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It was magnificent. It was splendid. It was pointless.

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Oct 1, 2018
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Aviation
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Profile picture for user rfortier
By: Rénald Fortier
Ingenium – Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
Loading up Voo-Doo, the Waco Hadrian used for the first transatlantic flight by a cargo glider, Montreal Airport (Dorval), Dorval, Québec, June 1943. Anon., “Flying into focus”. Flying Aces, October 1943, 7.
Loading up Voo-Doo, the Waco Hadrian used for the first transatlantic flight by a cargo glider, Montreal Airport (Dorval), Dorval, Québec, June 1943. Anon., “Flying into focus”. Flying Aces, October 1943, 7.

Greetings, my reading friend. How are you today? I can only hope that the fall weather is not affecting you too much. Would you be pleased to hear (read?) that the event at the heart of this week’s article took place in summer, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away? All right, all right, our event actually took place on Earth but our planet was so different back then that one could argue it was an alien world. The year was 1943 and much of the Earth was in the throes of a cataclysmic conflict, the Second World War.

This conflict was a turning point in the history of many technologies that surround us, some of them good and some others bad, from antibiotics and helicopters to electronic computers and nuclear bombs. The technology at the heart of this article came into existence in the years that preceded the Second World War. It fell by the wayside during the years that followed this abominable period of the 20th century. This technology, say I, was the cargo / transport glider, a weapon used in combat for the first time in May 1940, by the German air force, or Luftwaffe, to land soldiers with more precision than one could expect when using paratroopers. Yours truly cannot say if, as a few sources state, cargo gliders were used in September 1939, during the invasion of Poland.

If the first cargo glider carried 10 people, pilot included, the aircraft makers of most of the great powers soon designed more imposing machines, capable of carrying more soldiers and / or a vehicle. By 1944, for example, a type of cargo glider used by the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF) tipped the scale at 16 325 kilogrammes (36 000 pounds) when loaded. The aforementioned German cargo glider weighed a paltry 2 100 kilogrammes (about 4 630 pounds) by comparison. Would you believe that the Luftwaffe tested a ginormous 39 400 kilogrammes (about 86 900 pounds) cargo glider in 1941? This aerial giant eventually went into production as a 6-engine transport plane, but I digress. The first of many such digressions I’m afraid.

By and large, cargo gliders and the aircraft that towed them did not cover very long distances. This did not prevent several / many people from wondering if long / very long distance flights could be made by such dynamic duos. Gliders might be used to deliver urgently needed cargo to the United Kingdom, for example, or to fly back to North America the crews which ferried thousands of vitally needed aircraft across the Atlantic day in and day out. Such thoughts soon turned into action. In late 1942 or early 1943, the head of the RAF’s Transport Command called an experienced pilot into his office, in Dorval, Québec, at Montreal Airport (Dorval), as Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport was known back then. Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick William Bowhill informed Wing Commander Richard Godfrey “Dickie” Seys, his son in law incidentally, that he had been chosen for a delicate mission. He and another pilot would fly a cargo glider across the Atlantic. The British pilot was horrified at the idea, but orders were orders.

Seys went to the United Kingdom to learn how to fly cargo gliders. He then flew to the United States to learn how to pilot the type of cargo glider he would fly across the Atlantic, the Waco Hadrian, an American design also / better known as the CG-4, its United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) designation. The machine chosen for the transatlantic flight was among the early examples made by a maker of piano parts, Pratt, Read & Company, a firm with no prior experience whatsoever in the making of aircraft.

Seys named his glider Voo-Doo because he seemed to think this name was connected in some way with one of the great magic tricks in history and one that may have never been performed in its native land, the Indian rope trick. He was mistaken, of course, as Vodou / Vodù / Voodoo / Vudù had / has nothing do with India. These Afro-American religions in the Americas were derived from Vodun, a religion still practiced in 2018 by the Fon, in Africa. Yours truly must say that the likelihood that the Indian rope trick was a hoax caught me by surprise. And yes, my knowledgeable reading friend, the exceptional collection of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, in Ottawa, Ontario, includes a McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo supersonic jet fighter. And no, yours truly does not intend to pontificate on this remarkable machine.

In any event, in the spring of 1943, Seys used another Hadrian made by Pratt, Read & Company to conduct a series of test flights of increasing lengths and with more and more cargo on board. He seemingly shared the controls of the glider with a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilot, Wing Commander Fowler Morgan Gobeil. The tow plane, a Douglas Dakota of the RAF, was seemingly flown by Flight Lieutenants William Sydney “Bill” Longhurst and Charles William Halliwell Thomson, 2 RAF pilots from Canada and New Zealand. These 4 men were fully qualified transatlantic pilots with Transport Command. Two other people from Transport Command joined the crew of the Dakota at some point. They were H. Gordon Wightman, a civilian radio operator from Canada, and Pilot Officer R.H. Wormington, an RAF flight engineer from the United Kingdom.

It should be noted that Longhurst joined the staff of Canadair Limited, an aircraft manufacturer based in Cartierville, Québec, in 1948. During the 1950s and 1960s, he tested most of the aircraft types produced by this subsidiary of an American defence giant, General Dynamics Corporation, namely:

- the North American F-86 Sabre fighter aircraft,

- the Lockheed T-33 Silver Star trainer aircraft,

- the Canadair CP-107 Argus maritime patrol aircraft,

- the Canadair CL-44 and CC-106 Yukon cargo aircraft,

- the Canadair CL-84 Dynavert experimental vertical take off and landing aircraft, and

- the Canadair CL-215 water bombing aircraft.

And yes, one can see a Sabre, a Silver Star, an Argus and a Dynavert in the stupendous, yes stupendous, collection of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. And yes again, both Canadair and General Dynamics were mentioned in a July 2018 issue of our blog / bulletin / thingee. Yours truly hopes that a CL-215, the very first purpose designed water bomber in the world if you must know, will one day be added to this collection, but back to the aforementioned test flights of Voo-Doo.

In April 1943, Voo-Doo and the Dakota left Montreal Airport (Dorval). They flew to North Bay, Ontario, and back to Dorval. A second non stop flight took the 2 aircraft to Maine. Soon after, the Hadrian and the Dakota made a roundtrip to the large RCAF airport at Goose Bay, Labrador, a part of Newfoundland, an all but colonial British territory at the time. This non stop distance world record was soon broken, however. Aware of the need to train over open waters, the Hadrian and the Dakota flew from Dorval to Nassau, Bermudas, in early May, with a few stops along the way. On the return trip, they flew all the way to Virginia, establishing a new non stop distance world record of 1 910 kilometres (1 187 miles), a journey that lasted a mind numbing 8 hours and 50 minutes. Yours truly would not be surprised to hear (read?) that this record remained unbeaten as of 2018. Now please remember that distance record, my reading friend.

It is worth noting that the journey from Virginia to Dorval was rather stressful. During the flight from Virginia to Washington, District of Columbia, Voo-Doo and the Dakota ran into severe turbulence in a clear blue sky. Besides its 2-man crew, the glider carried a passenger and a minimal amount of cargo, some coral rocks secured by ropes. The passenger hit the steel tube structure of the fuselage and was stunned. The rocks, on the other hand, broke free. Some of them punched though the floor and roof of the fuselage. Shocked by this turn of event, Seys, Gobeil and the passenger looked for any sign of damage. They found nothing. The coral rocks were re-secured and the flight continued. As the 2 aircraft reached a higher altitude, still in a clear blue sky, they ran into more turbulence. The passenger got tossed around and the coral rocks broke free yet again. As before, Seys, Gobeil and the passenger looked for any sign of damage. They found nothing. The coral rocks were re-secured and the flight continued. Had Voo-Doo been fully loaded, it was the crew’s opinion that its wings would have come off.

In spite of this close call, Gobeil, Longhurst, Seys, Thomson, Wightman and Wormington believed they were ready to cross the Atlantic. To help minimise the risks, the powers that be had decided well before that the flight would begin in North America to take advantage of the prevailing winds. Indeed, Voo-Doo and the Dakota would follow the ferry route linking the United States and Canada to the United Kingdom that 10 000 or so aircraft followed during the Second World War.

Before we look at this epic journey, yours truly would like to pontificate for a minute or three. Dakota was the name given by the RAF to the military transport planes known as the C-47 Skytrain or C-53 Skytrooper in USAAF service. More precisely, the Skytrain cargo carrier and Skytrooper troop carrier were military versions of the Douglas DC-3, a world famous airliner represented in, you guessed it, the collection of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. Voo-Doo's tow plane was one of the many Skytrains delivered to the RAF. Are we done with pontificating, you ask, my reading friend? We both know the answer to that question, don’t we?

A typical Waco CG-4 cargo glider. National Museum of the United States Air Force, negative number 060505-F-1234P-004

Even though Germany was the first country to use cargo gliders in combat, no place on Earth embraced these flying Trojan horses with greater enthusiasm than the United States. This was all the stranger given that only one American cargo glider actually saw combat, with the aforementioned USAAF. This machine, the equally aforementioned CG-4, was produced in greater numbers (about 13 905 examples, including 955 or so made by the Gould Aeronautical Division of Pratt, Read & Company) and in more places (16 assembly lines) than any other glider in history. The prototype flew around May 1942, soon after the signing of the first production orders.

Did you know that the CG-4's designer, Franklin A. "Frank" Dobson, was born in Ontario, in Bowmanville quite possibly? This graduate of Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, spent a couple of years studying in Germany, around 1936-38. Dobson worked for some time for the aeronautical section of an important manufacturer of railway rolling stock named Canadian Car and Foundry Company Limited mentioned in several issues of our blog / bulletin / thingee since November 2018. Yours truly does not know when he moved to the Unites States.

Waco Aircraft Company, a small firm with limited resources and no prior experience in the production of aircraft for the American armed forces, found itself saddled with the task of helping the 15 other companies involved in the CG-4 production programme put up their assembly line. It had never done anything like that before. The same could be said of the fact that Waco Aircraft had to provide sets of detailed drawings to its partners, and to the many subcontractors involved in the making of parts. This situation was further complicated by the fact that several of Waco Aircraft’s partners had no prior experience whatsoever in the making of aircraft. Worse still, a few of them were barely a few months old and had yet to produce so much as a tooth pick. The many changes to the drawings of the CG-4 demanded by the USAAF only made things worse. To be blunt, the managing team at Waco Aircraft was out of its depth. By the way, the name Waco should be pronounced Waaco, not Wacko or Wayco.

If truth be told, the desire to produce the CG-4 as quickly as possible was such that no standardised production tooling was used. As a result, many parts and components were not interchangeable. This situation, a rather unusual one in the land of standardised, mass production, greatly complicated the work of the maintenance and repair crews working in the United States and overseas. All right, all right, maintaining and repairing CG-4s could be a bleeping nightmare.

The cherry on the cake, if yours truly may use this expression, was that the USAAF did not seem to have a clear policy, guideline or directive regarding the use of cargo gliders. It even seemed unable to decide how many it wanted or needed. As a result, the glider programme of the USAAF was a land of confusion from beginning to end, if I may quote the title of a 1986 Genesis song made popular by British singer and drummer Philip David Charles “Phil” Collins.

Quite a few CG-4s were delivered to the RAF, which operated them under the name Hadrian. You may be amused to hear (read?), or not, that all the cargo gliders flown by this service had names that started with the letter H. And no, yours truly was unable to figure out the number of Hadrians delivered to the RAF during the Second World War, which truly annoyed me. Sigh. A kind soul was kind enough, however, to point out that 1 145 CG-4s were delivered to the RAF.

Ten examples of a low powered, twin engined derivative of the CG-4, the PG-2, were produced but not used in combat. Toward the end of the Second World War, Waco Aircraft hoped that small transport companies would buy many CG-4s once peace returned and use the special conversion kits it had designed to transform them into cheap transport airplanes. The company put aside the idea in early 1945, a few months before the end of the conflict.

Would you believe that a Skytrain or Skytrooper flying at very low level could snatch a CG-4 right off the ground using a fairly simple grappling system? This spectacular / hair-raising technique was tested on several occasions in 1944-45, in the United States, France and elsewhere. It may have been used out of necessity for the first time in May 1945, to pick up the survivors of an airplane crash in New Guinea. At least one other glider snatch took place in Canada’s Northwest Territories, in April 1946, during a military operation known as Exercise Musk Ox.

After the Second World War, unknown numbers of CG-4s, hundreds if not a few thousands, were sold as war surplus. A great many were bought and discarded by people who wanted to use the wood of their large shipping crates. Other CG-4s were turned into hunting cabins, lakeside cottages and towed trailers by cutting off their wings and tail. A veteran bought 6 CG-4s in order to turn their shipping crates into cabins for a tourist camp. He wanted to use the wings of the gliders as porch awnings for these dwellings. Any remaining wood was to be used to make a hot dog stand and a bathhouse.

You may be pleased to hear (read?), or not, your choice, that the RCAF received 4 Hadrians in September 1944. It also acquired 28 ex-USAAF machines, as well as a single PG-2, in 1946-47. Even though some of the gliders remained operational until June 1955, at least in theory, they had a rather brief active career in Canada. The term brief was most appropriate indeed given that, by 1950, precious few people, even in the United States, were still promoting / defending the cargo glider. Another type of flying machine perfected during the Second World War, the helicopter, had a lot more to offer to both military and civilian operators. The United States Air Force (USAF), the new name of the USAAF adopted in September 1947, pulled out of the glider business in 1950, for example.

It is worth noting that several CG-4s of the USAAF took part in the aforementioned Exercise Musk Ox. Held between February and May 1946, this very useful military operation, one of the largest, if not the largest exercise ever conducted in Canada’s northern regions, was publicly described as a test of military equipment and capabilities conducted by the Canadian and American armed forces. A less overt but equally important goal was to reassert Canadian sovereignty in these same regions, given the American presence there both during and after the Second World War, but back to our story. Apologies for the numerous digressions.

The transatlantic flight began on 23 June 1943. Voo-Doo was towed by a Dakota of the RAF fitted with additional fuel tanks. The heavily loaded tow plane, a flying gas tank for all intent and purposes, struggled into the air. The fact that Voo-Doo carried 1 360 to 1 525 kilogrammes (3 000 to 3 360 pounds) of assorted cargo did not help. These (urgently?) needed items consisted of blood plasma or vaccine destined for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, as well as radio, engine and aircraft parts, and a banana bunch. The blood plasma / vaccine, the radio parts and the banana bunch were quite fragile and… What’s this, my reading friend? Why the giggles? You will know that bananas could not be bought anywhere in the United Kingdom during the Second World War, at least not legally. Seys put a bunch of bananas on Voo-Doo so that his family in England could enjoy these delicious and nutritious fruits.

A Consolidated Catalina maritime patrol flying boat on its way to the United Kingdom joined the Hadrian and the Dakota soon after take off. Its crew was given the unenviable task of rescuing their crews of the other aircraft if they had to ditch in mid ocean for some reason or other. Given the presence of extensive ice packs and / or heavy seas in the North Atlantic, one has to wonder if a rescue attempt would have been successful. In any event, the lack of emergency exit on top of the Hadrian’s fuselage might have proved fatal for Seys and Gobeil. Incidentally, many people at Montreal Airport (Dorval) feared that the transatlantic journey would end badly. Odds of 5 to 1, even 7 to 1 perhaps, were laid against a successful crossing. There were no takers.

The first 4 hours of the flight were uneventful. Even so, Seys and Gobeil had to remain alert, at the controls, in case something went wrong. The near perfect weather slowly took a turn for the worse, however. Massive storm clouds came into view. Unable to climb above them, Voo-Doo, the Dakota and the Catalina were forced to fly below them, where they encountered very heavy turbulence. One moment, the glider was 6 metres (20 feet) above and behind the Dakota. A moment later, it could be 30 metres (100 feet) below and to one side of the tow plane. The Hadrian’s speed could go from close to 260 kilometres/hour to less than 155 kilometres/hour (160 to 95 miles/hour) in matter of seconds. The strain on the Nylon tow rope was tremendous as it went from hanging like a limp noodle to snapping as straight as a violin string.

Seys and Gobeil were powerless to control the Hadrian as the wind tossed it around like a leaf. The cargo stored behind them began to shift, a potentially dangerous situation. More ominously perhaps, ice began to form on Voo-Doo's wings. So much snow was falling that Seys and Gobeil rarely saw the Dakota. They talked with Longhurst and Thomson over the radio on several occasions to see whether or not they should turn back. The 4 men decided to carry on. All in all, the crews had to battle 3 snow storms. After 3 or so hours in hell, the airport at Goose Bay came into view. Seys and Gobeil cut loose from the Dakota and landed without a hitch. Longhurst and Thomson followed suit. Every crewmember was exhausted. Voo-Doo’s presence caused quite a stir, as it was the first cargo glider to land at Goose Bay.

The second leg of the journey took place on Sunday, 27 June, with the return of suitable weather. Voo-Doo, the Dakota and the Catalina were soon over the Atlantic. Understandably enough, all crew members were rather nervous. For most of the flight, the 3 aircraft travelled over a solid cloud cover. Mountains in Greenland came into view about 5 hours after take off. Soon after this, 3 squadrons of USAAF twin engine medium bombers, Martin B-26 Marauders if you must know, my aeronautically enthusiastic reading friend, went by the Hadrian and the Dakota. Their cruising speed was so much higher than that of both aircraft that Seys and his companions wondered if they were in fact moving backwards.

This feeling was akin to a phenomenon known as vection (Hi there, EP / EG or EG / EP! Sorry, private salutations.) If yours truly may be permitted to quote the website of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the word vection may be defined as “a feeling that you are moving even though you are immobile, brought by seeing something else moving.” Such an illusory motion can be dangerous for astronauts / cosmonauts / taikonauts if it leads them to misinterpret the speed and direction of other objects.

Given this, I am pleased to inform you that the CSA sponsored the development of a science experiment known as, yes, you guessed it, Vection which uses a specially designed virtual reality system to examine how microgravity affects International Space Station (ISS) crew members’ perception of their movements. This being said (typed)?, the results of this experiment could also be of use during future missions to the Moon or Mars. The research team behind this experiment came from York University in Toronto, Ontario. Seven astronauts (and cosmonauts?) are to be tested before, during and after their mission to the ISS. Vection is scheduled to take place between 2018 and 2022. It is worth nothing that Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques is one of the individuals involved in this experiment, but back to our story.

The final stage of the 27 June flight of the transatlantic journey was a landing at Bluie West 1 / Bluie West One / BW-1, an American air base located in a narrow fjord in Greenland surrounded by towering, snow covered mountains – a somewhat daunting prospect when flying a heavily loaded glider. Much to their relief, Seys and Gobeil experienced no real difficulty, thus completing the first landing of a cargo glider in Greenland, a Danish colony occupied by Allied troops at the time. The following day, someone noted that one of the 3 strands at each end of the tow rope was almost worn through. While resplicing said rope took little time, changes in the weather meant that the crews of the Hadrian and the Dakota remained grounded for the next 2 days. They passed the time resting, fishing, eating, etc.

Would you believe that Eystribyggð, the first permanent European settlement established in Greenland, in 985, stood very close to where Gobeil, Longhurst, Seys, Thomson, Wightman and Wormington rested, fished, ate, etc. The group of Viking colonists / invaders behind this achievement was led by Eiríkr Thorvaldsson, also known as Eiríkr Rauð, or Eric the Red. His son, Leif Eiríkrsson, led the first group of Europeans known to have set foot on the mainland of the Americas, around 1000, and I digress. Again. Apologies.

Voo-Doo, the Dakota and the Catalina left Greenland on 30 June after a first class check up by USAAF ground crews. Unable to clear the mountains surrounding Bluie West 1 with a heavily loaded glider in tow, the heavily loaded Dakota had to fly down a fjord filled with icebergs to reach the open sea, a procedure that no one had tried before. It actually left the ground 60 or so centimetres (2 feet) before the end of the runway, which happened to be where the land met the water. Unable to climb above the highest peaks of the Greenland ice cap, Voo-Doo and the Dakota had to follow the coast as they travelled to their next destination, Iceland, an independent country associated with Denmark at the time that was also occupied by Allied troops. The Catalina kept them company as usual.

Voo-Doo and the Dakota ran into thick low lying clouds, with intermittent rain squalls and heavy turbulence. Worse still was the fog, which extended right down to sea level. Seys and Gobeil soon lost sight of the Dakota. Violent gusts of wind shook the glider like a leaf. Ice began to form on the wings of Voo-Doo and the Dakota. Moisture in the glider’s fuselage actually condensed and fell as snow. As this took place, the 2 aircraft gradually climbed out of the danger zone. It began to snow. After experiencing some very violent bumps, Voo-Doo and the Dakota broke through the clouds. They found themselves in a clear area between 2 layers of thick clouds. Their ordeal had lasted a full hour. The clouds below Voo-Doo and the Dakota gradually disappeared, followed by those above them.

Sometime thereafter, all 3 crews saw the mountains of Iceland on the horizon. They were much relieved by the prospect of landing earlier than they had expected. As time went by, however, the coastline of the large island failed to appear. The men came to realise that what they had seen were massive clouds on the horizon. The same mirage appeared 2 more times until the real mountains of Iceland came into view. Three USAAF fighter airplanes met Voo-Doo, the Dakota and the Catalina, and escorted them to the RAF base at Reykjavik. Their presence was deemed necessary given the possibility that a German aircraft flying over the Atlantic to gather meteorological data could attack the unarmed transport airplane and glider.

After their landing, the crews of Voo-Doo and the Dakota were informed that the tow rope had suffered some damage. Unable to drop this crucial item on a grassy area near the airport, as it did throughout the journey, because there were too many houses nearby, the crew of the transport airplane had to drop it over the airport. The 2 metal ends of the tow rope were badly damaged when they hit the hard surfaced runway. A ground crew at Reykjavík worked on said rope throughout the evening and night. It also checked Voo-Doo, the Dakota and the Catalina. As this was taking place, the crews ate, did a tiny bit of sightseeing and rested.

The 3 aircraft left Iceland on 1 July, which happened to be Dominion Day, Canada’s national holiday, known in 2018 as Canada Day. Unwilling to fly into low clouds over the hills at the end of the runway, Voo-Doo and the Dakota had to make a steep turn to the right soon after leaving the ground. As the 3 aircraft began to climb to their cruising altitude, they were faced by severe turbulence. Upon reaching said cruising altitude, the air became smooth. The USAAF fighter escort their crews requested by Seys failed to show up, as did the RAF fighter escort that was supposed to accompany Voo-Doo, the Dakota and the Catalina as they got close to the United Kingdom. Lucky for him and his teammates, no German aircraft flew by during the journey. Even so, everyone kept a sharp lookout.

The next 2 hours were uneventful, if somewhat stressful, with a bright sun shiny day above and solid clouds below. These gradually broke up as clouds began to form above Voo-Doo and the Dakota. The crews soon ran into very heavy rain squalls. The aircraft were severely buffeted by turbulence. This stretch of bad weather went on for some time. Voo-Doo and the Dakota eventually reached an area of fine weather. An hour later, the crews sighted a minuscule island. The United Kingdom was now close by.

As the 3 aircraft made landfall, in very thick haze, they flew into one of the many imposing barrages of captive balloons which protected many British strategic areas. No one in Reykjavik had mentioned that serious hazard – a serious lapse in judgement if yours truly may say so. The pilots of Voo-Doo and the Dakota barely had the time to make a steep climbing turn to avoid colliding with one of the balloons. The tow plane actually flew directly over the glider while going in the opposite direction. The Catalina left Voo-Doo and the Dakota at some point after this unnerving encounter.

Before long, the glider and its tow plane were over the airport at Prestwick, Scotland. They circled the area for some time, hoping that the newsreel camera aircraft which was supposed to immortalise the end of the journey would appear. It did not. The sky became increasingly cloudy, threatening to block access to the airport. Well aware that the welcoming committee had arrived, Seys and Gobeil cut loose from the Dakota, dove through the clouds and landed at Prestwick without a hitch. The 2 men shook hands. Longhurst, Thomson and their crewmates landed shortly thereafter. The first and only transoceanic flight made by a glider towed by an aircraft was over. Voo-Doo and the Dakota had covered a distance of approximately 5 650 kilometres (3 500 miles) in 28 hours and 3 minutes of actual flight time, spread over 8 days. And yes, the average speed of the 2 aircraft was a breathtaking 201 kilometres/hour (125 miles/hour).

A work crew took the blood plasma / vaccine, as well as the radio, engine and aircraft parts out of Voo-Doo and sent them on their way. Sadly enough, Seys’ banana bunch got frostbitten during the journey and had to be disposed of. Before going in a nearby building for debriefing, Seys and Gobeil picked up their mascots, a red skullcap made from an old hat worn by his wife, and an ornamented pendant from New Zealand known as a hei-tiki.

A conference held in London around July 1943 concluded that the creation of a regular transatlantic glider service was not feasible given the limitations of the gliders and tow planes available at the time. If truth be told, a Dakota could have delivered the cargo carried by Voo-Doo with a lot less hassle. This was pretty much the conclusion of a brief article published in the 9 July 1943 issue of the British weekly The Aeroplane. Oddly enough, the page that followed this article contained a photo of the ginormous 6-engine German transport plane mentioned above.

Given the successful, dare one say (type?) lucky, conclusion of the transatlantic flight yours truly has spent so much time talking (typing?) about, someone in authority decided that Voo-Doo should be donated to a British national museum in London, presumably the Science Museum, and put on display for future generations to see. The glider and another (Dakota?) tow plane thus left Prestwick in early to mid July 1943. Sadly enough, Voo-Doo crashed while landing at some airport in England. The ferry crew was not injured but the glider had to be scrapped. If I may say so, sic transit gloria mundi, or thus passes the glory of the world.

You may be equally chagrined to hear (read?) that the Dakota used for the transatlantic flight was destroyed in March 1945, in the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic, when it swerved on take off and hit another aircraft. Its crew seemingly walked away. On the other hand, you may be interested to hear (read?) that the Catalina which escorted Voo-Doo and the Dakota spent some time at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment in the United Kingdom, where it was used in to test anti-submarine unguided rockets. It was seemingly dismantled in October 1944. And yes, an example of a Canadian-made version of the Catalina known as the Canso can be found in the collection of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. And yes, I forgot to say how amazing that collection was. Sorry, that won’t happen again.

You may pleased to hear (read?), or not, that 2 (or more?) pieces of the tow rope have been preserved. One of these went to Pratt, Read & Company. It was given later on to the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington. Another piece, signed by the 6 people involved in the transatlantic flight, was mounted on a wooden board. It seemingly found its way to the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop, England.

Interestingly enough, another glider produced by Pratt, Read & Company earned a world record. Let me explain. Why these tears of despair? We are making progress. Yes, we are. As I was saying (typing?), in March 1942, the company tested a 2-seat training glider of its own design, the PR-G1, in the hope of obtaining a USAAF order. By the time this service examined this robust and well crafted aircraft, it had unfortunately ordered several types of training gliders. Pratt, Read & Company did not get a contract. It so happened, however, that one of the machines ordered by the USAAF was of interest to the United States Navy. This service soon realised that any contract it signed would not be fulfilled for some time, which was a problem.

You see, my reading friend, the United States Navy was planning to use amphibious cargo gliders operated by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to help retake various Japanese-occupied territories in the Pacific theatre of operation. These actions would take place in conjunction with more conventional landing operations. The pilots of the cargo gliders would have to be trained, of course.

The United States Navy soon concluded that the PR-G1 might offer a solution to its training problem. It signed a contact with Pratt, Read & Company in 1942, for the production of 100 LNE training gliders. As the practicality of amphibious cargo glider operations came under fire, however, the number of LNEs on order was cut to 75. In the end, quite possibly before the start of 1943, the United States Navy (and / or the USMC?) concluded that amphibious cargo gliders would not be all that useful. None of the designs it had ordered was put in production.

Would you believe that a photo of one of the amphibious cargo gliders developed for the United States Navy was to be found on the page of the 9 July 1943 issue of the British weekly The Aeroplane that followed the one on which one could read the somewhat dismissive article mentioned above? Small world, isn’t it?

The cancellation of the United States Navy’s cargo glider program meant that all but 2 of the LNEs ended up with the USAAF. Given that this service already had most, if not all of the training gliders it needed, the Pratt, Read & Company gliders, now redesignated TG-32s, were not taken out of their crates. Their sale to civilian pilots seemingly began in 1944, as the Second World War still raged across the globe. A buyer willing to travel to the USAAF base where the TG-32s were stored in order to assemble his glider and have it towed away would get a rebate. Several sharecroppers who lived near that base bought the large wooden crates used to deliver the gliders and turned them into dwellings – a shocking state of affairs in the wealthiest country in the world.

The postwar career of the TG-32 was unexceptional, with one exception. And yes, my out of patience reading friend, you are about to hear (read?) something about the second world record earned by a glider made by Pratt, Read & Company. The USAF, the United States Navy and the University of California, Los Angeles, acquired 2 TG-32s for use in a daring high altitude and flight condition research program, the Sierra Wave Project, conducted in a region where high winds and extreme turbulence were to be expected. In March 1952, one of these specially equipped gliders reached an altitude of 13 488 metres (44 255 feet). This world record for 2-seat gliders remained in the books until August 2006, yes, 2006, when a modified Glaser-Dirks DG-500 known as Perlan I climbed to 15 461 metres (50 727 feet). One of the people aboard this high tech machine was James Stephen “Steve” Fossett.

You may be interested to hear (read?), or not, that this American pilot, businessman and adventurer was one of the 2 people involved in a commemoration of the first non stop transoceanic flight, between Newfoundland and Ireland, made in mid-June 1919, by British aviators John William “Jack” Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown aboard a specially equipped Vickers Vimy twin engine bomber. The aircraft used for this commemoration, made in July 2005, was a Vimy replica completed in 1994. Fossett and his co-pilot spent a few days in Ottawa in June 2005. They and their aircraft spent some time at the Canada Aviation Museum, as the Canada Aviation and Space Museum was called back then. Yours truly saw the Vimy from up close and was most impressed. This aircraft was donated to the Brooklands Museum, in Brooklands, England, in 2006.

Is this all for today, you ask? Well, not quite. A brief video on Voo-Doo’s journey can be found at

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/first-glider-train-crosses-atlantic/query/First+Glider+Train+Crosses+Atlantic

The British narrator suggested that the journey might become the foundation of the gliding merchant service of the future, presumably after the end of the Second World War. As things turned out, such a service never came into existence. Yours truly did, however, come across a 1946 (?) advertisement which showed civilian CG-4s used to transport cargo. This ad was published by Distillers Corporation-Seagrams Limited, a Canadian company and one of the largest distilleries in North America. And that’s it for today.

What’s this, my reading friend? You wish to know what happened to Pratt, Read & Company and Waco Aircraft? Really? Ahhh, you bring tears to my eyes. Well, the former went back to making piano parts before gradually turning its attention to the production of screwdrivers. If truth be told, Pratt, Read & Company eventually became the 3rd largest manufacturer of screwdrivers in the United States. Sadly, it filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2009. By then, Pratt, Read & Company was one of the oldest manufacturing concerns in the country. A company by the name of Ideal Industries Incorporated acquired its name and tooling in March 2010. It moved the tooling to another location and founded Pratt-Read Tools Limited Liability Company, which still existed as of 2018.

Waco Aircraft was not so lucky. The company had invested so much of itself in the glider making programme that it did not properly prepare for the postwar period. The safe, reliable, elegant and comfortable private airplanes it was known for before the Second World War, biplanes one and all, were obsolete. Desperate to stay afloat, Waco Aircraft did design a new machine, though. Test flown in March 1947, the odd looking and radical Model W Aristocraft suffered from various problems. Construction of a second and much improved prototype began in the spring. This aircraft was not completed. In early June, Waco Aircraft laid off many employees and suspended work on the certification of the Aristocraft. Around July 1947, the company announced that it would no longer produce complete aircraft, a sad turn of event for one of the great names of the American aircraft industry of the 1920s and 1930s.

Before I forget, would you believe that an American by the name of Terrence O’Neill acquired the aforementioned Aristocraft in 1962? He thoroughly modified the aircraft at some point in the second half of the decade. The propeller of the Aristocraft II, also known as the Model W Winner, was no longer at the rear, for example. It was mounted at the front of the new aircraft. I wish I could say (type?) that O’Neill Airplane Company was successful in commercialising the Aristocraft II, in the late 1960s, but that would be a lie.

Waco Aircraft managed to stay afloat by making a wide variety of aeronautical support equipment. The company also had to produce non aeronautical items like the Orbitan sun lamp, “the sunlamp with a moving sun,” and the Lickity Log Splitter, a device invented by its president at the end of the 1950s.

And yes, the mind blowing collection of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum does include one of the safe, reliable, elegant and comfortable private airplanes made by Waco Aircraft before the Second World War, a Waco VKS cabin biplane to be more precise.

A firm by the name of Allied Aero Industries Incorporated acquired Waco Aircraft in 1963 and promptly sold its obsolete tooling. The former aircraft manufacturer was seemingly gone for good. Incidentally, a company by the name of Piqua Engineering Company acquired the production rights of the Lickity Log Splitter and kept an assembly line busy until 1971.

Allied Aero Industries is worth mentioning because it was apparently the American representative of a small West German company, Wagner Helicopter Technik, whose Aerocar roadable helicopter was mentioned in an August 2017 issue of our blog / bulletin / thingee. Allied Aero Industries also owned at least 3 declining / struggling aviation related companies besides Waco Aircraft. One of these was Omega Aircraft Corporation, acquired around 1963-64.

That company is of interest, at least to yours truly, because its founder was none other than Bernard W. “Bernie / Snitz” Sznycer, a Polish-American engineer who designed the first successful helicopter flown in Canada, with the help of an American friend and colleague, the first female engineer involved in helicopter design if you must know, Selma G. Gottlieb. This helicopter was the Intercity SG-VI Grey Gull. Would you believe that the prototype of this machine flew for the first time in July 1947, in Dorval? Intercity Airlines Company belonged at least in part to the largest intercity bus company in Québec, the Compagnie de transport provincial, a subsidiary of Montreal Tramways Company.

The one helicopter designed by Omega Aircraft was the SB-12 / BS-12. Sznycer developed this machine, the world’s first flying crane, with some input from Okanagan Helicopters Limited, a Canadian company mentioned in an October 2017 issue of our blog / bulletin / thingee, and the largest operator of civilian helicopters in the world at the time. Only 3 or 4 BS-12s left the factory before Omega Aircraft went out of business around 1965.

Are we done yet, you ask, my weary reading friend? Well, almost. We are making progress, really. The lingering fame of Waco Aircraft was such that SIAI-Marchetti Società per Azioni and Allied Aero Industries signed a deal in 1966 according to which the Italian aircraft maker would sell, reassemble, assemble and / or produce several of its private airplanes in the United States. A born again Waco Aircraft Company would commercialise these machines with the help of a number of dealers, including at least one in Canada, more specifically in Ontario. Interestingly, many / most of the Italian airplanes would be upholstered by Carrozzeria Pininfarina Società per Azioni, arguably the Leonardo da Vinci of automobile body design.

Allied Aero Industries’ efforts to enter the private airplane market were nothing if not ambitious. A French aircraft maker, the Société de construction d’avions de tourisme et d’affaires (SOCATA), was also involved in its scheme, for example. This subsidiary of the Société nationale de constructions aéronautiques Sud-Aviation was formed in 1966 when the Gérance des établissements Morane-Saulnier was reorganised. Only a handful of Waco Minervas, the American name of a Morane-Saulnier short takeoff and landing single engine private airplane, were sold. As well, Allied Aero Industries and Procaer Progetti Costruzioni Aeronautiche Società per Azioni formed Allied Aero Industries Italia Società per Azioni in the fall of 1968 to supervise the production of yet another single engine light airplane in the United States.

The sudden death of Allied Aero Industries’ founding president, a Russian-American businessman and spiritualist informally / impolitely known as the “Junk Dealer,” in December 1968, seemingly dealt a fatal blow to the project. The total number of SIAI-Marchetti single engine private airplanes reassembled and sold in the United States as the Waco Vela, Sirrus and Meteor may not have exceeded 150. Worse still, the Italian company found itself saddled with a large number of disassembled airplanes, more than 200 perhaps, which no longer had a buyer. The prototype of the modified American version of the Procaer light airplane, which flew a week or so after Berger’s death, was not put in production. The projected reassembly and sale of a SIAI-Marchetti twin engine private airplane did not take place at all.

And yes, the Borel Morane monoplane on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, the oldest surviving aircraft to have flown in Canada as we both know, was seemingly made by the Société anonyme des aéroplanes Morane-Borel-Saulnier, a distant ancestor of the Gérance des établissements Morane-Saulnier. The aircraft produced between 1910 and 1912 by this company and its predecessor, the Société anonyme des aéroplanes Morane-Borel, were confusingly known as Morane, Morane Borel and Borel Morane. Some witty persons even called them Morel Borane. Similar machines were also made in 1912 and later by the Société anonyme des aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier and the Société anonyme des aéroplanes Borel, but I digress. Would you believe that a Société des aéroplanes Raymond Saulnier existed in 1909-10? Have I succeeded in thoroughly confusing you, my reading friend? Yes? That’s good to hear, because the history of aviation before the start of the First World War, in 1914, can be very confusing indeed.

Waco Aircraft may have gone out of business around 1971. Even so, the aura surrounding this aircraft manufacturer proved irresistible to many enthusiasts. Yours truly is therefore pleased to inform you that the WACO Historical Society Incorporated was founded in 1978. This group was still active in 2018. Better yet, Classic Aircraft Corporation was formed in 1983 to produce an upgraded version of a typical 1930s Waco open cockpit biplane. This company was also still active in 2018, under the name WACO Aircraft Corporation. And yes, my perspicacious reading friend, it is ironic that even though companies that bore the names of Pratt, Read & Company and Waco Aircraft were in business in 2018, neither of them had a direct link with these organisations.

And yes again, 1 or 2 typical Waco open cockpit biplanes, Waco UPFs owned by Ottawa Biplane Adventures Incorporated to be more precise, took off from Rockcliffe airport, a stone’s throw from the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, during the spring, summer and fall of 2018, as they had done for many years, and... All right, all right, if you insist, I may, I repeat may, pontificate on the Aristocraft and / or the Grey Gull at some point in the future. Now, please go home. This was an exceedingly long text, even by my own, supremely verbose standards. Yours truly needs a rest.

I wish to thank all the people who provided information. Any mistake contained in this article is my fault, nor theirs.

 

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Thomas Kerrison Bellis, in other words the Turtle King. Anon., “Good Stories for All – Turtle King of England is a Powerful Ruler.” The Boston Daily Globe, 17 March 1898. 8.

Ransacking nature and building up a fortune by satisfying the cravings of a selfish elite; Or, How an industry dominated by T.K. Bellis Turtle Company Limited of London, England, nearly obliterated a true marvel of the sea, Part 1

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 piloted by Second Lieutenant Franciszek Jarecki, Rønne airfield, Rønne, Denmark. Jarecki is the gentleman marked by an arrow. Anon., “Undamaged Red Jet in NATO Hands.” The Gazette, 7 March 1953, 2.

A flight for freedom which pierced the Iron Curtain; or, The day Second Lieutenant Franciszek Jarecki escaped from Poland aboard a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter

Four of the main characters of the what could well be Canada’s first SF television series, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Space Command. Anon., “Space Command Is Not Run-Of-Mill ‘Opera.’” The Ottawa Citizen, 26 December 1953, 14.

“Challenging the stars themselves”: An infinitesimal look at what could well be Canada’s first science fiction television series, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Space Command

The prototype of the Astro Kinetics Aero Kinetic Lift, Houston, Texas. Anon., “Aircraft and Powerplants – Crane version of ‘flying saucer’ projected in U.S.A.” The Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News, 7 March 1963, 24.

“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Texan flying saucer!” Astro Kinetics Corporation of Houston, Texas, and its unique looking vertical take off landing aircraft

James Bertram Blackmon (on the right, of course) talking about his rocket with the host of the very popular American daily news and talk television show Today, David Cunningham Garroway, New York City, New York. Anon., “Jimmy on TV Show.” The Charlotte Observer, 1 December 1956, 2.

An American whiz kid at the dawn of the Space Age who became a professor at the Propulsion Research Center of the University of Alabama in Huntsville: James Bertram Blackmon, this is your life, Part 2

James Bertram “Jim / Jimmy” Blackmon and his homemade rocket, Charlotte, North Carolina, July 1956. Irwin Hersey, “Aid for basement rocketeers.” Astronautics, February 1958, 25.

An American whiz kid at the dawn of the Space Age who became a professor at the Propulsion Research Center of the University of Alabama in Huntsville: James Bertram Blackmon, this is your life, Part 1

The Canadair Silver Star of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, June 2005. This aircraft was flown by the Red Knight, the solo aerobatic pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in 1961-64. Alain Rioux, via Wikimedia.

It really kept going and going and going: A brief look at the Canadian career of the Lockheed / Canadair Silver Star jet trainer, part 2

Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Brooke Claxton, left, during the taking of possession of the first Canadian-made Lockheed T-33 Silver Star jet trainer, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “M. Claxton reçoit le premier réacté T-33 fabriqué ici.” La Patrie, 13 February 1953, 1.

It really kept going and going and going: A brief look at the Canadian career of the Lockheed / Canadair Silver Star jet trainer, part 1

The thirty or so Mexican peasants who helped clear the Bacubirito meteorite, not far from Bacubirito, Mexico, 1902. N. Rosst, “La grande météorite de ‘Bacubirito’ (Mexique).” La Nature, 14 February 1903, 173.

A blaze in the northern skies and a cinder of sidereal fire: The Bacubirito meteorite

A Woolery Machine Company runway de-icing device in action at Cologne-Wahn airport, Cologne, West Germany. Anon., “Ancillary Review – Flame-throwing – On Ice.” The Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News, 28 February 1963, 29.

Come on, PB, light my fire. Try to set the ice on fire: A peek at the American firm Woolery Machine Company and some of its ideas and products

A promoter of Sure Food, the food chemist James Pearson (right), at the facility of Wentworth Canning Company Limited of Hamilton, Ontario. Anon., “La viande, synthétique, produit canadien, pourrait sauver de la famine les peuples affamés d’Europe.” Photo-Journal, 5 February 1948, 3.

“It smells like meat. It even looks like meat.” The long forgotten tale of a synthetic meat / meat substitute / meat analogue / meat alternative / imitation meat sometimes called Sure Food

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec, Manuan Lake, Québec, August or September 1940. CASM, 13469.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 3

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec, under repair, Arviat, Nunavut (Eskimo Point, Northwest Territories), September 1932. CASM, 1208.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 2

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Pionnier des transports lourds dans le nord du Canada, le ‘Cargo volant’ a fini sa carrière.” Photo-Journal, 29 January 1948, 2.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 1

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Sergeant Bob Electro caught in the act of saluting the commanding officer of RCAF Station Clinton, Group Captain John Gordon Mathieson, Clinton, Ontario. Anon., “Six-Year-Old Sergeant.” The North Bay Nugget, 7 January 1963, 15.

Dōmo arigatō, gunsō Electro, mata au hi made: The electronic adventures of Royal Canadian Air Force / Canadian Armed Forces Sergeant Bob Electro

A very appropriate piece of equipment given the season, well, the season which affects the northern part of the northern hemisphere of planet Earth, the domestic / home snowblower of Autocanner Registered of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “–.” Montréal-Matin, 9 January 1948, 6.

“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!” The Blo-All domestic / home snowblower of Autocanner Registered of Montréal, Québec

The 10-inch flight impact simulator of the National Research Council of Canada at some point during its long career, Uplands / Ottawa, Ontario. NRC.

A great Canadian success story you should know about: A brief look at the National Research Council of Canada flight impact simulators donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 3

The 3.75- / 3.5-inch flight impact simulator of the National Research Council of Canada at some point during its long career, Uplands / Ottawa, Ontario. NRC.

A great Canadian success story you should know about: A brief look at the National Research Council of Canada flight impact simulators donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 2

The 10-inch flight impact simulator of the National Research Council of Canada at some point during its long career, Uplands / Ottawa, Ontario. NRC.

A great Canadian success story you should know about: A brief look at the National Research Council of Canada flight impact simulators donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 1

A typical wild and free bullfrog. John J. Brice, editor, A Manual of Fish-Culture: Based on the Methods of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, with Chapters on the Cultivation of Oysters and Frogs (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1897), 258.

“Is a frog game or fish? There is the rub.” A brief look at the history of ranaculture in Canada and Québec, Part 4

A typical advertisement of Giant Frog & Sea Food Limited of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Giant Frog & Sea Food Limited. La Patrie, 18 October 1952, 53.

“Is a frog game or fish? There is the rub.” A brief look at the history of ranaculture in Canada and Québec, Part 3

Three of the innumerable American bullfrogs found on the frog farm of Harold Lee, Casitas Springs, California. Anon., “Nature – Frog Farm.” Pix, 6 January 1951, 30.

“Is a frog game or fish? There is the rub.” A brief look at the history of ranaculture in Canada and Québec, Part 2

A typical advertisement of Canadian Frog’s Industries Company of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Canadian Frog’s Industries Company.” La Patrie, 16 November 1952, 86.

“Is a frog game or fish? There is the rub.” A brief look at the history of ranaculture in Canada and Québec, Part 1

An editorial cartoon which reflected the reaction of many Americans following the launch of Sputnik 2. John Milt Morris, “Our own non-fly doghouse.” The Nome Nugget, 8 November 1957, 2.

Three Days of the Sputnik; or, “Radio-Moscow admits that the dog revolving around the earth in the satellite will never return”: Laika, Sputnik 2 and the daily press of Québec, part 3

A replica of Sputnik 2, Tsentral’nyy Dom Aviatsii i Kosmonavtiki DOSAAF Rossíi, Moscow, April 2021. Krasnyy via Wikipedia.

Three Days of the Sputnik; or, “Radio-Moscow admits that the dog revolving around the earth in the satellite will never return”: Laika, Sputnik 2 and the daily press of Québec, part 2

The first official portrait of Laika to be released by the Soviet authorities. This photograph was originally published in the Moscow daily Pravda. Anon., “More Sputnik Dogs Due Before Humans Go Up.” The Evening Star, 13 November 1957, 6.

Three Days of the Sputnik; or, “Radio-Moscow admits that the dog revolving around the earth in the satellite will never return”: Laika, Sputnik 2 and the daily press of Québec, part 1

The (single seat?) biplane designed by Canadian Aircraft Works (Incorporated? Limited? Registered?) of Montréal / Coteau Rouge, Québec, January 1915. Gustave Pollien might be at the controls. CASM, 1134.

A terrific trio active during the early days of aviation in Québec: Ernest Anctil, Gustave Pollien and Percival Hall Reid, part 3

The biplane made by Gustave Pollien (left) and Ernest Anctil, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “L’aviation chez nous – Un jeune aviateur canadien-français, Ernest Anctil, vole avec succès sur un biplan construit au pays.” La Presse, 27 September 1912, 1.

A terrific trio active during the early days of aviation in Québec: Ernest Anctil, Gustave Pollien and Percival Hall Reid, part 2

The biplane fabricated by Ernest Anctil (on the left in the lower photograph) and Gustave Pollien, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “The first Montreal-made biplane.” The Standard, 5 October 1912, 4.

A terrific trio active during the early days of aviation in Québec: Ernest Anctil, Gustave Pollien and Percival Hall Reid, part 1

Louis Victor Jules Vierne (3rd from left), composer and organist of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral at the keyboard of the Coupleux Givelet electronic organ, Poste Parisien radio station, Paris, France. Anon., “L’orgue des ondes du ‘Poste parisien’ est inauguré.” Le Petit Parisien, 27 October 1932, 1.

The melodious saga of two French pioneers of electronic music who deserve to be better known: Joseph Armand Marie Givelet and Édouard Éloy Coupleux

Artist’s impression of the Canadian satellite Alouette in orbit above Canada. National Film Board, Photostory 288: Canadian Scientists Keep Pace with Space, NFB62-5961.

Alouette, gentille alouette, Alouette, je te lancerai; Or, How the Cold War propelled Canada into space via the Alouette satellite, part 3

The Thor-Agena rocket which put the Canadian satellite Alouette into orbit, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Anon., “Alouette’ Working Perfectly – First Canadian Satellite in Orbit.” The Montreal Star, 29 September 1962, 1.

Alouette, gentille alouette, Alouette, je te lancerai; Or, How the Cold War propelled Canada into space via the Alouette satellite, part 2

Two of the engineers who made the Alouette satellite a success: Colin A. Franklin (left) and John N. Barry, Ottawa, Ontario. Anon., “Many ‘Firsts’ for Canadian Satellite – Alouette Sports New Space Advances.” The Montreal Star, 22 September 1962, 43.

Alouette, gentille alouette, Alouette, je te lancerai; Or, How the Cold War propelled Canada into space via the Alouette satellite, part 1

Approximate view of the area in which the solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 could be observed in its totality (main image), or not (right-side column). Anon. “Mighty Workings of Tomorrow’s Eclipse.” Sherbrooke Daily Record, 30 August 1932, 1.

“We all pray for a cloudless day:” The solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 in Québec, part 3

Some of the eminent British researchers en route to Canada to observe the total solar eclipse of 31 August 1932. Anon., “Le ciel québécois et les astronomes. La Presse, 29 July 1932, 9.

“We all pray for a cloudless day:” The solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 in Québec, part 2

The solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 as it could be observed in its totality, from a country road in Maine. Anon., “Souvenir d’éclipse.” La Presse – Magazine illustré, 24 September 1932, 9.

“We all pray for a cloudless day:” The solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 in Québec, part 1

The Manicouagan Reservoir, also known as the Eye of Québec, as photographed from space by the Sentinel 2-A satellite of the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Programme, January 2017. https://scihub.copernicus.eu/ via Wikimedia.

Sic itur ad astra: Several observations on the stellar career of Canadian astronomer Carlyle Smith Beals, part 2

Carlyle Smith Beals, Dominion Astronomer. Raymond Taillefer, “Tant qu’il y aura des étoiles – L’observatoire fédéral assure au Canada un brillant rôle scientifique.” Le Droit, 2 August 1947, 1.

Sic itur ad astra: Several observations on the stellar career of Canadian astronomer Carlyle Smith Beals, part 1

The prototype of the Canadian de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bushplane on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario. CASM, deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver-005.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Beaver, happy birthday to you: An all too brief look at a Canadian icon, the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bushplane, part 2

The prototype of the Canadian de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bushplane on the day of its first flight, Downsview, Ontario, August 1947. CASM, KM-08317.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Beaver, happy birthday to you: An all too brief look at a Canadian icon, the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bushplane, part 1

The Shell By-Plane X 100 Astroterramare of Professor Septimus Urge (far right), Pleasure Gardens of the Festival of Britain, Battersea Park, London, England. Anon., “New British Jet Unique, but Not Matchless.” Aviation Week, 18 August 1952, 44.

Heath Robinson / Rube Goldberg machines that Heath Robinson and “Rube” Goldberg themselves would have approved of; Or, The wonderful world of Frederick Rowland Emett and his things

Rachel Marie-Louise Clément, born Guillot, salting Madame Clément camembert cheeses produced by Laiterie R.A. Clément (Enregistrée? Incorporée? Limitée?), McMasterville or Beloeil, Québec. Anon., “Fromages du Québec.” Photo-Journal, 28 August 1952, 33.

“If I had a hundred lives, I would start again the adventure of the camembert:” The delicious Québec saga of the Clément family and its cheeses

An artist’s impression of the airship designed by Québec modeler, sculptor, stonemason or worker Louis N. Filion. Anon., “Le secret de la direction des ballons est-il réellement détenu par un Canadien-français?” La Patrie, 26 July 1902, 19.

In 1902, was the secret of steering dirigible balloons held by Quebecer Louis N. Filion? That is for me to know and you to find out

A typical advertisement of the Bamboo Cycle Company Limited of London, England. Anon., “Bamboo Cycle Company Limited.” The Graphic, 31 July 1897, 179.

“Should anyone be in doubt my advice is Buy a Bamboo:” A few pages on Bamboo Cycle Company Limited of London, England

An American test firing of a Douglas M31 Honest John short range unguided ground to ground rocket. Anon., “Engins et missiles.” Aviation Magazine, 1 June 1959, 155.

It might not have changed history but would certainly have changed the geography: A brief yet frightening look at the Douglas M31 and M50 / MGR-1 Honest John short range unguided ground to ground rockets, part 2

A team of the Canadian Army’s Royal Canadian Artillery training on a Douglas M31 Honest John short range unguided ground to ground rocket of the United States Army, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Anon., “Rocket Training.” Sherbrooke Daily Record, 13 July 1957, 1.

It might not have changed history but would certainly have changed the geography: A brief yet frightening look at the Douglas M31 and M50 / MGR-1 Honest John short range unguided ground to ground rockets, part 1

A Frisco Soda Water Company of Montréal, Québec, advertisement for the Salvador beer brewed by Reinhardt ‘Salvador’ Brewery Limited of Toronto, Ontario. Anon., “Frisco Soda Water Company.” The Montreal Daily Star, 5 July 1912, 5.

A tale of two Reinhardts; or, A brief look at two long gone and forgotten Canadian breweries

Kenneth Albert Arnold, in the centre, with two other pilots who claimed they had had seen unidentified flying objects, namely Emil J. Smith, on the left, and Ralph Stevens. Anon., “Pilotes qui virent des soucoupes volantes.” Le Soleil, 8 July 1947, 1.

“Everyone has seen the flying saucers, except journalists:” The first sightings of unidentified flying objects / unidentified aerial phenomena in the province of Québec, 24 June to 19 July 1947, part 2

Kenneth Albert Arnold. Anon., “Boise Airman Positive He Didn’t See Ordinary Craft Reflections.” The Idaho Daily Statesman, 28 June 1947, 9.

“Everyone has seen the flying saucers, except journalists:” The first sightings of unidentified flying objects / unidentified aerial phenomena in the province of Québec, 24 June to 19 July 1947, part 1

A typical advertisement for a product offered by O-Pee-Chee Gum Company of London, Ontario. Anon., “O-Pee-Chee Gum Company.” The Aylmer Express, 6 June 1912, 5.

“Chew Chew Chew Chew Your Bubble Gum:” The sweet old times of O-Pee-Chee Gum Company Limited of London, Ontario

Advertisement for the Isetta manufactured by Isetta of Great Britain Limited. Anon., “City Motors Limited.” The Gazette, 21 November 1957, 2.

A look under the hood of one of the symbols of the West German economic miracle of the 1950s; or, The multifaceted and multinational tale of the Isetta microcar, part 2

A typical BMW 250 or 300. Devon Francis, “What you get in the foreign economy cars.” Popular Science, June 1957, 62.

A look under the hood of one of the symbols of the West German economic miracle of the 1950s; or, The multifaceted and multinational tale of the Isetta microcar, part 1

A Spitz planetarium projector at the Planetario Municipal Agrimensor Germán Barbato, the first planetarium in South America, inaugurated in 1955, Montevideo, Uruguay, February 2015. Fedaro via Wikimedia.

Blessed be the one who brings the wonders of the cosmos to the multitude: Armand Neustadter Spitz and his planetarium projectors, part 2

Armand Neustadter Spitz. Hilaire Cuny, “Sciences et techniques – La plus gigantesque tentative de notre temps: La conquête de l’espace cosmique.” Combat, 15 May 1957, 6.

Blessed be the one who brings the wonders of the cosmos to the multitude: Armand Neustadter Spitz and his planetarium projectors, part 1

A typical advertisement of the Toronto, Ontario, firm William Hood & Company. Anon., “William Hood & Company.” The Canadian Grocer & General Storekeeper, 27 May 1892, 9.

“A new trade winner for grocers and general merchants;” or, How William Hood & Company of Toronto, Ontario, became a pretext to dwell upon the mysteries of... castor oil

A typical Tillson Company Limited advertisement. Anon. “Tillson Company Limited.” The Canadian Grocer & General Storekeeper, 13 May 1892, 19.

“A Food, not a Fad:” The life and times of Edwin Delevan Tillson of Tillsonburg, Ontario

Gertrude Dugal, the first francophone Québec women to obtain a pilot’s license – or not, Cartierville airport, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “La seule diplômée.” La Patrie, Journal du dimanche, 18 May 1947, 1.

“Across the clouds I see my shadow fly:” Some words about Gertrude Dugal, the first francophone Québec woman to obtain a pilot’s license – unless it was someone else

A Vincent Amanda personal watercraft in its element, Ruislip, England, April 1957. Anon., “Triss i bâtar.” Teknikens Värld med Flyg, 2 to 16 May 1957, 8.

Bournemouth, Scarborough, ooh I want to take you. Great Yarmouth, Lyme Regis, come on my reading friend: The Vincent Amanda, the almost forgotten ancestor of today’s personal watercrafts

A close-up view of a radio pill a few moments before the first volunteer patient swallowed it. Anon., “Science – Radio Made to Swallow.” Life, 29 April 1957, 74.

Take one of these pills and your innards will call me in the morning: The digestive saga of… the radio pill

Dan Cooper, as drawn by Belgian “bande dessinée” author Albert Weinberg during his visit to North Bay, Ontario, in May-June 1966. Anon., “Originator of RCAF cartoon hero visits defence bases at North Bay.” The North Bay Nugget, 3 June 1966, 1.

A prolific Belgian “bande dessinée” author who deserves to be better known: the father of Dan Cooper, Canadian hero, Albert Weinberg (1922-2011), Part 2

Albert Weinberg during one of his many visits on Canadian soil. Anon., “Dan Cooper c’est Buzz Beurling.” La Presse, 31 March 1975, A3.

A prolific Belgian “bande dessinée” author who deserves to be better known: The father of Dan Cooper, Canadian hero, Albert Weinberg (1922-2011), Part 1

A typical FFVS J 22 fighter plane of the Swedish air force, or Flygvapnet, Bunge, Sweden, circa 1948-49. Flygvapenmuseum, FVMF.002142.

I have been asked a few times what my favourite airplane was. Well, here is one of my all-time favourites: Sweden’s FFVS J 22 fighter plane, part 2

A typical FFVS J 22 fighter plane of the Swedish air force, or Flygvapnet. Harald Jacobson, “Ett flygplan – en flygepok.” Looping, April 1952, 12.

I have been asked a few times what my favourite airplane was. Well, here is one of my all-time favourites: Sweden’s FFVS J 22 fighter plane, part 1

 An advertisement for products, in this case herrings and sardines, canned by Connors Brothers Limited of Black’s Harbour, New Brunswick. Anon., “Connors Brothers Limited.” Le Prix courant, 29 March 1912, 20.

From lobster bait and potato fertiliser to salt water silver: The humble sardine and Connors Brothers Limited of Black’s Harbour, New Brunswick

A Volvo P1800 comparable to the one driven by Simon Templar, also known as the Saint, a character played on television by Roger George Moore, Volvo Museum, Göteborg, Sweden, 2008. Jarle Vines via Wikimedia.

A saintly automobile from the land of “Pippi” Longstocking and Lisbeth Salander: The Swedish Volvo P1800 grand tourer / sports car, part 2

A typical Volvo P1800 grand tourer / sports car. Anon., “La plus belle auto.” La Patrie du Dimanche, 25 March 1962, 11.

A saintly automobile from the land of “Pippi” Longstocking and Lisbeth Salander: The Swedish Volvo P1800 grand tourer / sports car, part 1

The outgoing representative of the electoral district of Limoux, France, senator Henri Charles Étienne Dujardin-Beaumetz. Joseph Uzanne. Figures contemporaines. (10th edition) (Paris: Librairie Henri Floury, 1906), no page number.

“My dear Védrines, it is a voting failure:” Charles Toussaint “Jules” Védrines and the partial legislative election of Limoux, France, in March 1912, Part 2

Cartoon of Senator Henri Charles Étienne Dujardin-Beaumetz messing with “Jules” Védrines, the defeated candidate in the Limoux, France, by-election of March 1912. Anon., “La course Limoux-Palais-Bourbon.” Le Rire, 30 March 1912, no page number.

“My dear Védrines, it is a voting failure:” Charles Toussaint “Jules” Védrines and the partial legislative election of Limoux, France, in March 1912, Part 1

The Lincoln Continental 1950X / Ford X-100 laboratory on wheels. Anon., “La Ford de l’avenir.” Photo-Journal, 28 February 1952, 8.

The car of tomorrow as imagined 70 years ago: The Lincoln Continental 1950X / Ford X-100 laboratory on wheels

Edward T. Faulkner and his Curtiss JN-4 Canuck, Honeoye Falls, New York, 1962. Canada Aviation and Space Museum 2985.

It took off at 100 kilometres/hour, flew at 100 kilometres/hour and landed at 100 kilometres/hour, more or less: The saga of the Curtiss JN-4 Canuck

An advertisement of David Brown (Canada) Limited of Toronto, Ontario, showing the tractors offered by a British sister / brother firm, David Brown Tractors Limited. Anon., “David Brown (Canada) Limited.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, February 1962, 75.

“Do you want to drive my tractor? Let us go and load some hay.” A very brief look at the history of the British firm David Brown Tractors Limited

Tomanowos, better known as the Willamette meteorite, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York. Anon., “Ça et là, par l’image.” Le Samedi, 22 February 1947, 8.

Tomanowos, a visitor from the sky or Moon: A brief look at the largest North American meteorite known today

Vera Elsie Strodl wearing the leather flight jacket she wore during the Second World War. Glennis Zilm, “Only Canadian honored – Long love of flying brings award to aviatrix.” The Gazette, 1 February 1972, 8.

God may have been her co-pilot, Or, The remarkable career of a remarkable pilot, Vera Elsie Strodl

John D’Alton Woodlock with one of his sons, Peter Woodlock, in front of the family television set, Iberville, Québec, summer of 1949. Arthur Prévost, “Dix ans avant CBFT – À Iberville, on a la TV depuis 14 ans!...” Le Petit Journal, 14 January 1962, A-49.

But sadly, like so many great minds, Québec television pioneer John D’Alton Woodlock was gone too soon – and quickly forgotten

An advertisement of the Société auxiliaire agricole of Paris, France, showing a Pavesi P4 or Agrophile-Pavesi agricultural tractor in action. Anon., “Société auxiliaire agricole,” L’Agriculture nouvelle, 14 January 1922, 4.

Once upon a time there was an acrobat tractor: The beautiful although partly military story of the Pavesi P4 farm tractor and the career of Ugo Pavesi

Two of the great fighter planes of the First World War: A SPAD S.VII of the Royal Flying Corps or Aéronautique militaire and an Albatros D.III of the Luftstreitkräfte. Anon., “A Dog Fight.” Canadian Aviation, January 1932, 12.

The tale of the most extraordinary photographs ever taken of air fights during the First World War, Or, The long and short of the Cockburn-Lange collection

An overall view of one of the first telephone networks in Canada, Montréal, Québec, 1878. Anon., “Le premier téléphone qui ait jamais été installé à Montréal.” La Presse, 27 January 1912, 5.

They were among the first to reach out and touch someone: A look at one of the first telephone networks in Canada

The Canadair CL-44 leased by British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), September 1963. This Seaboard World Airlines Incorporated aircraft carried 19 racing cars from the United Kingdom to the United States on that flight, its first in the colors of BOAC. CASM.

A good swing deserves another: The saga of the Canadian Canadair CL-44 cargo plane, Part 2

An advertisement from the aircraft manufacturer Canadair Limited of Cartierville, Québec, extolling the merits of its ginormous cargo plane, the Canadair CL-44. Anon., “Canadair Limited.” La Presse, January 23, 1962, 29.

A good swing deserves another: The saga of the Canadian Canadair CL-44 cargo plane, Part 1

Advertisement published by the Zeller’s Limited stores of Calgary, Alberta, which highlighted the Reely Ride-’em tractor produced by Reliable Toy Company Limited of Toronto, Ontario. Anon., “Zeller’s Limited.” The Calgary Herald, 11 December 1961, 32.

Toys, glorious toys, we are anxious to try them: A few pages on Reliable Toy Company Limited of Toronto, Ontario

A de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter utility floatplane operated by Northway Aviation Limited of St. Andrews, Manitoba, Fishing Lake, Manitoba, September 2005. Mark Swaffer via Wikimedia.

Canada’s flying one tonne truck: The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter

A Moline Plow Company advertisement showing a Moline Universal Tractor in action. Anon. “Moline Plow Company.” L’Agriculture nouvelle, 10 December 1921, 707.

A very successful vehicle and, dare I type it, a sidehill gouger of the farm tractor industry: The Moline Universal Tractor

The Douglas DC-8 jetliner of Canadian Pacific Airlines Limited of Vancouver, British Columbia, known as Empress of Montreal. Anon., “Empress of Montreal DC-8 First CPA Jet Visitor.” The Gazette, 6 December 1961, 17.

An article whose punchline I am reluctant to divulge so early in the game: Or, A speedy DC used by CP

The United States Air Force Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar cargo plane borrowed by Iron Ore Company of Canada Incorporated in 1951. Anon., “Fret aérien – L’opération Ungava – Le fret aérien accélère l’application d’un projet. » Interavia, December 1951, 672.

“In the interests of national security”: The role played by a United States Air Force Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar cargo plane in the development of the Knob Lake region’s iron ore deposits

The Vertol Model 42 of Skyrotors Limited of Arnprior, Ontario, chartered by Spartan Air Services Limited of Ottawa, Ontario, as part of Operation High Tower. Anon., “Operation High Tower.” The Ottawa Citizen, 8 November 1961, 3.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to move stuff around: Spartan Air Services Limited of Ottawa, Ontario, the Ottawa radio station CFRA and Operation High Tower

One of the two life-size aluminum alloy sculptures of whooping cranes created by Wolfram F. Niessen for Regina Municipal Airport, Regina, Saskatchewan. Anon., “Regina Honors the Whooping Crane.” The Ottawa Citizen, Weekend Magazine, 18 November 1961, 38.

Let’s talk about art, humans. All the humans. Louder now. Help me out. – Wolfram F. Niessen, John Cullen Nugent and the life-size aluminum alloy sculptures of whooping cranes created for Regina Municipal Airport

Joseph Alphonse Ouimet. Anon., “Le pionnier de la télévision préférait la radio à une bicyclette neuve.” La Patrie, 5 November 1961, 26.

“The pioneer of television preferred radio to a new bicycle:” An overview of the career of Joseph Alphonse Ouimet, a founding father of Canadian television

An advertisement published by La traction et le matériel agraires Société anonyme for the American Beeman Junior garden tractor. Anon., “La traction et le matériel agraires Société anonyme.” L’Agriculture nouvelle, 12 November 1921, 664.

“Green acres is the place to be. Farm livin’ is the life for me:” The American firm Beeman Garden Tractor Company and the Beeman Junior or Model G garden tractor / walking tractor

An ascent made by Québec female fairground balloonist and parachutist Florida Lanthier. Maurice Desjardins, “Dans une modeste maison de Montréal-Nord -- Florida Lanthier, reine des parachutistes, vit de couture... et de souvenirs.” Photo-Journal, 8 November 1951, 3.

Shadows and light in the skies of Québec: A preliminary look at the life and times of Québec female fairground balloonist and parachutist Florida Lanthier

The Mobile Demonstration Irradiator put together by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Anon., “Boon to Canadian potato industry.” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 21 October 1961, 6.

One hot potato, two hot potatoes, three hot potatoes, four: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited of Chalk River, Ontario, and the early days of food irradiation in Canada

A Mathis VL 333 light and economical automobile. Fernand de Laborderie, “Le 33e Salon de l’automobile.” La Nature, 15 October 1946, 331.

A vision of the future for a firm running out of steam: The French Mathis VL333 light and economical automobile

A coastal reconnaissance Bristol Bolingbroke destined for the Royal Canadian Air Force being assembled at the Fairchild Aircraft Limited factory, Longueuil, Québec, 1941. Anon., “Les C.F. et la R.C.A.F.” Le Samedi, 18 October 1941, (c).

“We must get aircraft equipment and look after our coasts” – The Royal Canadian Air Force and the Bristol Bolingbroke coastal reconnaissance aircraft

The prototype of the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter on display at the Canada Aviation Museum, Ottawa, circa 2001. CASM.

From pole to pole and horizon to horizon, the Twin Otter was, is and will be there: A very brief pontification on one of the best Canadian aircraft ever designed

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, February 2009. Wikipedia.

The strange and baffling case of the switched aeroplanes; or, Even when using New Mathematics, 4112 never equals 5878: The tall tale of the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, part 2

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum when it belonged to the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario. H.J. (“Titch”) Jenkins, “Correspondence – Ottawa’s – and Sowrey’s – B.E.2c.” Flight, 12 October 1961, 600.

The strange and baffling case of the switched aeroplanes; or, Even when using New Mathematics, 4112 never equals 5878: The tall tale of the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, part 1

Isidore Joseph Amédée Marsan. Anon., “Isidore Joseph Amédée Marsan.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, 17 September 1921, cover.

One of the pioneers of agricultural science in Québec and Canada: Isidore Joseph Amédée Marsan

An advertisement for St. Lawrence Starch Company Limited, Port Credit, Ontario. Anon., “Advertisement – St. Lawrence Starch Company Limited.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, September 1941, 61.

Free, magnificent cards bearing drawings or photographs of Allied aircraft! Collect them all!

An Aluminium français-Grégoire automobile, Cité de l’automobile – Musée national – Collection Schlumpf, Mulhouse, France, May 2010, Wikimedia.

‘Tween two joints, he really did something: Jean Albert Grégoire and his magnificent automobiles, Part 2

 An example of the French CGE-Tudor electric automobile. C. Faroux, “Un progrès considérable de la voitures électrique.” La Vie automobile, 25 September 1941, 284.

‘Tween two joints, he really did something: Jean Albert Grégoire and his magnificent automobiles, Part 1

The one and only example of the Italian long range airliner Breda Zappata BZ 308. Jacques Gambu. “Breda Zappata BZ 308.” Aviation Magazine, 1 September 1951, 21.

Il Constellation italiano, an unrecognised star in Italy’s aeronautical firmament: The Breda Zappata BZ 308 long range airliner

Paul Fjeld in the family residence, Rosemère, Québec. Claude-Lyse Gagnon, “Parti avec $200 en poche – Un jeune Québécois a pu voir décoller Apollo 15.” La Patrie, 15 August 1971, 12.

Space, the final frontier towards which travels our planet, the Earth; this is the life story of Paul Fjeld, space enthusiast and artist for over half a century

Advertisement for the Frontenac Blue Label lager of National Breweries Limited of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Advertisement – National Breweries Limited.” Le Samedi, 23 August 1941, 12.

The great victim of the Montréal beer war of 1925: Frontenac Breweries Limited of Montréal, Québec

A Karou Karou all-terrain vehicle. Anon., “Opération Camping à Saint-Hilaire.” Photo-Journal, 26 July to 1 August 1971, 47.

All-terrain, all-weather, all-pleasure: Karou Incorporée of Drummondville, Québec, and the Karou all-terrain vehicle

The first production example of the Canadian-made Avro Anson advanced training aircraft fitted with the moulded plywood fuselage, location unknown, 1943. CASM, 23290.

Not everyone knows that aircraft manufacturing can be a contact sport: Clarence Decatur Howe, Harvey Reginald MacMillan and the production of Avro Anson advances training aircraft in Canada, Part 2

A pair of Canadian-made Avro Anson advanced training aircraft operated by No. 10 Service Flying Training School, Royal Canadian Air Force Station Dauphin, near Dauphin, Manitoba, 1943-44. CASM, 27297.

Not everyone knows that aircraft manufacturing can be a contact sport: Clarence Decatur Howe, Harvey Reginald MacMillan and the production of Avro Anson advanced training aircraft in Canada, Part 1

The very first electric streetcar operated by Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske, Berlin, German Empire. Anon., “The first electric railway in Berlin.” Canadian Illustrated News, 9 July 1881, 21.

A streetcar named Straßenbahn Groß-Lichterfelde, or, How Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske put in service the world’s first electric streetcar

The Canadian author and aviation pioneer Frank Henry Ellis (centre) with American aviation pioneers Frank Purdy Lahm (left) and Will D. “Billy” Parker, president of Early Birds of Aviation Incorporated, Los Angeles, California. Robert Francis, “Early Birds.” Sunday Sun Magazine, 28 July 1951, 5.

If we have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of a giant: Frank Henry Ellis and Canada’s Flying Heritage

An advertisement showing an Italian SAME Buffalo tractor. Anon. “Advertising – Les Entreprises Biasotto & Hardy (Canada) Incorporée.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, July 1981, 26.

They were all the same, brothers to each other: Francesco Cassani, Eugenio Gabriele Cassani and the Società Accomandita Motori Endotermici (SAME)

A Canadair North Star of British Overseas Airways Corporation, London Airport, Heathrow, England, September 1954. Wikimedia

Around the world in eighty hours: A few pages on the Canadair North Star, part 2

The prototype of the Canada North Star, 1946. Canada Aviation and Space Museum, KM-08329

Around the world in eighty hours: A few pages on the Canadair North Star, part 1

An advertisement for a hay cutter made by La Machine Agricole Nationale Limitée of Montmagny, Québec. Anon., “Advertisement – La Machine Agricole Nationale Limitée.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, 11 June 1921, 556.

Don’t let it be forgot that once there was a firm, for one brief shining moment, that was known as La Machine Agricole Nationale Limitée of Montmagny, Québec

The Folland / Hawker Siddeley Hoverstretcher in action. Anon., “Airborne comfort.” The Calgary Herald, 9 June 1961, 19.

Developing the germ of an idea: Maurice Joseph Brennan and his hovercraft

Some mothers and children about to get aboard one of the Douglas DC-3 airliners converted into Nurseryliners by United Air Lines Incorporated, San Francisco, California, April or May 1946. Anon., “Service aérien pour bébés.” Photo-Journal, 20 June 1946, 12.

Sit back. Relax. Enjoy the flight – Babies on a plane: United Air Lines Incorporated and its Nurseryliner service

The Canadian engineer and amateur astronomer James Hargreaves with an instrument he had built himself. Jean Taillefer, “Un voyage de 180 jours au Soudan, en Afrique; une expérience astronomique de 180 secondes.” Le Droit, 16 June 1951, 13.

“An Ottawa scientist makes a sacrifice for science:” The Canadian engineer and amateur astronomer James Hargreaves and his travels around the globe

The prototype of the Fairchild F-11 Husky bushplane shortly before its first flight, June 1946. Canada Aviation and Space Museum KM-05311.

You’re good, doggy, but as long as the rodent’s around, you’ll always be second best, see: The brief yet long story of the Fairchild F-11 Husky bushplane

A cutaway view of Canada’s Fleet Model 50 Freighter bushplane. Anon., “Fleet’s Trainer and Transport.” Aviation, May 1941, 61.

It could (and should?) have been one of the greats: Canada’s Fleet Model 50 Freighter bushplane

Wilfrid-Henri Perron. Claude Asselin, “Une encyclopédie québécoise pour les horticulteurs.” Photo-Journal, 3 to 9 May 1971, 12.

Chez Perron, tout est bon: A giant of Québec and Canadian horticulture, Wilfrid-Henri Perron (1897-1977)

The cyclecar / “vélomobile” / “vélocar” / bicycle car / “automouche” with pedals and / or auxiliary engine Le Dauphin. Edmond Massip, “Un cyclecar à pédales et moteur auxiliaire.” La Vie automobile, 25 May 1941, 153.

The cyclecar / “vélomobile” / “vélocar” / bicycle car / “automouche” with pedals and / or auxiliary engine Le Dauphin: An (extreme?) solution to the fuel shortage in Paris during the German occupation in the Second World War

The Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum during its grand tour of the United States, when it was owned by Sealed Power Corporation. Anon. “Pohled na Ciervovu autogiro za letu.” Letectvi, November 1932, 310.

“‘Flying Windmill’ here on Wednesday”: The great journey of Donald Walker and the Pitcairn PCA-2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, part 2

The Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum when it was owned by Standard Oil Company of New York. Anon., “Advertisement – Standard Oil Company of New York.” Aviation, May 1931, 22.

“‘Flying Windmill’ here on Wednesday”: The great journey of Donald Walker and the Pitcairn PCA-2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, part 1

A sober, no-frills advertisement from Elzéar Fortier Limitée of Québec, Québec. Anon., “Advertisement – Elzéar Fortier Limitée.” L’Action catholique, 8 April 1946, 9.

He was a smooth operator: Elzéar Fortier and the production of soft drinks in Québec, Québec

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin and Charles Augustus Lindbergh. The caption of these photographs mentions the striking resemblance between these important people in the world of astronautics and aeronautics. Anon., “Lancement du premier homme dans l’espace – Comment se sont déroulés les événements en Union soviétique.” La Tribune, 13 April 1961, 24.

That was also one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind: The flight into space of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin in the French language press of Québec, 12-15 April 1961, Part 2

Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin during his visit to Helsinki, Finland, July 1961. Wikimedia.

That was also one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind: The flight into space of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin in the French language press of Québec, 12-15 April 1961, Part 1

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio host Claire Wallace interviewing Trans-Canada Air Lines interior accommodation engineer Diana Jocelyn Dudley, January 1946. Anon. “Air Transportation – Radio Broadcast over Niagara.” Canadian Transportation, April 1946, 200.

No place for a lady?! Balderdash!: Trans-Canada Air Lines’ first interior accommodation engineers, Diana Jocelyn Dudley and Janet Elizabeth Lowe

Peter Müller at the controls [sic] of the Pedroplan, Berlin, Germany, March 1931. Anon., “Cologne contre Marseille – Le mystère du ‘Pédroplan.’ [sic]” Les Ailes, 2 April 1931, 14.

I want to fly my bicycle, I want to fly my kite: Peter Müller and the Pedroplan

The Phillips Saucercraft hovercraft, Mount Hope, Ontario. Anon., “Flying saucer crack-up”. The Calgary Herald, 2 March 1961, 1.

A most intriguing INFO (Identified Non Flying Object): The Phillips Saucercraft hovercraft

Dr. Ann Elizabeth Noelle Grace tending to one of her patients, Montreal General Hospital, Montréal, Québec. Claude Adams, “An eye-opener for our reporter – Team of women doctors shatters Ben Casey myth.” The Gazette, 3 March 1971, 31.

Shattering the Ben Casey and James Kildare myth: Canada’s first female pediatric surgeon, Dr. Ann Elizabeth Noelle Grace

 An advertisement from Langlais & Frère Incorporée of Québec, Québec, extolling the merits of the Zetor 25 tractor. Anon. “Advertising – Langlais & Frère Incorporée.” L’Action catholique, 3 March 1951, 14.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares; or, A brief look at the Czech state-owned firm Zbrojovka Brno Národní Podnik

Some personalities present at the inauguration of the École d’avionnerie de Cartierville, Cartierville, Québec, 3 March 1941. Anon., “À l’inauguration de l’École d’avionnerie de Cartierville.” La Presse, 4 March 1941, 19.

A magnificent achievement, full of promises for the future, swept away by the narrow mind of Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis: The École d’avionnerie de Cartierville

The presentation of the first Boeing Model 747 of Air Canada at Montreal-Dorval International Airport, Dorval, Québec. Anon., “Des milliers de personnes ont vu le géant des airs.” La Presse, 22 March 1971, A 1.

66 327 people cannot be wrong, but they can be cold: The presentation of the first Boeing Model 747 of Air Canada at Montreal-Dorval International Airport

The Fokker D.VII of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, March 2019. CASM.

One of the great combat aircraft of the 20th century and one of the many jewels of one of the most remarkable aviation and space museums on planet Earth: The Fokker D.VII and the airplane of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

An advertisement from Équipements Ascot Incorporée of Saint-Élie-d’Orford, Québec, extolling the merits of the UTB U530 tractor. Anon. “Advertising – Équipements Ascot Incorporée.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, February 1981, 28.

They shall beat their wings into plowshares; or, A brief look at the Romanian government firm Uzina Tractorul Braşov

An editorial cartoon highlighting the launch of the Soviet planetary probe Venera 1 in February 1961. Edmund Alexander Sebestyen, “To Venus With Love.” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 14 February 1961, 4.

Trying to lift the veils under which Venus hid itself from our gaze: The saga of the Soviet planetary probe Venera 1

A Jacobs Jaycopter at rest, Edmonton, Alberta. Lyn Harrington, “Cutting helicopter training cost.” Canadian Aviation, February 1961, 20.

A helicopter simulator with a difference: it flies – Canada’s Jacobs Jaycopter

Editorial cartoon showing King Neptune offering his crown to the crew of the English Electric Canberra which crossed the Atlantic Ocean in February 1951. Charles R. Knight, “Ready to Abdicate.” The Windsor Daily Star, 22 February 1951, 4.

Several thousand words on the English Electric Canberra / Martin B-57 Canberra and the small role played by Canadair Limited in its history

The first production example of the Piasecki HUP Retriever helicopter. Anon., “News Picture Highlights.” Aviation Week, 15 January 1951, 9

“Shoe,” Retriever, “Hupmobile” or Army Mule – a HUP by any other name is still a HUP: The Piasecki HUP Retriever and H-25 Army Mule helicopters, and the HUP of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

A view of the Warsak Dam, northern West Pakistan. Anon., “Inauguration du barrage de Warsak.” Le Droit, 27 January 1961, 12.

Frankly, my dear, we did give a dam: Canada and the Warsak dam in Pakistan

One of the first de Havilland Canada Chipmunk imported to the United Kingdom. Anon., “De Havilland [Canada] DHC-1 ‘Chipmunk.’” Aviation Magazine, 1 January 1951, cover.

A Tamias striatus cavorting in the clouds: The de Havilland Canada Chipmunk

The 5th pre-production de Havilland Canada AC-1 Caribou. Larry Booda, “Aeronautical Engineering – Aviation Week Pilot Report – STOL Caribou Calls for Special Handling.” Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 23, 1961, 56.

A flying truck which gave soldiers atom-age mobility: The de Havilland Canada Caribou

The Oberth Moon car as imagined in 1960. I.M. Levitt, “Le problème du transport sur la Lune.” L’Action catholique, 10 July 1960, 5.

I’m just not sure this vehicle was well thought through: The Moon car of astronautic pioneer Hermann Julius Oberth

The Ferrari 512 Pininfarina Modulo, on display at the 1971 edition of the Salon international de l’Auto de Montréal, Montréal, Québec. Jean D. Legault, “Une première mondiale et 12 continentales.” La Patrie, 17 January 1971, 31.

One of the most famous dream cars of all time: The Ferrari 512 Pininfarina Modulo

A rather sober advertisement for F.A. Fluet Enregistré’s La Canadienne spruce beer. Anon., “Advertisement – F.A. Fluet Enregistré.” L’Action catholique, 4 January 1951, 5.

A small beer which was no small beer: F.A. Fluet Enregistré of Québec, Québec, and La Canadienne spruce beer

A scene captured at the launch of the Jeu de l’électricité by Éditions Héritage Incorporée, Montréal, Québec, 6 November 1968. Anon., “–.” Le Devoir, 6 November 1968, 11.

A B C Abécédaire. Viens avec nous autour de la Terre: The Société Radio-Canada’s Tour de Terre children educational television program

An advertisement selling the merits of the Vin St.Georges. Anon. “Advertising – T.G. Bright & Company Limited.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, December 1940, 2.

To treat the family this holiday season, do not forget the Vin St.Georges: A brief look at a pioneer of the Canadian wine industry, T.G. Bright & Company Limited

The Bell Model 47 operated by Airspray Limited, Ontario. Anon., “Helicopter – Down on the Farm.” Canadian Aviation, September 1947, 25.

Old Macdonald had a farm, Ee-I-Ee-I-O. And on that farm he had a Bell, Ee-I-Ee-I-O: A few more words on the early days of agricultural aviation in Canada

An advertisement announcing the introduction into service of Trans-Canada Air Lines’ Vickers Vanguard short to medium range airliner. Anon., “Advertisement – Trans-Canada Air Lines.” Maclean’s, 3 December 1960, 8-9.

From “big Viscount” to Merchantman: The abbreviated journey of the Vickers Vanguard

 The Convair 580 operated by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing of Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, Ottawa, Ontario, September 2001. Wikipedia.

It was one of the greats: The Convair 580 remote sensing aircraft of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

An Air Tractor AT-502 agricultural aircraft operated by Southeastern Aerial Crop Service Incorporated, Belle Glade State Municipal Airport, Florida, June 2013. Wikipedia.

Wings over the world: The PT6 turboprop and turboshaft engine, Part 2

The first turboprop engine designed in Canada, the PT6 of Canadian Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company Limited. Anon., “Advertisement – Canadian Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company Limited.” The Gazette, 14 November 1960, 24.

Wings over the world: The PT6 turboprop and turboshaft engine, Part 1

The 14 volumes of the 1960 edition of L’Encyclopédie de la jeunesse of Grolier Limitée. Anon., “Advertisement – Grolier Limitée. » La Tribune - Perspectives, 12 November 1960, 31.

A book of knowledge: L’Encyclopédie de la Jeunesse

Roxana Hartley and Mr. Jolie / Lord Robert Brummel, the main protagonists of the 1930 American play Dancing Partner, Belasco Theatre, New York City, New York. Anon., “The Stage Goes ‘Air-minded’.” Scientific American, November 1930, 355.

A play in an airplane, and an airplane in a play: Dancing Partner, 1930

The Supermarine Spitfire on display for the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, 18 September 1940. Anon., “News roundup – Battle of Britain ceremonies.” Aircraft, November 1960, 58.

A gift for heaven: The Canada Aviation and Space Museum’s Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIb

Some of the displays of the National Aviation Museum, Uplands Airport, Ottawa, Ontario, early 1960s. CASM, negative number 4446.

Happy birthday to us. Happy birthday to us. Happy birthday dear CASM. Happy birthday to us: A few words on the early days, weeks, months and years of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

A somewhat inaccurate (life-size?) reproduction of Sputnik I on display in Prague, Czechoslovakia, as part of an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Anon., “Modèle du satellite russe.” Le Nouvelliste, 10 October 1957, 1.

Québec / Canada and the simplest satellite, the PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik 1: An overview of what was published in the French language Québec press between 5 and 12 October 1957, Part 4

Pierre Dorion, « L’ère des émotions. » La Presse, 9 October 1957, 4.

Québec / Canada and the simplest satellite, the PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik 1: An overview of what was published in the French language Québec press between 5 and 12 October 1957, Part 3

The simplest satellite or PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik I, a little before its launch, September 1957. NASA.

Québec / Canada and the simplest satellite, the PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik 1: An overview of what was published in the French language Québec press between 5 and 12 October 1957, Part 2

A somewhat inaccurate drawing of the spacecraft PS-1, in other words Sputnik I, in orbit around the Earth. Anon., « Fusées et satellites seraient invincibles. » Le Soleil, 8 October 1957, 1.

Québec / Canada and the simplest satellite, the PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik 1: An overview of what was published in the French language Québec press between 5 and 12 October 1957, Part 1

Eldon Douglas McEarchern working on his agricultural Piper PA-18 Super Cub as one of his sons watched on, Carman, Manitoba. Anon., “Les fermiers volants de l’ouest canadien.” Le Samedi, 22 October 1960, 25.

Oh, what a beautiful mornin’! Oh, what a beautiful day!: An overview of the first decade of the flying farmer movement in Canada

One of the towed threshers designed and fabricated by Dion & Frère Incorporée of Sainte-Thérèse-de-Blainville, Québec. Anon., “Publicité – Dion & Frère Incorporée.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, September 1940, 47.

A century of agricultural technology and innovation in the Laurentides region of Québec: From Dion & Frère to Dion-AG

Jani Moreau, female flight attendant as imagined by Québec artist Nicole Lapointe. Anon., “Un nouvel illustré: Jani hôtesse de l’air.” Claire, 15 September 1960, cover.

She is not a waitress in the sky: Jani hôtesse de l’air and some words on the presence of female flight attendants in popular culture

An infuriated Clara shredding the Curtiss biplane piloted by George F. Russell, Dongan Hills, New York, 10 September 1910. Anon., “La vache et l’aéroplane.” Le Petit Journal – Supplément illustrée, 25 September 1910, 312.

A close encounter of the strange and unusual kind, or, How did Clara the cow meet a Curtiss biplane in Staten Island, New York City, New York

The first Douglas DC-3 airliner delivered to Trans-Canada Air Lines, Montreal (Dorval) Airport, Dorval, Québec, circa 1945-48. CASM, negative number 25515

A gleaming example of one of the most famous and significant aircraft of the 20th century: The Douglas DC-3 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

The first Fleet Model 80 Canuck light / private airplane, Fort Erie, Ontario, March 1946. This aircraft belonged to Sturgeon Air Services Limited of Fredericton, New Brunswick. CASM, negative number KM-07962

Teaching to fly because it has wings: Canada’s Fleet Model 80 Canuck light / private airplane

A Zenair CH-701 manufactured under license by Czech Aircraft Works Společnost s ručenim omezeným, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 2011. Wikimedia.

Born in a garage, but now all the world is a market for Zenair Limited: A look at the Cold War era designs of Christophe Jean Heintz, Part 2

Christophe Jean Heintz at the controls of the Heintz Zenith. Anon., “–.” Aviation magazine international, 15 to 31 August 1970, cover.

Born in a garage, but now all the world is a market for Zenair Limited: A look at the Cold War era designs of Christophe Jean Heintz, Part 1

The Echo 1A satellite balloon during an inflation test, 1960. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The wonderful lead balloons of Claude Williams Coffee, Junior, Walter Edward Bressette and William J. O’Sullivan: The Echo satelloons in Québec and elsewhere, Part 2

The Echo 1A satelloon whizzing in the sky, above the École normale de Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Québec. Dominique Lapointe, “Une visite qui nous est devenue familière – L’Écho 1 continue à se promener tous les soirs sur notre région.” Le Progrès du Saguenay, 27 August 1960, 7.

The wonderful lead balloons of Claude Williams Coffee, Junior, Walter Edward Bressette and William J. O’Sullivan: The Echo satelloons in Québec and elsewhere, Part 1

One of the Found FBA-2s of Georgian Bay Airways Limited. H.L. “Des US et du Canada 2 formules d’avions légers – 1 Le Found ‘Flying Truck.’” Aviation magazine international, 1 July 1964, 39.

A small Ontarian flying truck relocated in the land of the kiwis: The Found FBA-2 bush airplane

The one and only Cushioncraft CC1, initially known as the Britten-Norman BN-1 Cushioncraft / CC1 Cushioncraft. Anon., “News Digest – New Cushion-rider.” Canadian Aviation, August 1960, 46.

It seemed like a good idea at the time: The bananas of the British Cameroons and the Cushioncraft CC1 hovercraft

The one and only Canadian Car & Foundry CBY-3 Loadmaster. CASM, negative number 17826.

The eight lives of a unique flying boxcar, the Canadian Car & Foundry CBY-3 Loadmaster

The atomic / nuclear pulse rocket imagined by well-known American illustrator Francis Xavier Theban Tinsley. Anon., “Advertisement – American Bosch Arma Corporation.” Aviation Week, 4 July 1960, 13.

A nasty blast from the past: Francis Xavier Theban Tinsley and the atomic / nuclear pulse rocket

Walter Thomas Leavens examining the cups which drove the agitator mounted inside the hopper of the Piper J-5 Cub Cruiser light / private airplane flown by Leavens Brothers Air Services Limited. Anon., “Crop Dusting with a Cub.” Canadian Aviation, July 1945, 50.

Weed’em and Reap: Leavens Brothers Air Services Limited and the early days of agricultural aviation in Ontario / Canada after the Second World War

L’Aviateur du Pacifique.

A scientific romance and war novel from the Belle Époque: L’Aviateur du Pacifique of Captain Danrit (Émile Driant)

The Fouga CM-8 Cyclone / Sylphe jet-powered glider. Anon., “–.” Aviation Magazine, 1 June 1950, cover.

I love the clouds… the clouds that pass… over there… over there… the marvelous clouds! The Établissements Fouga et Compagnie and its jet-powered gliders

The Sharp / Bond Minicar Mk A microcar presented to the people of Montréal, Québec, by local dealer Budd & Dyer Limited. Anon., “Jusqu’à 110 milles au gallon.” La Presse, 10 June 1950, 26.

A microcar designed in a time of austerity: The Bond Minicar

A Koser / Koser-Hrovat KB-3 Jadran hydroglider, Adriatic Sea, summer 1949. In the background, the coastal passenger ship Dalmacija of the government-owned shipping firm Jadranska Linijska Providba. Anon., “Gliding and sailplanes in Yugoslavia.” Sailplane and Glider, June 1950, 125.

Above the lakes, above the vales: The Koser / Koser-Hrovat KB-3 Jadran hydroglider

Tsar Nikolai II, on the left, with his hands behind his back, looking at the aeroplanes which took part in the Sankt-Peterburgskaya aviatsionnaya nedelya, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire. Anon., “Nouvelles sportives – Le tsar chez les aviateurs.” La Revue aérienne, 10 June 1910, 349.

Miracle of miracles, look what the plane dragged in: The Sankt-Peterburgskaya aviatsionnaya nedelya

The Dane Jan Bo Kristensen performing a precision landing with a parafoil during a national competition organised by the Dansk Faldskærms Union, Randers, Denmark, August 2005. Wikipedia.

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly: The life and times of a master of the wind, Domina Cléophas Jalbert, Part 2

Domina Cléophas Jalbert, on the left, and Hamnett Pitzer Munger with one of the kytoons made by Jalbert Aerological Laboratory Incorporated to study atmospheric pollution. Anon., “Ce que devient un jouet d’enfant.” La Presse, 23 May 1950, 3.

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly: The life and times of a master of the wind, Domina Cléophas Jalbert, Part 1

Two of the young employees of Ontario Model Aircraft Company at work, Toronto, Ontario. Arthur Lowe, “Kindergarten of the Air.” Maclean’s, 1 May 1940, 24.

A kindergarten for the air age: Ontario Model Aircraft Company / Model Craft Hobbies Limited and a few other words on scale aircraft modelling in Canada before and during the Second World War

The one and only Monte-Copter Model 15 Triphibian, Seattle, Washington. Anon., “World Air News.” Air Pictorial, May 1960, 167.

The day of the triphibs: Monte-Copter Incorporated and the Model 15 Triphibian helicopter

Vladislav Verner’s little sweetie, the Verner W-01 Brouček. Anon., “Private Flying.” Flight International, 14 May 1970, 806.

Malé letadlo a skvěly příběh / A small airplane and a great story: The Verner W-01 Brouček homebuilt airplane

The crate containing Jean Versailles’ Blériot Type XI on the specially-equipped horse-driven truck belonging to Shedden Forwarding Company Limited, Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Le premier aéroplane à Montréal.” La Presse, 28 May 1910, 12.

Montréal has its first aeroplane: The Blériot Type XI of Jean Versailles and William Carruthers

A black-and-white image depicts a group of men standing underneath a Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster; they are loading cloth supply bags into the bomb bay. Wikimedia Commons

He gave them bread from heaven to eat: A few words on Operation Manna and Operation Chowdown, April-May 1945

A boy and elements of a toy on display at the 1950 edition of the toy fair of New York City, New York: Stefan Olsen and the cloud chamber of a Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab. Anon., “La page des enfants – Initiation atomique.” Photo-Journal, 13 April 1950, 20.

One of the most dangerous toys of all times: The Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab

One of the Aeronautica Macchi AL-60s used in Canada by Northwest Industries Limited to interest potential customers, Edmonton, Alberta. Anon., “Aeronews.” Air Progress, July 1969, 15.

An L-402 by any other name is still an L-402 – or an AL-60 or a Conestoga or a Ranger or a Santa Maria or a Trojan, unless it’s a Kudu, Part 2

The first prototype of the Lockheed L-402. Anon., “Le Lockheed-Azcarate C.L.-402.” Les Ailes, 16 April 1960, 1.

An L-402 by any other name is still an L-402 – or an AL-60 or a Conestoga or a Ranger or a Santa Maria or a Trojan, unless it’s a Kudu, Part 1

One of the advertisements published in Québec newspapers to promote the new Glas Goggomobil T700 automobile. Anon., “Advertisement – Eugène Roy Limitée.” La Presse, 1 April 1960, 39.

In search of… the Glas Isar / Isard T700, an automobile previously known as the Goggomobil T700

The aerosled designed and built by Kenneth J. Richards. Anon., “Traîneau moderne.” L’Auto, 9 February 1940, 1.

The magical mystery week is waiting to take you away, or, Does anyone in the blogosphere know anything about the Richards aerosled or the Lawrence aerosled?

From left to right, Boum-Boum, Ba-Ba and Bi-Bi, in other words the Lunours. Anon., “Toute la vérité sur la soucoupe de St-Bruno – Un coup monté de $100,000.” Photo-Journal, 23 February to 1 March 1970, 1.

We are Bi Bi Ba Ba Boum Boum: The saga of the Lunours

An example of the Swedish STAL Skuten turbojet engine on display, under guard, in Stockholm, Sweden. Anon., “Production – First Swedish Turbojet Revealed.” Aviation Week, 27 March 1950, 36.

A tale of two engines, or four, or even six: The STAL Skuten, Dovern and Glan

Frances Marian “Poppy” Northcutt in one of the space exhibits of the Palais de la Découverte, a science centre in Paris, France, not Texas. Anon., “Astronautique – ‘Poppy’ à Paris.” Aviation Magazine International, 15 to 31 March 1970, 42.

Her parents find her job exciting, but they would like her to marry: Frances Marian “Poppy” Northcutt at NASA and beyond

Turi Widerøe speaking with a flight attendant aboard a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle jetliner of Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark-Norway-Sweden. J.-C. Fortin. “SAS ne compte qu’une seule femme pilote de ligne: Turi Wideroe.” Le Petit Journal, 1 March 1970, 28.

Turi Widerøe paid a flying visit to Montréal the other day

A few aspects of the fourth Montréal Motor Show. Anon., “Ouverture de l’exposition d’automobiles et de yachts.” La Presse, 28 March 1910, 1.

A week at the Coliseum: The 1910 Montréal Motor Show and the first aeroplanes displayed in Québec / Canada

Doctor Margaret Beznak with one of her research subjects. Elizabeth Motherwell, “Elle succède à son mari à la tête de la faculté de physiologie de l’U. d’Ottawa.” La Tribune, 3 February 1960, 17.

A stellar example of the contribution made by people who choose Canada: A few words on the life and times of Doctor Margaret Beznak

Sisters Maria Cleofas and Maria Innocenza of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Aloysius Gonzaga aboard an AVIA / Lombardi FL.3 light / private airplane during their flight training, Turin, Italy. Anon., “Le ciel leur appartient.” Le Soleil / Perspectives, 20 February 1960, 12.

Sister Bertrille was not the first flying nun, or, Let’s talk about Sisters Maria Cleofas and Maria Innocenza – and about Sister Mary Aquinas too

The Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, ca 2007. Wikipedia.

So far away from home: The Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 2

A Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker operated by Alaska Coastal Airlines, Incorporated, Juneau, Alaska. This floatplane is now on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. Keith Petrich, “Bush Flying Is Dead.” Air Trails Pictorial, February 1945, 26.

So far away from home: The Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 1

A typical New-Map / Rolux Baby microcar. Anon., “La voiturette ‘Baby VB-60’ à Québec au milieu de février.” L’Action catholique, 14 January 1950, 12.

The car that was more economical than the streetcar: The New-Map / Rolux Baby microcar

Charles Aznavour with the Beehoo / Magna Amphicat all-terrain vehicle he was examining, Montréal, Québec. His daughter Seda is near him. Suzanne Piuze, “Aznavour m’a dit…” La Patrie, 25 January 1970, 20.

I would love to own one; on my boat, that would be dandy: The off road journey of the Beehoo / Magna Amphicat

The lunar habitat imagined by Rocco G. “Roy” Scarfo. Anon., “C’est écrit dans le ciel.” La Patrie du dimanche, 24 January 1960, 6.

He was one of the greats: Rocco G. “Roy” Scarfo, space artist, and the world beyond tomorrow

A demonstration of the lightness of the Williams Jet No.1 turbojet engine. Anon. “23-lb. Turbojet Develops 70 lb. of Thrust.” Aviation Week and Space Technology, 18 January 1960, 126.

This engine may have been a bit heavy but her smile still stayed on: The Williams Jet No. 1 and its successors

The General Development / Christmas airliner, near New York City, New York. Anon., “Potężny łoskot silników powietrznych gigantów powitał rok nowy.” Lot Polski, January 1930, 1.

The powerful roar of the aerial giants’ engines greeted the new year: The troubling saga of William Wallace Whitney Christmas

Some actresses and actors who contributed to the success of the Québec science fiction television series Opération-Mystère, 1958. From left to right, Luce Guilbeault, Marcel Cabay, Georges Groulx, Louise Marleau and Hervé Brousseau. Société Radio-Canada.

Opération-Mystère, a television series which answered the needs of the sputnik and flying saucer generation

The aluminium bridge of Arvida, Arvida / Saguenay, Québec. Anon., “Premier pont tout en aluminium.” Le Petit Journal, 4 December 1949, 51.

On the bridge of Arvida, a national historic civil engineering site, they are dancing, they are dancing

The Piaggio P-7 at rest in its element. Joaquin de la Llave y Sierra, “Antes y después de la Copa Schneider.” Aérea, December 1929, 8.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try again: The odd story of the Piaggio P-7

A poster for the Japanese science fiction film Uchû Daisensô

Uchû Daisensô, or, A battle in outer space from the land of the rising Sun

The very first Zar Zar-Car automobile / microcar, Windsor, Ontario. Arthur Prévost, “La première auto entièrement canadienne bientôt en vente!” Le Petit Journal, 25 October 1959, 67.

In search of a Canadian car: The Zar of all the Windsors

Soviet astrophysicist Alla Genrikhovna Masevich and her daughter, Natasha Josifovna Friedlander. Sam Schecter, “Deux Canadiens en Russie – Rencontres avec l’élite russe.” Le Soleil / Perspectives, 26 September 1959, 11.

Her name is Masevich, Alla Genrikhovna Masevich

The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Great Flapper ornithopter during trials, Malton, Ontario, 2005. http://www/ornithopter.net

To dream, perchance to fly: The saga of the Great Flapper

Beth Ross posing for a photographer as she cleaned up the main fragment of the Dresden chondrite in front of the office of The Dresden News. Anon., “Adding lustre to meteor that startled a province.” Toronto Daily Star, 13 July 1939, 1.

The art of the deal in rural Ontario; or, The unhappy tale of the Dresden chondrite

Gérard Duquette, foreman at Héroux Incorporée, on the right, with many family members and 2 of his workers, 20 July 1969. Roger Nadeau, “Les ouvriers de la Héroux ont tressailli de joie en voyant le LEM sur la Lune.” Le Petit Journal, 27 July 1969, 4.

Did you know that the Eagle landed on the Moon on legs made in Québec?

Canadian engineer Owen Eugene Maynard with a model of the Convair Atlas launch vehicle topped by a McDonnell Mercury space capsule, 1962. Roger Nadeau, “Une foule de techniciens canadiens ont pris part au vol d’Apollo 11.” Le Petit Journal, 20 July 1969, 4.

The little guy from Sarnia who put the first human on the Moon

The first Taylor J.T.1 Monoplane, White Waltham, England. Anon., “Sport and Business.” Flight, 19 June 1959, 839.

Tinker, Taylor, monoplane

Constance Cann Wolf caught on film as she herself caught on film a scene that caught her eye, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The gas balloon belonged to the Balloon Club of America. Anon., “Balloon over Paris.” Flying, May 1959, cover.

Suspended under a twilight canopy: Constance Cann Wolf and the wonderful world of ballooning

The unloading of the nitroglycerin carried from Shelby, Montana, to Calgary, Alberta, aboard the (purple?) Stinson SB-1 Detroiter operated by Great Western Airways Limited, February 1929. Anon., “–.” Canadian Aviation, April 1929, 17.

Unsafe at any speed or time

A prototype of the Kamov Sever-2 aerosled in its element. Anon., "’Mail Train’ to North." The Gazette, 26 March 1959, 2.

Oh what fun it is to ride in a Kamov Sever-2

The SIMCA Fulgur concept car. The French parachutist and model Colette Duval was at the controls. Anon., “Actualités.” La Patrie du dimanche, 1 March 1959, 2.

It was fulgur, fulgur, fulgur, fulgurable

The Spirit of Canada hot air balloon. Peter Calamai, “Lots of hot air and a high old time.” Canadian, 26 August 1967, 14.

This magnificent man in his flying machine

The road section monitored by the speed radar set of the Connecticut State Police, near Glastonbury, Connecticut. Anon., “L’actualité en images – Pièges à comboys.” La Patrie, 16 February 1949, 14.

Cowboy traps did not appear yesterday

Cecil George Armitage at the controls of an Aérodoo, Richelieu River, Québec, November 1968. Anon., “Et maintenant… l’Aérodoo.” Vallée de la Petite Nation, 30 January 1969, 15.

The Mancunian candidate; or, How to float near the ground with the greatest of ease

Some members of the Ligue des avions miniatures de Montréal examining the radio controlled model then under construction. Christian Verdon, “Avion-miniature contrôlé par la radio.” La Patrie, 7 January 1939, 44.

A league of their own: The long forgotten story of the Ligue des avions miniatures de Montréal

Santa Claus’ two rigid airships over the Saint Lawrence River abreast of Québec, Québec. Anon., “Advertising – A.E. Rea & Company.” La Presse, 2 December 1910, 15.

A thoroughly modern Santa Claus

A poster for the movie From the Earth to the Moon

Jules Gabriel Verne would not have been amused: From the Earth to the Moon

An image from the credits of CF-RCK.

A captivating television show: CF-RCK, Part 2

The main actors of the Société Radio-Canada television show CF-RCK, Yves Létourneau (on the right) and René Caron. Anon., « Une scène de CF-RCK avec René Caron et Yves Létourneau. » La semaine à Radio-Canada, from 2 to 8 January 1960, cover.

A captivating television show: CF-RCK, Part 1

A poster of the Italian-French movie La morte viene dallo spazio. We see 2 members of the control centre’s team: the unsavoury French researcher and the pretty but cold mathematician.

Movie titles can be so… positive and cheerful: The Day the Sky Exploded

The host of the weekly television show Plein Ciel, on the right, and his technical adviser, Captain Marcel Everard. Anon., “Introduction à l’aviation.” La semaine à Radio-Canada, 29 November to 5 December 1958, 12.

A television show I would have liked to see during my youth

Lift off of the hydrogen balloon that carried aloft the antenna of the American emergency radio transmitter BC-778, better known under the name “Gibson Girl.” Anon., “Gibson Girl to the rescue.” Flying Aces, septembre 1943, 30.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Two Rohrbach Ro VIII Rolands operated by Iberia, Compañía Aérea de Transportes Sociedad anónima, Madrid, December 1927. The one in the background was used for the Madrid-Barcelona flight of 14 December. Anon., “Inauguración del nuevo servicio aéreo Madrid-Barcelona.” Aérea, October-December 1927, 33.

Never on a Sunday: The tall tale of an Iberian Roland, Part 1

Related Stories

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 piloted by Second Lieutenant Franciszek Jarecki, Rønne airfield, Rønne, Denmark. Jarecki is the gentleman marked by an arrow. Anon., “Undamaged Red Jet in NATO Hands.” The Gazette, 7 March 1953, 2.

A flight for freedom which pierced the Iron Curtain; or, The day Second Lieutenant Franciszek Jarecki escaped from Poland aboard a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter

The prototype of the Astro Kinetics Aero Kinetic Lift, Houston, Texas. Anon., “Aircraft and Powerplants – Crane version of ‘flying saucer’ projected in U.S.A.” The Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News, 7 March 1963, 24.

“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Texan flying saucer!” Astro Kinetics Corporation of Houston, Texas, and its unique looking vertical take off landing aircraft

The Canadair Silver Star of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, June 2005. This aircraft was flown by the Red Knight, the solo aerobatic pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in 1961-64. Alain Rioux, via Wikimedia.

It really kept going and going and going: A brief look at the Canadian career of the Lockheed / Canadair Silver Star jet trainer, part 2

Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Brooke Claxton, left, during the taking of possession of the first Canadian-made Lockheed T-33 Silver Star jet trainer, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “M. Claxton reçoit le premier réacté T-33 fabriqué ici.” La Patrie, 13 February 1953, 1.

It really kept going and going and going: A brief look at the Canadian career of the Lockheed / Canadair Silver Star jet trainer, part 1

A Woolery Machine Company runway de-icing device in action at Cologne-Wahn airport, Cologne, West Germany. Anon., “Ancillary Review – Flame-throwing – On Ice.” The Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News, 28 February 1963, 29.

Come on, PB, light my fire. Try to set the ice on fire: A peek at the American firm Woolery Machine Company and some of its ideas and products

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec, Manuan Lake, Québec, August or September 1940. CASM, 13469.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 3

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec, under repair, Arviat, Nunavut (Eskimo Point, Northwest Territories), September 1932. CASM, 1208.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 2

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Pionnier des transports lourds dans le nord du Canada, le ‘Cargo volant’ a fini sa carrière.” Photo-Journal, 29 January 1948, 2.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 1

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Sergeant Bob Electro caught in the act of saluting the commanding officer of RCAF Station Clinton, Group Captain John Gordon Mathieson, Clinton, Ontario. Anon., “Six-Year-Old Sergeant.” The North Bay Nugget, 7 January 1963, 15.

Dōmo arigatō, gunsō Electro, mata au hi made: The electronic adventures of Royal Canadian Air Force / Canadian Armed Forces Sergeant Bob Electro

The 10-inch flight impact simulator of the National Research Council of Canada at some point during its long career, Uplands / Ottawa, Ontario. NRC.

A great Canadian success story you should know about: A brief look at the National Research Council of Canada flight impact simulators donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 3

A bushplane, the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. A new text panel sits in front of the aircraft: a gray structure with wood-tone side panels and dark metal legs. Its backlit surface presents the name of the aircraft, a selection of images, and interpretive texts. A life-size display of a dock sits to the right, followed by another aircraft and panel.

Whispering Loudly: An Update about the “Quiet Updates”

The 3.75- / 3.5-inch flight impact simulator of the National Research Council of Canada at some point during its long career, Uplands / Ottawa, Ontario. NRC.

A great Canadian success story you should know about: A brief look at the National Research Council of Canada flight impact simulators donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 2

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