The passing of Don McLarty

Reprinted from The Ottawa Citizen, remembering.ca > Ottawa home


MCLARTY, Donald William "BUNNY" May 21, 1922 - August 24, 2011 A LOVE STORY CONTINUES IN HEAVEN 


Bunny, as all his family and closest friends knew him, passed away at 89 years, on August 24, 2011, surrounded by his four loving children. Thoughtful and kind until the very end, Don waited for Judy to arrive from Vancouver so that she could say goodbye. We know he's with Hopie now.


Don was predeceased in February of this year by his true love and strong supporter of 63 years (married April, 1947), Mary Hope McLarty (nee McSloy). After Hopie died, Dad was heartbroken and never really recovered. They were best friends and true partners in life. 


Don is survived by his four children - Judy, Doug (wife Lynn Honsberger and their two daughters Roslyn and Daphne), Susan (partner Terry Karaim), and Christine (husband Jay Crossman and their daughter Hailey). 


We were all very proud of Don's elegance, calm under fire and sense of adventure. He adored his wife, loved and supported his kids and grandkids, enjoyed a good dry martini, and felt most at peace at their cottage on the Big Rideau Lake. We remember Hope and Don dancing the Samba in the living room, cruising the Rideau Canal system in their Swinger, big, boisterous family Christmas celebrations, steaks on the barbecue, his beloved 1962 356B Porsche, his fondness for great Italian food, good friends, and of course, anything to do with planes. 


Born in Newcastle, England, Dad's family moved to Buenos Aires when he was a toddler. There, he attended the Woodville School and St. Albans. His father worked as an engineer in the development of the Argentine railroads. Dad outlived his parents, Donald and Helen McLarty (nee Groundwater), three sisters and a brother, who all remained in Argentina.


In response to Hitler's invasions, Don volunteered as an Argentine national for the Royal Canadian Air Force on November 28, 1940 in Ottawa. He met Hope during his training at the Elementary Flight School in St. Catharines. Flight Lieutenant McLarty flew Hurricanes over North Africa. He'd completed 199 missions when he was shot down over El Daba Airport. After a year in two Italian POW camps, Don and his POW camp roommate, Ray Sherk, escaped and found their way to the Allied lines. They remained lifelong friends, reuniting most recently for the dedication of a Hurricane aircraft in Don's honour at the Vintage Wings of Canada airfield in May of this year. 


Don and Ray Sherk were active members of the Royal Canadian Air Forces Escaping Society, an organization dedicated to the recognition of the extreme efforts and risks taken by the European families who assisted airmen in their escape or evasion of capture by the Germans in the Second World War. After the war, Dad returned to Canada. Don and Hope were married in 1947 and spent their honeymoon year together in Columbia, South America, where he managed an air survey flight crew. Don enjoyed a successful career in the Canadian Air Survey Industry, first as a pilot, followed by increasingly responsible roles in sales, marketing and managing Canadian air survey companies. 


As President of the Canadian Association of Aerial Surveyors, Don significantly enhanced the role of private industry, both domestically and internationally. We are eternally grateful to Dad for many, things: he was a gentleman first and foremost, perceptive and kind always. Dad provided all of his family with a comfortable and warm home where friends were always welcome. He appreciated the finer things in life and worked hard to provide us with them. We appreciated Dad's wit and sense of humour (Old age combined with treachery will always overcome youth and skill), his loyalty in his close friendships, his love of old jazz, the simple pleasure he took in puttering around the cottage (do we really need one more tool shed Dad?), his artful decoration of the Christmas tree every year, and his absolute joy in having his family around him. 


We thank Dad for being an extraordinary role model to us as adults. We would like to thank the entire team at the Alta Vista Manor for their kindness and care in Dad's final days. You all helped tremendously. 


In appreciation for Donald's wartime service as a fighter pilot in WWII, and in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: Vintage Wings of Canada, 1699 Rue Arthur Fecteau Street, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, J8R 2Z9 Tel: 819-669-9603 www.vintagewings.ca 


Notifications of your donations in Don's memory or personal condolence notes may be sent to: J. Douglas McLarty, 628 Byron Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K2A 0E6. Friends may call at the Beechwood National Memorial Centre, 280 Beechwood Avenue , Ottawa, on Tuesday, August 30th from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Memorial service on Wednesday, August 31st in the Sacred Space at 1 p.m., followed by interment in the National Military Cemetery at Beechwood Cemetery , The National Cemetery of Canada. Reception to follow at 3:30 pm at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club.

Vintage plane gets royal treatment in Ottawa Airport

Reprinted from  Ottawa This Week by: EMMA JACKSON / Aug 25, 2011

1932 de Havilland Fox moth. The Prince of Wales' 1932 de Havilland Fox Moth is on display at the Ottawa International Airport until the new year. Photo by: Emma Jackson

The Ottawa International Airport welcomed another royal visitor this month, but this one’s here to stay.

The personal airplane of King Edward the eighth, a 1932 de Havilland Fox Moth that he flew for one year while he was still the Prince of Wales, arrived for display Monday, Aug. 15 and will remain in the arrivals lobby for the coming year.

 {Editorial correction: Michael Potter is the Chairman of an Independent Board of Directors and founder of Vintage Wings of Canada. The President, formerly the CEO, of Vintage Wings is Rob Fleck} 

The plane is operated by Vintage Wings Canada headquartered at the Gatineau airport, and is still in perfect working order. However, the plane will quit the skies this year to contribute to Vintage Wings CEO and plane collector Michael Potter’s goal to keep antique planes in the public eye. 

“It keeps these planes available to people, they can see them and it keeps people aware of history. It educates people into the past of the air force,” explained Gavin Milo, a long time pilot who volunteers with the non-profit organization once a week. Potter’s private collection was turned over to a foundation in 2005, and the many antique planes including a Spitfire and a handful of other World War Two fighters are on display six days a week in a hangar at the Gatineau airport.

Ottawa Airport spokesperson Krista Kealey said the airport is excited to have another vintage plane on display, after showing a WACO Taperwing from the Vintage Wings collection last year.

“It’s a different air, its something that people don’t see everyday. They don’t have the opportunity to get up close and personal with an aircraft like that every day and we’re glad to offer the opportunity,” she said. “For the airport, there’s an obvious connection to these aircraft that have been used in war time. It’s a natural partnership.”

The Fox Moth is a light transport plane, a close relative of the Tiger Moth training plane that taught many Second World War pilots how to fly.

The model on display was one of 98 Fox Moths built in England, although after World War Two more than 50 Fox Moths were built in Toronto. The original Fox Moth prototype was also tested in Canada as de Havilland figured out how to apply floats and skis to the versatile craft.

Built in 1932, the plane on display was made specifically for the Prince of Wales, who would briefly become King Edward the Eighth in 1936 before abdicating the throne to his brother.

By 1933 the sleek black bi-plane with red leather passenger seats was bought by a private pilot and then taken back by manufacturer de Havilland. It was sent to New Zealand, where it was used as a tourist plane to take people into the mountains. In 1943 it crashed into the Franz Josef glacier and was briefly out of commission.

For a decade it changed hands repeatedly, until a private owner took the plane to Fiji and it was abandoned for more than 30 years.

In 1990 an aircraft company began to restore it, and in 1993 the plane’s true saviour discovered the plane and restored it in earnest. By July of 1993 the plane had won the Reserve Grand Champion Antique award at a major air show in “experimental airplane mecca” Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

“It was considered the best of the best at that time,” Milo said.

Vintage Wings acquired the plane in 2006.

Milo said the Fox Moth on display represents a whole line of planes that were used as bush planes, mail and passenger carriers and agricultural planes after the war in Canada.

“They built about 50 of these planes between 1945 and 1958. They were used for bush planes, and they operate on skies and on floats,” he said. One of the most famous bush operators in Canada was Max Ward, who flew a Fox Moth before starting his famous charter company Wardair.

Although most of the Fox Moth line is more than 60 or 70 years old, Milo said there is no shortage of pilots who can fly antique planes like the one on display.

“Especially here in North America there are a lot of aircraft of this type that are in private hands, there are several philanthropists who own this stuff,” he said, noting that apart from insurance policies an experienced pilot could learn to fly a Fox Moth in about five hours. Of course, young men at war were learning to fly from scratch in a relatively short amount of time, which was part of the reason so many air force members died. “In World War Two, people flew things like that for 30 or 40 hours at the most, went to England, were stuffed in a Spitfire and said to go fight. I have 300 hours and I’d be kind of nervous about going to war in a thing like that,” he said. “Your hands are full just making this thing get up in the air and get back down, let alone ducking the bullets that are flying around and shooting the guy down that’s in front of you.”

Vintage Wings will host their annual air show out of Gatineau Airport this Sept. 17, where spectators can see antique fighters, trainers and transport planes in action.

“It’s worth going, even if you’re not a plane nut. You learn a lot, and who knows, you might become a plane nut,” he laughed.

The display hangar is open Monday to Saturday and is free to the public. For more information about the organization, visit www.vintagewings.ca.

Courageous flight - The Whig Standard - Ontario, CA

Courageous flight - The Whig Standard - Ontario, CA

Waterloo Air Show 2011

Vintage Wings participated in full colour at he Waterloo Air Show, 20/21 August.

Hawk One Sabre. Photo by Charity Matheson, Waterloo Air Show 2011

For a complete photo gallery visit Charity Matheson-Modern Portrait & Lifestyle Photography

P-40 Ride - As Good as it Gets!

Paul "Rose" Kissmann takes Doug Betts for a dream ride in the P40.
Location: Vintage Wings of Canada, Gatineau QC. Camera: Laurie-Anne Smith, Heather Fleck

Vintage Wings Makes Headlines again

A crew from Vintage Wings Canada at the Ottawa airport re-assembles a 1932 FoxMoth vintage plan

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Video+Moth+comes+back+life/5258078/story.html#ixzz1VF9J6WCb

Exposition d’un Aéronef Royal Unique à l’Aéroport International d’Ottawa

OTTAWA – Un aéronef d’époque unique, ayant été piloté par les membres de la monarchie britannique, sera exposé à l’Aéroport international Macdonald-Cartier d’Ottawa à compter du 15 août.

L’appareil de Havilland DH-83 Fox Moth, qui est exploité et détenu par les Ailes d’époque du Canada, sera exposé dans l’aire des arrivées de l’aérogare au cours des prochains mois.

L’appareil Fox Moth fut d’abord acquis par SAR Edouard, Prince de Galles, en 1932 et fut exploité par la Royal Flight pendant un an. Édouard deviendrait éventuellement roi d’Angleterre avant d’abdiquer en faveur de son frère Albert.

L’appareil Fox Moth est une évolution du Tiger Moth et du Gipsy Moth, un appareil qui fut présenté dans le film « Le discours d’un roi », gagnant d’un Oscar en 2010 et mettant en vedette Colin Firth.

L’exposition de cet appareil s’inscrit dans le partenariat qu’ont établi les deux organisations pour sensibiliser le public à l’œuvre de bienfaisance les Ailes d’époque et pour promouvoir le spectacle aérien qui se tiendra le 17 septembre à l’aéroport de Gatineau, QC.

« Les Ailes d’époque sont fiers de pouvoir compter sur l’appui de l’Administration de l’aéroport d’Ottawa pour promouvoir leurs programmes, qui visent à commémorer l’histoire de l’aviation canadienne et à sensibiliser les jeunes à l’importance du rôle que l’aviation a joué dans le développement de notre grande nation », a souligné Rob Fleck, président des Ailes d’époque du Canada.

« L’Aéroport international d’Ottawa constitue une toile de fond idéale pour exposer cet appareil extraordinaire. Nous espérons que nos voyageurs et visiteurs apprécieront en apprendre davantage sur cet aéronef et les nombreux efforts qu’ont déployés les Ailes d’époque pour préserver la riche histoire de l’aviation », a déclaré Paul Benoit, président et chef de la direction de l’Administration de l’aéroport.

À l’été 2010, le biplan WACO Taperwing était l’appareil en vedette qui avait attiré l’attention d’environ 12 000 voyageurs qui fréquentent l’aérogare au cours d’une journée donnée.

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The Ottawa International Airport Displays Unique Royalty Aircraft

OTTAWA – A unique vintage aircraft, once flown by the British monarchy, will be on display here at the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, beginning 15 August.

A de Havilland DH-83 Fox Moth owned and operated by Vintage Wings of Canada will be showcased in the arrival terminal for the next several months.

The Vintage Wings’ Fox Moth was first owned by HRH Edward, Prince of Wales in 1932 and operated by the Royal Flight for one year. Edward would eventually become King of England before abdicating the throne to his brother Albert.

The Fox Moth is an evolution of the Tiger Moth and the Gipsy Moth, an aircraft that was featured in the 2010 Academy award-winning movie, “The Kings Speech” starring Colin Firth.

The aircraft display is part of a partnership between both organizations to raise awareness about Vintage Wings, a public charitable organization, and to promote the upcoming air show on 17 September at the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport in Gatineau.

“Vintage Wings is honoured to have the support of the Ottawa International Airport Authority to help us with our programs that commemorate Canada’s aviation heritage and educate youth on the importance aviation played in the development of this great nation,” said Rob Fleck, Vintage Wings of Canada President.

“The Ottawa International Airport provides the perfect backdrop to showcase the beautiful Fox Moth, and we hope our passengers and visitors enjoy learning more about this particular aircraft and the wonderful work done by Vintage Wings in its effort to preserve aviation’s rich and important history,” said Paul Benoit, Airport Authority President and CEO.

In the summer of 2010, the Taperwing WACO bi-plane was the feature aircraft on display that garnered the attention of approximately 12,000 travelers who pass through the terminal on any given day.


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Waterloo Air Show offers two rare displays that commemorate Canada's rich military history

Historic 3-plane formation flight between a CF-18, an F-86 Sabre & a P-40 Kittyhawk

The 2011 edition of the Waterloo Air Show is pleased to announce a never-seen before historical formation flight over the skies of the Region of Waterloo International Airport which will honour three separate generations of aircraft used by Canada’s Air Force.

The formation flight will be comprised of the 2011 CF-18 Demonstration Team jet, along with the Korean War-era Discovery Air Canadair Sabre jet in its unique 1960s Golden Hawks paint scheme, and a Curtiss P40-N Kittyhawk which honours the legacy of Canada’s own W/C James “Stocky” Edwards who flew hundreds of missions in the Kittyhawk as part of 260 Squadron during the North African campaign in World War II.

This will be a rare opportunity for people to witness Canadian military aircraft spanning three generations of service, flying together.

The CF-18 joins us from 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, while the F-86 Sabre and P-40 Kittyhawk join us from Vintage Wings of Canada in Gatineau, Quebec.


"Yellow Wings Tour" offers a rare display commemorating the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP)

The Waterloo Air Show is extremely proud to host Vintage Wings of Canada's "Yellow Wings Tour" as part of the show's ground display. These five training aircraft -- a Tiger Moth, Cornell, Finch, Stearman and Harvard -- commemorate one of the greatest military and industrial achievements in Canada during World War II: the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).

The Plan, from 1939 to 1945, saw Canada become a world-renowned training ground for wartime student pilots from across Canada, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and many other countries. This massive undertaking created almost 100 BCATP flying schools across Canada that trained more than 200,000 air crew. Nearly half of the Commonwealth air forces' pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, air gunners, wireless operators, and flight engineers were trained on Canadian soil.


Both these special events will serve to remind us of the sacrifices made by those in uniform, past and present, through the generations of proud service which Canada has been a part of.

Waterloo Air Show

The 3rd annual Waterloo Air Show will feature the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the Canadian Forces SkyHawks Parachute Team, the CF-18 Demonstration Team, the U.S. Air Force Viper East F-16 Demonstration Team, among other historical and aerobatic performers.

The show also features a large ground display of additional aircraft, exhibits, a kids zone, beer garden and more. A great day's outing for the whole family!

When: Saturday, August 20 & Sunday, August 21
Where: Region of Waterloo Int'l Airport, 4881 Fountain Street North, Breslau
Time: Gates open 9am - 5pm. Air Show runs 1-4:30pm.
More info: www.waterlooairshow.com

Swordfish in flight

A gallery of Swordfish images at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. Gallery by Adam Smith, VP EAA.

https://picasaweb.google.com/106186399356788857762/SwordfishTrip?authkey=Gv1sRgCL2gldTWp5Tm0QE

Edenvale Gathering of Classics

Edenvale Classic Aircraft Foundation hosted their 2011 annual fly-in “Gathering of the Classics” on Saturday, 6 August, which featured the WWII B-25 Mitchell bomber, Hawker Hurricane, biplanes, classic aircraft and autos, and our classy Yellow Wings fleet.

To enjoy a stunning array of photos, visit the online gallery of Gustavo Corujo at http://gusair.com/htdocs/html/edenvale.html

Fly-In A Success

Reprinted from the Barrie Examiner, Online Edition August 8th

Classic aircraft a big hit at aerodrome

Aviation enthusiasts landed in droves Saturday at the Edenvale Classic Aircraft Foundation's annual Gathering of the Classics at the Edenvale Aerodrome.

The annual fly-in will featured upwards of 300 bi-planes, classic aircraft and war planes as well as homebuilts, ultralights and other flying machines. There was also about 200 classic cars of every description.

Some of the vintage aircraft on display included a Second World War-era B-25 Mitchell bomber, P-40 Kitty Hawk and Hawker Hurricane, a Tiger Moth, Fleet Finch, Fleet Canuk (a post-Second World War trainer), a Fairchild Cornell, a Steerman biplane, a Harvard (Edenvale was a training centre utilizing Harvards during the Second World War) and others.

Some of the planes belonging to the foundation were available for rides.

The day also included music, food, family fun, a barbecue and a beer tent. There was also a Snowbird Tutor — the trainer jet used by the famous Snowbirds — on display.

AirVenture Features Our Swordfish on Fox 11 News

Check out Emily Deem, Fox 11 report on the last day of EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh and speak to Bob Childerhose about the Swordfish.

Last day to check out EAA AirVenture: fox11online.com

The Mighty Swordfish Takes Oshkosh by Storm

It was a long time coming but worth every ounce of blood sweat and tears to make it happen.

On the afternoon of 28 July at 12:42 EST, the Swordfish departed for Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Swordfish departs Gatineau. Photo by Heather Fleck

 

Bob Childerhose, pilot in command and Team Lead for Gray Ghost Two (Swordfish), took -off with his son Austin getting buffeted around in the back. As the Swordfish still has transponder and radio problems, Doug Fleck flew chase in the RV8 with Andrej Janik is the backseat pretending he knows how to read a map.

Map or no map, transponder or no transponder, the Swordfish did indeed find her way to the infamous EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and made quite an astonishing impression. And why wouldn't she for this Stringbag is only one of two flying in the world, the first in North America.

Here are a selection of images by photographer Stephen J Skelly that document an historical event for Vintage Wings and the greater aviation community of North America at large. Bravo Zulu folks!

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=3d29db9f0df42b70&sc=photos&Bsrc=Photomail&Bpub=SDX.Photos&id=3D29DB9F0DF42B70%21178&sff=1

 

Hawk One Mid Season Report

-By Dan Dempsey, Team Lead

Dear Sponsors, Event Organizers and Friends of Hawk One:

As we near the mid-point of our airshow season I would like to provide you with a brief update along with the attached CTV News report.

To read more of the report, visit Hawk One blog.