Download: Flightlines FEBRUARY 2016

Mailed by Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, 9280 Airport Road, Mount Hope, Ontario, FEBRUARY 2016 A PUBLICATION OF CANADIAN WARPLANE HERITAGE MUSEUM L0R 1W0 David Ippolito – Honourary Colonel Investiture Ceremony ple located in Canada, the military heritage and became the By Dave Rohrer United States, and Mexico, with key financial contributors to the over 300-million dollars in an - ongoing complete restoration of n December 7, 2015 nual gross revenues. a Grumman Tracker aircraft at David Ippolito, CWH As a successful business the museum which was flown Board of Director, cur - leader in the community David by the Royal Canadian Navy on Orent B-25 pilot and a great sup - has been asked to serve on HMCS Bonaventure and subse - pOorter of the museum, was many Boards of Directors and quently by the Royal Canadian appointed as an Honourary community committees and has Air Force at 880 Squadron in Colonel of the RCAF 8 Wing always been generous in volun - CFB Summerside. Trenton ATESS (Aerospace and teering both his time and re - David will be at the controls Telecommunications Engineer - sources to assist and serve on of this aircraft when it is ready ing Support Squadron). these important initiatives. to fly later this year. David was born and raised in David is currently an active In honour of the 120,000 Burlington, Ontario and after Director of the Canadian War - Bomber Command veterans completing his education joined plane Heritage Museum located who served in WW II which in - the Ippolito Fruit and Produce at the Hamilton International cluded about 40,000 Canadians Company, a family business Airport which is a not-for-profit and the 55,573 airmen includ - started by grandparents in the non-government funded organ - ing 10,659 Canadians who did 1940s. ization and Canada’s largest fly - not return, the museum flew the After the passing of his fa - ing museum. last flying Canadian built Lan - Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Director appointed as Honourary ther in 1996, David along with As a professional pilot who caster to the UK in 2014 to join Colonel of RCAF 8 Wing Trenton. Congratulations to Colonel Ippolito his brother Joel assumed control on this significant accomplishment! holds both an Airline Transport the only other flying Lancaster Photo courtesy Suddenly SeeMore…Productions Inc. of the company and introduced Rating and Commercial Rotary in the world which is owned many new and innovative ad - Wing License, David is current and operated by the RAF Battle vancements in the food produc - on both corporate jet and heli - of Britain Memorial Flight at project, together with his wife entrepreneur, a talented profes - tion, processing and preparation copter aircraft, as well as, being RAF Coningsby. Marilyn provided the seed fund - sional pilot, and an involved business. Over the last 19 years a Senior Captain on the mu - The seven-week tour of the ing for the documentary and community leader, David is also these improvements have re - seum’s B-25 Mitchell Bomber, UK was seen by millions of contacted their personal friend an avid sportsman and enjoys sulted in a local Canadian com - which he displayed this year people and was a true act of re - Morgan Elliot, a highly re - many seasonal sporting activi - pany growing from an operation with the Lancaster at “AirVen - membrance that will likely garded professional in the in - ties and hobbies. that employed 30 people with a ture” in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, never be repeated. As such, dustry to produce the doc- David and his wife, Doctor 10-million dollar annual gross the largest air show in North David immediately understood umentary Reunion of Giants Marilyn Gregus, reside in the revenue to a fully vertically in - America. the importance of capturing this which is now available on DVD local Ancaster area and they tegrated international agricul - Both David and his brother epic journey in a documentary for all to see. have four children, Tyler, Sean, tural and logistics enterprise that Joel are strong supporters of the and when museum funds were In addition to being a com - Greg, and Leah, and a first today employs over 1,000 peo - Canadian Armed Forces and our not available to allocate to this mitted family man, a successful granddaughter, Vaida. Training Units (OTUs) in Canada. As a Squadron Gunner, he filled in for killed, absent, injured or tour-expired reg - ular gunners for 35 operations. On 13 Sept. ’44 he was permanently assigned to Cy Poissant’s crew, replacing his gunner who, after suffering a breakdown, had left the Squadron. This 25 Nov. ’44 operation was Ole’s 48th. During his six months of operational CWH B-25 experience he had seen 34 Squadron mates Mitchell. killed, three become Prisoners of War and numerous others hospitalized with flak Photo wounds. courtesy Darren His position in the aircraft, with head in Harbar the turret between two .50-calibre machine Photography guns, was flanked by the incredible sound of two 1,700-horsepower engines that did little to distract from the furious flak bar - rages sent up by German gunners with the seemingly sole purpose of killing him. While traversing his turret in search of Luftwaffe and reporting flak bursts, Ole ‘Ole’ Olson during his 22 ops with composed poems to keep his mind from Nevin Filby’s RAAF crew. By David Poissant dwelling on what might happen; he wrote Photo courtesy George Olson them down after returning to base and they later became a book. le’s stomach churned with He had seen, on 08 Sept. ’44, Mitchell new fury; suspended in his VO-B explode upon landing at Dunsfold, mid-upper turret, con - killing the crew just minutes from safety. lack of stantly searching for the enemy lack of O Two days later he penned the poem ‘No figOhters he hoped would not appear, Place to Hide’ that would become the title he was painfully aware of the inten - of his postwar book. sity increasing with each operation. Eighteen-year-old George ‘Ole’ “…There is no cover for you to hide be - mmoorraall Olson earned his Air Gunner qualifi - hind cation at No. 3 Bombing & Gunnery Or a slit trench in which you can hide School, MacDonald, MB 28 Jan. ’44; No safe haven up there for you to find by 07 June ’44, the day after D-Day, Where you could take refuge inside…” he was a ‘Squadron Gunner’ attached “Cy, my stomach’s killing me” Ole said ffiibbrree to 98 Squadron RAF at Dunsfold, Sur - into the intercom. “You better talk to the rey, flying in B-25 Mitchell bombers. Medical Officer when we get back” Cy ad - Due to a shortage of Air Gunners, vised. That raid was on the Marshalling the RCAF/RAF commands had rushed Yards South of Rheydt; the flak was accu - (lmf) Olson and other trained Air Gunners rate, intense; the windshield was shattered. (lmf) directly to operational units, bypassing the usual ‘crewing up’ at Operational • continued on page 3 2 CWH FLIGHTLINES FEBRUARY 2016 UMK theature spereumimere’ osf ReNunioen wof Gsi anBts riefs November 23, 2015 – While not quite to the same scale as the fabulous Canadian Premiere by Cineplex at 23 theatres across the country, the invitation only UK Theatrical Premiere was no less poignant. Hosted in Woodhall Spa (our base of operations for the 2014 Lancaster UK Tour) at the Cin - ema in the Woods, Veterans fea - tured in the film, Vernon Morgan and James Flowers, Cineplex donates $50,000 to CWHM were in attendance as well as a contingent from the Battle of Cineplex Entertainment has Britain Memorial Flight, Just donated $50,000 to the Canadian Jane and the Canadian Lancaster Warplane Heritage Museum, flight crew. whose Avro Lancaster bomber The following day, there was was featured in a documentary en - a ticketed screening for the gen - titled Reunion of Giants debuting eral public. In attendance for this at select theatres November 11. screening was the Canadian Lan - As depicted in the film, it had caster flight crew. been 50 years since two Avro Lan - Only one Veteran was in at - caster bombers flew in formation. tendance – Harry Bontoft, Lan - The Canadian Warplane Heritage caster wireless operator and his Museum’s Avro Lancaster, known moving speech during the ques - as VeRA, flew from Hamilton, tion and answer session after the Ontario to meet her British coun - film rightfully stole the show! terpart, Thumper – the only other One question that came up surviving flightworthy Lancaster was “when are you coming bomber in the world. back?” Answer: “When Just Jane Cineplex’s $50,000 donation flies!” coincided with a special free Canadian Lancaster flight crew at the UK pre - screening of Reunion of Giants would be available. We’re miere with veteran Lancaster wireless opera - on the big screen at 23 theatres pleased to debut this film to hon - tor Harry Bontoft. across the country this past Re - our our veterans.” membrance Day. “Cineplex is a “The kind and generous sup - proud Canadian company and we port of Cineplex, an outstanding know that our donation to the home grown Canadian company, Canadian Warplane Heritage Mu - is invaluable to the Canadian seum will support the preserva - Warplane Heritage Museum in tion of important artifacts from our mission to honour the service, our country’s history,” said Pat duty and sacrifice of our veterans Marshall, Vice-President, Com - who have served Canada so munications and Investor Rela - proudly. Thank you most sin - tions, Cineplex Entertainment. cerely for this key and vital finan - “Since we announced the Re - cial assistance,” said David G. union of Giants screenings earlier Rohrer, President and CEO, in the summer, we’ve had count - Canadian Warplane Heritage Mu - Veterans featured in the film, Vernon Morgan and James Flow - less inquiries about when tickets seum and Lancaster pilot.

Load more