Museum celebration draws crowd

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This article was published 22/07/2011 (5259 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The skies above Brandon’s McGill Field roared with the sounds of Second World War-era aircraft on Thursday.

The roar of three Harvards powering for takeoff only heightened the anticipation of the estimated crowd of more than 1,000 people, who were there to see the aircraft and help the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum celebrate its 30th anniversary.

"It means more to me to see the young people getting interested in this," said Archie Londry, a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan flight instructor during the Second World War who is also a longtime volunteer at the museum.

"This is a part of history in Canada that hasn’t been as well known as it is in other countries. I just came back from Europe and the Dutch people and people in Belgium really remember the war more than the people in Canada. We had to have control of the air and to quote Winston Churchill, the (air training plan) was the single most (important) factor in the winning of World War Two."

Ross Robinson, who owns and flies a 1952 Harvard Mark 4 and a Douglas A-26 (also known as a B-26), said he views himself as a custodian of two pieces of Canadian aviation history.

"I became a vintage aircraft lover when I saw (the Harvard) and saw this one for sale in Oliver, B.C.," Robinson said. "Both of these planes were owned by senior citizens who asked me if I would look after their airplanes for a while. I’m the custodian of these planes for 15, 20 years and then I’ll pass them on to someone else who is a warbird aficionado.

"It’s hard to find some of these aircraft, and the Harvard has so much history, not just in Brandon, but throughout the whole Commonwealth Air Training Program that they are fairly easy to find. They are called T-6s in the United States, and it’s probably the most prevalent warbird found now."

A couple of planes from the Vintage Wings of Canada’s Yellow Wings tour were also part of the display, but at press time, it was not certain if all of the planes would take to the skies for an aerial demonstration.

"This year works out to being 70 years from where the British Commonwealth Air Training Program really got up and running," said Peter Moodie, a Winnipeg-based pilot flying in the Vintage Wings of Canada tour.

"Vintage Wings has been involved in other commemorations in 2009 and 2010, so it seemed appropriate to do a commemoration this year."

The Brandon stop on the tour was seen by the museum board, those who saw the flying demonstration and the pilots themselves as a way to pay tribute to the 130,000 pilots and air crews who were trained through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

"I can’t take off from Brandon without doing a low and over and giving a salute to thank all of those war veterans as I go by the tower," Robinson said.

"I give them one of these to thank them for the work they did during the war. Some of them won’t talk about it, but they are great men and women."