of WWI fighters. They have been mounted on floats and skis, they’ve been stretcehed to seat four or five people, and have been converted into trim little single-seaters.

The earliest deHavilland airplane to look like the Tiger Moth was the D.H. 51. Five of these lowpowered trainer/tourers were built in 1925. The first deHavilland product called a Moth was the D.H. 60 of 1925. It was powered by the upright Cirrus four-cylinder, in-line engine and was known as the Cirrus Moth. In 1927, an open-cockpit, low-wing airplane was built using D.H. 60 Moth parts. It was called the Tiger Moth, the first time this name was used by deHavilland. This Tiger Moth set a world record of more than 186 mph over a 100 km course for the deHavilland Company.

As the production of the D.H. 60 Cirrus Moth continued, improvements were made. In 1928, with the introduction of a 100 hp D. H. Gipsy inline engine, the D.H. 60 G Gipsy Moth was born. A few Gipsy Moths were modified to use the new inverted Gipsy II engine and were fitted with 19- degree swept-back wings and these became the 12 CMFT/Dec., 1982 D.H. 60 T. Originally the T stood for Trainer, but soon the snappy little biplane was known as the Tiger. With an increase of the lower wing dihedral for better ground clearance on the fourth Tiger, a new standard basic trainer was created- The D.H. 82 A Tiger Moth 1. The first one flying in October, 1931, and the thousands of Tiger Moths that followed were all pretty much alike.

Between 1931 and 1934, only 135 82s were built, but they had quite an impact on the people viewing them. Most were military trainers, with about 25 air forces around the world using them. A few were sold to private owners, the long-distance flyers, air racers of the 1930s and a few to the travelling air circuses in Britain. With the newspaper coverage these people received and the intensive advertising campaign by deHavilland, the Tiger Moth soon became very well known. In 1933, the D.H. 82 was modified with the new 130 hp Gipsy Major engine and a plywood covering substituted for the fabric turtle deck. Called the D.H. 82 A Tiger Moth II, it quickly went into mass production for the RAF. As 1936 rolled around, the RAF was getting all the Tiger Moths it needed, so about 70 airplanes went to flying clubs in Britain. involved in training pilots for the RAF.

With the start of WWII in Sept., 1939, over 1400 Tiger Moths had been built. The lions share was built in Britain, but Canada, Portugal, Norway and Sweden helped to produce the new deHavilland trainer. Most of the Tiger Moths in civilian hands in Canada and Great Britain were drafted into military service to help in the expanded wartime air force pilot training program. Although the aircraft type was already nine years old, and considered by some in the Air Ministry to be obsolete, it remained the primary Commonwealth air force trainer all through the war. By 1945 more than 8,000 Tigers had been built, almost 4,000 by Morris Motors of England. Canada built about 1,500 Tigers with some minor Canadian improvements such as closed cockpits for those adverse Canadian winters. Australia was another large wartime Tiger Moth producer, building about 1,100 aircraft.

With the long-awaited peace in 1945 came the dilemma of what to do with all the airplanes. parked on the runways of Commonwealth air force bases around the world. The easiest solution was to declare them surplus and sell them to the civilians. The civilian market was all in favour of this idea, and scores of eager pilots rushed out and bought a Tiger Moth to get back into the air at minimum cost.

September 1, 1946, marked the post war debut of the Tiger Moths’ air racing career. In England at this time a series of handicap air races were held in which, because of the obvious lack of highspeed, the Tiger Moths were allowed an early takeoff time. The highlight of the Tiger Moths’ racing career came in 1958 with the winning of the classic King’s Cup Races with a handicap corrected time. Today Tiger Moths can still be seen rounding the air race pylons and racing along at breakneck speed in cross-country handicap races around the world.

The Family Tree

• 1924 D.H. SI
• 1925 DHC CIRRUS MOTH
• GEBOH 1928 GIPSY MOTH
• GOABKU 1931 DH. T MOTH TRAINER
• G-ABNY 1931 D.H. MT TIGER MOTH
• 1931 D.H. TIGER MOTH

In the field of aerobatics the Tiger Moth is not to be left behind. Many of the world’s top aerobatics pilots learned their skills on Moths. For many years after WWII, until the more powerful and cleaner types like the Pitts and the Zlin came along, the Tiger Moth was the most popular aerobatic competition airplane.

One novel area in which the Moth has shown its versatility has been in its movie career. As can be expected there isn’t much call for stock Tiger Moths in the movie business. There has, on the other hand, been a demand for Fokker D.VIIs and other WWI airplanes that are impossible to find or too valuable to risk. In steps the Tiger Moth with a face lift and a bobbed tail and presto! you have a ‘new’ type of WWI fighter plane. The experts can’t be fooled, but the average moviegoer can’t tell the difference.

To a family of four the greatest disadvantage with a Tiger Moth is, “where do we stick the kids?” Ron Prizeman had the solution. He proceeded to turn the- pair of tandem seats. into a four-sater by stretching the fuselage and leaving practically the rest of the airplane the same. And so the Thruxton Jackaroo is born, a fully enclosed cabinplane Tiger Moth.

The Tiger Moth-an airplane that isn’t really all that outstanding, but since its first flight in October, 1931, the aircraft has done an amazing number of diverse jobs and continues to do what it was built to do-fly safely, economically and cheaply.

LICENSE SIGNED BY ORVILLE WRIGHT Grandmother of Aviation Sets Many Flying Records

By Virginia Funk

Taking off from a potato field in Hicksville, Long Island, Elinor Smith made her first airplane flight in 1917 in a biplane piloted by Louis Gaubert, one of France’s legendary fliers. She was six years old.

In May, 1927, she soloed from Roosevelt Field in her father’s Waco biplane two weeks before Charles Lindbergh made his epic flight to Paris.

Three months later, she set the light-plane altitude record of 11,874 feet over the same field, but it remained unofficial because of her age.

At 16, Elinor Smith became the world’s youngest licensed pilot. She had qualified a year earlier. Her license was signed by Orville Wright, chairman of Federation Aeronautical Internationale..

Two months later, she flew under all four East River bridges in New York City in one flight, the only pilot ever to accomplish this feat. The stunt and her other record-setting flights are explained in detail in her exciting book, Aviatrix, which was published recently. All her accomplishments were, of course, when navigation equipment and other flight aids were primitive.

By 19, Smith set women’s world aviation records in endurance, altitude, speed and refueling. She was chosen best woman pilot in the U.S. in 1930 with then-Major Jimmy Doolittle named best male pilot. Their competition? Amelia Earhart and Lindbergh!

Smith’s life has been one of innumerable firsts, the likes on which one person rarely encounters. She flew more than 158 models of aircraft, 30 as the first woman line test pilot for both Fairchild Aviation and the Bellanca Corporation.

She was the first woman to pilot a plane for mass parachute drops. She was NBC Radio’s first woman commentator and international broadcaster, aviation editor of Liberty magazine, and author of articles for other top magazines of the day.

In October, 1981, Smith was inducted into the OX 5 Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame in Pittsburgh, the only woman to be so recognized in 1981.

Born August 17, 1911, she grew up in Freeport, Long Island, not far away from Roosevelt Field. She retired from flying in the early 1930s to marry Patrick Sullivan, a legislator-attorney, and raise a family of four. Her husband died in 1956.

In 1960, an invitation to address the United States Air Force Association led her back into the world of aviation; she piloted a T-33 jet trainer. With that flight, Smith chalked up yet another first for a woman pilot.

For many years, Smith worked to establish an aviation museum on Long Island, now a reality at Mitchel Air Force Base in the old hangars of Mitchel Field. She also served as co-director of the Air Force Association’s Mitchel Squadron’s aero-Space Education Program introduced into Long Island schools in response to the Russian Sputnik challenge in the 1960s.

She is an active member of the advisory board of the U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Intrepid Museum Foundation. Plans are to have the refurbished Intrepid serve as a floating sea, air and space museum berthed at New York City’s Pier 86 south.

Today, Smith, a grandmother of five, is just as enthusiastic about aviation as she was when she was a teenager wearing her brother’s old knickers, sport shirt, argyle socks, beat-up jacket and a cotton helmet, goggles and sneakers.”

In her book, she gives a vivid account of her early flying days and an inside view of her associations with aviation’s super stars. She flew with them and knew them all.

In demand as an aviation consultant and lecturer, she is a consultant to the Floyd Bennett Field Association and divides her time among the East Coast, the West Coast and England, as she continues to do research for another book. She appears at libraries and schools and goes on television and radio talk shows to further the cause of aviation-with emphasis on the role women have played and continue to play in the Space Age.

Elinor Smith has proved that age is not a defeat-but a victory.

Oct. 17 Dinner Social

Mike McGowan and Bonnie Knight spent many hours on the phone advising members of the event, and 62 members and guests turned out for the barbecue.

Presentation of the 10 appreciation awards listed in newsletter 17 was attempted, but only 2 of the recipients were present. Some were out of town and others were busy, so their plaques are waiting for them.

The workshop was cleaned and tidied for the occasion, but a little chilly. Heat was provided by our grill but due to a lack of communication, it got used for cooking, resulting in lots of smoke, so windows had to be opened. We still haven’t got the barbecue pit set up properly, and the light was so poor at the pit that cooking had to be by guesswork. In spite of these minor problems, the steak was superb (at $8.50 per kilo it should be) and a bargain at $4.50 for the complete dinner.

Heather Weeks, with help from April Zalesky and Grandma Rose took care of the preliminary cooking, while the enormous salads were created by Irene Stunden and Barb and Tina Pomeroy. Bonnie Knight, Bill and Wilma Thompson, Mike Weeks, Randy Morelli, Gary Gibson and Cal Hough set up tables, took care of many small chores and got the barbecue pit going, while Doug Pomeroy and Boen Tang tidied up an unsightly pile of lumber. Larry Thompson was official tour guide for new members attending, and Yvonne Thompson cashiered while Ed Clark was the bartender.

Our special thanks to all of you, mentioned or otherwise, who help to make this evening a success.

We Repeat…

you can be a part of the effort to insure that our priceless relics are preserved and properly cared for through future generations if you include in your will a bequest to the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation. You may bequeath cash, securities and real or personal property to the permanent Endowment Fund where the income from your memorial will continue helping to support the museum. Or you may choose a special purpose such as constructing buildings, acquiring important relics, the reference library, or renovation or restoration of an exhibit.

You will find that a living trust will secure your wishes while providing income for you or your designate for the rest of your lives.

Think of the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation as you look to the future.

Work Bee Report

Oct. 9-Don Manson, Boen Tang and Gord Dann were the only souls to turn up. Much was accomplished in tidying up the shop, including the horrible job of cleaning our grill, this job alone taking 2 hours. Thank you, Don.

Oct. 16, 17-On the 16th, PVI students Mike McGowan, Bonnie Knight, Rob Mckay and Tom Letherby, and instructor Ferdie Vachon worked in the pouring rain to erect the Vertol H21. They were helped by Grizzly Lyne, who came over from Victoria, and Boen Tang. A much-appreciated truck crane was supplied and operated by Bob Harvey. The transmissions and rotor heads were placed and hatches fitted. The T-33 was assessed for possibilities of assembly.

Mike and Bonnie turned up again early Sunday, and were joined by PVI students Scott Jensen, Conny Klose, Al Jack, Chuck Rennie, Gord Foster and instructor Harry Fordham, who did more work on the H21, the T-33, and general sorting and tidying up of No. 3 shed. A big improvement and a start towards more orderly storage of aircraft.

Ted Harris and Ron Manson installed a necessary man-door in shed no. 1, while other members who helped out are listed in the Dinner Social report. Thank you, all.

Harvard Offered For Sale to CMFT

The museum has obtained information on a Canadian-built Harvard which has been offered for sale in the southern United States.

The aircraft is complete except for the engine, and would have to be transported by truck and trailer to the storage site. The asking price is $5,000 in U.S. funds.

To obtain the Harvard, and to pay for gas, transport and exchange on the money, we are appealing to those of you who could donate $500 each toward the expenses and purchase price. If 50 members were able to come forward on this basis, it is conceivable that, in the near future, CMFT would have a flyable Harvard.

Further information is available from the museum office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., weekdays.

Bush Aircraft To Be Featured On Fall Stamp Issue

OTTAWA Andre Ouellet, Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation, has announced the issue of the last four stamps in the Canadian Aircraft series, featuring bush aircraft. bush aircraft.

“The bush aircraft hastened the development of the remote areas of our country and added a distinctive Canadian touch to world aviation,” noted Mr. Ouellet.

The two 30-cent postage stamps feature the Fairchild FC-2W1 and the deHavilland Canada Beaver, and the 60-cent stamps show the Fokker Super Universal and the Noorduyn Norseman.

Although the Fairchild FC-2W1 was never built in Canada, several of them gained fame here. One flew the first airmail run to Sept-Iles and dropped the mail by parachute. In 1928 the aircraft helped in the rescue of some German flyers stranded on the Strait of Belle Isle.

The deHavilland Canada Beaver was designed shortly after the Second World War and first flew in 1947. Almost 1,700 of the aircraft were built in Canada and were sold to Canadian customers as well as to foreign customers in more than 60 countries around the world.

Canadian Vickers Limited of Montreal built 15 Fokker Super Universals. The aircraft was renowned for its ruggedness. For example, after having been abandoned in a 1929 Arctic expedition and recovered 11 months later, one plane started with little trouble. In another instance, a Super Universal that had sunk in the Burnside River flew perfectly when salvaged.

The Noorduyn Norseman went into production in Montreal and was the work of Robert Noorduyn, an expatriate Dutchman who arrived in Canada in 1934. A notable feature of the singleengined monoplane was its ability to take off and land in a relatively short distance carrying a heavy cargo.

The bush aircraft stamps were designed by Robert Bradford and Jacques Charette of Ottawa. The aircraft depicted on the stamps were as follows: Romeo Vachon’s FC-2W1 delivering mail; the prototype Beaver, now in the National Aeronatical Collection; the Norseman as a Saskatchewan air ambulance; and “Punch” Dickins’ Super Universal G-CASK.

Wants and Needs Dept.

Display Cases-We have a labour offer to build the cabinets to be used at libraries, schools, shopping centres and such, but still looking for a sponsot or sponsors for the materials. $40 per cabinet (we need 5) will cover the cost. Mail in your donation for one or more, please.

Shop Equipment Wanted-Still need a table saw, spray gun, woodworking and hand tools. Send over anything you no longer need or advise prices. We’ll try to buy, if reasonable.

Cash Register-One of the old uprights where typewriter-style keys bring up little price flags in the window. We’ll buy if the price is right.

Office Help Needed-Rose Zalesky and Eileen Weeks donate their time but can’t keep up with the work. We need help in the office and library, and it can’t be done at home. Regular part-time would be best as training is involved.

Video Recorder/Camera Wanted-Who has a VHS system they’re tired of, or want to upgrade. Pass it on to CMFT for a tax receipt or place a reasonable price on it. We need one if we are to record activities for posterity, and to maximize public relations work efforts. Various members have been taping aviation-related news items, old (and new) aviation movies and clips on their own. Please tell us what you’ve got on tape, so that we can get copies of it all on library tapes as a starter. There is apparently a way of transferring BETA material to VHS so don’t let that discourage you. Please drop us a note with what you’e got. Please do not phone.

Typewriter Wanted-Still need a reliable typewriter. Our collection of oldies is rapidly dying under the heavy usage.

Photocopier For Sale-Toshibafax model BD34A. Retired from service in July on receipt of a Xerox.

Duplicator For Sale-Block and Anderson model 90ETAF Spirit duplicator. Electrically operated, efficient and economical for newsletters, bulletins, etc. Still used in many schools.

Dinner Break-The Zaleskys try to cook and eat dinner between 5 and 7 p.m. Please refrain from phoning during this time.

Van. Isle Members

The Vancouver Island Branch meeting is held the last Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m., at the Bay Street Armouries. For more information, call Dave Jones at 479- 4582.

OUR FUTURE HOME? CANADIAN MUSEUM OF FLIGHT AND TRANSPORTATION

Has been searching for a home for 5 years.

An option has now been offered on Fort Langley Airport. This is an excellent location for the following reasons.

• 1. Already an existing airport
• 2. Waterfront facilities on the Fraser River for float planes
• 3. Trackage for railway and steam buffs.
• 4.50 acres. Room to relocate and amalgamate all transportation museums….
• 5. Hanger storage and tie downs for those who wish to rent or lease.
• 6. Coffee shop (planned)

$1,000,000 IS NEEDED!

A benefactor or group of benefactors who could come up with the sum of $1,000,000 plus. Time is of the essence. Monies to be paid in over a period of 5 to 10 years.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED NOW!

This is a chance of a lifetime! Please help out your museum by letting as many people as you can know about our endeavors.

All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and receipts will be issued.

Aircraft Rebuild Job

CMFT has just received word that Manpower has approved a project to build up a set a wood and fabric wings towards the eventual restoration of a DH Tiger Moth. The project commences Nov. 15 and ends March 31, 1983. A total of 8 jobs, two of which are supervisory, are available. Applicants must be on unemployment insurance now. The program allows for additional funds to be paid to the recipient. You do not give up your present benefits.

If you’re interested in learning restoration work, make your application now. Please list skills you possess that you think might be useful. to the project. Write or phone CMFT.

Advertising For Members

You can help to defray the cost of producing the museum newsletter by having your business card printed. The cost is $10 per issue. Just send it along to the museum office and we will do the rest. If display advertising is more along your line, you can run a half page at $30 or a full page advertisement at $60. Your message will reach approximately 1,000 people as the newsletter is circulated all over the province and into the United States.

John A. D. McCurdy was the first Canadian to obtain a pilots license. His number was Aero Club of Americe 18, dated October 5, 1910.

The Westland Lysander

had a distinguished military history as a spy plane, pbservation aircraft and target tug. Volunteers and sponsors are now needed to restore the museum’s Lysander, pictured here at the 1980 Abbotsford airshow. Photo by Ken Swartz.

We Need Your Opinions

Too much trouble to complete the form?

Tick off the “supporter and friend block” only, renew your membership if it has lapsed or is about to, and mail in the incomplete report. It is urgent that you return this form. It’s your way of helping us. Please don’t put it off. CMFT grows and prospers and has its best chance of attaining the goals set out when members become involved-the deeper the better. If you can help, let us know how and when by means of the questionaire, so we can build up a roster of helpers to ease the burden on the few who are doing it all now.

We have over 640 members, yet only 23 turned out for the Sept.23 meeting in Richmond. Your directors would like to find out what is wrong. Membership is not truly represented if members don’t vote at meetings, where museum business is discussed and decisions made.

Perhaps the problem is the choice of meeting place. Richmond was chosen as being a central location, but out of 350-odd Vancouver area residents, very few come out.

To try and correct this situation, we are taking the liberty of trying to find out what members in general, and, specifically those who live in the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley areas, do want.

Since the Nov. meeting will be history by the time this reaches you, please take the time to complete the following slip and mail back, along with the other questionaires. Meetings are scheduled for the third Thursday in January, March, April and June.

We can’t get the Richmond Arts Pavillion on those days so arrangements have been made to hold meetings at the PVI Campus Library, Vancouver Airport (if they are to continue in Richmond).

• I attend meetings regularly
• I never or rarely attend meetings
• I would attend if meetings were held at the storage site
• Meetings should be held monthly
• An all-business meeting should be held bi-monthly at the farm PVI Richmond with very short film or other presentation; and a social meeting at the farm, PVI, Richmond which wives could attend held at some other location on alternate months. The social meeting would have only about 10 minutes of very urgent business, if any at all. It would be a dessert and coffee affair with an hour’s entertainment, film, slides, speakers and lots of time to talk.
• I would prefer a bi-monthly dinner meeting at a restaurant in (circle one) Richmond, Burnaby, Surrey, New Westminster. Dinner would be a catered, sit-down type and probably cost $12-$15 per person.

There are complaints about minutes taking up space in the newsletter. Let’s see what the member reaction is:

• Stop printing the minutes of the meetings in newsletters.
• Leave the minutes in. It’s the only way we out-of-towners have of keeping abreast of what’s going on.
• Take out the formal minutes and put in a short report of important highlights instead.

We are getting flack that all decisions are made by a “select few” members. Those of you who feel that way should attend meetings and GET INVOLVED in the considerable work of daily operation.

CMFT SURVEY FORM Please Fill Out and Return Promptly

Commencing Jan. 1, 1983, all new members will receive an attractive lapel pin with their membership card (sold in our gift shop at $3). Current members can also get their pin by completing and mailing in the application form and questionaire below. The form is multi-purpose aimed at correcting our mailing list and updating our records. Only members in good standing or those who renew immediately are eligible to receive the pin (one per member).