Question: “In his memoir One Foot on the Ground, wartime bomber navigator Norman Emmott wrote: …in those last five hours, he had put on the most spectacular display of aerial gymnastics that any Canadian, and very probably any man alive, has ever made in a plane – certainly a twin-engined plane.”
Who was the pilot referred to in the preceding quote and what town in Saskatchewan did he come from?
Answer: "On Dec 6th, 1944, the RCAF lost two bombers – a B-24 Liberator and a B-25 Mitchell – and one of its most gifted pilots, Sgt. Donald Palmer Scratch of Maymont, Sask.
"It was wartime, but Don Scratch did not die in a theatre of operations. He was killed at an air base at Boundary Bay, BC.
"His flight was not authorized. He was joy riding.
"For 51/2 hours, he terrorized airports in Seattle, Vancouver and nearby Boundary Bay with risky zero-altitude aerobatic flying.”
“Four Hurricanes arrived from RCAF Stn Sea Island. Their primary orders were to force the Mitchell out over the sea and shoot it down. They also had orders to shoot Scratch down if he tried to return to Vancouver or Seattle. The fighters tried to box him in, but his superior flying skills enabled him to easily elude them. Scratch made fools of the fighter pilots. He kept low to restrict their maneuvers. He teased them for three hours.”
“Scratch put that B-25 through aerobatics that most of us thought only a Tiger Moth or a Harvard could do”
”Tiring of the game of cat and mouse. Scratch flew over the wrecked Liberator “vertically.” He climbed to 2,000 feet, rolled the Mitchell over on its back, aimed for a spot on the uninhabited Tilbury Island and dived vertically in.”
Source : Air Force Revue – Winter 08 –Page 17
Question : What was the total number of personnel who served with the RCAF during World War II, how many served overseas and how many lost their lives?
Answer: “ For a country the size of Canada, with a population of only 16 million, it was quite an impressive contribution: 249,662 personnel served with the RCAF during the war, of which a total of 93,844 served overseas. 17,100 people lost their lives, of which 14, 544 occurred overseas”
Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft - Page 31
Question: What was the name of the company that had elevators all over the prairies with its name on -- which confused British student pilots and navigators?
Answer: “After cross-country flights on the prairies, British students often returned in confusion and abject fear of being washed out because of poor map-reading. Ogilvie Oats had grain elevators sprinkled all over the prairies with the name 'Ogilvie' standing distinctly tall. British student pilots and navigators checking landmarks invariably saw Ogilvie, but failed to find it on a map. Confusion grew by the second because there were few other landmarks as distinctive as the elevators, and if they flew on they came to another Ogilvie.
"Canadian trainees would nod sympathetically as the distraught Britishers later told their story, but there is no record of anybody ever actually telling a Brit that Ogilvie was a guy who made oats.”
Source: From Baddeck to the Yalu – page 98
Question: What is Canada’s search and rescue area of responsibility?
Answer: 15,540,000 square kilometers, which extends out well in the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
More than 700 CF members are dedicated to search and rescue in Canada.
The air force has five primary SAR squadrons across Canada.
-103 Squadron (Gander, Nfld),
-413 Sqn (Greenwood, NS),
-424 Sqn (Trenton, Ont),
-435 Sqn (Winnipeg) and;
-442 Sqn (Comox, BC)
The CF, which has overall responsibility for effective operation of the co-ordinated aeronautical and maritime SAR system with its Canadian Coast Guard colleagues, directly contributed to the saving of more than 1,000 lives and the provision of assistance to approximately 20,000 people in 2005.
There are three Joint Rescue Coordination Centres in Canada, located in Victoria, Trenton, Ont and Halifax. Air and marine controllers from these centres coordinate the search, find the available resources and dispatch rescuers to the scene.
Source : Air Force Revue – Winter 08 – Page 25
Question: What were the Fairey Battle’s Merlin engines prone to do.
Answer: To develop glycol coolant leaks. “ When one of them landed at the emergency field near Mossbank, the remaining glycol would be drained into a convenient barrel. “ Every time this happened, everybody would flock there… they’d come with their jugs to get the best Prestone antifreeze” he laughed. “ There was a guard, but you know…”
Source: Windsock – Volume 20 Number 8 - Page 4
Question: What airplane was one of the most successful early transports, one of the first and largest crop dusting aircraft and the RCAF’s largest aircraft on inventory in early 1937.
Answer: “The Ford Tri-Motor design was one of the most successful early transports. It was one of the largest all-metal aircraft built in America up to that time and it featured corrugated aluminum covering on the fuselage, wings, tail and on the internally braced cantilever wing.” “ The aircraft was purchased initially as a replacement for the RCAF’s one and only Keystone Puffer aircraft which had been used in experimental crop/forest dusting.” “Sold in 1937, the aircraft was ironically destroyed in 1939 on the ground on Vancouver, after an RCAF Hurricane fighter swerved off the runway and collided with the parked Tri-motor.
Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Page 172.
GROUP 3: RUSI – MAR/APR 09 – CAM LIST – APR/09 – CAHS/DEC/10
Question: When did the RCAF test fly the CT114 Tutor? How many did the RCAF buy and in what time period.
Answer; “In the 1950s, the RCAF was shopping around for a single engine, two-seat basic jet trainer to replace the old Harvard trainers. Likely candidates included the British-made Hunting Jet Provost, the American Cessna T-37, and the French CM 170 Fouga Magister. Then there was the underdog, the CL-41 Tutor. The Tutor was designed and built by Canadair, a private aeronautics company based in Montreal, Quebec. So confident was Canadair in the small jet’s capabilities, they went ahead and developed a prototype with private funding. Test flights began in January of 1960, by December of that year, the RCAF was test flying the prototype. Canadair’s confidence in the jet finally paid off in September of 1961, when the RCAF ordered the first of 190 Tutor jet trainers. The last Tutor was built in 1967. For almost 30 years, all Canadian military pilots have received their flight training on a Tutor.”
Source: Snowbirds Flying High. Canada’s Snowbirds Celebrate 25 years Page 28
Question: How many Canadian airmen served overseas in World War 1. How many were killed and wounded. How many of the top 20 highest-scoring British services were Canadians. Who were they and how many victories did they have.
Answer: “… the nation teemed with young men anxious to join the Royal Flying Corps or its sister force, the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). By war’s close, an estimated 11,160 Canadian airmen had served overseas with the RFC, the RNAS and the fledgling Royal Air Force (RAF), an amalgamation of the two previously mentioned British flying services. Of those who served, 1,388 were fatal casualties, while a further 1,130 were wounded or injured. In all, at least 495 British decorations for gallantry, 170 Mentions – in-Dispatches and many Allied national awards were presented to this courageous band of warriors. Canadian airmen thus served with great distinction in all the air combat disciplines during the Great War, including strategic and tactical bombing, reconnaissance and artillery observation, and maritime patrol. However, it was the scout or fighter pilots that truly captured the interest and adulation of the air-minded Canadian public, and of the top 20 highest-scoring British service flyers, eight were Canadians. Maj. William Avery “Billy” Bishop of Owen Sound, Ont, was the unrivalled virtuoso of the Commonwealth scores, with 72 confirmed victories. Close upon Bishop’s scoring heels was Mr. Raymond Collishaw with a score 62. They were followed by Capt Donald MacLaren with a total of 54, Maj. William Barker with 52, Capt F.R. McCall with 37 kills, and Capts W.G. Claxton and J.S.T.Fall, each with 36 confirmed victories. Capt A.C. Atkey was the last of the top eight Canadians, with a score of 35.”
Source: Airforce – Vol 22 No 3 Fall/Automne 1998 Page 32
Question: What was the name of Canada’s first national air force, and how many personnel and airplanes did it have?
Answer: “On 16 September 1914 (while the original Canadian Expeditionary force was forming up in Valcartier), Col Sam Hughes, Minister for the Militia and Defence, authorized the creation of the Canadian Aviation Corps (CAC). This corps was to consist of one mechanic and two officers. E.L. Janney of Galt, Ontario, was appointed as the Provisional Commander of the CAC with the rank of Captain. The expenditure of an amount not to exceed five thousand dollars for the purchase of a suitable airplane was approved. The aircraft selected was a float-equipped Burgess-Dunne bi-plane from the Burgess Aviation Company of Massachusetts. Captain Janney flew the aircraft back to Canada. Upon his arrival in Sorel, Quebec, Captain Janney was arrested by Customs officials and the aircraft was impounded. After Canada Customs received notification from the Department of the Militia and Defence, Captain Janney and the aircraft were released. As it turned out, the, this was to be the only flight of Canada’s first military aircraft.” “After landing at Plymouth, England, the aircraft was off-loaded and shipped to Salisbury Plain were it was considered unsuitable for military service. It was placed in storage, where it eventually rotted and was written off.” “This ended the first attempt at a national air force.”
Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Pages 21-22
GROUP 4: RUSI – MAY/JUNE 09 – CAM LIST – MAY/09, CAHS – FEB/11
Question: What airplane, first acquired in 1927 by the RCAF, made it highly suitable in the ground liaison role? How many in total were acquired. Answer; “ Designed for an all encompassing “Army Co-Operation” role, the Armstrong Whitworth Atlas was a two-seat bi-plane. First acquired in 1927, the aircraft’s excellent low-speed handling made it highly suitable in the ground liaison role. Message dropping and snatching techniques were routinely practiced. Additional reconditioned examples were purchased in 1934 after financial restrictions imposed for the Depression had eased. Badly outclassed by the eve of the Second World War, there were still sixteen Atlases on strength in the RCAF. The type was therefore pressed into reconnaissance coastal patrols in the Bay of Fundy at the outbreak of the war until they were passed on to No. 118 (Coast Artillery Co-operation) Squadron for brief use prior to their retirement. Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Page 53
Question: When was the first reported theft of an airplane in Canada?
Answer: It was at an unspecified date in 1917 or 1918, when the Imperial Royal Flying Corps had a large training establishment in southern Ontario.” Two Americans training at Camp Leaside... were particularly enterprising. Having taught themselves to fly, the mechanics proceeded to steal a JN-4. B.J. Auluffe and Oscar Slade of New York City, both 23, hold the dubious distinction of being the first felons to steal an airplane in Canada. “The mechanics flew the Jenny to the United States and, wearing IRFC uniforms, gave lectures and collected money, ostensibly for the Red Cross, but in reality with themselves as its beneficiaries. They were apprehended in Roanoake, Virginia, and brought back under guard by the IRFC. The Toronto Evening Telegram reported that the enterprising recruits had collected a large sum of money. The miscreants were court-martialed. Maintaining its policy of secrecy, the RFC did not disclose the trial results."
Source: "Dancing in the Sky -- The Royal Flying Corps in Canada", by C.W. Hunt, published by Dundurn Press, Toronto, 2009, ISBN 978-1-55002-864-5.
Question: What was the average number of Airspeed Oxfords on strength at 32 SFTS Moose Jaw and what was the time frame the Oxford was on strength at 32 SFTS
Answer; At Moose Jaw, Ansons and Harvards were used initially, but Oxfords began arriving in late 1942 and eventually built up to a strength of no fewer than 109 by the end of that year. The average number of Oxfords at Moose Jaw was around 100 until the station began running down in the late summer of 1944. It had been closed by December.
Source: Windsock – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter – CAHS – December 2008 – Page 7 – Report by Will Chabun
GROUP 5 – RUSI – JUL/AUG 09 – CAM JUL 09 – CAHS/APR/11
Question: What was perhaps the most important RCAF aircraft of the interwar years? How many were acquired and how long were they on strength? . Answer; “The Armstrong Whitworth Siskin was perhaps the most important RCAF aircraft of the interwar years. Indeed, along with its cousin, the Armstrong Whitworth Atlas, it represented the only pure military aircraft design in service with the RCAF between 1929 and 1936. A fighter design, the Siskin originally served with the RAF in this role and when acquired by the RCAF in 1926, it represented a state of the art design. The aircraft received a great deal of exposure in the 1930s when the RCAF formed an aerobatic display team using the type. The three-plane Siskin aerobatic team put on popular displays from coast to coast. The Siskin also formed the basis of No. 1 Fighter Squadron. The aircraft remained with this unit until the outbreak of the Second World War, eventually to be replaced by modern Hawker Hurricanes in 1939. The airframes were then turned over to various technical establishments for use as instructional airframes.” “TOS: 1926 SOS: 1942 No: 12” Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Page 54
Question: Who had the highest scores during WWII: the British or the German night fighter crews and why?
Answer: “After the war there was some surprise at how low the scores of our leading successful night fighter crews were compared with those of many Luftwaffe night fighter crews. The reason was simply one of opportunity. First, from 1941 onwards the number of enemy aircraft over Britain at night was so much fewer than the hundreds, even thousands of RAF bombers over Germany. RAF night fighters had relatively few chances. Then there was geography. The few Luftwaffe aircraft usually spent perhaps only 30 minutes over the Channel and British soil. In that time they had to be picked up by GCI, a fighter directed at them and an interception completed before they crossed back over the Channel. They could not be pursued into enemy territory; such were our fears that British radar secrets might be discovered by the Germans, that only right at the end of the war, were RAF aircraft with any but the most outdated radars allowed to fly over enemy soil. In contrast Luftwaffe night fighters had a plethora of targets that were over their territory, for at times as long as six hours. The Luftwaffe could hardly fail to make contact and attack - and identification was easy, anything with four engines was obviously "hostile." On clear nights, even day fighters ("Wilde Sau") had a ball. Having exhausted fuel or ammunition, they even had time to land, refuel and rearm to take off for another go at the bomber stream on the way out. If their ground and air radar had been as good as ours, who knows how much greater would have been the slaughter of Bomber Command. Alternatively, if our night fighter aces had had such opportunities those high Luftwaffe scores must have been exceeded.”
Source: CAHS – The Journal of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Vol. 46 No. 3 – Fall 2008 – Some thoughts on the development of “ALLIED NIGHT FIGHTING TECHNIQUES” during the Second World War – By Jack Meadows DFC, AFC, AE, W/C RAFVR (ret) – Page 87
Question: What was “OP FRICTION”, what aircraft was used and how was it modified for the operation? Answer: “World condemnation was immediate following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990 with United Nations resolutions calling for a trade embargo against Iraq and the immediate withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. On 10 August 1990, Prime Minister Mulroney pledges Canadian support, dubbed “OP FRICTION,” multi-national force forming to enforce the UN resolutions.” “Shearwater’s HS 423 Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron would supply the ships’ helicopter detachments.” “Before proceeding to the Persian Gulf, Maritime Air Group decided to convert the Sea Kings from an anti-submarine helicopter to a surface interdiction aircraft. For this, the Sea Kings would be fitted with; a Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) optical system for night surveillance; a Global Positioning System (GPS) for accurate navigation; Radar Warning Receivers (RWRs) to warn of hostile of hostile fire control or missile guidance radars; Laser Warning Receivers (LWRs) to warn of laser guided weapons; chaff and flare launchers to foil radar guided and heat seeking missiles; an infra-red missile jammer to foil infra-red guided missiles; a door-mounted General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) for self-defense; troop seats to double seating to double seating to six passengers; armoured aircrew seats; and ancillary items, including a cooling fan for the aircraft’s radar, desert survival kits, and a wooden floor to reduce wear and tear on the aircraft floor.” “ The goal was to have all the equipment installed and ready for sea in less than 2 weeks” Source: The Observair – Ottawa Chapter Newsletter – Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Pages 1 and 2 – Past Meeting – Ernie Cable – The CH-124 Sea King and OP Friction
GROUP 6 – RUSI – SEPT/OCT 09 – CAM AUG 09 – CAHS Q-MAY/11, A-JUNE /11
Question: What British troop and vehicle transport was designed and test flown in less than ten months. It was on strength with the RCAF from 1948 until 1959. Answer; “The Horsa was a Second World War troop and vehicle carrying glider used by the British and their Allies during many of the airborne assault actions in the war. Designed and test flown in less than ten months, the glider was put into quantity production starting in 1940. Built virtually entirely of wood, the aircraft featured fairly complete cockpit instrumentation for flying at night or in cloud. The fuselage was built in three pieces and the main fuselage and tail sections featured quick-disconnect bolts to allow the aft section to be removed for rapid unloading of the payload. The main gear of the tricycle undercarriage could also be jettisoned and a nosewheel in combination with a central shock absorbing skid could b e used for rough ground landings. The RCAF acquired a small number of Horsas for use in post-war evaluations.” “TOS: 1948” “SOS: 1959” “ No: 3”. Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Page 51
Question: How many appearances did the Red Knight make and in how many seasons? How many pilots flew the Red Knight and what type(s) of airplane was it?
Answer: ”So, who (or what) was the Red Knight? The cadet indicated that it was actually a team. Well, eventually it was, but not in the beginning. The visitors may have been interested to know that the Red Knight programme actually originated in Trenton. Had a script been provided to the young cadet, he might have told his tour group that the Red Knight was the solo aerobatic performer of the RCAF's Training Command from 1958 through
1969. Although originally authorized to perform only three shows, the Red Knight. went on to make over 600 appearances, throughout North America. The role of the Red Knight was actually shared by 17 different pilots over the 12 seasons. The Red Knight was commonly sent to venues considered too small for the in established aerobatics teams of the day. The. Red Knight pilots brought an extremely impressive and professional aerobatics show, to communities that might not otherwise get the chance to see such an event.”
Source: CAHS – The JOURNAL of the CANADIAN AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY – Vol. 46 No. 3 – Fall 2008 – THE RED KNIGHT – John Corrigan – Page 105
Question: What influenced the British bombing policy during the Second World War? Answer: “Without doubt, British bombing policy during the Second World War was influenced by the strategic aerial bombardment experiences of the First World War. Over one hundred German Zeppelin and giant fixed-wing bomber raids on Britain produced nearly 3500 casualties. Moreover, they generated widespread shock, a sense of vulnerability, and a significant disruption of wartime production out of proportion to the actual damage inflicted. This widespread disruption included lost time due to the suspension of manufacturing, the upheaval of transportation systems, worker consternation and anxiety, and the diversion of limited human and materiel resources to directly combat these threats.” “However, General Sir Hugh Trenchard, the Independent Force's first commander and later the RAF's Chief of the Air Staff from 1919 to 1929, staunchly maintained, throughout the 1920s, that the psychological impact of the bombing significantly overshadowed the material damage, in his view, by a factor of twenty to one.”
Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience, 1939 to 1945/ David L. Bashow – ISBN 1-55125-098-5 – Page 15
GROUP 7 – RUSI – NOV/DEC 09 –CAM LIST - SEP/09 – CAHS –Q-SEPT/11-A-OCT/11
Question: Who in the RAF in 1936 was a key proponent of a heavy versus a medium bomber force and would eventually win the argument for a longer-range offensive capability?
Answer: “In 1936 one of the key proponents of a heavy versus a medium bomber force was Group Captain Arthur Harris, Bomber Command's Deputy Director of Plans at the time. An Englishman who spent a number of his formative years in Rhodesia, Harris would win his argument for a longer-range offensive capability. A new specification thus called for a bomber capable of flying 3000 miles while carrying a bomb payload of 8000 pounds at 28,000 feet. The four-engine Short Stirling of 1941 was developed to meet these criteria, and this aircraft proved to be significantly disappointing with respect to the specified service ceiling. In 1938, further specifications were issued for an ideal bomber, which also possessed much better defensive armament so that it could cope with the latest generation of fighter aircraft. It was also to have a top speed of 300 mph and the ability to carry 12,000 pounds of bombs. These capabilities would eventually be achieved by modifying the designs of two-engine bombers into successful four-engine variants. They would evolve into the Lancaster and the Halifax, which would become the mainstay aircraft of the Command from 1942 onwards.”
Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and The Bomber Command Experience 1939 – 1945 – David L. Bashow – ISBN 1-55125-098-5 – Page 18
Question: what type and mark of aircraft the RCAF’s 664 and 665 Squadrons used? When was the aircraft taken on strength and struck off strength and how many were taken on strength?
Answer: “ A light observation aircraft, the Auster Taylorcraft Mk IV was introduced by the Canadian Army during the fighting in Northwest Europe in 1945. The primary role of the aircraft was artillery spotting and the aircraft carried a pilot and observer in this role. Two Canadian squadrons, designated No. 664 and 665 Squadron, were equipped with these aircraft. 664 Squadron served in the Canadian Army Occupation Force in post-war activities until it’s disbandment in May 1946.” “TOS: 1944 SOS: 1946 No: 12”
Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – A Military Compendium – T.F. J. Leversedge – ISBN 978-1-55125-116-5 – Page 55
Question: What Canadian Squadron was credited with the last 2nd Tactical Air Force Mustang kill of the war, on April 16, 1945
Answer: “442(F) Squadron converted from Spitfires to the Mustang IV (P-51D) in the spring of 1945 and flew long-range bomber escort missions. The unit was credited with the last 2nd Tactical Air Force Mustang kill of the war, on April 16, 1945”
Source: Canadian Aviation Historical Society Journal – Vol.47 No. 2 –Summer 2009 – Page 42
GROUP 8 – RUSI – JAN/FEB/10 – CAHS – Q – NOV/11, A – DEC/11
Question: In 1919 and 1920, the British Government bestowed upon Canada a number of different types of airplanes with associated equipment. This was called “The Imperial Gift”. What Imperial Gift aircraft occupied the public spotlight I October 1920? Answer: “In October, 1920, several Imperial Gift aircraft occupied the public spotlight as participants in the Trans-Canada Flight. The event was not a continuous expedition but a series of hops by different crews using different aircraft. It began badly on the 7th when the sole Faire IIIC crashed en route from Halifax to Saint John, fortunately without injury to the pilot, Lieutenant – Colonel Leckie.” “Leckie returned to Halifax and switched to a Curtis HS-2l flying boat, formerly used by the United States Navy and part of an unrelated aircraft gift from that country. With this machine, he resumed the flight as far as Riviere-du-Loup, where an F.3 was substituted on the 8th. Three days and 14 stops later, it arrive at Winnipeg, where a D.H.9 took up the flight, arriving at Vancouver on the 17th after mechanical and weather delays and adventurous flight through the Rockies and 11 landings.” Source: Canadian Aviation Historical Society Journal – Vol.47 No.1 – Spring 2009 –Page 29.
Question: In what year did the RFC decide to establish a training organization in Canada? How many stations and training squadrons were established in that year? Answer: “In 1917 the RFC decided to establish a training organization in Canada.” “RFC Station Camp Borden was the main training site and was accepted on 2 May 1917. In no time, all five squadrons and a school for aerial gunnery were operating at full capacity. RFC Station Deseronto consisted of aerodromes at Mohawk and Rathburn and it was operating with five training squadrons by the end of May 1917. RFC Station North Toronto consisted of aerodromes at Long Beach, Leaside and Armour Heights, and by the end of June 1917 there were three training squadrons operating.” Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – A Military Compendium – T.F.J. Leversedge – Page 22
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Group 9 – MAR/APR 10 – CAHS – Q – JAN/12 – A - FEB/12
Question: What aircraft, from the Imperial Gift, were experimented with in adapting World War I wartime photographic reconnaissance methods to mapping in Canada? Answer: “In the autumn of 1920, an Avro 504K (serial uncertain) and a Bristol F.2B (G-CYBC), flying from the Rockcliffe Rifle Ranges, experimented in adapting war-time photographic reconnaissance methods to mapping in Canada. The Avro proved unsuitable (low ceiling, vibration) and the Bristol was too sensitive at the controls to be a good photographic aircraft, but the concept was considered sound, provided better machines could be employed: the D.H.4 and D.H.9 were considered best candidates.” Source: CAHS Journal – Vol.47 No.1 – Spring 2009 – Page 30
Question: When and who established the original Snowbirds’ team in 1971? The establishment of the Snowbirds was connected with the Centennaires in at least 2 ways. What were the two links between the Centennaires and the Snowbirds? Answer: “Colonel O.B. Philp, former commanding officer of the Centennaires and base commander of Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw (now 15 Wing Moose Jaw), established the original Snowbirds team in 1971. It was comprised of volunteer instructor pilots from the Canadian Forces Flying training School in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. They flew seven ex-Centennaire Tutor aircraft, practicing in the evenings and performing on weekends.” Source: Snowbirds – Behind The Scenes With Canada’s Air Demonstration Team – Photographs And Text By Mike Sroka – Page 23
Question: What was the connection between Rockcliffe and W/C William Barker, VC, the famous WW1 fighter ace? Answer: “ On a tragic note, W/C William Barker, VC, the famous WW1 fighter ace, was killed at Rockcliffe on March 12th 1930, when he crashed onto the frozen Ottawa River after stalling his Fairchild KR-21 during a demonstration flight.”
Source: Airforce – The Magazine of Canada’s Air Force Heritage – Volume 28 No. 3 - Fall 2004
Group 10 – MAY/JUN 10 – CAHS – Q –MAR/12, A – APR/12
Question: What RAF bomber was Calgarian Charles Patterson, a WWII pilot, referring to when he observed: “ I’d never seen such a dreadful boring-looking thing, nose-down, going at what looked like about fifty mph.” Answer: “That ponderous, graceless, “old flying cow”, the Whitley, had entered service in March 1937. It was slow, cumbersome, heavy and unresponsive on the controls, but it was the first heavy British bomber to have a retractable undercarriage and turreted defensive armament.” “This “nose down, slab-sided and plank-winged lumbering giant” also had an all-metal stressed skin fuselage, it was immensely strong, and it was stable as a rock. The definitive Mark IV variant, in service from May1939 was powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin X engines, but it had a humble top speed of only 245 mph at 16,250 feet.” “ It also maintained a disturbing, characteristic 8.5 degree nose-down attitude in level flight, but had a bomb-carrying payload of 3400 pounds. Whitleys were exceptionally unpopular with those who flew in them. Although robust, they were underpowered and drafty in the extreme, and this prompted one Whitley veteran to observe that when one flew through rain this supposedly enclosed aircraft, one got wet.” Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience 1939-1945 – Page 22
Question: When did the Canadian Government, prior to World War II, take the situation in Europe seriously in regards to appropriation of funds for defense spending? Of the planned, in 1939, eleven permanent and twelve auxiliary squadrons, how many were planned to reinforce the RAF in need? What were the most advanced bombers and fighters the RCAF had in inventory at the commencement of WWII hostilities? Answer: “By 1934, the Canadian government was beginning to see the need for a renewed emphasis on national defence spending in general and on military aviation in particular, although it was not imbued with quite the same sense of urgency as were many Britons.” “Nonetheless, it took the Munich Crisis of 1938 to really reinforce the lamentable state of the Canadian military. In order to counter the harsh realities of technological obsolescence and diminutive force structure, the January 1939 Parliament approved an unprecedented $60 million appropriation for defence spending, of which $23.5 million would be earmarked for the RCAF. The plan was to build an operational air force of eleven permanent and twelve auxiliary squadrons, although all of them were to be dedicated to home defence, with no provision being made at that time for a Canadian expeditionary force to reinforce the RAF in time of need.” “Obsolete and underpowered Fairey Battle light bombers and a handful of Hawker Hurricane fighters were the most ”cutting-edge” aircraft in the service inventory at the commencement of hostilities.” Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience 1939-1945 – David L. Bashow – Pages 19-20
Question: Who devised the name “Snowbirds” for Canada’s formation team? What year did the Snowbirds first appear and where was their first appearance? How many shows did they do in the first year and what was the public’s reaction? Answer: “The new team was named “ Snowbirds,” the result of a name-the-team contest held at the base elementary school in June 1971. The winning entry was submitted by Doug Farmer, a Grade 6 student. The team first appeared as the Snowbirds at the Saskatchewan Homecoming Air Show in 1971. This performance was followed by appearances at other major air shows and at military bases across Canada. During their first show season, the team performed twenty-seven times. Public response indicated that re-establishing a Canadian formation team was a popular move.”
Source: Snowbirds –Behind The Scenes With Canada’s Air Demonstration Team – By Mike Sroka – Page 23
GROUP 11 – JULY/AUG 10 – CAHS – Q- APR/12, A-MAY/12
Question: What WW II British aircraft was referred to as the “Flying Panhandle”, “The Flying Tadpole”, or “Flying Suitcase”? Answer: “ The Hampden was “terrible to fly in, cramped, no heat, no facilities where you could relieve yourself…but a joy to fly.” Sleek and maneuverable, the “Flying Panhandle”, “The Flying Tadpole”, or “Flying Suitcase” had a distinctive, deep fuselage, which gracefully tapered to a slender tail boom. However, this unorthodox construction guaranteed early obsolescence because there was no room in the fuselage for future development. The Hampden entered service in 1938 and although it could carry 4000 pounds of bombs and had defensive e guns in dorsal, ventral, and frontal positions, these weapons were very light and limited in their traversing capability. With it’s two 1000-horsepower Bristol Pegasus engines at full throttle, the Hampden could charge along at a respectable 265 mph.” Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience 1939-1945 – Page 22
Question: What was the paper strength of the RAF Bomber Command on Aug 31/1939? What was its effective strength 3 days later? Answer: “On 31 August 1939 Bomber Command had a paper strength of 55 squadrons and 920 aircraft, but three days later, its effective strength had plummeted to 25 squadrons and 352 aircraft. They were clustered in four groups, each flying a single type: Bristol Blenheims, Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys, Vickers Wellingtons and Handley Page Hampdens, all twin-engine monoplanes. This extremely rapid force reduction occurred because ten squadrons equipped with 160 obsolete single-engine Fairey Battles were deployed to France as the Advanced Air Striking Forces (AASF) on 2 September, only to be decimated in combat the following spring. Also, two Blenheim squadrons from 2 Group were assigned to the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) as part of its air component and one of the Whitley squadrons was not yet operationally ready. Seventeen of the remaining squadrons could not be mobilized, since they had been saddled with training mandates on the outbreak of hostilities.” Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience 1939-1945 – Page 21
Question: What airplane represents the first experiment in aviation by the Canadian Military;
Answer: “ After 300 flights, the Silver Dart and an improved version known as the Baddeck No. 1 were demonstrated to the Canadian Army. Ultimately the Silver Dart crashed and was written off while under trial. While not selected for service, the Silver dart represents the first experiment in aviation by the Canadian military.” Note: The Silver Dart was taken on strength and struck off strength in 1909
Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Page 261