A History of the Peterborough Airport
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DOUG ROBERTSON & TIGER MOTHS 55 YEARS APART PETERBOROUGH AIRPORT TODAY 1 2 PETERBOROUGH AVIATION HISTORY 1946 to 1980 3 DOUG ROBERTSON MAY 2008 4 By Doug Robertson After World War II in 1946, ex-RCAF pilots, Harvey Strub, Eldon Purves, Ed Brown, and several other RCAF types moved to Peterborough. They started building an airport called Skyboro and a flying service out of the field on the Chemong highway near the Lindsay turnoff. They operated two fleet Cunucks and a Globe Swift doing sightseeing trips and charter flights. The following year they ran into some bad luck and all work on the airport stopped. Several attempts were made to get it up and running again. The only flying that went on around Peterborough for many years was float equipped Cubs and Aeroncas. The only fuel that was available came by 45 gal. drum from Imperial Oil in Cobourg Ont. We all kept our own supplies. I contacted the Dept. of Transport in 1952 about getting the old Skyboro strip licensed. They visited Peterborough and gave me a list of work that had to be done to get the strip licensed. The east-west runway was only usable during dry weather conditions and several local people and a few tourists used the strip. Because of its poor condition, several aircraft were damaged over the years until the strip was improved. In 1953, along with a friend, Ken Colmer, we bought a DH Tiger Moth for $300. We painted and rejuvenated the Moth and eventually applied for a ferry permit to take it to the old Barker Airport on Dufferin Street in Toronto to Jim Leggett for its Certificate of Airworthiness. With the help of Ed.Brown, an ex-RCAF pilot, we flew the Tiger out of the Skyboro strip. I soloed the Tiger many times before taking formal flying lessons. The only location nearby was Rockland Airways on Chemong Lake. I would drive over to Tom Mathias’s house, pick him up, drive to the lake, pick up some oil for the stove so we could get warm after many hours of preparing the aircraft for a flight and training. Tom had a 1946 T. Craft to teach flying in. I soloed after 2 hours in the T. Craft. I can remember my flight test the DOT Inspector gave you some instructions as to what he wanted you to perform in the air, and he watched from the ground as you performed. In those days both you and the school received a Government grant of $100.00 to offset the cost of your training. It was felt by the Government that as a trained pilot you would be available in times of national emergency. The cost for flying in those days was $12.00 per hour dual and &10.00 solo. You needed 30 hours to obtain your private license, and then you needed 200 hours for your commercial license. It took me 4 years to reach the 200-hour mark to obtain my Commercial License. I would walk a hundred miles just to fly an aircraft and did everything I could to make extra money to fly. The Skyboro runway needed much work to keep it operational. In 1955, Charles Kingdon of Kingdon Hardware, an aviation enthusiast and well-known businessman, assisted us by paying for the upgrades. Charlie purchased loads of fill, bought us a tractor and erected a clubhouse. He was a wonderful man who loved aviation. The dirt road into the airstrip was often a mud road, and many hours of pushing stuck cars were a normal procedure, but we loved it all. When Hurricane Hazel was approaching Peterborough, a few of us spent the evening trying to secure aircraft on the Skyboro strip. What a night, we lost one aircraft, a T Craft, but the others survived, at one time they were all flying tied to their ropes. Over at Toronto, many people lost their lives including my cousin Al Jeffries’ Mother and Dad, who lived along the Humber River. They were never found, swept out into lake Ontario. All that was recovered was a tin box that had been nailed to a 2X4 with some monies and documents inside. 5 In 1954 I formed a club comprised of local pilots and aviation enthusiasts. We held wiener roasts and breakfast fly-ins at the field. We called ourselves the Peterborough Pilots Association. Truck loads of gravel and fill was brought to the strip. Mr. Kingdon also supplied us with a tractor to help with runway grading. The Pilots Association held two airplane raffles to raise money to pay the taxes and help with the field maintenance. The first aircraft was an Aeronca Chief. We bought it from Carl Millard in Toronto and paid him for it as we received money from the tickets. An interesting note, George Hutchison and I visited Carl at his home to give him cash we had collected. Carl’s wife did not want him to accept the cash and thought it was counterfeit. He took it anyway. The 2nd aircraft was an Ercoupe. We did well on both raffles and were able to keep the field open for several years. We were also able to get the 1900-ft runway licensed, and for several years Skyboro was Peterborough's only licensed airport facility. Ralph Goodfellow, a local contractor and pilot, built a T Hangar and installed the first fuel pump. During the spring and summer months, several tourist aircraft from south of the border made use of the strip and many of the local pilots kept aircraft on the strip during the fall and winter months. We often did night flying, by pacing Colman lanterns along the runway. Skyboro stayed active for several years until Harry Oakman commenced building the new airport located southwest of Peterborough in 1959. Tom Mathias operated a flying school on Chemong Lake called Rockland Airways. Many of the local pilots received their training and private licenses through Rockland Airways. Tom & Doug MacPherson, a local businessman and ex-RCAF pilot were the flight instructors. Some of the early pilots I can remember were Harry Oakman, Al Warren, Clare Telford, Ralph Heard, Vert Reynolds, George Hutchison, Dick Pulley, Bob Groombridge, Warren Taylor, Ralph Goodfellow, Don Moore, Don Woods, Walter Woods, Bill Stafford, Henry Sharp, Ron How, and Dr. Ralph Clark. In the early 60's, local pilot, aerial photographer Harry Oakman purchased some land along the Otonabee River south of Peterborough for a new Peterborough Airport. Many of the local pilots helped Harry clear brush and level a 2000-ft. strip. I spent many hours (days) working the land, tractors, pick & shovel, you name it. The City Of Peterborough came to the aid of the airport development by sending city garbage to the site and with this landfill operation, the airport land was able to expand and from this, a new 5000 ft. runway was constructed and later paved and lighting installed. Despite plenty of controversy, work progressed at Harry's Airport. During the spring and fall, the road to the airport was almost impassable due to mud and water. The aviation community was split on the merits of Harry's airport. Some thought it would get too much fog, others thought it would be too wet, and still others wanted Skyboro to be improved. In 1959 Harry organized an air service called Peterborough Airways with a flying school. Len Head, a former RCAF Pilot, was hired as the chief instructor. The service operated two Cessna 150s and a 172. I had previously worked as a bush pilot with Saskatchewan Government Airways. I trained under Len Head for my instructor class 3 license and worked part time for a number of years as one of the instructors. Later I received my class 2 chief flying instructor’s 6 license. I gave flight instruction to some Peterborough notables, including Joe Behan, Scotty Bowman, Dr. George Luis, Dr. Bob Smith, and Brian Stockdale. After the school folded in late 1963, I did freelance flight instruction, training such local pilots as Dr. Bob Smith, Bill Pomroy who later joined Air Canada, Ed Visee, Gord Gutsell, and Ron Balme. The airports sat stagnate for some time. In 1965 Russ Bradley of Bradley Air Services approached me to act as the Chief Flying Instructor for a new operation at the Airport. Ken MacLennan, who was both the charter pilot and chief mechanic, managed the operation. At first it was called Bradley Air Service, but later became Trent Air. We had two Piper Colts and an Apache. During this time Frank Montgomery reinstated his interest in Peterborough aviation and received his Commercial License. Frank started his aerial photography business. Other instructors with us in those days included John Strickland who is now with Air Canada and Charlie Twa who recently retired from aviation. Harry was able to get the City of Peterborough to dump garbage at the site to enlarge the airport runway facilities. Eventually two turf runways were built with the city's help. We flew at night with lanterns placed along the runway and our rotating beacon was homemade from a locomotive headlight. Harry built two T hangars and small operations building. Peterborough was one of the last cities of its size in Canada to have a licensed hard surface airport facility. The City and local manufacturing businesses started to take a special interest in establishing a first class airport facility. Harry signed a contract with the City of Peterborough to establish a garbage landfill site at the airport. The garbage and landfill operation expanded the facility to two turf runways that would handle aircraft up the size of DC 3.