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Harvard Happenings
November 2007
www.harvards.com
CHAA P.O. Box 175, Tillsonburg,
Ontario N4G 4H5
Sunday, November 11 at 11am
And give thanks for the freedoms you enjoy
Sunday November 11:
Remembrance Day Flypasts:
Toronto – four plane formation flown by Greg Burnard, Tony Donnelly, Dan Cameron and Hannu Halminen
Woodstock --- four plane formation flown by Kent Beckham, Pete Spence, Bill Shepard and Bjarni Tryggvason
CHAA Members Briefings:
Once a month - Tillsonburg Airport - next meeting: Sat, Nov 17 at 10AM.
Upcoming meetings:
Dec 15 – Social Time
Jan 19
FEB 16 – Annual Business Meeting
March 15
NOTE: OnTues, April 15 the meetings will return to a start time of 1930 hrs
MEMBERSHIP NEWS:
Marion Bennell
A very busy last half of October! We have ten new general members and twelve new Harvard Hawks. All of the Hawks took part either in the Cadet Day on October 14 or the special Harvard Hawk Day on October 20. Many of the new general members also had flights. Welcome to all.
It's renewal time. Since members have received their ROAR with the renewal form, sixty members have renewed. If you haven’t already done so, send yours today.
Now is the time to be thinking about Christmas gifts. The perfect solution for the hard-to-buy for person in your family would be a ride in a HARVARD or the TIGER MOTH. Contact me about a gift certificate. Don’t delay – please note: if request is received after December 15, it can not be guaranteed that the certificate will reach you for December 25. SHOP NOW.
HARVARD HAWK DAY
Maureen Irie
On Saturday October 20, 2007, we had ten Harvard Hawks (aged 12 to 18) participate in the events (three of them were new Hawks). Brandon Zimmerman was busy with the Link Trainer as each member had time there before going for a back seat ride. Bill Ritchie, Heather McMillan, Cornel Gazdaru, and Mike Merlo were kept busy with the back seat briefing and getting the Hawks into the airplanes. Our pilots: Tony Donnelly, Bjarni Tryggvason, Bill Shepard, and Roger Harris flew a total of 16 flights that day. Thank you to everyone for making it a great day.
As I sit and watch the gentle fall of both leaves and snowflakes, I realize our flying season is rapidly coming to a close. However, that in no way means we can sit back and relax – we will now be working on getting the aircraft and site ready for our 2008 season.
MTX The ribs have been replaced on one wing and it has been removed from the jig and
replaced with the other wing. The fuselage, centre section and the underside are at Spectrum Aviation for stripping, inspection and priming. No specific time frame has been set - there is plenty of other work to be done - so no rush. For anyone who is interested, the Restorations group is there every Tuesday from about 0900 to 1500 hrs – you are always welcome - depending on YOUR schedule.
Tours With the change in the weather our facility tours are pretty well finished. We ran sixteen (16) tours this season involving nine hundred and eighty-five (985) individuals. (This did not include the Air Cadets from 530 Havoc Squadron or members from the Hawk Days, as these figures have yet to be reported). A vote of thanks needs to go out to the following for their help in conducting people around the facility, answering their questions and demonstrating our training aids: Al Speirs, Ron Rice and Len Fallowfield were in Hangar 1 with the cut-a-way engine and the electrical training panel; Ray Bennell, Gord Pearce and Ron Jay looking after the aircraft and restorations projects in Hangar 2; and Brandon Zimmerman was always busy with the Link trainer. For anyone whose name I have missed - my apologies and sincere thanks. We will be working on refining our tour guide skills over the winter and developing a plan of action for next year.
Hangar 2 Thanks to the grant money obtained through the Trillium Foundation (good work Ken), the asphalt floor on the north side of Hangar 2 has been ripped up and replaced with a super concrete floor. Murray Hearn was tasked with keeping an eye on this project and has done an excellent job. Everything has been returned to the hangar except the aircraft. Hopefully that will happen this weekend. The next thing will be to educate everyone to clean up after themselves. If you spill something, clean it up. If you put an aircraft away, make sure oil drip pans are in place under the aircraft before you walk away. Informed sources advise that work on the bi-fold door on the north side will start the week of the 12th of November and the new washrooms are in the planning stages.
Writer’s Note; It may be time for the Board to consider heaters for the north side of Hangar 2 and some design changes to the Southside. Restorations could move to the north and the south half could be converted to a museum. Remember we are designated a Class "B" museum and if we can get that area up and running we can set an admission fee and in turn raise some funds. Just a talking point at this juncture. Wheels are always turning - always thinking.
Equipment Donations: We all know that from time to time the spirit and other external forces move us to clear out the basement, garage or what have you (more commonly referred to as the "honey do" list). Usually we find stuff that needs to go but we don't know where. Before bringing it to the hangar, make sure you contact either Ron Jay (r
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) or Bill Ritchie (
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) to make sure CHAA has a use for the item.
FAIRWELL FLIGHT PROGRAM
A new proposal has been approved by the Board – a Farewell Flight Program (an initiative to fund a missing man formation flypast for those who have passed away). In order to raise money for these Final Flights, we are asking everyone to drop off their aluminum cans on Tuesday, at Member Briefings or on Saturdays. If possible, remove the pull tabs and submit these separately. Look for more information on this new plan in the near future.
DECEMBER DRAW
Fundraising Committee
Anyone making a purchase of merchandise from CHAA Stores (at the hangar, online or at Grampa’s Attic in Ingersoll) from now (November 9) until December 15 will have their name in a draw for CHAA merchandise. Draw will take place at the close of the Members Briefing on Dec 15. Complete your Christmas shopping and get a chance to win a prize!
MAILOUT FUNDRAISER
Sandra Sparkes
Our Fundraising Committee produced a 2008 Calendar (under the watchful eye of Pat Hanna). We printed 1500 calendars - 550 for mailout as a thank you to the membership (mailed at the end of October with a call for donations to apply toward the cost of restoration work being done on CF-MTX (3191) and the purchase of a new parachute) and the remainder of the calendars are being sold at $10 each ($12 if they are being shipped). To date, we have received over $3000 in donations from this mailout and have realized over $1500 from direct calendar sales; a very good beginning. If you need extra copies of the calendar, contact
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. Last year our mailout brought in just under $16000; we are hopeful we can meet and exceed that total in 2007/2008.
Px Magazine – An article was written for the November issue and is due out on November 15th. For those who are unaware, Px Magazine is for retired airline pilots. As most of CHAA’s pilots are not retired and members may not see the article, it is printed below. 30 copies of the magazine have been requested and when received will be brought to the Hangar.
THE CANADIAN HARVARD AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
By: Philippe Morin - Chairman, Public Relations & Marketing
The early 1940's was a dark time in Canada's history. The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) was in full force as Canada hosted pilot training programs for allied countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Students from many other countries also participated in the BCATP including: France, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and others. The BCATP used several types of training aircraft during this time, such as the DH82C Tiger Moth and the North American Yale and Harvard. Over 137,000 aircrew, coming from all corners of the world, were trained in Canada under the BCATP.
THE ASSOCIATION: The all-volunteer Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association was born in 1985 at a small grass airstrip in Woodstock, Ontario, from the dreams of a handful of Harvard lovers who were determined to keep the legend of the Harvard alive. Today the aircraft collection is based in nearby Tillsonburg and includes five serviceable Harvard aircraft (a sixth undergoing a major overhaul), a Tiger Moth, and a Yale, which has been completely restored over the past 18-20 years The Yale is currently waiting for its Certificate of Airworthiness from Transport Canada. The mandate of the organization is to acquire, preserve, restore, maintain, display and demonstrate the Harvard aircraft and other aircraft associated with the BCATP and other training aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The Harvard flies today as a symbol and reminder of all who served to preserve our freedom, and as a living memorial to those who made the supreme sacrifice. It was especially moving that the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association was able to carry out its mandate in 1999, the 75th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
CHAA consists of 3 groups: The Harvard Association, which currently boasts over 600 members worldwide, the Aerobatic Team and the Dive & Recovery Team. With three additional privately owned Harvards, which make up the Aerobatic Team; this brings a total of nine North American Harvards connected with CHAA.
The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association is much more than a regular museum as all of the aircraft are airworthy and fly regularly during the flying season which spans April -November. Our Harvard aircraft participate in airshows throughout Ontario, Québec and Upstate New York. Today, CHAA has the largest flying fleet in Canada.
CHAA's Dive Recovery team actively seek out and dives on underwater BCATP aircraft wreck sites in the hopes of recovering artifacts to be recovered, restored and either displayed or reused as spares. Members of the Dive Recovery Team have also been involved in other high profile recovery projects such as the search for the Fokker Standard Universal aircraft known as the "Ghost of Charron Lake" and most recently in the search for and recovery of two Northrop Nomads known to have crashed into Lake Muskoka on Dec. 12, 1940 This last project includes some other well-known dive and recovery experts, namely: Al Bacon, Matt Fairbrass and Bil Thuma. Bil Thuma is best known for his work on finding the "Lost Squadron", a formation of P-38 Lightning fighters and a B-17 under 250 feet of ice in Greenland.
MEMBERSHIP: Regular monthly information meetings are held at the CHAA Operations Centre, Tillsonburg Airport: April - September (inclusive) on the third Tuesday of the month at 1930 hours; October - March inclusive on the third Saturday of the month at 1000 hours.
Members are encouraged to participate in all facets of the organization...from airshow support, ground crew, restoration, fund raising, marketing, research and social events, to the thrill of a backseat ride in one of our historic aircraft.
There is something for aviation enthusiasts of all ages at CHAA. The Harvard Hawks program offers anyone under the age of 18 or is currently a member of the Army, Navy or Air Cadets the opportunity to take courses on the basic principles of flight, experience CHAA's fully operational LINK trainer and even have a chance to "crew" a Harvard in the rear seat.
Members receive monthly newsletters: Harvard Happenings and the "Roar of the Harvard" which serve as our primary means of communication with the entire membership. Guest speakers are invited to our monthly member meetings and the organization holds member fly days during the summer months. This provides an opportunity for our members and guests to come to the airport and join in our passion for keeping the yellow birds flying. Back seat rides in either the Harvard aircraft or Tiger Moth are available and both flights and donations vary depending on the length of the flight. Gift certificates are available for those hard to buy for enthusiasts on your gift lists. Gift certificates are ideal for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas or just to say thank you to that special someone.
CHAA depends heavily on its members to volunteer on different committees. Volunteering cannot only be rewarding, it can also provide an opportunity for personal growth and satisfaction.
Our aircraft and the parts necessary to keep the planes flying are becoming more and more scarce. CHAA relies on both the financial and volunteering support of its members to keep the organization going.
OUR AIRCRAFT: Current restoration projects include our Yale (3399), Harvards CF-UFZ (affectionately known as "Bessie") and CF-MTX (3191). Yale 3399 has had a somewhat star-studded past. Yale 3399 was used in a 1942 Hollywood film called "Captains of the Clouds". The film, which starred James Cagney, was filmed entirely in Canada and features footage actually taken at BCATP training bases in North Bay, Ottawa and Trenton, Ontario. In one scene, James Cagney opens his cockpit canopy in flight to let out a trapped fly. Through the canopy windows, Yale 3399 can be seen flying beside him. After the war 3399 as well as most other RCAF aircraft were sold as surplus. Ernie Simmons bought the plane as well as many others, where it languished in a field, minus wings, until the 1970's. CHAA purchased 3399 and set about to obtain all the necessary parts to restore the Yale to flying status. After an 18 – 20 year restoration period, 3399 is once again ready to take to the skies. The Certificate of Airworthiness is due back from Transport Canada very soon.
THE FUTURE: CHAA will be celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2010. Festivities are in the planning stages and we hope to add to the celebration with a goal of achieving over 1,000 members on our roster. Our web site has just gone through a complete makeover and we will soon be adding a web store to the site. Our stores items are in the process of being cataloged and photographed for inclusion on the web site and will be available through direct purchase or gift certificates.
www.harvards.com
We are looking for people and ideas for all current committees and we could use your help. Join us in continuing to recognize those who made the supreme sacrifice to preserve our freedom. Membership forms are available on our website: http://www.harvards.com.
The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association can be contacted by mail: 244411 Airport Road, Tillsonburg, Ontario N4G 4H5 or by telephone: 519 842-9922. Email:
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FLYPAST MAGAZINE JAN 2008 - FEATURING
NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION
posted by Philippe Morin and Tony Donnelly
FlyPast magazine’s Assistant Editor Nigel Price and Photographer Duncan Cubitt visited Tillsonburg in June 2006 for our formation weekend. As a result, Flypast magazine (out of the UK) will be publishing an article on CHAA in their December (UK) issue and it will be released in North America in January 2008. Following is a synopsis of the January edition:
Already established as Europe’s largest selling magazine and widely read and respected throughout the USA, FlyPast specialises in aviation history and heritage, and leads the field in up to date news and stories from around the world.
For the January issue, we are undertaking a special in store promotion with Barnes and Noble, the leading US Bookstore. This is a Front Shelf promotion which brings FlyPast to the front of the news fixture in a Special Unit. In support of this, we are doubling the number of copies going into these stores, and as a result sales should improve significantly.
In this issue we will be dedicating a special feature to North American Aviation, including articles from WW2 to the Korean War, with related advertising pages following the editorial feature.
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Until next time, clear skies, safe flights and smooth landings!
Sandra Sparkes, CHAA Member
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