415 (Prince Edward County) Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association P.O. Box 6231 Picton, ON K0K 2T0 Email address: 415wing@airforce.ca CHOCKS AWAY April, May, June 2014 President s Message Summer greetings every one. Yes summer has finally arrived after a long cold winter. We have been busy at the Wing attending many functions which allow our members to participate and have some fun. May 31 was #8 Wing Air Force Day with an excellent static display of current RCAF operational aircraft and a flying display of some historic and modern aircraft.an excellent event, which by the audience reaction, was enjoyed by all. June has been a busy month for the Wing. On June 10, I and other Wing members attended the very impressive 851 Air Cadet Review. The cadet numbers has increased over the past two years and the NCOs, Officers and volunteers of the Squadron have done an excellent job in training and running the many programs available to the cadets. During the review, Mrs. Dora Hockney presented the William Hockney bursary for top cadet taking post-secondary education. This year s very deserving recipient was to F/Sergeant Kimberly Kennedy. Of all youth programs in Canada this program is rated Number 1. On June 14 th the annual Deseronto Memorial Service for the RAF servicemen who died while in training during WW1, was held at the Deseronto Cemetery. The turnout was quite large with representation from all local area wings and local dignitaries. Ontario Group President Ron Ball and Immediate Past Ontario Group President Dave Donovan were in attendance. 418 Wing did an excellent job in coordinating the event. June 17 was our annual picnic with super tender steaks and as usual, our ladies put together an impressive spread of delicious food.many thanks to Dennis Margueratt and Dave Edward for setting up in the Air Cadet Quonset hut and of course to many thanks as well to our cooks.they did a wonderful job. June 23 was the Golf for Fun event coordinated by Spike Gammon. The event was well attended with 30 golfing and 38 for dinner. On June 24 th I flew to Yellowknife for a fishing trip and a visit to Buffalo Airlines. On the flight line it was like looking back in time. Buffalo Airlines are operating 8 DC3s,2 Douglas DC4s, 2 Curtis C46 Commandos, and on a slightly more modern note, 4 Lockheed Electras. One of the DC3s was in the second attack wave on D Day June 6 1944. This aircraft was obtained from the RAF.
Rounding out the fleet inventory are 8 Canadair CL215 water bombers and some smaller planes (called Birddogs) which are used to spot for the water bombers. The tour was informative and seeing all these historic aircraft still in operation was a real thrill.the visit to Buffalo Airlines made the whole trip worthwhile. I also caught a lot of big fish. The Flight Line Two DC3s and a C46 Commando Lockheed Electra (Cargo)
Ex RAF DC3 Survivor D Day Enjoy your summer with your families and friends at the beach, having picnics and other get-togethers.it will be over soon enough.our next dinner meeting is Battle of Britain on September 9 th Per Ardua Ad Astra Your 415 Wing President Bob WING NEWS The 4 th Annual Glenwood Cemetery Veterans Day will be held on 20 September 2014. Plans are under way as I report this. We host the next Quinte Region conference at Branch 78, RCL on 4 October 2014. Please keep that date open as your wing will need volunteers. You will be hearing from President Bob shortly. I was just talking to Ben Tinsley (19 June). He tells me he is improving but has a way to go yet. It will be December before he gets his hernia looked after. In the meantime he keeps busy with lawn and garden chores. Election of members of the Executive Committee of 415 Wing for the year 2014/15 took place at the dinner meeting on Tuesday, 13 May 2014. The committee is listed at the end of this newsletter. After 18 years as treasurer, Don Janes has retired effective 30 June and Alex Chambers has graciously agreed to take on his duties. Similarly, Tom Ross has agreed to assume the role of 1 st vice president. We thank these gentlemen for their services.
Despite threatening skies, our annual BBQ went off quite nicely. There was plenty of food and the steaks were delicious. Kudos to our cooks Chuck Flower and Alex Chamber. Gentlemen you outdid yourselves.
MEMBERSHIP 415 Wing extends a warm welcome to the following new members: David Buggee, Dianne Carr, Robert Prystai, and Raymond Scott. Your Wing membership fee of $60.00 breaks down as follows: National gets $49.00; Ontario Group gets $5.00; and, 415 Wing retains $6.00.
PROGRAMS & SOCIAL BATTLE OF BRITAIN TUESDAY 09 SEPTEMBER 2014 PICTON AIR CADET NIGHT THURSDAY 16 OCTOBER 2014 PICTON TH CHARTER NIGHT TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2014 PICTON CHRISTMAS PARTY TUESDAY 09 DECEMBER 2014 PICTON JANUARY LUNCHEON TUESDAY 13 JANUARY 2015 CONSECON FEBRUARY LUNCHEON TUESDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2015 CONSECON MARCH LUNCHEON TUESDAY 10 MARCH 2015 CONSECON APRIL DINNER TUESDAY 14 APRIL 2015 PICTON MAY DINNER TUESDAY 12 MAY 2015 PICTON WING BARBECUE TUESDAY 23 JUNE 2015 BIRD HOUSE CITY PICKED UP IN PASSING Submitted by Robert Bird THE C-130 ON DISPLAY AT THE FRONT GATE OF LITTLE ROCK AFB, ARKANSAS This C-130A Hercules was the 126th built by Lockheed Aircraft corp. of Marietta, Georgia. It was accepted into the Air Force inventory on 23 August 1957.
On 2 November 1972, it was given to the South Vietnamese Air Force as part of the Military Assistance Program. A few years later, the aircraft would be involved in a historic flight. On 29 April 1975, this Herc was the last out of Vietnam during the fall of Saigon. With over 100 aircraft destroyed on the flight line at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, some of them still burning, it was the last flyable C-130 remaining. In a very panicked state, hundreds of people were rushing to get aboard, as the aircraft represented a final ticket to freedom. People hurriedly crowded into the Herk, packing in tighter and tighter. Eventually, the loadmaster informed the pilot, Major Phuong, a South Vietnamese instructor pilot, that he could not get the rear ramp closed due to the number of people standing on it. In a moment of inspiration, Major Phuong slowly taxied forward, then hit the brakes. The loadmaster called forward again stating he had successfully got the doors closed. In all, 452 people were on board, including a staggering 32 in the cockpit alone. Using a conservative estimate of 100 pounds per person, it translated into an overload of at least 10,000 pounds. Consequently, the Herk used every bit of the runway and overrun before it was able to get airborne. The target was Thailand, which should have been 1:20 in flight time, but after an hour and a half, the aircraft was over the Gulf of Siam, and they were clearly lost. Finally, a map was located, they identified some terrain features, and they were able to navigate. They landed at Utapao, Thailand after a three and a half hour flight. Ground personnel were shocked at what "fell out" as they opened the doors. It was clear that a longer flight would almost certainly have resulted in a loss of life. In the end, however, all 452 people made it to freedom aboard this historic C-130. Upon landing, the aircraft was reclaimed by the United States Air Force and assigned to two different Air National Guard units for the next 14 years. On 28 June 1989, it made its final flight to Little Rock Air Force Base and was placed on permanent display.
Wing Executive 2012/13 Position Incumbent Telephone President Bob Bird 613-476-1636 Immediate Past President George Court 613-962-0615 1 st Vice President Tom Ross 613-475-0381 2 nd Vice President Dennis Margeuratt 613-476-2923 Secretary John Jensen 613-394-2297 Treasurer Alex Chambers 613-398-1420 Membership / Regalia Malcolm Campbell 613-476-3179 Housing Officer Don Bengert 613-968-8200 Public Relations David Edward 613-476-1789 Wing Padre Rev Stan Whitehouse 613-476-8527 Bulletin Editor / Wing Historian Ted Cullin 613-394-0571 Sergeant at Arms Ben Tinsley 613-394-5430 Sports Officer Spike Gammon 613-968-8538 Telephone Committee Lise Rolsky 613-962-0372 Telephone Committee Dorothy Heisler 613-966-3292