HARVARD HAPPENINGS
June, 2005    26th Edition
 
Next CHAA Meeting:  Tuesday, June 21 at 7:30pm
Tillsonburg OPS Building
 
Guest Speaker: Martin Keenan
Topic: CF 101-Voodoo

    What else is happening…?

  Last Month’s Guest Speaker:
At the last minute, our planned speaker, meteorologist Jay Campbell, was unable to attend due to work commitments.  CHAA member Charley Fox, recently returned from Holland, agreed to speak.  Charley updated us on several topics:
-about the August 1 Military Tattoo planned for Stratford to honor the Year of the Veteran; to learn more, visit: http://www.stratfordsummermusic.ca/schedulewk2.html
-told of the CHAA formation flypast over the 44th Biennial Convention of the Ontario Provincial Command, The Royal Canadian Legion, held in Cambridge in May (flew over twice with the second pass being the “missing man” ...beautifully done! Contact CHAA member Bob Healey ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for more info.)  
-spoke of just returning that day from Ottawa where he had attended the ceremony during which Lieutenant-General J. S. Lucas assumed the position of Canada’s Chief of Air Staff. To learn more about this 1973 RMC grad, visit: http://www.forces.gc.ca/dsa/app_bio/engraph/FSeniorOfficerBiographyView_e.asp?SectChoice=1&mAction=View&mBiographyID=64
-Charley mentioned briefly of speaking at a State Dinner in Holland (more to come on this and other Holland events when Charley and his daughter, Sue, return to be CHAA’s guest speakers in the Fall)
-the June 3, 4 and 5 airshow planned by Ed Russell and his group in Niagara Falls area (this was a great show featuring Mr. Russell’s Me109E W.No3597 flying in formation with his Hurricane MkXII & Spit IX (flown by Walter Eichhorn, Alan Walker and John Romain) off his small grass/dirt airstrip. Several other aircraft were there including CHAA’s Aerobatic Team and Tiger Moth, TJ Lilliman and Lauren Lee (CHAA members and founders of Bushhawk Squadron), and several WWI replica aircraft belonging to Great War Flying Museum.  To view Eric Dumigan’s images of the weekend and more, visit: www.airic.ca and on the left side of his page under “2005 Airshow Images”, click on “Friendly Foes Niagara” (Charley did an excellent job as commentator at the show)
-Charley also spoke about one of his many other passions, Torchbearers 2005, and played a CD of a London vocalist singing a beautiful version of “In Flanders Fields”. 

CHAA Mailing Address:
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE:

Effective immediately, use the following address for any CHAA correspondence:

Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association
244411 Airport Road
P.O. Box 175
Tillsonburg, Ontario
N4G 4H5

Another note, when you write the address, the 911 coded address line is kept smaller to assist the Post Office so that they do not send our mail to the Airport but at the same time letting people know our physical address so they can find us. All mail going to our old address will be redirected for the next six months.

  Great News:
As of November, CHAA will be making the last loan payment on our Hangar!  This is due directly to monies raised through the monthly Bingos.  We are so very appreciative of the efforts of the members who work these bingos each month in London.  For more info on upcoming bingo dates and how you can help, contact Bill Shepard (Fundraising chair and Board member) at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

  Membership News:
Our membership chair, Marion Bennell  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , reports she has been busy with 21 new members in May, more in June and several renewals are being processed as well.  For further info on renewal of your membership or to purchase that perfect Father’s Day gift...a gift certificate for a backseat Harvard ride, contact Marion.

It Is With Sadness:
We extend our sympathies to the families of:
-Pat Rowe (CHAA member #93) of Woodstock, ON, who passed away recently 
-Lloyd Stewart of Saskatchewan and Toronto, an RCAF 412 Squadron Pilot, who died in April

Restoration Wing News:
 CHAA Board member, Roy Venn This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , sends the following report:
-Transport Canada has grounded all Harvards until inspections take place (following an aviation accident in Florida); CHAA has hired a Kitchener company to get this job done, and they will start work this week on the wings of our Harvards. They should be completed early next week when we should know where we stand as far as flying goes.

-CHAA has applied for a ferry certificate to get RWN back from Ottawa

-the Yale...One of its final stages, the hangingof the engine, started on May 24 in Tillsonburg, and on June 14, 2005 at 1100 hours it was in place!  Many hands were there to help, supervise and witness. As Ray Bennell and others captured the moment on film, the crew tightened the last bolts in place (around 1400 hrs).  Next two major steps will be the initial engine run-up and then the taxi test. No schedule has been set at this time.(Congratulations to the Restoration Wing and all others who had a hand in the many stages of this journey to date. Lou Hill is definitely smiling...)

-Wally Meadows is on the mend after his hip surgery. Not quite up to hassling us on Tuesday mornings - just yet.
-Jack Pettit and Mike Masse have both had a tough winter with tests, waiting for results and those other medical related matters; hopefully the nicer weather will help their spirits

-Work continues on the Link Trainer which is very close to being back in operation. If we can just get that air speed indicator working properly...Brandon Zimmerman has the two Mikes (Masse & Kite) working on it, along with Dave Gibson, and they just aren't giving up.
-C-GCOE, the Tiger Moth has had its annual and has logged 9.4 hours up to June 5...to Lloyd Rodgers and crew Marv, Bill & Don...good job.

-CF-RZW has been sitting in the south side of the Restoration hangar and some work has progressed thanks to George Bennell and Jim Boniface. Trevor McNally has been doing his inspection to see what we need to get her in the air. Bruce Bird has a cleaning crew in to do the prep work before painting.

-Friday, May 27, Carla Cameron (Dan's better half) had her class from Monsignor J. H. O'Neil School out to the Airport for a tour and barbeque. The class also had an opportunity to see the Rice Boys pet project in operation...Ron and Keith Rice have spent a ton of hours restoring the static engine which is really fascinating; to see what makes all that noise and how the insides work is an eye opener.


  Pilots and Ground Crew: Formation Training Weekend:  
Kip Davis,  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   a Past President and former CHAA Harvard Pilot sends this report:    

-From all reports, the recent three-day Trainer Weekend June 3, 4, and 5 was a huge success with 66 flights being flown by 17 pilots.   David Martin achieved a Leader’s Badge and Wing Man bragging rights were earned by Tim Leslie (flying Mike Potter’s Mk1V out of Ottawa) and David Watson (who with his dad, Wayne, flew down from Camrose Alberta in their own Harvard 243, to take part in the FAST training.  The flight time for the trip to Tillsonburg was 12 hours, and the weather was CAVOK (ceiling and visibility ok) for the whole two days of the trip. (CHAA greetings to fellow members, Tim, David and Wayne)

-All three serviceable CHAA aircraft were on the ramp.  From my view on the sidelines, the service crew, under the guidance of Al Speirs, was doing an admirable job of turning the aircraft around with full tanks and clean windscreens.  To my knowledge, there were no maintenance issues over the weekend, with Trevor McNally looking like the Maytag repair man.

-The formation-flying schedule was very demanding for all concerned, with one flight off the ground while the others briefed. It was easy to see who worked the hardest by how wet the backs of the flying suits were.

-The Elmhurst Inn was the location of the after-flight gathering with lots of song, Alberta Beef and good cheer.  According to Johnny Curran, the “Queen Anne Room" had the dust blown off the drapes by one vocalist, namely Tony Donnelly. Of course, in my day we worked too hard to party after flying.  Norm used to take us for ice-cream!

-I am sure I speak for all the non-flying members of CHAA when I say we are immensely proud of our formation and aerobatic program whose level of excellence and safety could only be achieved by Trainer Weekends. We thank them for their dedication to excellence, and we thank their leaders who ensure they “get it right”.


  Back Seat Rides: IMPORTANT FLYDAY NOTE:
The current members’ flyday, scheduled for June 25 has been cancelled.  Hope to see you at one of the following dates: Current and new Members’ flydays are scheduled for: July 23, August 20 and September 10. For all CHAA backseat information and bookings, contact Dave Delaney:   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or (519)-471-4730.

  CHAA Dive RecoveryTeam:
 www.chaa-recovery.ca
View their site for the latest news on their search to locate a sunken Harvard.

  News from Dunnville: Don Oatman, President of No.6 RCAF Dunnville sends the following message: “We are having an open house and chicken BBQ on Saturday, July 2 at No.6 Dunnville airport and hope some of you can attend. The open house starts around 10am with the BBQ being from 4-7pm; anyone wanting BBQ tickets can let me know through email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text27000 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Seeking Old Acquaintances: Mr. Ralph Forbes, of Kitchener, Ontario, spent 15 hours in CHAA’s own 3191 during training in Ottawa in 1944-45 while a member of Flight 101.  He had a backseat ride two years ago in 3191 and calls it a “trip down memory lane”.  He would welcome a reunion with anyone who might have been with him at Uplands in Flight 101.  (Send your messages for Mr. Forbes to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, and they will be passed along promptly)

  Future Editions of Harvard Happenings: Starting in July, rather than sending Harvard Happenings directly to your email address, it
will be available for you to read here on our official web site as well as on the CHAA Recovery Team’s website: www.chaa-recovery.ca

  Until next time, clear skies, safe flights and smooth landings!