Along the L/H inside wall things are busy.One of our mechanics,Rod, is putting in a little overtime stripping the JN 4 fuselage cockpit of any usable parts as spares for the Canuck barnstormer.This is an era of very little regulation so you will sometimes find a real mixture of parts on any particular airplane.For example on the barnstormer they have used the wooden tail feathers from the JN4.Pilots will often ask us to change the wing stagger of their barnstormers to make them even more unstable for their aerobatic routines.
Because of the Veterans day commemorations we have hung some flags from the rafters,put up a few decorations and cleaned thing up a bit before the dignitaries arrive.Believe me the floors are never usually this clean.

The newly re-built Canuck barnstormer is just about ready for its fabric covering.She has been temporarily assembled for this occasion and has already undergone an engine run-up or two,hence the oil leaks.The propeller attachment bolts are being changed and are missing. Lawrence the crew chief is giving it a final inspection before the guests arrive.These guys are ex-military so a little extra effort was put in to itmake sure everything looks ship shape. Billy Bishop is a friend of the boss and it was he who arranged for this special visit.
Our fighter pilot guests are very familiar with this airplane as most of their basic training was on the Jenny ,at different airfields, both here in Canada and in the U.S..Although under powered it was a very stable aircraft on which to learn how to fly with few bad habits and was lots of fun to train on.
Wouldn't you just love to be a fly on the wall to hear about their training adventures ?

new pic

Unaware that the other guests have just arrived ,the boss man Windy and Mike one of our airmail pilots ,who is just passing through,are in conversation with an earlier arriving RAF type.Because these fighter pilots have just returned from a city parade commemorating this special day, they are still in dressed in their various uniforms.

This is the off season so the mobile advertising sign has been put away till next year.During the season we operate a mobile show going from town to town.When we arrive in a town or village to do an air show and give rides we will drag this sign down main street and have one of our pilot do a low pass or two over the town.This usually generates lots of business however the numbers have been dropping off recently and our pilots are being forced do riskier and riskier stuff to keep the crowds amused.
The going rates in the air circus business these days for large exhibitions or movie making usually runs around the following.
-crash airplane,fly into trees,houses etc.....$1,200
-Loop with man standing on each wing standing up $450
-airplane to airplane change $500
-upside down airplane change $500
-Change motorcycle or car to airplane $150
-Fight on upper wing,one man knocked off $225
-upside-down flying with man on landing gear $150
-Head-on collision with automobiles $250
-Blow up plane in mid-air,pilot chutes out $1,500

Mike,one of our airmail pilots is here to pickup a pretty good load today.Airmail is becoming more an more popular these days .I hope it is just not a temporary novelty that will soon wear off with the public.A lot of guys around here are literally risking their necks on a daily basis to try to get this stuff through in all kinds of terrible conditions.Pilots are being lost all the time and at an increasing rate.Boy it sure would be nice to have some type of navigation equipment other than dead reckoning railway tracks and rivers etc...

For those just tuning in to this thread,you may think that I have finally cracked up and am living in another world.Actually the museum asked me to come up with a storyline and caption some of the pics at the same time.They plan to use some of this dialogue in their presentation for educational purposes.I have recently learned that these dioramas will not be going directly into classrooms for strictly educational purposes as I had originally expected but are to be exhibited instead on the main museum floor,hence the need for an expanded storyline.

The spirit of our times is best reflected by this note left behind by one of our fellow airmail pilots down south and was recently posted to the company bulletin board.

"Beloved Brother Pilots and Pals".(to be opened in the event of my death)

"I go west,but with a cheerful heart.I hope what small sacrifice I have made may be of use to the cause.When we fly we are fools,they say.When we are dead we weren't half bad fellows.But everyone in this wonderful aviation service is doing the world far more good than the public can appreciate.We risk our necks,we give our lives,we perfect a service for the benefit of the world at large.
They, mind you, are the ones who call us fools.But stick to it,boys.I'm still very much with you all.See you all again."

Leonard Brooke Hyde-Pearson

Here at the dispatch office I like to keep a file for our pilots to refer to for airport information .Most of this has been compiled by the pilots themselves and sometimes through bitter experience.
Someone one day should put this all together into a proper manual of some kind.

Now that we have finished our initial walkaround of the hangar it is time to invite our guests inside.
Billy Bishop our host for this occasion is welcoming his fighter pilot friends at the door of the dispatch office.The old Model T has just pulled up to the door after a open air,bumpy ride to the airfield from the ceremonies in town.Luckily it is a warm day for November 11th and besides these guys are quite used to conditions like these,in fact they look like they rather enjoyed it.
Just to Billy's left is Eddie Rickenbacker. The others are mutual friends of them both but I haven't got their names yet.

Canada Aviation Museum names new Director General
April 29, 2010, Ottawa - Denise Amyot, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Quick as Director General of the Canada Aviation Museum.

“Mr. Quick brings a heartfelt passion for aviation to his new position at the helm of Canada’s national aeronautical museum,” says Ms. Amyot. “With his extensive experience within the public and private sectors, and more than thirty years as a professional artist, Mr. Quick is uniquely qualified to guide the Museum in showcasing Canadian achievement and innovation.”

“As museums,” says Mr. Quick, “we should not only function as stewards and guardians of our collective past, but be proactive in introducing future generations to the tools that will help forge their future. We should act as extensions of established learning institutions, helping to shape the future and engender pride in Canadian endeavours by telling the stories of those who have dared follow their dreams, and by showcasing the next wave of exploration and innovation.”



Deeply involved in Canada’s arts and culture sector, Mr. Quick has been painting professionally since 1978, and has been a professional aircraft and military illustrator since 1984. He spent 27 years in the Canadian publishing industry, including senior positions with both McClelland & Stewart and Stoddart Publishing. He has also worked within the public sector, including positions at the Department of Canadian Heritage and the National Gallery of Canada, prior to becoming Associate Director General of the Canada Aviation Museum in 2008.

The Canada Aviation Museum is Canada’s finest aviation museum, with an internationally renowned aeronautical collection. The Museum, a component of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, is located at the intersection of the Aviation and Rockcliffe Parkways, just ten minutes from Parliament Hill.

It is really nice to know that a fellow artist is finally running the show!

Meet Harley the company mascot.His bark is worse than his bite ! All the employees love him ,in fact if you look closely through the engine shop window you will see a picture of him hanging on the wall.One of the pilots took it of him sitting in a mail plane cockpit usually however he sits here on the chair just inside the dispatch office door and keeps it warm for the pilots.

This is where Harley and I hang out most of the time here in the dispatch office.Today it is pretty quite but it can get busy in here at times especially in bad weather.
One of the pilots was just here and told me a pretty funny story that he had heard.It seems that these two guys were out practicing their wingwalking routine .The wingwalker began climbing a seven foot ladder atop the upper wing of the plane as the pilot prepared to execute a loop but he fell off in the process and landed in the cockpit on top of the pilot.One of his pant legs slipped over the control stick."There I was my flying controls up the wingwalkers leg wondering how the hell do things like this happen to me.I told him to hold on and I will try to land." They did with the pilot holding on to his leg and the stick too.