Harvard planes provide a connection to the past

Chris Abbott

Editor

Many things stand out at the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, which celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Tillsonburg Regional Airport on Saturday, July 5.

The glue that holds CHAA together, said Shane Clayton, is the love of the history of the aircraft itself and the camaraderie of those that share similar passions.

“With the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, it was our greatest single contribution to the Second World War. We did a hell of a job with that,” said Clayton, CHAA Chief Technical Officer and in charge of the museum and archives, “and the legacy of our excellence in training pilots and air crew and all that.”

Clayton said CHAA aims to keep their Second World War Harvard training planes in the air as long as they can – as long as they have access to aviation fuel and propellor blades.

“We have lots of engine parts and we can make airframe parts. It’s a nice goal to hit 100 years, but let’s not stop there, let’s keep going. As long it’s not going to be $3,000/hour to operate.”

It’s one thing to have a static museum full of planes, he said, but it’s an entirely different thing to get the full experience at CHAA, to hear, smell and feel what the Greatest Generation did 80-plus years ago.

“You can’t say enough praise for all the effort and time that people put into keeping CHAA alive for 40 years,” former president Bill Shepard said during the 40th anniversary ceremony.

Shepard, who joined the CHAA in 2001, starting as ground crew, and progressing to pilot and president, said it’s important to keep the history alive, and to honour the memories of people who were part of the “Greatest Generation.”

“One of the phrases often said here is, ‘People come for the planes and they stay for the people,’” said Shepard. “If you’re thinking about volunteering for CHAA, and you want something where your time and effort give back to the community, this is the place to be. We are a family here and we much appreciate what has been done.”

Shepard thanked everyone for coming to Saturday’s anniversary ceremony.

“Thank you for your involvement and I hope we see you all here in the future… and your young ones especially, because if we don’t keep young people involved in CHAA, we’re not going to go much farther. So we want to keep the hope alive.”

“Forty years, isn’t that amazing,” said CHAA president Walter Irie after the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 153 colour party concluded Saturday’s ceremony. “Something that started out as an idea, and now look at it today 40 years later. Three men got together and had this great idea to preserve these aircraft and dedicate them to the RCAF and the public.”

“It started in 1985,” said former president Pat Hanna. “There was a few guys up in Woodstock who had Harvards and they realized they weren’t going to be around forever to fly them, so they looked for interest in the community to start an association. They found out there was a lot of interest.”

Hanna, one of the first generation of CHAA members, said they wanted to draw in ‘the next generation’ to learn about Harvards, what they served for, and the sacrifices made by the pilots who flew them.

“It was very important to us that their legacy did not disappear into the history books. Now, we’re into our third and even fourth generations of Harvard members coming along.

“The thing that is amazing to me is that it is 100 per cent a volunteer organization and has been for the whole 40 years, who keep all these Harvards flying, and have stuff like this (Fly Day and Open House). And it’s a close-knit organization. Bill (Shepard) talked about us being a family, and it’s been very much that since the very beginning. Everybody is welcome here. We’re a community organization and we really want to get the next generation involved. It’s a real connection to the past and we don’t want that connection to be broken.”

Shepard, who has flown a P-51C Mustang for the CAF (Commemorative Air Force) Red Tail Squadron, and currently belongs to two squadrons, now flies a TBM Avenger (torpedo bomber), based in Dallas, at a half-dozen air shows a year.

The Woodstock pilot said each sub-section of CHAA has its own lifeblood – its own pulse. There are cycles for the maintenance and ground crews, fundraising and membership drives, and restoration.

“Our motto is to acquire, preserve, restore, maintain, display and demonstrate the Harvard,” said Shepard, “and other training aircraft associated with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and Royal Canadian Air Force. That’s our main focus, the glue that keeps us together.”

Casey Bukowski, 101, from Lancaster, New York, visited Saturday’s 40th CHAA anniversary with friend Amy Beechler.

The World War II veteran was a gunner in a B-17 bomber in the 381st Bomb Group, 532nd Squadron flying out of England. His plane and crew were shot down Feb. 22, 1944, on their 16th mission. Bukowski was a POW at two different prison camps (Stalag 6 and 4) and he was part of ‘The Long March.’

Seeing the Harvards Saturday, known as the T-6 Texan in the US, brought back memories.

“I was training in gunnery school with those… the T-6 in Arlington, Texas. As a matter of fact, it was the first plane I trained in.” 

Bukowski, first in aircraft mechanic school when he first enlisted, said he did not remember anything special about the T-6. But still enjoys seeing them.

“I am always interested and I often wonder, which one of those did I fly in? But I know the chances are very, very slim,” he added with a laugh.

The plane that is closest to his heart, he said, is the B-17.

“I always try to find out the names of them, and see if I remember flying with them. Ours was ‘Friday the 13th.’ While in training, we lost a (plane) on a training mission. Two engines caught fire and the pilot ordered abandon ship. All of the crew made it out safely and back to our base. And all this happened on August, Friday the 13th.”