Clear Skies, Terry

Yesterday I attended the funeral of a friend of mine.  I've known Terry McDonough for many years.  We met while volunteering at Calgary's Aerospace Museum (now, the Hangar Flight Museum). 

While talking we discovered that we were also both long time volunteers at the Calgary Stampede!  Last year Terry proudly accepted a Calgary Stampede Honourary Life Membership!  Our connection to aviation and the Stampede proved most beneficial!

Terry was a life-long aviator!  Flying with him was a real treat!  He was out to promote aviation any way he could!  With Terry's enthusiasm and drive, we were able to take a museum plane, the Cessna Ag Wagon aerial applicator plane, to both the Stampede July show and to Aggie Days!  Through Terry's efforts, we were able to put to rest many misconceptions and outright falsehoods about aerial application in agriculture!

Terry was a hard worker and a practical joker!  I fell victim to a couple of his jokes over the years.  His schemes were never hurtful and always generated bushels of giggles and laughs!  Terry's city of Calgary will miss him.  And so will many of the rest of us!  Clear skies, Terry! 

A Personal Remembrance

Fred Courtman

My father, Fred Courtman, was a veteran.  He joined the British Royal Air Force as a young man before the Second World War.  He was trained in electronics and avionics.   He spent much of 1938 and 1939 patching up RAF planes broken by over eager student pilots, or later shot at by Germans.  He witnessed the Battle of Britain from the tarmac of airfields around London.

Shortly after that he was sent overseas to Canada to become a part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, or BCATP.  Now he spent his days patching up the brightly painted yellow training aircraft of the training schools around Calgary.  He spent much of his time posted at what is now the Calgary International Airport (YYC).  He told me stories of he and his RAF colleagues marching around the drill hall which is now home to the Hangar Flight Museum (formerly, the Aerospace Museum) .  He met and married my mother while he was stationed here.

He was shipped back shortly after the war ended.  My Mom followed as soon as civilians were permitted to sail.  My Mom told us that she was in the very last convoy to leave Halifax. That makes my Mom a "reverse" War Bride!  She went to Britain, at the same time thousands of British girls were coming here after marrying Canadian soldiers, over there!

Life in Britain was hard after the war.  Factories that would have hired my Dad with his electronics and avionic skills had been bombed into oblivion.  Shortly after my birth my parents decided to return to Canada.  We three sailed back to Canada as part of a shipload of immigrants and refugees.  My Mom loved to say that she was one of the few immigrants to arrive in Canada carrying a Canadian passport!

The rest they say is history.  My parents settled in Calgary after they came to Canada, and Dad worked at the Calgary Brewery on Blackfoot Trail for many years until he retired.  Although he didn't talk about it often, my Dad was always very proud of his eight years in the Royal Air Force.  He wore a poppy every year, and he loved his adopted country.

My Dad passed away sixteen years ago.

I will be attending  the Remembrance Day ceremonies at Acme on Friday morning.  I will be placing a wreath on behalf of the Village of Beiseker, but I will also be thinking about my Dad!

A New Name for YYC?

It has been suggested a few times lately that the Calgary International Airport be renamed after former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.  I totally disagree!  I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Harper, but I don't think naming the airport after him is quite appropriate. 

Besides, the airport already has a name; McCall Field.  It was named after Freddy McCall, a Calgarian and a fighter ace of the First World War.  He did much to promote and expand aviation in Southern Alberta and Calgary.  I knew his son, the late Fred Jr. who was also heavily involved in aviation in Calgary and worked tirelessly to make the Aero Space Museum of Calgary the success it is today.

I think the airport's name should be returned to McCall International Airport.  Just because the Liberals like to name airports after former Liberal Prime Ministers doesn't mean Calgary has to follow along.

The Little Plane That Could

I have followed the latest Antarctic rescue with a great deal of interest and pride for my nation.  This is the third time that Kenn Borek Air of Calgary has sent a team down to the other end of the world in winter to rescue scientists at the South Pole. 

The South Pole is difficult to get to at the best of times, but in winter it is next to impossible.  The Americans fly in there in the summer months, but they stop going there when the weather starts its winter blast.   Winter down there is frightening, with extreme winter conditions coupled with total darkness. To go there in the winter you need an extremely well trained, professional crew and a very special airplane that can survive the -70 degree temperatures, blowing snow and horrible wind shifts.

Enter the Canadian-designed and built de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter or "Twotter" as many of their pilots call them.  It came from a long line of specially built bush planes, designed to fly in Canada's vast North. 

First of the line was the little DHC-2 Beaver, probably the most famous bush plane of all time.  Then came its big brother, DHC-3 Otter.  Both were single piston engine planes built to be happy on wheels, skis, or floats. 

The last in that series was the Twin Otter with turbo-prop engines.  That was in 1965!  The plane was developed from the Otter and was a huge success.  But less than 1000 were built before production ended in 1988, a relatively small number for the production of a successful plane.

Even though production ended, the sturdy little "Twotters" flew on to fame.  Now used all over the globe, they still shine as bush planes, flying in the hostile cold of the worlds polar regions.  Despite the Hollywood stories to the contrary, all three rescues made at the South Pole in the winter have been in DHC-6 Twin Otters from Kenn Borek Air!  In fact I believe Kenn Borek Air has the world's largest fleet of Twin Otters! Makes you proud to be Canadian, doesn't it?

Just a couple of notes;

•  You can see the world's second DHC-6 Twin Otter at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary on McKnight Boulevard, across from the Port O' Call Inn.  It's registry is CF-PAT and it first flew in 1965.  It was fully restored for the Museum by Kenn Borek Air who flew it for many years.
• The DHC-6 Twin Otter was so successful they are now being built again!  Viking Air of Calgary and the west coast is building brand new beautiful Twin Otters under license!  These are gorgeous, updated versions of that famous airplane!

Gracie Landage Passes

I was saddened to read that Gracie Landage passed away March 15.  Gracie and her late husband Jack Landage were the first to build a hangar out at the Beiseker Airport. 

When the Village all but abandoned the airport, Jack and Gracie kept it going as best they could!  Jack would do some of the field maintenance while Gracie kept the old terminal building clean.  In fact, we named one of the roads at the airport "Landage Way" as a tribute to their work keeping that airport going through those dark days.

You would often find them out at the Beiseker Airport; Jack tinkering with one of his antique airplanes while Gracie would be doing her needlework in the cab of the truck!  Those two complemented each other.  They raced motorcycles and race-cars together.  She and Jack would strike out cross-country to antique plane gatherings across North America.  Jack held a valid pilots' license and flew well into his eighties, and Gracie was always his co-pilot.

Gracie passed away quietly.  She was 94 years old.  My condolences to all her friends and family.

To see two of Gracie's and Jack's favorite planes, first go the Aero Space Museum of Calgary to see his WACO Cabin Biplane, seen in the photo above.  The other aircraft (a blue and yellow open cockpit WACO biplane) is now flying in Hawaii - you can see a video of it flying on YouTube, here.  If you look at the video carefully, you can see Jack's and Gracie's names still painted on the side of the cockpit.  The new owner has left the plane pretty much exactly as the Landages had it; a tribute to their restoration skills!

Aero Space School at the Museum

I was very pleased to once again volunteer at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary located at the south-east side of the Calgary International Airport.  They operate a program called Aero Space School there in conjunction with Campus Calgary. 

Calgary students (mostly Grade Six kids) spend a whole school week at the museum, learning about aeronautics, space exploration, aviation in general, and Alberta's fascinating role in aviation over the past hundred years.

I hope to volunteer once each week when my schedule permits!  Folks who know me call me "Plane Crazy," so talking to the kids about my favorite topic is most enjoyable for me and I think they have fun too.

If you would like to visit the Museum, it is located across McKnight Boulevard from the Port-O-Call Inn.  There are over twenty full size aircraft on display there, some of which have been fully restored!  There are many stories told and heroes to meet there.  I hope you'll visit some time.

In Memory of Fred McCall

The aviation community is mourning the loss of one of its own.  Fred R McCall passed away, last week.

Fred's work in restoring old aircraft is renowned.  He built a replica of a Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" (or, "Canuck" in Canada) biplane for the Glenbow Museum and a Bell 47 helicopter for the Whyte Museum, in Banff.  He has been involved in many other aviation restoration projects in and around Calgary.

Next week the Aero Space Museum in Calgary will be taking its aerial applicator aircraft to Aggie Days at Stampede Park.  The retired Cessna is an excellent stand-in for the many working spray planes here in southern Alberta. It will teach hundreds of city school students how important this facet of aviation is to agriculture here in Alberta. Fred was part of the small group who restored and donated this aircraft to the Museum.

Calgary's airport, McCall Field, was named after Fred's father - Frederick RG McCall - and Fred was very involved in the Aero Space Museum there.  He served on the Museum's  Board of Directors and took an active part in its operation.

Fred McCall will be surely missed by the aviation community here in southern Alberta.  My sincere condolences go out to his family and friends.

A cold Remembrance Day

I hope you all were able to attend a Remembrance Day Ceremony yesterday morning.  I was unable to attend yesterday's local ceremony at Acme. 

I was honoured to be able to speak about a Calgary war hero to the folks gathered at the Aero Space Museum in the northeast of the city.  Ian Bazalgette is a hero of mine.  The young Canadian was killed in August of 1944 while trying to land a damaged Lancaster bomber to save two injured crew members.  He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his valour.

Thank you to our Deputy Mayor Al Henuset for representing the Village at the Acme Ceremonies.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the large numbers of Calgarians who came out to take part in the Remembrance Day Ceremonies around the city.  Even the outdoor ceremonies were well attended despite the cold weather. 

But I was most distressed to hear that some school boards in Canada have decided to permit students to avoid taking part in Remembrance Day Ceremonies held in their school!  Their reasoning is that the ceremonies glorify war and some parents object to that.

I disagree.  The dignified ceremonies I have witnessed over the years do not glorify war but recognise the huge sacrifices many young Canadians have made to ensure we have the freedoms we enjoy today.  Those Canadians who fought in those conflicts lived and died in a nightmare so that we might live our dreams!

Triple Booked & the C.O.P.S meeting

You've heard of folks being double booked? Well tonight, I'm triple booked!  I hate when that happens!

I have to attend an Aero Space Museum meeting tonight at the Calgary International Airport, but I  should also be at our Stage East rehearsal at the Beiseker Community Centre.  I would also like to attend the Citizens On Patrol (C.O.P.S) meeting at the Village Office at 7:00 p.m. tonight.

Obviously I won't be able to attend them all.

If you are concerned about vandalism in the village, I do urge you to attend the C.O.P.S meeting at the Village Office tonight.  These programs have been very effective in other communities with similar problems.  Get the full scoop tonight.

If I don't make it to that meeting, thank you for going and thank you for making Beiseker an even better community!

Remembrance Day Surprise

I hope your Remembrance Day experience was as meaningful as mine.  I attended the service held at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary at the south east corner of the Calgary International Airport.  We set up for about 250 people.  Less than 50 attended the last ceremony we had there about ten years ago.   We opened the doors before 10:00 a.m.  By 10:30 we had well over 500 present!  In total we had over 1300 Calgarians attend with another 200 unfortunately turned away!  We set up extra chairs and opened one of the big doors of the exhibit hall to allow as many as possible to participate.  We were all very surprised and deeply moved by this turnout.  After the service a few of us opened some of the old warbirds up so people could actually get inside them and experience them "up close and personal"!

What a wonderful experience.  We will most certainly be doing another ceremony on November 11, 2012.

Remembrance Day

I hope all Beisekerites (or is it Beisekerians) are wearing poppies.  Remembrance Day is this coming Friday. The ceremonies for this area are organized by our Royal Canadian Legion, Acme Branch and are held in the Acme Hall.  Get there early for a good seat.  The culmination of the ceremony is, of course, the moment of silence held at 11:00 a.m.  This year it will be the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of this new century.  I'm not sure, but I think the Legion is putting on a light lunch in the Acme Legion Hall after the ceremonies.  I think that Remembrance Day is more than remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for country.  I think it's also a chance for all of us to thank those men and women; veterans who survived! It's important to remember them, too!

I have decided to attend the Remembrance Day Ceremonies at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary, weather permitting.  I am a Director of the museum and I would like to attend this, the first Remembrance Day Ceremony held at the museum in more than 10 years.  After the ceremony a few of us involved with the museum will open up some of the military warbirds in the museum's collection so visitors can get up close and personal with Canada's proud military aviation past.

It's not important where you go to remember our fallen soldiers, it is important that you remember.