RCAF History Forum

[Moose47]

G'day

Time for another quiz folks.

You will notice it is a Canadair Sabre. What I want to know is the significance of this aircraft.

Two clues to help you out.

(1) My first name is the same as a former First Lady.

(2) My last name is the same as a town in Ontario although not spelled the same.

Cheers...Chris

[Old Dog Flying]

Jackie Cockrane when she set the Women's Speed record in a Canadair built Sabre

Barney

[Moose47]

G'day Barney

Close enough!

it's Jacqueline Cochran or just Jackie Cochran.

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

G'day

Here is a Fairey Battle Mk. I (R.A.F. s/n P6494) built under contract by the Austin Motors Shadow Factory at Longbridge, Birmingham, England. It is one of 740 aircraft shipped to Canada beginning in 1939. They were erected by Fleet Aircraft in Fort Erie, Ontario.

While being erected at Fleet Aircraft, this aircraft had a winter conversion set installed. It was taken on strength with the R.C.A.F. on the 8th of January, 1941 and given the new serial number 1834. Battle s/n 1834 served with No. 1 Training Command's No. 1 Bombing & Gunnery School at Jarvis, Ontario. The only accident or incident it had was on the 12th of April, 1942 when it fell off the jacks when the landing gear was raised. You will notice it carries the buzz number 72.

Fairey Battle s/n 1834 was put into war reserve on the 18th of January, 1943 at No. 6 Repair Depot (R.C.A.F. Station Trenton, Ontario). It was reduced to spares and produce on the 12th of January, 1943 and effectively written off as of that point.

Cheers...Chris

[xsbank]

I'll bet that poor gunner is still frozen in that position. "Winter kit..." Riiight.

[Moose47]

G'day

O.K. peeples as a certain little guy from Shawinigan would say, it's quiz time.

What type of aircraft is shown here. Bi-plane is not an answer.

Cheers...Chris

[Old Dog Flying]

It looks like an Avro 552 Viper at Camp Borden

Barney

[fleet16b]

It looks like an Avro 552 Viper at Camp Borden

Barney

Yup, I second that

[Moose47]

G'day

It is indeed an Avro 552A Viper (S.S. A.V.L.) powered by the 180 horsepower Wolesley Viper engine

S.S. A.V.L was the R.C.A.F. designation for the Single-Seat Avro Viper Landplane.

The Royal Canadian Air Force used 5 of them between the 19th of December, 1924 and 19th of September, 1928. They were built by Canadian Vickers Limited, Vickers Works, Maisonneuve, Montreal, Quebec. The aircraft carried the civil registrations G-CYFT to G-CYFX. All five aircraft served with No. 2 (Operations) Squadron at High River Air Station in Alberta between February, 1926 and February, 1927.

I thought the hangar would give away the location. Perhaps something a wee bit more difficult next time.

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

G'day

Here is a nice shot of three Canadian Vickers-built Consolidated PBY-5A Cansos taking off from Patricia Bay, British Columbia circa 1943.

Five west coast-based bomber reconnaissance squadrons with Western Air Command used the Canso during the Second World War.

No. 4 (BR) Squadron

No. 6 (BR) Squadron

No. 7 (BR) Squadron

No. 9 (BR) Squadron

No. 120 (BR) Squadron

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

Deleted duplicate posting.

Cheers...Chris

[Blakey]

Love the thread Chris, keep it coming!

That Viper engine must have had some pretty high compression; it takes three guys to start it!

[fleet16b]

Love the thread Chris, keep it coming!

That Viper engine must have had some pretty high compression; it takes three guys to start it!

Not just about the high compression but the technique being used was standard for the day when you had a large prop at such a nose high position . The idea was that you pulled the prop puller out of danger.
It is unusual to see it done by three men , usually only two were used.

[Old Dog Flying]

Canadian Vickers was not the only factory to build Cansos for the RCAF...Boeing had a plant at False Creek , Vancouver and the final assembly plant at Sea Island. IIRC Vickers built carried the 110XX serials while Boeing a/c had the 96XX serials and from comments made by post-war pilots that flew the type, the Boeing built a/c were better than the Montreal built Vickers.

A friend was a supervisor on the Boeing line at False Creek.

Barney

[Moose47]

G'day Barney

Boeing Aircraft of Canada Limited assembled 55 PBY-5A Canso A's from Consolidated parts between October 1942 and September 1943. They all went to the R.C.A.F. Boeing commenced manufacturing of the PB2B- (Catalina Mk. IVB) circa April 1943 and the PB2B-2 (Catalina Mk. VI) October 1944 for Lend-Lease. The PB2B-2 basically a PBY-6A without landing gear. These aircraft for the most part were taken on strength with the Royal Air Force. They transferred 54 aircraft to to the Royal Australian Air Force. Other aircraft went to the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the United States Navy. The U.S.N. in turn transferred six aircraft to the United States Army Air Force.

Boeing Aircraft of Canada flew their locally-built prototype Canso A on the 16th of July, 1944 from Vancouver. It was serial number 9751. The Boeing-built Canso A serial numbers ranged from 9751 through to 9805.

The photo below shows a Canadian Boeing built PB2B-1 (s/n NZ4025) of the Royal New Zealand Air Force's No. 3 Operational Training Unit based at Lauthala Bay, Fiji. Boy wouldn't I love to be there now!!!

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

This Month In Royal Canadian Air Force History

Aircraft Taken On Strength

24 Jan 1923 - Avro 504K - 4

05 Jan 1926 - Armstrong Whitworth Siskin Mk. III - 2

16 Jan 1928 - de Havilland D.H. 60 Moth - 24

16 Jan 1931 - Fairchild 51A - 3

07 Jan 1937 - Hawker Hart - 1

23 Jan 1940 - Noorduyn Norseman Mk. IV - 47

06 Jan 1941 - Cessna T-50 Crane Mk. I - 644

18 Jan 1941 - de Havilland D.H. 82C Menasco Moth Mk. II - 126

22 Jan 1941 - North American AT-6A Harvard Mk. IIB - 210

30 Jan 1941 - Bristol Type 142M Bolingbroke Mk. IV - 185

06 Jan 1943 - Brewster Model 340 Bermuda - 3

21 Jan 1943 - Lockheed 18-56 Lodestar - 18

26 Jan 1943 - Curtiss Model 87A Kittyhawk Mk. III - 15

28 Jan 1943 - Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC - 1

10 Jan 1944 - Avro 683 Lancaster B. Mk. III - 1

26 Jan 1945 - de Havilland D.H. 98 Mosquito T. Mk. 27 - 19

19 Jan 1948 - de Havilland D.H. 100 Vampire Mk. III - 85

03 Jan 1953 - Canadair T-33 Silver Star Mk. III - 656

11 Jan 1961 - Cessna 182 (RCAF L-182 D/E/F) - 4

16 Jan 1962 - Lockheed 583A/Canadair CF-104D - 22


Aircraft Struck Off Strength

21 Jan 1924 - Curtiss H16

08 Jan 1930 - Douglas MO-2B

17 Jan 1930 - Avro Wright (Two Seat Patrol Avro Wright Seaplane)

20 Jan 1932 - Pitcairn Model PA-5

22 Jan 1932 - de Havilland D.H. 60 Genet Moth

15 Jan 1940 - Canadian Vickers Vedette Mk. V

11 Jan 1941 - Canadian Vickers Vedette Mk. VI

29 Jan 1941 - Canadian Vickers Vedette Mk. VA

02 Jan 1945 - Stinson Model HW-75 (R.C.A.F. 105)

20 Jan 1946 - Supermarine Stranraer

06 Jan 1947 - Fleet Model 7B Fawn Mk. I

16 Jan 1947 - Avro 652A Anson Mk. VI

30 Jan 1950 - Supermarine Type 379 Spitfire Mk. XIV

20 Jan 1956 - Noorduyn Norseman Mk. VI

05 Jan 1961 - North American NA-108 Mitchell Mk. III

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

G'day

A soldier stands guard as a Harvard Mk. II of No. 118 (F) Squadron flies overhead. I believe the photo was taken on Annette Island, Alaska during the winter of 1943 while the squadron was assigned to the R.C.A.F.'s 'Y' Wing.

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

G'day

Here is a Vickers Wellington B. Mk. X from No. 24 Operational Training Unit based at Royal Air Force Station Honeybourne, Worcestershire. The unit converted to Wimpies as the Wellington was affectionately known as during April, 1944 in preparation for the of training R.C.A.F. night bomber crews who were already there training on the Armstrong Witworth Whitley Mk. V

The first R.C.A.F. Wellington casualties at the O.T.U. were the seven-man crew of Wellington B. Mk. III s/n BK251. On the night of the 3rd/4th of July, 1944 while landing back at Honeybourne after a cross-country training flight, the aircraft crashed into the the station's bomb dump.

The 'FB' on the fuselage indicates that this aircraft is from 'A ' Flight while 'H' is the individual aircraft radio call letter. No. 24 O.T.U. was disbanded in July of 1945.

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

G'day

Here a a couple of camouflaged Harvard Mk. II's from No. 135 'Bulldog' (F) Squadron based at R.C.A.F. Station Patricia Bay, B.C.

Cheers...Chris

[W5]

Now that you are bringing up the Wimpy, can you tell me about an old mentor of mine that used to fly them during WW2.
His name is Sherwood Moffitt. He passed away in the early eighties in a Beech 18 crash in Beatty, NV.

[Moose47]

G'day W5

Don't have anything on the man. Let me see what I can dig up at DHIST in Ottawa.

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

G'day

Here is the second instalment for this month.

Cheers...Chris

This Month in Royal Canadian History: Part Two


R.C.A.F. Overseas Headquarters Formed
With the arrival in England of R.C.A.F. squadrons, it became necessary to establish overseas for administrative and liaison purposes, a central Canadian air headquarters and personnel records office. During the previous twenty years (the period between the 1919 demobilization and the outbreak of the Second World War), contact between the R.C.A.F. and the Air Ministry had been maintained through an R.C.A.F. liaison officer stationed in London. On the formation of the R.C.A.F. Overseas Headquarters, effective January 1, 1940, Wing Commander F.V. Heakes, who had been serving as an R.C.A.F. Liaison Officer for some years, assumed temporary command with a small staff which were responsible for preliminary arrangements for the reception, accommodation, equipment and training of No. 110 'City of Toronto' (Army Co-operation ) Squadron.

No. 6 (R.C.A.F.) Group Ready To Bomb
The ink had barely dried after the signing of R.A.F. Bomber Command Order of Detail No. 30, as the clock struck mid-night. At 00:01 hours on the 1st of January 1943, No 6 (R.C.A.F.) Group of R.A.F. Bomber Command was declared operational. The new group an entirely Canadian organization, was commanded by Air Vice Marshall G. E. Brookes OBE. The fledgling No. 6 Group with headquarters at Allerton Park, Yorkshire, England, was comprised of the following squadrons and aircraft.

No. 427 'Lion' with the Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III at Croft, Yorkshire

No. 426 'Thunderbird' with the Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III at Dishforth, Yorkshire

No. 425 'Alouette'/i] with the Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III at Dishforth, Yorkshire

No. 428 'Ghost'with the Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III at Dalton, Yorkshire

No. 419 'Moose' with the Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III at Middleton St. George, Durham

No. 420 'Snowy Owl' wit the Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III at Middleton St. George, Durham

No. 408 'Goose' with the Handley Page Halifax B. Mk. II at Leeming, Yorkshire
* The squadron joined No. 6 (R.C.A.F.) Group on the 2nd of January 1943

No. 424 'Tiger' with the Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III at Topcliffe, Yorkshire
*The squadron joined No. 6 (R.C.A.F.) Group on the 3rd of January 1943

*Skipton-on-Swale was under construction as the Group's seventh station.

No. 6 (R.C.A.F.) Group's first operational sorties were flown by No. 427 'Lion' (B) Squadron on the night of January 3rd, when six Wellingtons laid mines off the Frisian Islands. The first bombing mission was on the night of the 13th of January when 14 Wellingtons were sent to bomb Lorient, France. Eleven bombed the primary target, 2 returned early due to technical difficulties, while one failed to return.

Squadron Formations

1 January, 1943
No. 430 'City of Sudbury' (Army Co-operation) Squadron was formed at Hartford Bridge, Hampshire, England with the Curtiss Tomahawk Mk. I & Mk. II (not operational) and North American Mustang Mk. I aircraft. Wing Commander E. H. G. Moncrieff A.F.C. assumed command the same day.

2 January, 1942
No. 14 (Fighter) Squadron at Rockcliffe, Ontario, with North American Harvard Mk. I's and under the command of Squadron Leader B. D. Russel DFC 2.

9 January 1944
No. 22 (Fighter) Wing predecessor of today's 22 Wing was formed at Ayr, Scotland to administer and control No. 143 and No. 144 Airfields.

10 January, 1942
No. 121 (K) Squadron re-formed at Dartmouth N.S. with Boeing 247D twin-engine transport, Grumman Goose amphibian, and Westland Lysander Mk. IITT target towing aircraft. The squadron's first commanding officer was Flight Lieutenant J. A. M. G. Gagnon. * 'K' stands for Composite.

10 Jan, 1942
No. 122 'Flying Joe Boys' (K) Squadron at Patricia Bay B.C. with Blackburn Shark Mk. I and Mk. II's, Noorduyn Norseman Mk.IV's and Gumman Goose Mk. II aircraft. The squadron's first commanding officer was Squadron Leader G. G. Diamond.

22 Jan 1945
No. 665 (A.O.P.) Squadron formed at Andover, Hampshire England with Auster A.O.P. Mk. IV and Mk. V aircraft. The air observation post squadron's first commanding officer was a Canadian Army Major by the name of D. R. Ely.

23 January, 1943
No. 164 (T) Squadron at Moncton, New Brunswick with Lockheed Lodestar aircraft. This transport squadron was originally commanded by Wing Commander R. B. Middleton.

29 January, 1936
No. 7 (G.P.) Squadron at Rockcliffe, Ontario, with Fairchild 71 and Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker Mk. 30/31 aircraft and under command of Squadron Leader E. G. Fullerton. * G.P. stands for General Purpose
Post War

January 1, 1962
Regular trans-Atlantic scheduled service commenced from R.C.A.F. Station Trenton, Ontario to No. 1 (F) Wing, Marville, France by way of No. 437 'Husky' (T) Squadron's Canadair CC-106 Yukons.

January 2, 1962
Air Defence Command's R.C.A.F. Station Bagotville, Quebec was home to No. 413 'Tusker' All-Weather (Fighter) Squadron. The squadron's call sign was 'Jumbo'. No. 413 AW (F) had the distinction of being the last of the N.O.R.A.D. squadrons to fly the venerable Avro CF-100 Canuck Mk. 5.

On January through to February 8th, 1950 a No. 412 'Falcon' (T) Squadron Canadair North Star completed a round-the-world flight. The special mission carried The Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson to a Commonwealth Foreign Ministers conference in Ceyclon (now known as Sri Lanka).

January 13, 1960
The first successful flight of the prototype Canadair CL-41 Tutor flown by distinguished test pilot Ian MacTavish, took place from the company's airfield at Cartierville Quebec.

January 14, 1964
The last Lockheed designed and Canadair-built CF-104 Starfighter was taken on strength with the Royal Canadian Air Force. The total number of these supersonic fighters acquired from Canadair were: 200 single-seat aircraft, 22 CF-104D Mk. I's and 16 CF-104D Mk. 2's. The R.C.A.F. also took on strength one Lockheed-built F-104A Starfighter.

January 16th, 1950
A Canadair North Star from the R.C.A.F. Station Uplands (Ottawa) Ontario-based No. 412 'Falcon' (T) Squadron, set a new Vancouver B.C. to Halifax N.S. speed record of 8 hours and 25 minutes.

January 17th, 1946
Air Vice Marshall G.V. Walsh MBE, had his proposal of a maple leaf roundel approved.

[Moose47]

G'day Folks

It's quiz time again.

Put on your thinking caps and see if you can identify the following aircraft. Oh one little thing...the whole aircraft is not there.

Good luck!

Cheers...Chris

[Moose47]

G'day...again

Here is part two of the quiz as I can only put up three photos at a time.

Cheers...Chris

[Old Dog Flying]

No.1 Vickers Valleta
No.2 Vampire with an arrestor hook
No.3 Hastings transport.

But what do I know
Barney