People attending Friday’s Remembrance Day ceremony in downtown Barrie are in for a special treat ... as long as the skies are clear for take-off.
The Edenvale Classic Aircraft Foundation (ECAF) plans to have two training airplanes from the Second World War complete a rare flyover.
ECAF vice-president Bill Bunting says he hopes both the 1943 Fleet PT26 Cornell and the 1943 DeHavilland Tiger Moth can make the trip, but it may be just one come Friday morning.
“It's all weather-permitting, but right now it definitely looks like at least the Fleet P26 will make the trip," he told BarrieToday. "But if the wind is too much for the DeHavilland, it will stay grounded.
The Cornell was Canadian-built, Bunting says, and used by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1943 until 1946.
"Both were used to train young men to fly airplanes, who would go on the fly bombers, fighters, you name it," he added.
The Cornell and the Tiger Moth are completely functional and operate as they did in wartime activity, Bunting said.
“It's a real throwback for former pilots as the planes operate the same as they did back then,” he said. “For plane enthusiasts such as myself, it's a real treat to work with them.”
The ECAF is a group of about 35 volunteers who work out of a hangar at the Edenvale Aerodrome, located west of Barrie on Highway 26.They maintain a small museum which Bunting said is focuses on promoting and preserving the history of pilot training in Canada during the war.
“It's almost a forgotten fact that Canada was known as the 'Aerodrome of Democracy'. That's what Franklin Roosevelt called us,” Bunting said. “We trained 140,000 aviation personnel here in Canada, who would eventually go overseas to England to go to war. About 75,000 were Canadian and the rest were British, American, Australian and New Zealanders.”
Bunting said the ECAF is very proud to be assisting with this year's Remembrance Day ceremony.
“It's a huge honour; we’ve not been officially involved previously. We have flown over places on Nov. 11 before, but not as a part of the ceremony,” he said. “We believe that sharing our aircraft shares our love for Canadian history and aviation. Obviously to that, it shows our love and appreciation for those who served and continue to serve.”
Barrie’s Remembrance Day parade and ceremony will begin on Friday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m.
For more details about the day's events, click here.
