The Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum Newsletter on … · 3/1/2010 · The Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum Newsletter on May ... airframe rolling off the line ... areas covered over

The Atlantic Canada Aviation Musuem NewletterMarch / April 2003

Page 1

DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE AVIATION HERITAGE OF ATLANTIC CANADA

The Atlantic Canada Aviation MuseumHalifax International Airport

P.O. Box 440061658 Bedford Highway

Bedford, N.S.B4A 3X5

Website: http://acam.ednet.ns.caE-Mail: [email protected]

Upcoming Meeting Dates:

Our next General Meeting is March 20that the Bedford SuperStore. Doors openfor social time beginning at 7:00 pm. Themeeting will begin at 7:30 pm.

The May General meeting will be heldon May 22nd at ACAM.

The

Atl

anti

c C

anad

a A

viat

ion

Mus

eum

New

slet

ter The Lancaster Mk. X

KB-882, on its delivery flight to St. Jacques Airport, July 14th, 1964. This aircraft ispreserved in Edmundston, N.B. Photo by: Bruce Atkinson via Frank MacLoon

Included In This Issue:The Lancaster Mk X

Lancasters in Atlantic CanadaAGM Report

Museum NotesID Quiz

and much more!

Reg and Joyce Clarke at the Annual General Meeting.Rob MacIlreith, Photo


Page 2


The Lancaster Mk. XBy: Ken Brown

Atlantic Canada has played a majorrole in the history of the Canadian builtLancaster Mk. X. In the early 1950’s,RCAF Greenwood was the largestLancaster base in Canada. It was homefor 404 “Buffalo”, 405 “Eagle” Squad-ron and No. 2 (Maritime) OperationalTraining Unit which all flew theLancaster Mk 10. 103 Rescue Unit wasalso based in Greenwood with a smallcomplement of Lancasters. The AirNavigation School at RCAFSummerside, P.E.I. had five LancasterMK.10Ns on strength. In the mid 1950’sNo. 2 O.T.U. would relocate, with theirLancasters to Summerside as well. Oneof the last operators of the Lancaster was107 Rescue Unit at Torbay, NF. Theirthree aircraft were among the lastLancasters to be retired from RCAF ser-vice.

Victory Aircraft and the LancasterMk. X

The history of Victory Aircraft’sLancaster Mk. X can be traced back toMarch 1938, when the National Steel CarCorporation (NSCC) started an AviationDivision in Malton, Ontario. InitiallyNSCC produced wings for Hampdenbombers and Hurricane fighters, as wellas, components for Harvard trainers, allof which were being built in Canada.Avro Ansons shipped from the UnitedKingdom were also assembled in Malton.

Early in 1941, NSCC received a con-tract to build 300 Martin B-26 Maraud-ers for the USAAF under license. 218 ofthese bombers were then to be transferredto the RCAF. However, on September 18,1941 the British Supply Council, inWashington D.C., held a meeting whichwould change the agreement , eventuallyleading to the cancellation of the B-26contract. The chairman for the meeting,Mr. E.P. Taylor, had recently returnedfrom England where the Minister of Air-craft Production stressed the importanceand need for heavy bomber

Unidentified 103 Rescue Unit Lancaster at RCAF Greenwood Circa 1947.(ACAM Collection)

Avro Lancaster Mk. I R5727 shortly before departing the UK for Canada.(ACAM Collection)

production in Canada. After somenegotiation it was decided that Canadawould start producing the Avro Lancasterunder license instead. By October 1941,after some of tooling was in place, the B-26 contract was officially cancelled. Thefollowing December, NSCC signed a

contract to build 300 Lancaster Mk. Xheavy bombers. In January 1942, the firstdrawings had arrived from England andplans were drawn up to prepare for pro-duction. Tooling and materials were re-quired. On Aug 25, 1942 a LancasterMk. I, R5727, arrived in Canada


Page 3


to be used as a pattern aircraft. Due toongoing management problems atNSSC’s Aircraft Division, the Canadiangovernment stepped in and took overownership on November 5, 1942. Thecompany was renamed Victory Aircraftand was operated as a Crown Corpora-tion for the remainder of World War II.

Victory Aircraft produced a total of430 Lancaster Mk. X’s. Productionpeaked in early 1945, with one completedairframe rolling off the line every day.The initial RAF order for 300 airframes(KB 700 to KB 999) was produced be-tween August 1943 and March 1945. Theadditional order for 300 Lancaster’s (FM100 to FM399) began rolling off the linein March 1945. Only 130 aircraft of thissecond order were completed before pro-duction was halted in September 1945.

The Lancaster Mk. X at WarThe Mk. X was essentially a

Lancaster Mk. III with several changesmade to allow more stability to the Ca-nadian production line. With the Battleof the Atlantic in full swing, it was es-sential that the production rely as little aspossible on Great Britain for parts. NorthAmerican companies would supply suchitems as: ball bearings, instruments andradios to lessen the dependence on theU.K. The Packard built Merlin 224 waschosen to power the Mk. X. However,since the initial production of airframesout numbered that of the engines, RollsRoyce Merlin 38 engines were substitutedto power the first seventy-five aircraft offthe production line. Only the first fewproduction samples were fitted with theirFrazer-Nash turrets in Canada. The ma-jority of Mk. X’s would have their turretareas covered over for the ferry flightacross the Atlantic. The turrets were theninstalled once the aircraft arrived in theU.K.

Another unique feature of the Cana-dian built Lancaster’s was the electricalsystem. In order to allow the aircraft tobe fitted with either British or NorthAmerican electronics, a wiring systemwas developed where by simply

unclamping 4 ground connections and thesystem was converted from a one-wiresystem to a two-wire system. Due to theneed to keep maintenance as simple aspossible and to speed up battle damagerepair, the major components of the Mk.X airframe were interchangeable with theBritish built Lancasters.

On August 1, 1943 KB 700, the firstCanadian built Lancaster, took to the airat Malton, Ontario. An official namingceremony was held on August 6. KB 700was christened the “Ruhr Express”. Thehighlight of this event was a flight crewboarding the aircraft and taking off forEngland. Still needing some finishingwork done and further testing, KB 700landed instead at Dorval, Quebec. Herea crew from Victory Aircraft completedthe necessary work and testing. The air-craft finally arrived in England on Sep-tember 15, 1943.

After further modification, to pre-pare it for combat operations, KB 700 wasassigned to 405 Squadron (RCAF) in No-vember 1943. On November 22, the RuhrExpress flew its first combat sortie. Un-fortunately, due to an engine problem, thecrew was forced to jettison the bombs andreturn to base early.

The aircraft’s first successful bomb-ing raid took place on the night of 26/27

KB 700 “Ruhr Express” seen on Nov.30th, 1943. KB 700 was the first Cana-dian built Lancaster. She was de-stroyed in an accident after complet-ing her 50th mission.

(PL-26188)

November. The target for the night wasthe German capital, Berlin. This was tobe last operation sortie flown by KB 700during its time with 405 Squadron. Dueto its North American parts and Canadianorigin, KB 700 was not compatible with405 Squadron’s British built LancasterMK. Is. KB 700 was transferred to 419Squadron (RCAF). 419 Squadron waschosen to be the first Squadron to beequipped with the Lancaster MK. X.

419 Squadron’s new Lancasterswould participate in their first raid on the27/28 April 1944. KB 700 was equippedwith dual pilot controls making it in de-mand to help the Squadron’s pilots be-come current with Mk. X. Ruhr Expresswould not see combat again until thenight of June 5/6, 1944. On returningfrom a raid on Nurenburg on January 2,1945, KB 700 ran off the end of the run-way on its roll out after landing. The pi-lot, F/L Warner, moved the aircraft outof the line of the other aircraft landingand onto the perimeter track when thestarboard wing hit a piece of construc-tion equipment, which ruptured a fueltank. KB 700 was afire within seconds.The entire crew escaped the burning air-craft without injury. Unfortunately theaircraft was a total loss. KB 700 had justcompleted its 50th combat sortie.

428 Squadron was the second unitto be supplied with the Mk. X’s and flewits first combat sorties in June 1944. 431Squadron exchanged their Handley PageHalifax Mk. III for the Canadian builtLancaster in November. Finally, 434Squadron would be the fourth and last touse the Mk. X in combat, flying their firstraid on the 28 December 1944. BetweenApril 1944 and May 1945 the four Squad-rons flew a total of 5,061 combat sorties.A total of 105 Lancaster Mk. X’s werelost in combat or accidents during thesame period, an average of 48.2 combatmissions per aircraft loss.

Immediately following the cessationof hostilities in Europe, four additionalRCAF squadrons: 405 “Eagle”, 408“Goose”, 420 “Snowy Owl” and 425“Alouette” were equipped with the


Page 4


Lancaster Mk. X. In June, these eightsquadrons flew their aircraft back toCanada to begin preparation for “TigerForce” Bomber Command’s planned of-fensive against Japan. However, with thedropping of the atomic bombs in August1945 and the surrender of Japan, the eightsquadrons were disbanded in September1945.Post War Service

The RCAF would take a total of 229Lancaster Mk. Xs on strength after thewar. Many of these airframes had seenaction over Europe and were no longerviable for use in the peacetime RCAF. Afew of those airframes would see servicewith various RCAF technical schools andthe remainder would be used as a sourceof spare parts prior to being scrapped.Approximately 100 Mk. X’s would seeoperational service with the RCAF from1945 to 1964. In 1950 the RCAF fol-lowed the RAF lead and changed its num-bering system from using Roman numer-als when identify variants to Arabic num-bers.

Avro Canada, formally Victory Air-craft, was responsible for all the postwarmodification to the RCAF Lancasterfleet. The Air Force would eventuallyemploy eight different variants of theLancaster operating in a wide varietyrolls. With the outbreak of the KoreanWar and rising tensions between the Westand the Soviet Union, Avro Canada wasforced to concentrate on the developmentand production of the CF-100 Canuck.Avro subcontracted the Lancaster workout to two other companies. De HavillandCanada, in Downsview, Ont, modified 50airframes to 10MR (Maritime Reconnais-sance) standards. While Fairey Aviationin Eastern Passage, NS, would modify theremaining 10MR’s along with the 10N(Navigation Trainer), 10 DC (Drone Con-troller) and 10AR (Area Reconnaissance)models. Before subcontracting theLancaster work out, Avro Canada modi-fied all the 10P (Photo Reconnaissance),10BR (Bomber Reconnaissance), the sole10O (Orenda Test Bed) and the first two10N airframes in Malton.

Above: KB 944 is an example of a Lancaster Mk. 10S.(PCN 5250 via Ken Brown)

Mk.10S StandardThe Mk. 10S was the standard

Lancaster with no modification to it’sequipment or airframe. Various unitsthrough out the RCAF used these ma-chines in a variety of rolls. FM 158 wasthe most notable of these airframes. Itreplaced a very tired war veteran, KB 739in 1946 with the Winter ExperimentalEstablishment at RCAF Namao, Alberta.After completing its duty with WEE, FM158 was used for utility duties at RCAFTrenton for a short time. Finally it fin-ished it’s service with 103 Rescue Unitin Greenwood, Nova Scotia.Mk. 10P Photo Reconnaissance

With the beginning of the Cold Warwith the Soviet Union, the Canadian Gov-ernment put a high priority to photo-graphing and mapping the far North. TheRCAF began working along side civil-ian contractors to complete the dauntingtask. Avro Canada developed the Mk 10P

in order to help fill this role, the airframesbeing used by 413 “Tusker” and 408“Goose” Squadrons. FM 212 the Mk.10P prototype joined 413 Squadron in1946. 413 was disbanded in the late1940s, at this time the squadron trans-ferred its Mk. 10P to 408 Squadron.

The Mk. 10P was the first post warmodification to the Canadian builtLancaster. Avro Canada modified eightairframes to this standard. Three moreairframes were modified in the 1950s(probably by Fairey Aviation) to Mk. 10P.The Mk. 10P was equipped with two cam-eras, a single ordinance camera for detailmapping and a tri-metrogen system usedfor broader horizon-to-horizon photog-raphy.

The Mk. 10P was the longest serv-ing variant of the Lancaster in RCAF ser-vice, the last being retired in 1964. FM212, the prototype, made the last officialLancaster flight in RCAF service that

Below: Lancaster Mk. 10P FM 212. She was the first of the 10P conversionscompleted by Avro at Malton. This photo comes from Larry Milberry’s fantas-tic book Canada’s Air Force Volume III.


Page 5


same year.Mk. 10N Navigation Trainer

The Mk. 10N was initially developedalongside the 10P. The first two airframeswere modified by Avro Canada before thecontract was put on hold due to morepressing demands on the RCAF. In theearly 1950’s, Fairey Aviation modified anadditional three airframes to this standard.

All five Lancaster’s served at the AirNavigation School located atSummerside P.E.I. The first four aircraftconverted were given appropriate celes-tial names, FM 208 was named “Polaris”,FM 211 was named “Zenith”, FM 206was named “Northern Cross” and KB 826was named “Orion”. KB 986 was thefifth Mk. 10N and sadly remained un-named. By the mid 1950’s, the Lancasterwere becoming obsolete in navigationtraining roll and the Mk.10N airframewas retired from service, the last beingretired in 1957.

A sad sight for any aviation buff, KB 986 rotting away at Dunnville, she was a Mk. 10N trainer and the only one of thefive that was not given a name. KB 986 was eventually scrapped.

(Milberry, Canada’s Air Force, Vol. III)

On 1-2 May 1949, FM 211 “Zenith”made Canadian Aviation History, whenit became the first Canadian Aircraft tofly over the North Geographic Pole. Theflight was staged from an ice strip atKittiazuit, N.W.T. and took 14 hours fly-ing time to complete.Mk. 10BR Bomber Reconnaissance

The specifications for the Mk. 10BRwere drawn up after the Director of AirOperations for the RCAF examined amodified RAF Lancaster Mk. III GRwhile on a visit to England. The Mk.10BR was developed as an long range,all weather patrol aircraft capable of Gen-eral Reconnaissance, Anti Submarine andLight Strike Operations.

The initial order from the RCAF wasfor fifteen airframes. Eight of these wereto equip 405BR Squadron. The remain-Below: KB 973 (foreground) is an ex-ample of a Mk. 10BR.

(via Ken Brown)

ing seven airframes were to be modifiedfor Search and Rescue duties. In the endonly thirteen airframes were modified tothese standards. Three pre-productionaircraft, FM 222, FM 228, and KB 961followed the prototype FM 221. The re-maining nine modified airframes wereKB 907, KB 919, KB 925, KB 946, KB957, KB 965, KB 973 and KB 996. By1950, the 10MR was beginning to enterRCAF service, this made the BR conceptredundant and the program was discon-tinued. The remaining airframes weredispersed to the three MR Squadrons andvarious Rescue Units.Mk. 10MR/MP Maritime Reconnais-sance/Maritime Patrol

The largest number of Lancasters ofone type used by the RCAF was the Mk.10MR variant. Between seventy and sev-enty-five airframes were modified for thisroll. The Mk. 10MR was basically a10BR airframe optimized for the Mari-time Reconnaissance / Anti-Submarineroll.

No. 2 (Maritime) Operational Train-ing Unit based at Greenwood was the firstunit equipped with the Mk. 10MR. ThreeMaritime Reconnaissance Squadronswould fly the aircraft operationally. Both404MR and 405MR Squadrons werebased at Greenwood and 407MR Squad-ron was the sole West Coast Squadron.Various Search and Rescue Units acrossthe country would also employ the Mk.10 MR.

After several upgrades during the1950’s and the RCAF changing the air-


Page 6


craft roll to Maritime Patrol, The desig-nation of MR was changed to MP. Bythe mid 1950’s, 404 and 405 Squadronswere replacing the Lancaster with theLockheed Neptune. 407 Squadron wouldcontinue to operate the type until 1959.However, it would be 107 Rescue Unitin Torbay, Newfoundland that was the lastoperator of the Mk. 10MP Lancaster. 107Rescue Unit retired its last three airframesin 1964.Mk. 10O Orenda Engine Test Bed.

In the late 1940’s, Avro Canada wasin need of a flying test bed for the Orendajet engine, developed by a subsidiary ofAvro Canada. The Orenda jet engine wasdeveloped to power the Avro CF-100Canuck; a variation would eventuallypower the Canadair CL-13 Sabre as well.

Lancaster FM 209 was chosen to bethe sole airframe to be converted to Mk.10O standards. A more aerodynamicnose and tail cone replaced the respec-tive turrets and all non-essential equip-ment was removed. The most dramaticchange to the airframe was the replacingof two out-board Merlin engines withOrenda jet engines. Unfortunately, FM209 was destroyed in a hangar fire at AvroCanada’s Malton facilities on the 24th ofJuly, 1956.Mk. 10 DC Drone Controller

In 1957, Fairey Aviation modifiedtwo Lancaster airframes to act as launchplatform and controller for the RCAF’sRyan KDA-4 Firebee Recoverable Droneprogram. These two airframes, KB 848and KB 851, both of which had seen war-time service, were designated as Mk.10DC (Drone Controller).

Modifications to the 10DC airframewere the same as those given to the10MR/MP Lancaster. However, theMaritime Patrol equipment was elimi-nated and Drone Controller equipmentwas added. On both wings out board ofthe engines, a pylon was added that wascapable of carrying the Firebee drone.

The drone program proved to be verysuccessful right up until it was concludedin 1961. Both 10DC airframes were re-tired from service at the end of

Above: FM 227 from 404”Buffalo” Squadron based at RCAF Greenwood.(PL 70395 via Ken Brown)

Below: FM 209 the Orenda Engine Test Lancaster was the fastest of theLancasters and was able to outrun the NY ANG P-47 Thunderbolts based atNiagara Falls. Sadly, FM 209 was lost in a hangar fire at the Avro plant in 1956.

(ACAM Collection)

KB 851 gets airborne with 2 Ryan KDA-4 Firebee Drones on the wings. KB 851and her sister, KB 848 were modified by Fairey Aviation. The nose section of848 is part of the collection in Ottawa, however, 851 was not preserved.

(PL120072 via Ken Brown)


Page 7


mid lower fuselage, where theformer H2S radar was located.

• A wide array of antennas forvarious radio and passive ECMsystems.

A normal crew complement of eight(two pilots, two navigators, two radioofficers, a flight engineer and cameraoperator) was often supplemented withadditional crew members when electronicsurveillance sorties were carried out. Atypical sortie would last ten hours. Anoperational deployment away from thehome base at Rockcliff would last onaverage ten days. The aircraft deployedto forward locations such as: Churchill,Manitoba; Thule, Greenland or any oneof a number airfields in the CanadianArtic. In May 1958, a Lancaster 10ARphotographed a Tupolev TU-16 “Badger”bomber being repaired on ice islandNorth Pole Six.

Only three airframes were modifiedto 10AR configuration, they were: KB839, KB 882 and KB 976. KB 839 andKB 882 both saw combat during the lastmonths of the World War II. 408 Squad-ron operated the three aircraft until theywere finally retired from RCAF servicein 1964. All three airframe have escapedthe scrapper’s torch. KB839

Above: KB 976 in flight. KB 976 is a Mk. 10 AR and owns the record of being the last Lancaster to fly across the Atlantic.She is now owned by Kermit Weeks and is stored in Florida.

(ACAM Collection)Below: KB 839 is also a Mk. 10AR. She is a familiar sight to many in Nova Scotia as she is now part of the GreenwoodMuseum’s collection. See page 9 for more information and photos of KB 839.

(Milberry Canada’s Air Force Volume III)

the program. The front fuselage sectionof KB 848 was preserved and is now cur-rently part of the collection at the in theCanadian Aviation Museum in Ottawa.Mk. 10AR Area Reconnaissance

The Mk. 10 AR was the 1952 an-swer to a need Canada had to protect andpatrol the far northern regions of thecountry. In the early 1950’s, aircraft fly-ing artic patrols were returning to basewith growing evidence of Soviet mannedice stations built on ice flows in the higharctic.

The Mk. 10AR Area Reconnais-sance (often wrongly called Arctic Re-connaissance) modification was based onthe Lancaster Mk. 10P standard airframe,

although several major changes weremade. The most noticeable change tothe airframe was the addition of a forty-inch extension to the nose of the aircraft.The extension allowed a navigation /weather radar to be fitted along with alow-level camera system fitted in theformer bomb aimer’s perspex. The Mk.10AR would be equipped with a total often camera systems, a drastic increasewhen compared to the two systems of theMk. 10P airframe. Other airframe modi-fications included:

• The addition of two windows inthe rear fuselage just forward ofthe tail (as on the 10MR).

• UPD search radar, located in the


Page 8


currently resides in Nova Scotia as partof the Greenwood Aviation Museum. KB882 is on display at the small airport,along side the Trans-Canada Highway atSt. Jacques, New Brunswick. KB 976made history as being the last Lancasterto fly the Atlantic in the mid 1970’s on adelivery flight for the Stathallen Collec-tion. It has since been purchased byKermit Weeks and shipped back to NorthAmerica.The Lancaster Mk. X in Civilian Ser-viceMk. XT and MK.XPP

In 1941, the Canadian GovernmentTrans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS)drew up the plans for a high-speed long-range transport aircraft. The aircraftwould be capable of carrying four tonsof cargo and passengers, as well as,enough fuel to cross the Atlantic Oceannon-stop. The only aircraft with thesecapabilities that the Canadian Govern-ment had access to was the Lancaster.

Once it was no longer required as thepattern aircraft for the Lancaster Mk. X,Lancaster Mk. I, serial number R5727,was stripped of all the turrets; ammuni-tion tracks and other nonessential mili-tary equipment and the airframe was con-verted to the transport role. Two addi-tional long-range fuel tanks were fittedto the bomb bay while the nose waslengthened, for the navigator and ten pas-senger seats fitted. After some testingR5727, now carrying civil registrationCF-CMS, entered service with TransCanada Airways on June 7, 1943. Onthe July 22, TCA and CF-CMS made theinaugural flight of the CGTAS “VictoryRuns” flying from Dorval, Quebec toPrestwick, Scotland.

Two additional Lancasters from theVictory Aircraft production line weremodified to Mk. XT (Transport) stan-dards. KB 702 and KB 703 were modi-fied to a similar standard as R5727 afterthey had after they rolled off the produc-tion line. The main difference being thenose section was modified for cargo. KB702 and KB 703 carried the civil registryCF-CMT and CF-CMU respectively.

Above: CF-CMS on a Victory Run to the UK in 1944. CF-CMS was formally,R5727, the pattern aircraft for Victory Aircraft. Note the redesigned nose andother minor changes, as well as, the Canadian registration on the wings.

(ACAM Collection)They entered TCA service in September1943. On January 12, 1944 CF-CMTmade its first Atlantic crossing, setting anew Trans-Atlantic Time record of 11hours, 14 minutes in the process.

Two more Lancaster Mk. X’s weretaken on strength by TCA before the endof the war. KB 729 (CF-CMV) and KB730 (CF-CMW) were modified furtherfrom the Mk. XT standard to be desig-nated Mk. XPP (Passenger Plane). Thechanges made to the MK.XPP includedthe addition of an even longer more aero-dynamic nose, designed as a mail com-partment. Another mail compartment wasadded to the bomb bay area and the addi-tion of a streamline tail cone replaced thetail turret. The inside of the cabin waslined with plywood, 10 seats (5 per side)while windows and ceiling lighting wereadded to improve passenger comfort. CF-CMV was delivered to TCA on March 9,1944 and CF-CMW followed on May 9,1944.

In order to increase the frequency ofthe “Victory Runs” four additional MX.PPwere added to the TCA Fleet in August1945. These four aircraft were from Vic-tory Aircraft’s second production con-tract. FM 184 (CF-CMX), FM 185 (CF-CMY), FM 186 (CF-CMZ) and FM 187(CF-CNA). These airframes differedonly slightly from the two earlierMK.XPP airframes. The interior wasequipped with a Steward’s compartment,fabric sound-proofing and a light over-head luggage rack installed above thepassenger seats. CF-CMV and CF-CMW

were brought up to these standards in1946.

However, TCA’s relationship withthe Lancaster Mk. X was not without trag-edy. On the night of 29/30 December1944, CF-CMU crashed into the Atlan-tic near the Azores, all on board werekilled. When TCA retired the Mk. XPPfrom service, five were sold to foreignoperators. Four were sold to Flight Re-fueling Ltd. in the United Kingdom,modified as fuel tankers and put to workhauling fuel during the Berlin Air Lift.The fifth airframe was sold to Onzear Ltd.in Karachi, Pakistan. Unfortunately, thisaircraft was destroyed in a crash on itsdelivery flight.Other Civilian Mk. Xs

Three ex-RCAF Lancaster were pur-chase by Spartan Air Service during the1950’s. These airframes were given thecivilian registrations CF-IMF (FM-222),CF-IMG (KB-907) and CF-IMH (KB-909). FM-222 was the only one modi-fied for aerial survey work. It is believedCF-IMG and CF-IMH were used forspare parts to keep CF-IMF flying.

KB 976 a former Mk.10AR was pur-chased from the RCAF, and given Cana-dian Registration CF-TQC and was modi-fied as a water bomber. However, it is notknown whether it was actually employedas a water bomber before it was sold tothe Strathallan Collection in the UnitedKingdom and registered G-BOCH. KB976 was flown across the Atlantic to it’snew home in England in the mid 1970’s.It has since been purchased by Kermit


Page 9


KB 839 is part of the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum’s collection. It is a World War II veteran that flew 26 combatmissions over Europe. Below is a list of missions compiled by Ken Brown and some photographs of KB 839 over time.Date Target Pilot28/29.01.45 Stuttgart F/O P. Tulk2/3.02.45 Weisbaden F/O P. Tulk4/5.02.45 Bonn F/O P. Tulk20/21.02.45 Dortmund F/Lt. P. Tulk21/22.02.45 Duisberg F/Lt. P. Tulk23/24.02.45 Pforzheim F/Lt. P. Tulk27.02.45 Mainz F/O J. Smith5/6.03.45 Chemnitz F/Lt. P. Tulk7/8.03.45 Dessau F/Lt. P. Tulk12.03.45 Essen F/Lt. P. Tulk12.03.45 Dortmund F/Lt. P. Tulk14/15.03.45 Zwienbruken F/Lt. P. Tulk15/16.03.45 Hagen F/Lt. H. Metevier20.03.45 Colgne F/O J. Smith20/21.03.45 Hemmingstedt F/Lt. P. Tulk22.03.45 Hildesheim F/O M. Martin24.03.45 Mathis Stinnes F/Lt. P. Tulk25.03.45 Hannover F/O G. Retallack31.03.45 Hamburg P/O D. Rickert4.04.45 Leuna P/O D. Rickert8/9.04.45 Hamburg F/O D. Lambroughton10.04.45 Leipzig F/O D. Lambroughton13/14.04.45 Keil F/Lt. N. Robertson16/17.04.45 Schwandorf F/Lt. N. Robertson22.04.45 Breman P/O D. Rickert

Weeks and is now at his Fantasy of FlightMuseum still in it’s shipping creates.

The former Mk. 10N ‘Polaris’ FM208 was purchased and registered CF-KHH with the intent of using it to haulfuel in Northern Canada. It sat at theDorval airport for years before it was fi-nally scrapped.

The most famous of the Lancaster

Mk. 10’s to enter civilian service is un-doubtedly FM 213 (C-GVRA). FM 213is currently only one of two Lancastersin the world that is in an airworthy con-dition. She is owned by Canadian War-plane Heritage Museum in Hamilton,Ont. After postwar modification to Mk.10MP standards, FM-213 spent its timein the RCAF on the East Coast. It last

served with 107 RU at Torbay, New-foundland and was finally retired in 1964.The Canadian Legion in Goderich,Ontario purchased the airframe on July1, 1964 and it was placed on pylons. In1977, FM 213 was made available toCWH and after a ten-year restoration pro-gram, she returned to the air in Septem-ber 1987 for the first time since 1964.

Lancaster KB 839 419 Squadron VR-D

KB 839 at Middleton St. George late in the war (CF UK21693)

Above: KB 839 in the 1960’s from Milberry’s classic book Canada’sAir Force Volume 3. That particular series is a must have and canbe bought at the Museum Gift Shop.

Above and Above Right: KB 839 with her World War II “Daisy” nose art in 1996. Bottom Right: KB 839 in front of thenew Greenwood Museum painted in 404 Squadron colors. KB 839 only served with 419 and 408 Squadrons.

(Rob MacIlreith, Photos)


Page 10


The Story of Lancaster Bomber – KB 882By: Frank MacLoon

The author wishes to thank CaptainJoseph (Pepi) DiGiacinto; the NB Branchof the CAHS and their “Contact” EditorBruce Atkinson; ACAM’s Don Henry;published information from Mr. JacquesClavette and Mr. Kendall Fee; and thewebsite www.lancaster-kb822.freeservers.com of Mr. TroyKirkby.

It is widely known that a LancasterBomber is on open display at theEdmundston Municipal Airport. Maybeless known is the history of this very sig-nificant example of a WW II Lancaster.

The Airport is located in the com-munity of St. Jacques just West ofEdmundston on the Trans-Canada High-way, near the Quebec border. KB882 islocated within easy view of the highwaymounted on two supports to relieve tireload with a monument and plaque brieflyoutlining it’s history. KB882 may well beunique among preserved Lancaster’s inthat it has an actual combat history whileretaining the post war modifications un-dertaken for it’s continuing peacetimeservice with the RCAF.

KB 882 was built as a Lancaster Mk.X by Victory Aircraft Ltd, Malton,Ontario. It was ferried to the U.K. in thespring of 1945 and taken on strength byNo. 6 Group and assigned to 428 “Ghost”Squadron, RCAF. KB 882 wore theSquadron code of NA-R on its fuselage.From information supplied by Ex Navi-gator Mr. Kendall Fee, he lists the seven“Ops” he flew in KB 882 over occupiedEurope:

March 15/45 Hagen 7hrs 05 minMarch 31/45 Hambourg 6 hrs 0 minApril 4/45 Meresberg 9 hrs 20 minApril 8/45 Hambourg 6 hrs 05 minApril 10/45 Leipzig 8 hrs 30 minApril 15/45 Kiel 6 hrs 05 minApril 25/45 Wangerooge 4 hrs 50 min.

The crew of “882” on these Ops were:Pilot: Fl/Lt A L Ross DFC DFMNavigator: F/O K R Fee DFCW/Op: Fl/Lt AitkenB/A: F/O E K BergyF/E: F/O R LovedayUpper/G: F/O Dan FergusonRear/G: F/O Bill Watson

With the exception of the Flight En-gineer, the crew was on its second Tourof Operations. [Editor’s Note: See thesidebar information about KB 882 com-piled by Ken Brown, for a complete listof 882’s operations.]

With the ending of hostilities, thesame crew flew KB 882 back to Canadaarriving in Yarmouth, N.S. on June 10th,1945. Later, it was put in storage inAlberta. In 1952 “882” was flown toFairey Aviation, in Eastern Passage for amajor overhaul and conversion to Mk.10AR configuration for the peacetimeRCAF with the most noticeable exteriormodification being the 40 inch extensionto the nose structure.

KB 882 as she sits today at the St. Jacques Airport.(Frank MacLoon, Photo)

Left: KB 882 is shown in the back-ground. L-R: F/O J.J. Leroux, F/OL.G. Hahn, and F/O Doug Rose.

(PL-40448)Bottom: KB 882 after being modifiedto “AR” standard. The nose extensionand cameras are evident in this PRshot.

(CF RE10048-1)

408 “Goose” Squadron at RCAF Sta-tion Rockcliffe, Ontario, then took KB882, KB 839 and KB 976 on charge inDecember, 1953. These Lancasters wereinstrumental in photo-reconnaissancework in Canada’s Arctic. As a side note,


Page 11


KB 882 NA-R, 428 SquadronTaken on Strength RAF: March, 1945Ops. Completed: 11Nose Art: Roger – Skull and Cross BonesReturned to Canada: May 31-June 5, 1945Taken on strength RCAF: July 6, 1945Struck off Strength: May 26, 1964 - On display at Edmunston, New BrunswickDetails Taken From 428 Sqn. ORB:

Date: 12.3.45Target: DortmundBomb Load: 1x 4,000 lb. “Cookie”, 16x 500 lb. bombsTime Up/Down: 1302/1929Crew: F/O Cox, G. (Pilot)

F/S Rubin, S. (Navigator)F/O Skelly, D. (Bomb Aimer)Sgt. Todd, J. J. (Flight Engineer)W/O Stodgell, A. A. (Wireless Air Gunner)Sgt. Adams, D. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)Sgt. Wesley, S.G. (Rear/ Air Gunner)

Details: Attack primary, bombed centre of well concentrated blue& green smoke puffs as per Master Bomber instructions.Only results observed was a great circle of smoke risingthrough the cloud. Attack seemed successful

Date: 15/16.3.45Target: HaganBomb Load: 1x 4,000 lb. “Cookie”. 13x 500 lb. GP bombsTime Up/Down: 1620/2328Crew: F/L Ross, L. (Pilot)

F/O Fee, K.R. (Navigator)F/O F/O Bergey, E. K. (Bomb Aimer)P/O Loveday, R. (Flight Engineer)F/O Atkins, C. (Wireless Air Gunner)F/O Ferguson, D. G. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)F/O Watson, W.H. (Rear/ Air Gunner)

Details: Bombed primary, identified target by red and green salvoof illuminating flares, Gee and Mid Upper Gunner.Bombed with a four second overshoot as per the MasterBomber’s instructions. Markers were laid very well, withone right on top of the other, seen bomb sticks going rightthrough them.

Date: 24.3.45Target: Bottorp, Matthias Stinnes Benzol plant.Bomb Load: 13x 1,000 lb bombs, 1x 500 lb. bombsTime Up/Down: 1244/1855Crew: F/O Brown, D.R. (Pilot)

F/O Finestone, A.H. (Navigator)F/O Kellaway, H.G. (Bomb Aimer)Sgt. Edwards, J.D. (Flight Engineer)

all three aircraft have been preserved. KB839 is with GMAM at Greenwood andKB 976 is now part Kermit Weeks Col-lection in Florida. KB 882 was finallyretired to Dunnville, Ont in 1964.

In 1964, the City of Edmundston hadthe foresight, most likely with the encour-agement of local RCAFA members, tomake an offer to purchase to the CrownAssets Disposal Corporation, which wasaccepted thereby ensuring that one moreLancaster would escape the scrappersattention. The issue then became how toarrange it’s transfer from DND at #6 Re-pair Depot to it’s eventual “home” at theEdmundston Municipal Airport.

Captain Joseph DiGiacinto, betterknown far and wide as “Pepi”, was in-volved in Charter Operations servingcustomers in the Edmundston area andwas very well known in the area. Later,he would go on to have an extensive ca-reer in Airline flying with over 30,000hours and Airline Transport Ratings from7 countries, including wide body jets upto 747’s. “Pepi” had very impressive ear-lier flying experience including DEWline work on Cansos, DC-4s, Avro Yorks,C-46s, as well as, DC-3s on skis/wheels.Pepi is a truly remarkable individual withwhom the author has been privileged toknow as a friend. In the spring of 1964,Pepi was asked by Mayor Nadeau to as


Page 12


Bottom: KB 882 being refueled atFredericton.

(Bruce Atkinson, photo)

F/O Townsend, R.G. (Wireless Air Gunner)Sgt. Montgomery, H.C. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)SGt. Smith, K.H. (Rear/ Air Gunner)

Details: Identified primary target visually and by Red Target In-dicators. Target marking appeared to be six minutes late.Saw one fire and quite a bit of smoke.

Date: 31.3.45Target: Hamburg, Blohm & Voss ShipyardsBomb Load: 5x 1,000 lb., 8x 500 lb. and 2x 250 lb. bombs, also 2x

BG 152 Nickels (leaflets).Time Up/Down: 0558/1157Crew: F/L Ross, L. (Pilot)

F/O Fee, K.R. (Navigator)F/O F/O Bergey, E. K. (Bomb Aimer)P/O Loveday, R. (Flight Engineer)F/O Atkins, C. (Wireless Air Gunner)F/O Ferguson, D.G. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)F/O Watson, W.H. (Rear/ Air Gunner)F/O Murray, D. W. (2nd Pilot)

Details: �� 10/10�� 0905 ��.

�� , �2� ��

��. ��

�� . ��

0857 ��. �� . ��

�� 2� ��

�� .

Date: 4/5.4.45Target: Merseburg, Oil plantBomb Load: 1x 4,000 lb. HC Trit Nose Inst., 4x 500 lb. USA GP ANM

64 TD .025, 6x 250 lb. GP BR Tail Inst. 2x WG 44 Nick-els

Time Up/Down: 1814/0335Crew: F/L Ross, L. (Pilot)

F/O Fee, K.R. (Navigator)F/O F/O Bergey, E. K. (Bomb Aimer)P/O Loveday, R. (Flight Engineer)F/O Atkins, C. (Wireless Air Gunner)F/O Ferguson, D.G. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)F/O Watson, W.H. (Rear/ Air Gunner)

Details: Bombed primary through 10/10th Stratus Cumulus clouds.Identified by Gee fix and sky markers. Bombed red flareswith green stars as per MB instructions. Path Finder Forcewas four minutes late.

Combat: At 2253 hours Rear Gunner spotted a fighter on the star-board quarter at 300 yds. He gave the order to corkscrewto starboard and open fire, firing 100 rounds at the enemyaircraft. The fighter, a ME 410 broke away to the star-board at 275 yds. No damage was on the enemy fighter.This was the second last combat for 428 Sqn.

sist in the transfer of the Lancaster toEdmundston. Never being one to backaway from a new challenge Pepi quicklyvolunteered to take on the job.

Arriving in Trenton he was met byF/L Chris Frost and S/L Monty Mont-gomery who pointed out that 882 (“dol-lar 2” to them) had just completed a fulloverhaul and was, unlike the two otherLancasters on the ramp, fully airworthy.Not bad for a $1,500 investment even in1964 dollars! Imagine the value today!The original intention had been to dis-mantle the A/C and transfer it by rail butthe logical decision was to fly it toFredericton and later to Edmundston,since it was clear that the aircraft was infantastic condition.

Following a few local familiarizationflights S/L Montgomery and Pepi set offfor Fredericton on a Flight Plan at 9,000feet as his “check out” followed by F/LFrost with a T-33 chase plane. BothMontgomery and Frost later returned toTrenton in the T-33. The Lancaster re-mained at Fredericton Airport until Julywhile waiting for the gravel strip at St.Jacques, since paved, to dry out suffi-ciently for an aircraft of the Lancaster’sweight. Obviously the presence of “882”created a great deal of local interest andan opportunity for the aircraft to be shownto a number of groups and individuals.One of those fortunate people was theauthor, who was invited to assist in start-ing up the Lancaster and moving it toanother area of the ramp where it’s pres-ence would be less of a problem.

Joined by my wife Joyce, twinsDebbie and Chris 9 years old, and our


Page 13


Date: 8/9.4.45Target: Hamburg, Shipyard areaBomb Load: 1x 4,000 lb. “Cookie”., 10x 500 lb. and 6x 250 lb. bombs.

also 1x WG 29A NickelsTime Up/Down: 1923/0130Crew: F/L Ross, L. (Pilot)

F/O Fee, K.R. (Navigator)F/O F/O Bergey, E. K. (Bomb Aimer)P/O Loveday, R. (Flight Engineer)F/O Atkins, C. (Wireless Air Gunner)F/O Ferguson, D.G. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)F/O Watson, W.H. (Rear/ Air Gunner)P/O Lisk, D.L. (2nd Pilot)

Details: Bombed primary through thin 10/10th cloud. Identifiedtarget area by sky markers, Gee check, and MasterBomber. Bombed the centre of three red target indicatorson Master Bomber’s instructions.

Date: 10.4.45Target: Lepzig, Engelsdorf and Mockau railway yardsBomb Load: 1x 4,000 lb. “Cookie”., 8x 500 lb. and 6x 250 lb. bombs.

Also 1x WG 49A Nickels.Time Up/Down: 1306/2140Crew: F/L Ross, L. (Pilot)

F/O Fee, K.R. (Navigator)F/O F/O Bergey, E. K. (Bomb Aimer)P/O Loveday, R. (Flight Engineer)F/O Atkins, C. (Wireless Air Gunner)F/O Ferguson, D.G. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)F/O Watson, W.H. (Rear/ Air Gunner)Details: Clear, visibility good. Identified target by mapreading and target indicators, autobahn and railway.Bombed starboard of red target indicators located in Mar-shalling yards, as per Master Bomber’s instructions. Tar-get Area well covered in smoke as aircraft left. should bewritten off. MB was moving attack as bombing pro-gressed. A/C straight and level during the entire bomb-ing run.

Date: 13/14.4.45Target: Keil, U-boat yardsBomb Load: 1x 4,000 lb. “Cookie” 4x 1,000 lb., 8x 500 lb. bombs, 1x

WG 49A Package NickelsTime Up/Down: 1253/1914Crew: F/L Ross, L. (Pilot)


Details: Bombed primary from 15,200 feet, through 10/10th

Above: Pepi DiGiacinto’s SaudiLiscense. (via Frank MacLoon)youngest Pete, the start up was begun.Debbie and her sister quickly found apreferred “perch” in the bomb aimer’scompartment while Pete sat on hismother’s knee in the Flight Engineer’sseat immediately behind the pilot. My“help” was to flip switches not reachableby the pilot while experiencing the thrillof the big Merlins exploding into life. Asthe throttles were opened, the tremendousprop wash sent parked aircraft skiddingalong the asphalt. This resulted in muchdesperate arm waving from ground staffand a wonderful opportunity to gothrough the whole process again after theramp was cleared.

With the engines again full of life,Pete and mother were sitting with thewindow open, due to the summer heat.They were being subjected to the roar ofexhausts a few feet away and the mas-sive prop blades whipping by seeming tobe within inches of the window. Whenasked by an enthusiastic father if theywould, for a better view, “rather be in thebomb aimer’s compartment?” 6-year-oldPete’s classic comment to his mother was“I’d rather not be here at all” [Editor’scomment: I bet he’d feel different aboutthat now!] All too soon, “882” arrived at


Page 14


cloud. Identified target by green target indicators and H2S check. Bombed nearestedge of green glow as per Master Bomber’s instructions. No assessment of attackdue to cloud cover.

Date: 16/17.4.45Target: Schwandorf, railway yardsBomb Load: 1x 4,000 lb. “Cookie”, 11x 500 lb. GP Bombs, 1x WG 50

Package NickelsTime Up/Down: 2314/0757Crew: W/O Quinn, R.K. (Pilot)

F/S Gates, S.A. (Navigator)F/O Becker,W.G. (Bomb Aimer)Sgt. McCarron, P. (Flight Engineer)Sgt. Shea, H.T. (Wireless Air Gunner)F/S Goddard,G.D. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)F/S Strangward, H.H. (Rear/ Air Gunner)

Details: Bombed primary, no cloud visibility fair. Identified tar-get by red and green target indicators. Bombs well con-centrated on railway tracks, lots of smoke.

Date: 22.4.45Target: Breman, bombed in the support of the British Army.Bomb Load: 1x 4,000 lb. Cookie, 6x 1,000 lb., 4x 500 lb, 4x 250 lb.

bombs, 1x WG 50 Nickels.Time Up/Down: 1611/2139Crew: F/L Hay, R.D. (Pilot)

F/O Wattier, H.S. (Navigator)F/O Donner, J.J. (Bomb Aimer)Sgt. Westlake, F.E.. (Flight Engineer)F/S Sharpe, S.A. (Wireless Air Gunner)F/S Overall, C.H. (Mid Upper/ Air Gunner)F/S MacLean, C.A. (Rear/ Air Gunner)

Details: Abandon mission over enemy territory, 10/10th cloud at6,000 ft. Target area not identified. Jettisoned 4x 250 lb.,4x 500 lb. safe. 1x 4,000 lb. “Cookie”, and 6x 1,000 lb.bombs brought back. Did not bomb because no visualidentification and no instructions from Master Bomber.

Date: 25.4.45Target: Wangerooge, Coastal batteries.Bomb Load: 14x 1,000 lb. bombs.Time Up/Down: 1457/1945Crew: F/L Ross, L. (Pilot)


Details: Identified primary target by Gee fix, visually identifyingSpikerooge and Wangerooge Islands, red target indica-tors and Master Bomber. Aimed to undershoot target in

the appointed location and, looking back,I can understand the popularity of theopportunities sometimes offered to par-ticipate in the Lancaster taxi runs in EastKirby, U.K.

With the St. Jacques runway in bet-ter condition, and following a call fromthe Mayor in which he asked, “Where thehell is our Lancaster?” The aircraft wasprepared for departure from Frederictonon July 14, 1964. As it turned out, a groupof RCAF aircrew personnel were on de-tachment at Camp Gagetown includingan experienced Flight Engineer, JimCochrane, who was knowledgeable onMerlin engines. It was felt prudent to in-vite them along as aircrew on this lastflight. With Pepi as pilot the crew in-cluded: Jim Cochrane, Derek Miller,Gerry Flemming, Roy Niles, and KeithWyatt. Following a walk around, drain-ing of sumps, refueling, and start upchecks, the Lancaster departed forEdmundston.

Arrangements were made for aFredericton Aviation Ltd. Piper Apacheto meet the Lancaster near Edmundstonfor photo opportunities. Those on boardincluded: pilot Bruce Taylor and photog-rapher Bruce Atkinson. A number ofvery impressive air-to-air photos weretaken, several of which are reproducedhere, with permission.

With a long association in the area,and an opportunity to demonstrate the im-pressive performance of a fine aircraft,the first diversion on the flight was foran extremely low pass of the farm homeof the pilot’s fiancée. Apparently the passwas close enough to rattle out a few ex-posed windows and create a bit of under-standable strain with the future in-laws.

Next was a very low, at 25-50 feet,pass across a lake for the benefit of agentleman who had been a strong pro-moter of the acquisition. Enjoying a finesummer Sunday in his boat he reportedlycalled to a visitor saying, “I hear fourspeedboats coming across the lake – I cansee the “rooster tails” coming out of thewater. These were, in fact, the result ofthe prop wash from the four Merlins.


Page 15


dictator by 400 yds. on Master Bomber’s instructions. Bombing appeared to be accu-rate and concentrated large quantity of dusty black smoke seen in the target area.

A classic frontal view of KB 882 atFredericton. (Frank MacLoon, photo)

Above: KB 882’s final flight crew, Pepion the far right.

(Bruce Atkinson, photo)Maybe the “old girl” was enjoying a re-enactment of the “Dam Busters”.

Arrangements had also been madewith senior staff of the SAC Base atLoring, Maine for a low pass over therunway and the B-52’s lined up for take-off. The intent was for a photo opportu-nity for an “new and old” Museum fea-ture and to demonstrate changing Bombertechnology. [Editor’s Note: That wouldbe quite a photo to see.] The pass was tobe made at 700 feet but actually tookplace at some 30 - 50 feet due to a “mis-understanding” of “Above Sea Level” vs.“over the runway.” With a normal cruis-ing speed of 180 – 185 knots, the fullpower pass took place at something over245 knots followed by a very impressivepull up and wing over. After an “OKWise guy … I meant 700’ over the run-way”, from the Tower, a second pass atthe assigned altitude took place. This wasfollowed by another pass with gear down

and then departure for Edmundston forphoto opportunities.

With little wind, and the fog settingin, a left hand down wind pattern was en-tered at St. Jacques, gear and flaps down,“over the fence” at 68 – 70 knots, and a“three pointer” using only a part of the3,000 foot runway.

At the assigned parking site, a veryimpressive event took place. TheLancaster was very professionally mar-shaled into place with a final very sharpsalute from the properly equippedMarshall as the engines shut down.

Pepi quickly went to the Marshallwho introduced himself as from theEdmundston RCAFA and a former ChiefEngineer and returning officer at a UKBomber Command Lancaster base. Withtears in his eyes he said, “I waited a longtime for a lot of my boys who didn’t comeback – hearing this [Lancaster] come intonight was just too much for me - it was

Above: A classic view of KB 882 in it’sfinal flight.

(Bruce Atkinson, photo)

Top: The photo crew: Pilot Bruce Tay-lor, second from left. Far right is BruceAtkinson.

(Bruce Atkinson, collection)nice to have you come back”.

This brought a very satisfying endto the whole effort for Pepi and crew. Pepiwas made a “Citizen of the Republic”, alocal area honor, and life member of theRCAFA Branch all of which he contin-ues to treasure. There the Lancaster sitsto this day – an impressive reminder toall who see it of the sacrifices of so manywho bought our freedom so long ago.

When asked for an opinion on theLancaster as an Airplane Pepi’s responsewas:

“A marvelous piece of engineer-ing to bring an aircraft togetherthat could be handled so well byone pilot. If handled correctly,it was very docile. It was soexciting to fly but with personalregret as the first and only ex-perience. It made me feel like akid – it performed so well”.


Page 16


ACAM is well aware of the prob-lems of weather deterioration, and theattentions of the inevitable vandals, thatare always part of trying to maintain anaircraft in an outdoor and exposed envi-ronment. Unfortunately, the EdmundstonLancaster has suffered from both formany years with the apparent loss of sig-nificant internal fittings along with inevi-table environmental deterioration. Inmore recent years there has been an ob-viously intensified effort to improve pres-ervation measures and provide increasedsecurity protection. Externally “882” hasthe appearance of a complete and well-maintained aircraft much to the credit ofthe local volunteers. For those who havethe opportunity, whether while driving byor visiting a very welcoming area of theprovince, a stop at the airport to viewKB882 will be rewarding indeed!

Only time will tell what the futureholds for “882”, one can hope that thepreservation community will somehowfind a way to come together to ensure thefuture of this icon of Canadian militaryaviation history for the enjoyment andsatisfaction of future generations. Mean-time, we thank the City, the RCAFAmembers, and the local Air Cadets forhaving preserved a remarkable aircraft.

Above: Pepi looks out of KB 882.(Bruce Atkinson, photo)

� � � � �: ��

�� (�� .)

[�� : ��

�� 882 ��

��

�� . ��

��

��

�� . ��

��

� � � � � � � sletter.]

MYNARSKI’S LANCASTERBy: Cy Dunbar

To many of you who have flown,flown in, or have had a close associationwith Lancasters, the sight and sound ofthe Mynarski Lancaster flying probablybrings back a flood of memories. To thoseof you who have not had that association,the sight and sound of that Lancaster fly-ing probably brings many questions tomind concerning what has to be done toget the aircraft airborne and indeed whatis taking place in the aircraft as it fliesby!

I have been fortunate in that I haveflown Lancasters for many hours, ap-proximately 2650 hrs total, of which ap-proximately 600 hrs were flown on FM-213, the aircraft which is now designated

the Mynarski Lancaster.All the pilots who have flown the

Mynarski Lancaster have been seasonedairline pilots. All procedures from exter-nal aircraft checks prior to flight, up toand including the shut down check afterflight, are carried out in accordance witha Check List carried on the aircraft. Theminimum crew on the Lancaster is twopilots and one flight engineer.

Let me now go through some of theprocedures that are used when flying acircuit in the Mynarski Lancaster:

The external check is to confirm theserviceability of the aircraft by checkingitems such as: oleo extension, tire creep,static vents, security of panels, as well

Cy Dunbar sitting in FM 213. Thisphoto was taken from the Lancaster:A Bombing Legend book by RickRadell and Mike Vines. The book is fullof wonderful color photos of both VR-A and the BBMF Lancaster.


Page 17


as, the general condition of the exteriorof the aircraft. On the internal check itemssuch as: the battery voltage, emergencyair supply, air pressure for normal opera-tions, and fuel load are confirmed to bewithin operating limits. Before startingthe engine(s) an extensive check is car-ried out to ensure all gauges are readingproperly and that all switches, selectorsand levers are correctly positioned.

To start the engines, the flight engi-neer “primes” each one with fuel justbefore the co-pilot presses the engine“start button”. After the start button hasbeen pressed and the propeller starts toturn, the flight engineer continues toprime the engine on “as required” basisuntil it starts to run on that priming. Oncethat happens the “Idle Cut-Outswitch”(ICO) is placed in the “Enginerun” position to permit the fuel to flowfrom the appropriate fuel tank to that en-gine. The flight engineer stops primingthe engine at that time.

The normal sequence of starting en-gines is #4, #3, #2 and #1. The hydraulicpump on #3 engine is checked, once thatengine is running, by selecting the flapsUP. If the flaps retract, the pump is ser-viceable. #2 and #1 engines are thenstarted in sequence. After each engine hasbeen started the throttle is adjusted so thatit runs between 1200 and 1500 rpm.

On completion of the after startcheck, which includes closing the bombdoors, and after taxi clearance has beenreceived from the tower, the aircraft istaxied to an appropriate area for enginerun-up. That area is usually near the endof the runway in use. Taxiing is com-menced by setting the inner engines at1000 rpm, reducing power on the outerengines to idle and then releasing thebrakes and letting the aircraft move for-ward. The brakes are checked, as the air-craft starts moving. Air brakes are usedon this aircraft. They are activated bysqueezing a hand-operated lever on thepilots control wheel.

One of the greatest challenges to thenewcomer on the aircraft, is keeping itwhere it should be on the taxiways and

runways. The taxi speed is controlled byincreasing or decreasing power on #1 and#4 engines in conjunction with brake ap-plication where required. Judicious useof the brakes and #1 and #4 throttles arethe key to success in taxiing. That phaseof the operation is difficult because thetail wheel on the aircraft is not steerable.Also, the large turning moment on theaircraft caused by use of the outer enginethrottles is a major factor. Misuse of thosethrottles can quickly start the aircraftmoving in the wrong direction.

When the aircraft has been maneu-vered as close as practical to the end ofthe runway, and has been turned into thewind, the parking brake is set and the run-up check carried out. During the run-upitems such as: propeller function, mag-neto serviceability, generator function,and maximum RPM and boost availablefor take-off are checked.

When all required items have beenchecked serviceable, the flap is set at 15degrees, and clearance received from thetower, the aircraft is taxied to position onthe runway. Once cleared for take-off thepilot advances the throttles to the “gate”position, leading slightly with #1 throttle.At the same time, right rudder must beapplied to counteract the aircraft swingto the left. That swing is caused by theslipstream as it hits the side and tail sec-tion of the aircraft when the engines areset at take-off power. At the “gate” posi-tion the propellers are rotating at 2850-3000 rpm and the “boost” is plus 9 lbs,which is approximately 48 inches ofmanifold pressure. At approximately 70knots indicated airspeed, the tail of theaircraft can be raised to put it in a hori-zontal attitude. That is accomplished byapplying a firm forward pressure on thecontrol column. It is then that the airflowaround the rudders enables the pilot tomaintain directional control by gentle andyet firm movements of the rudder ped-als. If a cross-wind is blowing duringtake-off, the ailerons must be deflectedinto wind to assist in maintaining direc-tional control.

At 100 knots airspeed, a gentle

backpressure is applied to the controlcolumn and the aircraft becomes airborne.Once safely airborne, the brake lever onthe control column is squeezed to stopthe main wheels from rotating. The un-dercarriage (u/c) is then selected UP. Af-ter the u/c is fully retracted and the air-craft is climbing at 120 knots, the flapsare selected UP. When they are in the“UP” position”, the power is reduced to2400 rpm and the boost set at plus 4 lbs.The climb is continued at 140 knots.

At approximately 500 feet andclimbing, a rate one turn to the left of 90degrees is made to enter the upwind legof the circuit. At 1000 feet, the aircraft isleveled off, power reduced to 2200 rpmand plus 2 lbs of boost. A further turn of90 degrees to the left is then made to en-ter the downwind leg of the circuit. 140knots is maintained until the u/c is low-ered at approximately the mid-point po-sition on downwind leg of the circuit.

With the u/c DOWN the speed re-duces to 120 knots without changing thepower settings. The landing check is thencarried out to ensure all is ready for thelanding. Shortly thereafter, another turnof 90 degrees is made to the left to com-mence the crosswind leg of the circuit.That turn is usually commenced when theend of the landing runway becomes vis-ible at the trailing edge of the port wing.

As the turn to the crosswind leg iscommenced, the first flap selection forlanding, approximately 20 degrees down,is made. Power is reduced slightly and aslow descent is commenced at 120 knots.At 500 feet above ground the final turnto the left is made to align the aircraftwith the landing runway. More flap islowered at that time, to approximately 30degrees down, and the airspeed reducedto 115 knots. At approximately 200 feetabove ground, the final flap selection forlanding is made and the rpm levers aremoved to the full fine pitch position.Speed is then further reduced so that theend of the runway is crossed at 100 knots.The point on the runway that is normallyused for touchdown is the runway num-bers. Those numbers are painted at the


Page 18


I started flying Lancasters in Jan1955 when at the #2 Maritime Opera-tional Training Unit (MOTU) inSummerside, PEI. Later I was with 407Maritime Patrol (MP) Squadron Comox,BC, flying Lancasters from June, 1955to June 1957 and with 107 Rescue Unit(RU) Torbay, Newfoundland. My lastflight in an RCAF Lancaster was on July10, 1963. That flight was in LancasterFM-213. I did my next flight in FM-213,the Mynarski Lancaster, after it was re-stored by CWH, on 23 September 1988.

end of each runway to indicate it’s mag-netic alignment. The throttles are gradu-ally closed to the power-off position asthe aircraft crosses the end of the runway.The airspeed gradually decreases so thatat touch down it is approximately 70knots. The landing is made in a slight taildown attitude, which means that the mainwheels touch the runway first.

After touchdown the speed decreasesand the tail wheel touches the runway.That point in the landing phase is the mostcritical, and the time at which the pilotmust really be “on the ball” to ensure thata swing towards the side of the runwaydoesn’t occur. He, therefore, must ensurejudicious use of rudders, throttles andbrakes to keep the aircraft on the runway.Taxiing to the ramp also requires carefulattention controlling the aircraft until ithas been maneuvered into the assignedparking position on the ramp for shutdown. The bomb doors are opened dur-ing the taxi to the ramp.

Prior to shutting the engines down,they are run at 1500 rpm for approxi-mately one minute. That procedure is toclear any spark plug fouling that mighthave occurred when low engine powerwas used during taxiing. The engines areshut down by placing the ICO switchesto the idle cut off position. #1, #3 and #4engines are simultaneously shut down.With only #2 engine running, the flapsare selected DOWN to check that the hy-draulic pump on that engine is working.Before leaving the aircraft the “shut-down” check is completed to ensure allaircraft systems are in fact shutdown andthat all levers, controls and switches arein the proper positions.

Specifications:4 Packard Merlin 224/9 12 cylinder inlineliquid cooled engines of 1640 hp each.Fuel: 2154 gals of 100 or 100/130 lowlead.Max t/o weight: 53,000 lbs.Wingspan: 102 ft.Length: 69ft. 5in.Height: 20ft. 4in.Crew (wartime): Seven

Above: FM 213 while serving with 103 Rescue Unit at Torbay, Newfoundland.The aircraft is in Mk. 10P configuration in this photo. After retiring from theAir Force, FM 213 was put on pylons until she was rescued by the CanadianWarplane Heritage Museum, who restored her to flying condition. Today shewears the colors of the Mynarski Lancaster.

(Via Cy Dunbar and Ken Brown)

FM-213 today as the MynarswkiLancaster.

(Ken Brown, Photos)


Page 19


The Annual General Meeting ReportThe 2003 Annual General Meeting washeld on January 25th at R.A. Park. TheAGM provided a review of the 2002 sea-son with reports by: Mark Peapell as out-going President, Treasurer, GaryMcMahon, Board of Directors’ ChairFrank MacLoon and Board MemberMichael Garvey.The President’s Report:Outgoing 2002 President Mark Peapellgave a report which covered the year’sevents at ACAM. During his presenta-tion, Mark reviewed the status of the vari-ous restoration projects that are ongoingat the Museum. He also discussed someof the larger problems that continue todog our organization such as: the statusof the roof in the Gift Shop building andthe need to increase the depth and par-ticipation of the volunteers. Additionalinformation was presented on our work-ing relationships with the Nova ScotiaMuseum, Halifax Regional Municipalityand Tourism. In closing, Mark made itquite clear that our Museum is going tohave to make some changes in our gov-ernance in preparation for our next NovaScotia Museum audit. ACAM’s currentgovernance system does not fall in linewith how NSM expects the CommunityMuseums in Nova Scotia to be run. Onestatement that was made during the runof the day that stands out was, “ACAMhas reached a state where we must changefrom a ‘community group’ to be run morelike a business.”The Treasurer’s Report:Treasurer Gary McMahon provided themembership with a comprehensive reporton the state of ACAM’s finances. With-out going into too much detail, here is alist of some of the key increases and de-creases that Gary has been watching overthe last year.Gift Shop Sales +3.5%Grants -1.5%Donations +9.0%Membership Dues -18.5%Summer Student Expense +78.5%

Above: Treasurer Gary McMahon andOutgoing President Mark Peapell setup their laptops for their year-end pre-sentations.

Above: Frank MacLoon presentsDanny Price the Volunteer of the YearAward.Below: Reg Clarke receives a plaquefrom Frank MacLoon to mark his 25years as Curator at the Museum.

(R. MacIlreith, Photos)

Insurance +20.0%NSM Grant -19.5%Sabre Event Revenue $2,300+One of our big additional expenses is thesummer students. ACAM added a 3rdstudent last year despite only havinggrants for 2 students. The Museum hasreached a point where 3 students are thebare minimum which we can operate withand we will require 3 summer studentsfor the 2003 Season as well.Board of Directors and Presentationsof Awards:Frank MacLoon provided the member-ship with a short message of congratula-tions to the Executive and Membershipfor another successful year. Frank thenmade the presentation of the Doug Ordi-nal Distinguished Member Award toDanny Price. The Award was inscribedwith the following: “Presented to DannyPrice in recognition of his long term dedi-cation to the development and improve-ment of the Museum and his ability todevelop and apply innovative approachesto problems as they arise and his par-ticular involvement in preparations forthe Sabre dedication.” Next, Frank madea presentation to Reg Clarke. Reg hasbeen the curator of the Museum for thelast 25 years and is officially retiring. TheAward was inscribed with the following:“Presented to Reginald W. Clarke in ap-preciation and in recognition of his 25years of dedication and committed ser-vice as Museum Curator. His dedicationto the Museum continues to be an inspi-ration to all who share his commitmentto the preservation of Aviation History ofAtlantic Canada.”Michael Garvey Presentation:Michael Garvey recently attended a meet-ing with the Nova Scotia Museum regard-ing the upcoming governance issues thatour organization is going to face. Theinformation that Michael presented gavethose in attendance a quick look into thecomplex issue that we must tackle in avery short time.


Page 20


Election of Officers:The 2003 Executive was nominated andpassed by the membership. The 2003Executive is as follows:President: Rob MacIlreithVice President: Barry RodenhiserTreasurer: Gary McMahonSecretary: Bruce PaulPast President: Mark PeapellGift Shop Manager: Dave McMahonMembers At Large: Ron Cunningham,Bill Leeming, Danny Price, and MichaelWhite.

�� :

��, ��

�� , ��. ��

��. ��

��

�� , � ��

�� . �� .�.�.: ��

�� . ��

��

� �� . ��

�� . ��

� �� 50 �� 67 ��

�� . ��

��

�� ; �� 3.

�� ome su-perbly funny commentary on round en-gine flying. Mr. MacNutt was an ex-tremely entertaining speaker and he wasenjoyed very much.

The meeting ended with a social ses-sion and some food via the R.A. ParkMess. The afternoon provided the mem-bership with some time to socialize anddiscuss some of the Museum’s issues.Thanks to all of those that had a hand inplanning the session and getting it orga-nized into the successful day it was.

A Biography of Carl F.Burke M.B.E.: Canadian

Aviation PioneerAuthor: Allan MacNuttISBN: 0-9687627-1-9Cost: $23.95 (Available at the Gift Shop)Details: 204 pages, black and white pho-tos, soft cover. The gift shop currentlyhas 20 copies available that have beenautographed by the Author during hisvisit to Halifax for our AGM.Review: Carl F. Burke was an aviationpioneer that contributed to the develop-ment of air travel in Atlantic Canada.Allan MacNutt has produced a solid bookabout Burke’s life. For those that havean interest in civilian aviation this is agreat addition to your collection.

Special Sale Price $20.00for Current ACAM Members

Museum Notes

Job Priority List: In an effort to improvethe Museum’s productivity, a meeting ofthe Saturday workers identified a num-ber of jobs to complete. These jobs arelist at:

http://acam.ednet.ns.ca/jobs.htmYour help is needed!

Jetstar: The carpet for the Jetstar resto-ration has arrived. Limited restorationwork continues, although the cold hashampered the restoration effort.

Facility: Limited repairs and improve-ments continue on the building. Planninghas begun on gyprocking the tunnel thatconnects the two buildings and new dis-plays will go up in this area when theproject is complete.

Canso: Tail restoration continues. Thefabric for the rudder has been ordered andsome minor patchwork is being com-pleted. Corrosion control continues on thestabilizer assembly, including replacingscrews, rivets and plates that need to bereplaced.

Service Learning Projects: Two groupsof students at Leslie Thomas Junior HighSchool have begun Service-LearningProjects for the Museum. A group ofGrade 8 students are in the process ofbuilding a second interactive map displayfor the Museum. This map will coverNewfoundland and Labrador. A group ofGrade 7 students has begun to constructthe display cabinets for the Sabre. Thanksto Barry Rodenhiser for putting the planstogether for the students. The plannedcompletion date for these projects is July1st. Stay tuned for a progress report fromthe students in our May issue. Addition-ally, the Heartwood Foundation is shoot-ing some promotional video about Ser-vice Learning with these students, a veryexciting project for all involved!


Page 21


Orville Pulsifer Sr.By: Rob MacIlreith

Orville Pulsifer in uniform.(ACAM Collection)

It is with great sadness that we notethe passing of Orville Pulsifer Sr., age 92,on January 22nd, 2003. Mr. Pulsifer was amember of our Museum community andwas the first inductee into the Museum’sHall of Fame.

Orville Bates Pulsifer was born in1910 in Wittenburg, Colchester County,Nova Scotia. He was the son of Sewardand Bertha (Bates) Pulsifer. Orville com-pleted high school and then spent twoyears attending night school at theGugenhynme Aeronautical School andLaboratory, Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology. During his time there hewould wash and polish old Ford Tri-mo-tors in exchange for half hour flying les-sons. In an interview with the ChronicleHerald in 2000, Orville stated, “Turnedout it wasn’t very good, they weren’t in-structors, really, because we had no in-struction schools as we have today. Theysort of said, ‘Go ahead, see if you can flyit.’”

��

��

��

�� .

As well, during this time he became theService Manager for a local car dealer-ship. In 1937, Orville and a group of li-censed pilots founded No. 116 AuxiliaryFighter Squadron at Halifax. There, how-ever, was the problem of not having anyaircraft for a short time and the Squad-ron was disbanded in November of 1939.Orville was then sent to 10 Bomber Re-connaissance Squadron where he flewsome anti-submarine patrols in Digbys.From there Pulsifer was sent to trainingat RCAF Trenton and RCAF Borden.After obtaining a 1A all types, Flying In-structor category ticket he was held inTraining Command as Commanding Of-ficer of No. 13 EFTS at Pendleton,Ontario.

As Commanding Officer, Orvillehad to recommend two officers everymonth for overseas duty. In an effort toget into action, Orville recommendedhimself for two consecutive months. Hethen received an order to report to Train-ing Command Headquarters immedi-ately. After receiving a reprimand andtold not to do it again, Orville recom-mended himself for overseas duties for athird month and had his command takenaway and the $1.00 a day Command pay. He was then put in command of standard-ization flight for all Elementary FlyingTraining Schools in Canada. Orvillewanted to go overseas and become afighter pilot but the Air Force turned himdown, telling him that at the age of 29,he was too old to go into combat.

Orville accumulated over 3000 hourswhile in Training Command. The longlist of aircraft he flew while he was inservice included: Tiger Moth, FleetCornell, Yale, Harvard, Lockheed 10 and12, and the Hurricane. Eventually Pulsiferwould fly 30 kinds of military aircraft andsent thousands of pilots solo in single andmulti-engine aircraft. Before the warended, Orville Pulsifer became the com-mander of all standardized flight train

ing in Canada under the British Common-wealth Air Training Plan. In theChronicle Herald interview Orvillestated, “And I never had a fatal accident,ever. I’ve been the most lucky fellow inthe world that way.”

After the war ended, Orville Pulsifercontinued his career in aviation which in-cluded some unique and challenging fly-ing in single and multi-engine aircraft,some on wheels, some on floats and skis.He towed banners, conducted photo-graphic surveys for the Province of NovaScotia and started the province’s firstaerial forest service, searching for forestfires. The aircraft the service used at thetime did not have the required range tofly across the entire province. Instead thepilots would carry five gallon cans of fuelin the cabin with them and land and re-fuel somewhere along the route in orderto have sufficient fuel to get home.

After the war, the Halifax Board ofTrade asked Orville to recommend a lo-cation for a major airport in the region.He recalled one day that he helped pullan airplane out of the bush that DougSaunders, another local aviation pioneer,had crashed. Looking around the area andrecalling what the terrain looked like fromthe air, Pulsifer thought that it would bea good location for an airport. That wasthe site that he recommended to the Boardof Trade and today Halifax InternationalAirport stands on that location and aplaque at the airport recognizes that fact.Orville Pulsifer also imported aircraft intoCanada and sold them. Eventually, hewould import 98 aircraft into the coun-try.

Aviation was not Orville’s only job.In his 60’s, Orville obtained his marineengineers’ papers. Realizing that manyships had poor drinking water, he foundedSparkling Springs Ltd., which sellsbottled water. That company has opera-tions on two continents. He also inventedseveral machines for the mining industry


Page 22


including a portable mill for preparingmineral ore samples. He was active inprospecting into his later years. His otherinventions included a mid-water trawl forfishing and research. He designed sev-eral concepts for energy systems usingocean wave power.

Orville Pulsifer flew for over 62years and had over 16,000 hours in hislogbook, the equivalent of over 667 daysof flying. In fact, in 2000, it was only aheart condition that prevented Orvillefrom flying on his own.

Orville Pulsifer is survived by hissecond wife, Edna; son and daughter-in-law, Orville Jr. and Ruth, Shortt’s Lake;grandchildren, Craig, Salmon Arm, B.C.;Beth Smith, Wolfville; six great-grand-children; sisters, Phyllis and Blanche, re-siding in New England. His life is the sub-ject of a book by A. Ross Brown ofHalifax, “Orville B. Pulsifer: The Man,The Vision, The Legacy”, soon to be pub-lished on behalf of the Aircrew Associa-tion of Nova Scotia.Right: The Museum’s display onOrville Pulsifer.

News Shorts:CanJet Announces

Price CutsHalifax based discount airline CanJet

announces reductions in fares of up to40% in late Feb. “CanJet’s January ‘Win-ter Sizzler Seat Sale’ was an overwhelm-ing success which drew enormous re-sponse from customers throughout east-ern and central Canada.” said Julie N.Gossen, Executive VP and Chief Oper-ating Officer, CanJet Airlines. “Theairline’s research, combined with cus-tomer feedback, indicates CanJet not onlycaptured seasoned air travelers but alsocreated a whole new market of custom-ers who have never flown before. Thegeneral public has clearly told us thateveryday low fares fill airline seats andwe are responding with an across theboard reduction of up to 40% off all ex-isting regular fare levels.”

CanJets website is listing fares suchas: Toronto to Halifax or Moncton as lowas $74 one-way; St. John’s or Deer Laketo Toronto as low as $104 one-way;Montreal or Ottawa to Halifax as low as$64 one-way; Moncton to St. John’s aslow as $64 one-way.

Pan Am ClipperConnection To Serve

Bangor, MEMartha’s Vineyard,Nantucket and Ca-nadian Maritimes

Beginning March 20th, Pan Am af-filiate Boston-Maine Airways will beginregular scheduled non-stop service be-tween Manchester Airport and Bangor,ME, the islands of Martha’s Vineyard andNantucket, and the Canadian Maritimecity of Saint John, New Brunswick, aswell as, one-stop service to another Mari-time destination, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Boston-Maine Airways namehas its roots in the earliest days of com-mercial aviation. In the late 1920’s andearly 1930’s, the Boston & Maine andMaine Central Railroads jointly ownedand operated the original Boston-MaineAirways, which provided internationalmail and passenger service throughout theNortheastern United States and the Ca-nadian Maritimes. In fact, Amelia Earhartwas a Vice President of the original Bos

ton-Maine Airways, which also operatedunder a contract with a then-fledgling PanAm.

Op Apollo UpdateThe Honourable John McCallum,

Minister of National Defence, announcedtoday that having accepted the commandof Task Force 151, Canada has decidedto send a command and control destroyer,HMCS Iroquois, to the Arabian Sea togive Commodore Girouard the platformhe needs to fulfill his coalition responsi-bilities.

“The addition of a destroyer repre-sents a significant contribution to thecampaign against terrorism and is repre-sentative of Canada’s commitment to itscoalition allies and its support of the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom,” saidMcCallum.

HMCS Iroquois, commanded byCaptain (N) Paul Maddison, sailed witha helicopter detachment embarked thatwas originally intended for HMCSFredericton. HMCS Fredericton, whichwas slated to sail on February 17 to re-place HMCS Montréal, already in theGulf, will now delay her sailing date un-til another helicopter detachment crewcan be prepared to sail with her.[Editor’s Note: Crash update next issue.]


Page 23


ID QuizThis photo was submitted by Nigel

Service as our March ID Quiz. This photoshould prove to be challenging for ourreaders. As a side note, the photo wastaken landing at Halifax International.

Remember in order to qualify for acorrect answer, you must identify boththe aircraft and the aircraft manufacturer.Submit your answers to the Editor at:[email protected] or by snail mail at theaddress on the front cover.

Do you have a photo that you thinkmay prove to be a challenge for our mem-bers and readers? Photos can be submit-ted by e-mail at the above address. Pleasescan your photos at 300dpi and 25%.

In the Air and Onthe Ground

The Concorde arrived in Halifax asa precaution in late Febuary. Damage tothe Number 3 engine was the reason. TheConcorde was here for 4 days leaving onSat. Feb 22, attracting a large number ofpeople to watch. More photos of the eventwill be puiblished next issue.

(Gene Hamilton, Photo)

Would You Fly This?Submitted by Mike Garvey. This

China Airlines aircraft landed in Frank-furt, Germany for fuel with the number 3engine secured with seatbelts because ofexcessive vibration. The aircraft flying on3 engines was short of fuel due to theextra drag so they landed at Frankfurt.

The Germans inspected andgrounded the aircraft. In the endl, the air-craft needed 3 engines replaced before itwas declared airworthy. Can you imag-ine being a pilot and taking off with only3 engines and one secured with seat belts.Note the condition of the fan blades. Itwas a miracle that these potential Dar-win Award winners made it this far with-out killing themselves and any other poorsouls!


Page 24


unsung heroes. I am sure that someonelike her lives in each house of our mem-bers. So to all the wives out there, whomake sacrifices so that we can do our bestto preserve history for future genera-tions… a big thank you!

Frank MacLoon is examining differ-ent methods of funding for our organiza-tion. He is looking for input from ourmembership in the form of suggestionsof different grants and sources that wecan tap. With government funding cutsand reductions in the Community Mu-seum funding program, it will be essen-tial that ACAM diversify it’s fundingsources and make partnerships within thecorporate community. Fund raising ef-forts will require a major investment interms of manpower and time. Your con-tributions can make all the difference tothe Museum in the future. Frank can becontacted by e-mail through our e-mailaddress at: [email protected] or at hishome by snail mail at:

Frank MacLoon62 Crestline Dr.

McLeod Hill, N.B.E3A 6B1

As we talk about membership andfund raising, we must remind everyonethat 2003 has begun and it is importantto contribute your membership fees forthis season. Fund raising begins at home!Gary McMahon reported that our mem-bership fees dropped by 18.5% last sea-son, although we continued to send outnewsletters. I encourage each of you tomake sure your 2003 membership is upto date as soon as possible. Lastly, I wouldlike to thank Michael White and FrankMacLoon. Michael ran a 50/50 draw atour AGM as a fundraiser; FrankMacLoon was the winner and donated thewinnings to the Museum. This activityraised almost $70. Thanks guys!

I hope that as a team, we can improveupon ACAM’s past successes and soarinto a bright and profitable future. Withhard work and teamwork I know that wecan make our Museum even better, it willnot be easy, but it is possible!

Rob

this category I might suggest that we havemany jobs such as researching, fund-rais-ing and some small restoration and re-pair work that can be done off site thatwould help greatly. At a meeting on Sat-urday, February 15th, many jobs wereidentified and these jobs are posted onour website at: http://acam.ednet.ns.ca.jobs.htm Jobs will beupdated on a regular basis with new jobsadded, completed jobs removed and sta-tus and project leaders listed. Jobs willbe posted in a basic priority which willbe re-evaluated on a quarterly bases. Ifyou find something there that interestsyou, contact me and we will fix you upwith what you need.

If you have never volunteered at theMuseum before or you’re a member fromthe past that would like to come out andget started again, our new membershiprepresentative is Danny Price. Danny isa long-time member of the Museum andis one of our regular Saturday volunteers.He will be happy to show you around andintroduce you to the guys that work atthe Museum and find a spot on a team ora job that you are interested in. If youwould like to know more about our Mu-seum, Danny is with whom you need totalk. Danny can be contacted at 477-1953or by e-mail through our e-mail addressat: [email protected].

As our Exec has changed over sincelast year, it has taken us a while to getspun up to speed. Thanks to our past Execfor turning the Museum over in very goodshape. I will remain the Editor of ournewsletter and take care of assemblingit. I do require more help with story re-search and writing. The newsletter takesa lot of material and time to put togethereach issue and the more writing that Ihave to do, the less time I have for otherthings. If you would like to contributebut you are worried about the quality ofyour writing, do not let that stop you. Iwill be happy to edit for you. Since I’mon the topic of newsletter and editing, letme take a minute to thank my Editor. Mywife gets roped into editing my workevery issue and is one of those

President’s MessageFrom the Desk of Rob MacIlreith

So much to do… so little time, vol-unteers and money. Time is a variable thatcannot be changed, however, volunteersand fund raising are something that wecan manage. Lao – Tzu remarked, “Ajourney of a thousand miles must beginwith a single step.” At this time ACAMhas made many steps in that thousand-mile journey but it is by no means com-plete. In mid January, the CBC ran a storyabout volunteering and I noted a few sta-tistics in the story. In the last 10 years thenumber of people that volunteer in thiscountry has declined by 48%; a very tell-ing and startling comment on today’s so-ciety. Also, in that same 10-year period,the average volunteer has increased theamount of volunteer hours by 33%. Themoral of the story, as it relates to ACAM,is that the participation of our volunteershas fallen off drastically in the last fewyears. I have been a volunteer at the Mu-seum for 10 years this summer and I havenoted that the number of volunteers thatwork at the Museum on an average Sat-urday has fallen from 16-20 guys to just7 last Saturday. Knowing that participa-tion tends to fall off in the winter, I reallyhope that our numbers are going to comeup in the spring.

For some people, visiting the Mu-seum on a regular basis to work is verydifficult. For those of you that fall into

Above: China Airlines Engine. Notethe seat belts that were securing it inflight to keep it from windmilling.

Documents

The Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum Newsletter on … · 3/1/2010 · The Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum Newsletter on May ... airframe rolling off the line ... areas covered over