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Canadian Aviation Historical Society

The Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) is a national organization dedicated to the celebration and documentation of Canada's flying heritage. Members receive the CAHS Journal, Canada's premier aviation history magazine, regular newsletters, and an invitation to participate in the local activities of nine regional chapters.

CAHS Ottawa Chapter meetings are held on the last Thursday of the month, from September through May (except December), in the Mauril Bélanger Theatre of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum (Rockcliffe Airport). Meetings feature guest speakers, films, slide shows, book signings, and visits to local aviation events and facilities, such as those at the museum. Speakers present both first-person accounts and researched papers covering all historical periods and aspects of Canadian aviation.

8 Stories

Marc-André Valiquette

Bagotville – 75 Years of Air Defence

Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation

Synopsis: Marc-André Valiquette is a well-known Canadian aviation author. In this presentation, he recounts the history of the Bagotville Air Base, located in the Saguenay Region in Quebec. This is also the topic of his latest book, Bagotville – 75 Years of Air Defence. The book describes the role of the base during the Second World War, as part of Eastern Air Command until today’s air defence in the high-tech era. Areas of focus include the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing CF-18 Hornet, the Base Flight

Drones: Democratizing Aviation – The past, present, and future of the Canadian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry

Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation

Synopsis: The Canadian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry has roots stretching back to the Canadair CL89 program. Today, the industry has grown to about a thousand companies, and has doubled in size every two years for the past decade. The presentation will describe the recent growth in the Canadian UAV industry, its characteristics, and what is anticipated to happen over the next few years. Presenter: Mark Aruja Mark Aruja is the Chairman of Unmanned Systems Canada (USC), a national not-for

Herb Saravanamuttoo

Narrow Bodies Across the Atlantic

Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation

Synopsis: In this video, Dr. Saravanamutto describes the specifications and performance of popular long range wide body jet aircraft used to date in transatlantic passenger operations, and compares those with the emerging long range narrow bodied jets which are just now being deployed for transatlantic passenger operations. Presenter: Herb Saravanamuttoo Herb Saravanamuttoo was born in Scotland and educated at the University of Glasgow. After graduating in Mechanical Engineering in 1955 he

Herb Saravanamuttoo

Transatlantic Crossings, from Constellation to Concorde

Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation

Synopsis: In this presentation, Dr. Saravanamutto describes the evolution of trans-Atlantic flying, from the early pioneering flights through flying boats, the early reciprocating engine-powered airliners— such as the Lockheed Constellation—to turboprops, jet-powered subsonic and supersonic passenger aircraft. This presentation draws many interesting comparisons between the various aircraft used on the Great-circle Route such as fuel burn per passenger, oil consumption, flight times, numbers of

RCAF Squadron Leader Fowler Gobeil – The Untold Story

Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation

Synopsis: For over six years, aviation history buff and Ottawa Chapter member Jay Hunt has been fascinated with and disturbed by the story of RCAF Squadron Leader Fowler Gobeil, who was the first commanding officer of the RAF 242 ‘Canadian’ Squadron, which was later to gain fame as Douglas Bader’s international squadron. He wanted to know why Gobeil’s wartime tour was viewed as a black mark against his otherwise sterling career, when it should have been recognized as a stellar achievement. Jay

The Second Dawn of the Aurora

Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Synopsis: Colonel Ernie Cable, CD (Ret’d) explains from his own personal experience what he calls the “First Dawn of the Aurora,” giving background on Canada’s multi-mission, maritime/Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft version of the Lockheed P-3C Orion aircraft with Lockheed S-3A Viking avionics and sensors which the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) calls the Aurora. In his presentation, Col. Cable covers the Aurora program from the 90s to the present. Modifications from

Helping to Win the Battle of Britain – the CAN/RAF in Bomber Command

Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Synopsis In this video, Mathias Joost presents his research about Canadians who enlisted in Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command during the Battle of Britain. Mathias outlines his reasons for researching this topic, including dispelling the common myth of “the Few” being limited to RAF fighter pilots, and giving some credit to Bomber Command aircrew for helping to win the Battle of Britain. In the end, “the Few” should be seen as more than just the fighter pilots. RAF Bomber Command aircrew

New Light on Atlantic Command in the Cuban Missile Crisis

Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Synopsis: During the Cuban Missile Crisis ships and aircraft of Canada’s Atlantic Command were deployed to search for and keep track of Soviet naval activity. Senior Naval Historian Michael Whitby looks deeper into this deployment, examining the Soviet threats (both perceived and real), Canadian Naval and Air Operations during the Crisis, the role the shore station HMCS Shelburne played in the US Navy SOSUS Network, and why it has been so challenging to find historic documentation from this time