The Atlantic Canada a Viation Museum Newsletter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum Upcoming Meeting Dates: Halifax International Airport P.O. Box 44006 The November meeting will be on Wed. 1658 Bedford Highway November 27th at the Bedford SuperStore Bedford, N.S. Community Room beginning at 7:30pm. B4A 3X5 Please note the change of date. Website: http://acam.ednet.ns.ca The Annual General Meeting will be on the E-Mail: [email protected] 25th of Jan. 2003. Times and format infor- mation to be announced. Avenger Progress Report The Avenger now has both wings installed. For a full update see page 13. Photo by: Frank MacLoon The Bell 47 J-2 Helicopter is progressing in it’s restoration program. New vinyl lettering has Museum Newsletter been added to the boom and doors. Photo by: Rob MacIlreith Included in this Issue: Moscow to Miscou The Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum Notes In the Air and on the Ground ID Quiz and much more! The Atlantic Canada Aviation Musuem Newletter Nov / Dec 2002 Page 1 DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE AVIATION HERITAGE OF ATLANTIC CANADA The Moscow to Miscou Flight and the Moncton Airport By: Ron Cunningham [Editor’s Note: This article is a forward North-South runway was 900 feet long. to the Moscow to Miscou article] Two de Havilland Gypsy Moths were A significant aviation event in 1939 purchased for the Flying Club. D.H. 60 Gipsy Moth CF-AYZ was brought widespread attention to New In 1931 the Trans-Canada Air Pag- bought for the flying club and later Brunswick, in particular to Miscou Is- eant arrived with many aircraft visiting. purchased by Don McClure. land. This small Island, situated off the Canadian Airways began flying their northeast coast of New Brunswick, was “big, new” de Havilland Dragon Rapides Engine: One D.H. Gipsy I inline the site of the forced landing of a Rus- out of Moncton to other Maritime cities piston engine of 100 hp sian Airplane. in 1935, including daily flights to Wing span: 30 ft 0 in / 9.14 m. The Russians were attempting to fly Charlottetown. Two of the pilots were Length: 23 ft 11 in / 7.29 m non-stop polar flight from Moscow to H.S. (Junior) Jones and Joe Anderson. Height: 8 ft 9½ in / 2.68 m. New York for the opening of the New During 1936 Dick McCully formed East- Weight Empty: 920 lb / 417 kg York World’s Fair – they almost made it! ern Canada Airlines, which was a direct Max. take-off: 1,650 lb / 748 kg When news of the landing at Miscou be- competitor to Canadian Airways. Five Max. speed: 102 mph / 164 kph came known, Moncton Airport immedi- “Monospar” twin-engine aircraft were a.s.l. ately became the destination of news purchased from England, and were un- Cruise: 85 mph / 137 kph people flying in from the Eastern United crated and assembled at Moncton. They Initial climb: 500 ft per min. States to report on the story. were to serve Charlottetown, New Service ceiling: 14,500 ft/4,420 m. The Moncton Airport was the clos- Glasgow (Trenton), Halifax, Sydney, Range: 320 nm / 515 km est airport to Miscou at that time and had Saint John and Moncton. The first navi- Capacity: Two aircraft suitable for the rescue of the Rus- gation aids (Radio Range) in Moncton sians, as well as, providing transport for were established in 1937. Don McClure some of the Russian Embassy people and bought de Havilland Gypsy Moth CF- American news reporters to Miscou Is- AYZ from the Moncton Flying Club. land. (Don also provided some details about This event of over sixty years ago is the old airport.) little known by people today. Research The new Moncton Airport was be- revealed a very well-documented article ing built at Lakeburn a few miles east of written by Reverend Donat Robichaud for the original one. The site was chosen in the Nicolas-Denys Historical Society of May 1936 and a 3200-foot x 150-foot Shippagan, N.B., published in 1989. It is runway was completed in August 1939 - The de Havilland Dragon Rapide. interesting to note some of the history of four months after the Miscou event. the old Moncton Airport before it closed, In early 1940, with the beginning of Engines: 2x DH Gipsy Queen 2 or 3 as the new airport was under construc- the British Commonwealth Air Training 6-cyl. inverted inline engines of 200 tion at this time. Plan, the Moncton Flying Club was con- hp each. The Moncton Flying Club was tracted to train three classes of students Wing span: 48 ft 0 in / 14.63 m. formed in 1929, with Dr. Charles R. as provisional Pilot Officers. Tiger Moths Length: 34 ft 6 in / 10.51 m Baxter as its first president. The airport were used in the training at Moncton. Height: 10 ft 3 in / 3.12 m · was developed at Leger’s Corner (now The old airport was finally closed in Weight Empty: 3,276 lb / 1,486 kg Dieppe), a few miles east of Moncton, April of 1941. Don McClure was the last Max. takeoff: 5,500 lb / 2,495 kg on a 6.1-acre site. The City of Moncton owner of the Airport. Max. speed: 136 kt / 252 kph supplied the services of the City Engi- Some observations by a young lad Cruise: 115 kt / 212 kph neer, a tractor and a grader to aid in the of all the activity at the Moncton airport Service ceiling: 16,700 ft / 5,090 m. construction of the airport. Two grass on this weekend in April 1939: Range: 502 nm / 930 km runways were built: the East-West run- - Several types of airplanes arrived from Capacity: Up to 8 passengers. way was 1700 feet in length and the the U.S. The Atlantic Canada Aviation Musuem Newletter Nov / Dec 2002 Page 2 DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE AVIATION HERITAGE OF ATLANTIC CANADA - The preparation of the Stearman to fly swiped Kokkinaki’s beautiful white fur to Miscou including: removing a bird’s flying boots, the culprit returned them to nest from the rear cockpit, patching a fab- avoid an International incident. ric tear on a wing, removing months and - The Lockheed’s pilot, Russell Thaw, months of dust and a good engine run- walked the sod runway before take-off. up. He used all of the 1700 ft, runway before - The departures and arrivals of the lift-off. planes to and from Miscou Island. - Standing up in the wheel well of the Sources This D.H. 82C Tiger Moth is part Lockheed 14. (This type was soon to be- Don McClure, Moncton, N.B. of the Canadian Aviation Museum’s gin flying to the new airport by Trans Mary-Ellen Badeau, New Brunswick Collection. Canada Airlines) Provincial Archives, Fredericton - The delayed departure of the Lockheed Brenda P. Orr, Moncton Heritage D.H. 82A Specifications: 14 for New York when someone had Museum Engine: One D.H. Gipsy Major I piston engine of 130 hp. Wing span: 29 ft 4 in / 8.94 m. De Moscou à Miscou Length: 23 ft 11 in / 7.29 m. By: Reverend Donat Robichaud Height: 8 ft 9.5 in / 2.68 m. Translated By: Monique Muise Weight Empty: 1,115 lb / 506 kg Edited By: Ronald Cunningham (ACAM) Max. take-off: 1,825 lb / 828 kg 1939 hours and 36 minutes, earning him the Max. speed: 95 kts / 175 kph · New York City was in a state of ex- Hero’s “decoration” of the Soviet Union. Service ceiling: 14,000 ft / 4,267 m. citement. It was preparing to launch its His feats continued and in 1939, he set a Range: 261 nm / 483 km. extravagant World’s Fair in the most new altitude record of 48,097 feet [14,660 Capacity: two grandiose of ways. The fair’s president, meters] in an open aircraft, which pre- G. Whalen, wanted to do everything in a pared him for his record non-stop flight big way and $100,000,000 had been from Moscow to Miscou, which would spent. Nothing was too good for the oc- take 22 hours and 56 minutes. casion. The official opening ceremonies were to be accompanied by nothing less The Conquest of America than a world aviation record. The To show off to the world the pres- celebration’s hero was to be the famous tige of Russian aviation, Moscow had Russian Brigadier General, Vladimir come up with the idea of a record non- Kokkinaki, holder of more than a dozen stop flight from Moscow to New York, a world records in aviation. first in the aviation world. It would be Son of a railway officer, Vladimir the first non-stop “transpolar” flight be- A Lockheed 14 in flight. Konstantinovich Kokkinaki was born tween Moscow and New York by way of June 12, 1904 in the town of Novorossisk. the “great circle route”, which looks Engines: 2x Pratt & Whitney In 1925, he joined the Russian army and curved on the map, but is actually a di- Hornet S1E-G radial piston engines in 1930, finished his stint at the rect route between the two places. The of 875 hp each. Borisoglebsk School of Aviation with flight, as planned, would take the plane Wing span: 65 ft. 6 in. / 19.96 m. high honors. He was quickly noticed as over Norway, Iceland, South Greenland, Length: 44 ft. 4 in. / 13.51 m. an outstanding pilot, specializing as of New Brunswick, the coast of Maine and Height: 11 ft.