Pilots And Planes: Vancouver Island: Where History Takes Flight, Part 1

Friday, 13 December 2024

Vancouver Island: Where History Takes Flight, Part 1

The best-kept secret treasure on Western Canada’s Vancouver Island: BC´s Aviation Museum. It is well hidden - I drove around the airport and asked half a dozen people including a taxi driver - no one seemed to know this museum. And there was not a single sign pointing to it. Finally, a man who walked his dog showed me the right direction. Around a hundred meters from the building I saw the first sign pointed to it.

It was Worth the Effort to Find the Aviation Museum!

The number of planes that were either built or flown in Canada, from civilian airline planes and helicopters to war planes, bush and float planes, and firefighting bombers, was astonishing. I didn’t know where to look first and from which angle I could take pictures when an elderly gentleman, one of the volunteers, approached me. He introduced me to their restoration shop where visitors cannot enter without being accompanied by a volunteer.

His question if I had time led into an almost day-long tour of the museum. It was amazing to see the variety of aircraft, from a small glider to airline jet planes, from large-scale models to aircraft engines, propellers, navigation devices, and an extensive library. Here, members of the museum (anyone can become a member) can choose between 8,000+ written works and borrow them.

There was barely a free spot, the museum was filled to the brim with aircraft and aviation items. Soon the museum will expand to a third hall to showcase its latest addition and newly restored aircraft. The museum is applauded for its variety of exhibits and quality restoration work. Ninety-eight percent of visitors rate it as “Good to Excellent”. “One of the best Aviation Museum in Canada”, “Best Value Exhibit” and “One of the two best places to visit on Vancouver Island”.

The BC Aviation Museum is mandated to preserve the history of Western Canadian aviation, particularly the West Coast. It has become an important educational resource as a historical repository of aircraft, aviation-related objects, and recorded history. Their exhibits celebrate the contributions made by civil aviation to build western Canada, in particular, British Columbia, and to protect Canada. The exhibits also honor those who fought and those who stood on guard to preserve Canada and the Commonwealth.

Historic and World War Aircraft

Among others, the collection includes: the Gibson Twin Plane, Nieuport 17, the Hoffar H-1 Seaplane, SE-5A, Pietenpol Air Campter, Eastman Sea Rover Flying Boat, Noorduyn Norseman, Spitfire, Avro Anson, Stinson Reliant, Harvard, Luscombe Silvaire, Bristol Bolingbroke, Avro Lancaster, etc.

Female Pilots During World War II

During guided tours and through displays the museum also shows the important role that women and female pilots played in aviation. For example, the first female pilot who flew new airplanes to the front, or the first female Aeronautical Engineer, Elizabeth Gregory-MacGill (born 1905). She was listed in the International Pioneer Hall of Fame, among many other awards she won.

From 1938 to 1943 Gregory-MacGill was the Chief Aeronautical Engineer and oversaw the building of Hawker Hurricane airplanes during World War II. She was nicknamed the ¨Queen of Hurricanes¨ and the first woman in the world to earn an Aeronautical Engineer degree. But that´s not all: she also became the first woman ever to become an Electrical Engineer. One of the Canadian dollar coins also shows her achievements.

Female ferry pilots picked up new airplanes from the factories and flew them to Eastern Canada. From here, they were shipped to the fronts in Europe. For example, in April 1942, Helen Harrison became the first female Canadian ferry pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary ATA—known as ATA-Girls. Returning from leave in Canada, she was one of the few women to co-pilot a Mitchell bomber across the Atlantic.

Female ATA pilots flew as many as eight flights a day in half a dozen different aircraft, through fog, storms, and in the dark, navigating by dead reckoning to avoid the interception of radio transmissions in enemy-infested skies.

George "Buzz" Beurling

Canada’s most successful fighter pilot of WWII, (he introduced himself as “Screwball”) was credited with 31+ confirmed enemy aircraft shot down. However, estimates were that his actual, but unconfirmed, score exceeded 70. He had phenomenal eyesight and was a master at deflection shooting but, being a loner, many of his “kills” were not confirmed. Some were made from seemingly impossible distances.

Gun-sight cameras (a Canadian invention) recorded numerous apparent kills but because a crash was not witnessed, they were not confirmed. Most pilots close to less than 300 meters before shooting. Buzz had a confirmed kill over Malta at 800 meters. He was shot down four times over Malta and survived nine of a total of ten crashes.

After the war, Beurling, a warrior probably suffering from PTSD, had difficulty adjusting to civilian life. In 1948, he and a friend were recruited to fly P-51 Mustangs for the Israeli Air Force. They departed for Israel flying a Noorduyn Norseman like that here at the BCAM. Following a stop in Rome, upon takeoff, the aircraft exploded and burned killing both occupants. Sabotage was suspected but the ensuing fire destroyed any evidence. His remains were buried in Israel.

Staffed by Volunteers

The Museum is almost completely (98%) managed and staffed by volunteers. They donate their time and money so future generations may learn about the challenges of building the Canadian nation and the sacrifices made to protect our commonwealth through aviation.

Operational funding is provided by admissions, donations, memberships, special events, the gift shop, and eBay sales. The Museum owns its buildings on land leased for a nominal sum from the Victoria International Airport (YYJ). The municipality of North Saanich grants tax relief and some project funding. The Town of Sidney has also provided project funding. Additional funding sources include memorial bequests and local businesses.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful tour, the volunteer Mac Duffield, a former pilot, gave me on this day, and I returned two more times to take more photos and learn more about Western Canada’s aviation history. During the coming winter, I will be back in Vancouver Island to visit the museum again. The best time to do this is during the week or early mornings on the weekend.

Aviation enthusiasts who want to know more about the exhibitions please read Part 2 of "Vancouver Island: Where History Takes Flight." Thanks to Mr. Duffield and the museum’s director, I received permission to integrate information about the exhibition items in the article. This museum guide is available as a booklet in the museum shop and is helpful during visits.