Flypast 43-6
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Volume 43 March 2009 Number 6 http://www.cahs.ca/chapters/toronto. Canadian Aviation Historical Society This meeting is jointly sponsored by CAHS Toronto Chapter Meeting Toronto Chapter and the Toronto Aerospace March 14, 2009 Museum- All CAHS / TAM members, guests Meeting starts at 1 PM and the public (museum admission payable) are -Under the Glider- welcome to attend. Toronto Aerospace Museum, 65 Carl Hall Refreshments will be served Road, Toronto “Landing Fee” of $2.00 will be charged to cover meeting expenses Next Month’s Meeting April 18, 2009 Last Month’s Meeting ............................... ...........................2 AEA 2005 Silver Dart Replica Photo Page . .............................11 This Month: “Canadian Lancaster Production in WWII” Frank Harvey, President of the Aeroheritage Foundation of Canada Credit: pilotfriend.com 1 Flypast V. 43 No. 6 Mrs. Jane Nokes of Scotiabank Presenting Paul Cabot with Finley Painting. Credit: Neil McGavock Last Month’s Meeting Several floors at Scotia Plaza are dedicated to the February Meeting Archives and Fine Arts Department. It is open to the public and all are welcome to visit. Topic: The Silver Dart The valuable painting is one of four by Mr. Main Speaker: Carl Mills Finley in the bank’s collection. He painted it for Reporter: Gord McNulty the bank’s 1964 calendar. It was the second in a series celebrating Canada’s Centennial in 1967. The Toronto Chapter of the CAHS celebrated Images of the calendar were discovered by Silver a century of powered flight in Canada with a Dart historian Jack Minor several years ago, and fascinating three-part program that attracted a were passed along to Carl Mills, our guest strong turnout. It was a timely meeting, just two speaker, for his ‘100th anniversary of flight’ days before formal ceremonies honouring the power point presentations this year. Mr. Finley’s 100th anniversary of the Silver Dart’s first painting emphasizes the surroundings of Bras powered flight on 23 February, 1909, at d’Or Lake and displays the entire Silver Dart as Baddeck, Nova Scotia. Proceedings began with people would have seen the aircraft. Paul Cabot the presentation of a beautiful oil painting lauded Carl for his hard work in making the depicting the historic flight by J.A.D. McCurdy. arrangements. Paul said events such as this are The painting, by artist Fred Finley, was important in increasing public awareness of the generously donated on loan to the newly renamed museum and its collection of aircraft and Canadian Air and Space Museum (formerly the artwork. Toronto Aerospace Museum) by Scotiabank. Jane Nokes, Director of Scotiabank’s Group Carl outlined Fred Finley’s biography. Mr. Archives and Fine Arts Department, presented Finley was born in New Castle, New South the painting to Paul Cabot, museum Curator. The Wales, Australia, on 4 June 1896. He studied art original artwork had been in the custody of in Sydney before joining the Australian Forces Scotiabank since Mr. Finley created it in 1963. during the First World War, where he served in Flypast V. 43 No. 6 2 France from mid-1914 for four years. He was promoted to Sergeant in February, 1917, was wounded in April 1917, and returned to duty soon after. He served in administration as well as pioneer and infantry units. In September, 1918, he was selected for pilot training with the Royal Air Force. However, this was cancelled as the war ended. He returned to Australia in June 1919. Mr. Finley began an art-study tour of Europe, studying at various art centres such as the Academie Julien in Paris and the Bavarian Academy in Munich. He came to Toronto and became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art and the Ontario Society of Artists. He held positions on the executive of these organizations and was also Director of Advertising at the Ontario College of Art. Mr. Finley constantly encouraged younger artists. He exhibited in Australia, Paris, the United States and Canada. He died in Toronto at age 73, on 14 May, 1968. He was survived by his wife and two children. *** Sarah Dempsey A special presentation was then made by Credit: Neil McGavock playwright Sandra Dempsey, of Toronto, (www.SandraDempsey.com) author of “Flying to *** Glory,” which she proudly described as the first Chapter President Howard Malone and only play written about the RCAF in World introduced Carl Mills, well-known CAHS War II. Sandra read a lively excerpt depicting a stalwart. Originally from London, Carl is a short scene at an Elementary Flying Training graduate of the University of Waterloo (1965) in School at High River, Alberta in 1942. She electrical engineering. He served for 24 years in vividly portrayed an amusing conversation the Air Force Auxiliary, starting in London as an between the main character Jimmy, and his best airman and retiring in 1983 as a Lieutenant- pal, Gus. Sandra sold copies of her book and Colonel - engineering officer. He was a member generously donated 40 per cent of the proceeds of 420, 2420 and 400 Squadrons and was of every sale to the museum. involved in deployments to the Arctic and several search and rescue missions. He was later project manager of an RCN Banshee jet fighter, in Toronto, which is now at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa. In 1991, he published a book on the history of the Banshee in the RCN. Carl has also researched and presented on the 3 Flypast V. 43 No. 6 Canadian Lancaster X Passenger Planes, de should be capable of powered flight and that Havilland Beaver operations in the Korean War, properly designed flying machines could be and Canadian airmen and airwomen in the flown as kites. As kite after kite was flown from Korean War. His current project in “retirement” his home at Baddeck, the tetrahedral design in Toronto involves the fundraising, interior emerged in 1901. Bell used smaller tetrahedral design and construction of a cabinet-type display cells as building blocks to develop larger kites. about the Korean War for the RCAF Memorial The 1,300-cell “Frost King” of 1905 could carry Museum in Trenton. In his civilian career, Carl a man aloft and Bell concluded it could also was the contract manager for the first set of carry an engine. Bell was a colleague of aviation VASIS lights installed in Ontario, at Toronto pioneers Octave Chanut and Dr. Samuel Langley. Island Airport. He was the senior electrical He adopted Langley’s term of “aerodrome” designer on the Air Canada hangar, at Pearson, instead of “aeroplane.” In addition to kites, Bell and was also involved in the design and researched propellers and aerial propulsion on construction of the Ontario mega-prisons. He floats. has about 500 hours of Cessna 172 time and Bell realized he would need engineering several flights in Canadian military aircraft. In technical assistance. In the summer of 1906 2008, Carl was awarded a Ministry of Veterans J.A.D. McCurdy returned home to Baddeck, a Affairs commendation for his historical research. year before completing his engineering degree at Carl’s impressive ‘Silver Dart Chronicles’ the University of Toronto. He brought his power point presentation has already been seen classmate, F.W. ‘Casey’ Baldwin, who had by CAHS Chapters in Ottawa and Montreal, and graduated in 1906 from U of T. McCurdy’s at Montebello, home of an annual Ski-Plane Fly- father had been Bell’s secretary, assistant and In for owners of Quad City Challenger ultra- photographer during the kite era, and McCurdy lights. Shortly after the Toronto Chapter grew up in that environment. Baldwin, who was meeting, Carl left for Baddeck to make the extremely interested in aerodynamics during his official presentation during the national undergraduate years, joined Bell in 1906 and celebrations for the Silver Dart’s history-making worked on kites. McCurdy joined in 1907. In flight. He will be making at least 10 early 1907, Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, a presentations on this project, proudly sponsored young U.S. Army officer and aviation enthusiast, by the Toronto Chapter. The presentation approached Bell while he was in Washington, features more than 150 images, mostly taken D.C. Bell was impressed and wrote to President from original photos of the 1907-1910 era, Teddy Roosevelt, requesting that Selfridge be including files from the Glenn Curtiss Museum assigned to observe his aerial experiments. in Hammondsport, New York, and covers the Searching for an engine, Bell learned that Glenn evolution of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell’s H. Curtiss was designing and building motors for fascination with kites, the Aerial Experiment his dirigibles at his motorcycle shop in Association (AEA) and the Canadian Aerodrome Hammondsport, N.Y. Bell ordered an engine and Company (CAC). All of the AEA aircraft, in persuaded Curtiss to join him as the engine fact, were built in Hammondsport, so most of the expert. photos were taken there. It all started with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell’s fascination with flying, and especially kites. He believed a properly constructed kite Flypast V. 43 No. 6 4 aircraft while Bell pursued his tetrahedral kite designs. The AEA located at Hammondsport, to use Curtiss’s facilities. Bell worked on his kites at Baddeck, travelled occasionally to Hammondsport, and wintered in Washington. At Hammondsport, the foursome built a 75- pound bi-wing glider with a wing span of 25 feet. The hill-launched glider accomplished about 50 flights, giving the foursome some flight experience over a two-month period. They agreed that while each newly designed machine should be supervised by just one associate, all AEA Members L - R Baldwin,Selfridge,Curtiss,Dr. Bell, associates would participate. Selfridge was McCurdy, Augustus Post - Aero Club of America.