Gananoque’s “Mysterious” Canso + Conair from Stearman to Q400 + A Little-Remembered but Dramatic Episode of “Canada at War” + What’s Our Post C-Virus Air Travel Future?

For decades, many a keen member of “the aviation circle” has dropped in to the former British Commonwealth Air Training Plan aerodrome north of Gananoque, Ontario. The place had been built in the early 1940s as a relief, or, secondary field to serve No.31 service Flying Training School at Kingston (see “RCAF Station Kingston” on wiki). “Back in the day” No.31 SFTS was doing advance training mainly for RAF student pilots on the Battle, initially, then, on the Harvard, once they were available.

A relief field served several roles. Instructors could take students there from the busy Kingston circuit to practice “touch-and-goes” and other procedures; advanced solo students could do the same. If a runway incident closed a runway at Kingston, Gananoque would save the day, the same if local weather conditions closed Kingston, while Gananoque still was open. Such fields were bare bones. They had the standard BCATP runway layout, but usually just one small hangar, a few other basic buildings and a skeleton staff.

After the war most relief fields soon disappeared. Local farmers often bought the buildings and equipment (even some airplanes, if any were lying about), then the place normally reverted to agricultural use. It’s a bit of a miracle that Gananoque survived, certainly passed 1960. I don’t know how this happened, but a few such aerodromes did have temporary RCAF use postwar. Carman, Manitoba, for example, was used for aircraft storage into the 1960s. Does anyone know what purpose Gananoque served from 1945 into the 1960s?

One thing we do know is that – subsequently — the place was taken over for skydiving in 1971 when the Gananoque Sport Parachuting Centre opened. The company website is sparse about history, but does mention that in 2020 the founding family remains in charge. My last visit was in 2015, but Richard Mallory Allnutt visited in 2018, so has some more current info. His follow-up article is published on the web in “Warbird Digest”.  ere it is: http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-
news/the-ghost-of-gananoque-a-flying-boat-in-a-barn.html This is really tops — well research and smoothly written. Richard polished up his story with some good solid photography, so be sure to have a close read. You’ll love it! I like his reference to the old Hitchcock “North by Northwest” – the dusty road leading to the field would remind any film buff of that great classic flick. Meanwhile, here are a few of my Gananoque photos from my visit of August 23, 2015. Have fun … Larry

Gananoque Photo Tour

Here’s your first general look at present day Gananoque once you pull in. This is the standard BCATP 2-bay aircraft hangar. After nearly 80 years not much has changed. Even the cladding is standard wartime cedar shingles. The ancient control tower really “makes” the scene. I suspect that most aircraft comings and goings at such a field were handled by controllers using an Aldis Lamp. It’s great how this wonderful WWII tower has survived. The tarmac at a glance appears to be original.

Judging from the sign on the hangar, the club goes back a year or two (1971).

Of course, what mainly draws the history buffs here is the Canso. I remember first visiting in the 1970s following up on a rumour about a possible Canso. This panned out – there it was, as Richard describes. Its original ID was RCAF 11093, which was built by Canadian Vickers at Cartierville in 1944. Richard outlines its basic military history. Very little has change here over the decades. Hard to believe, no! On earlier visits I always found the Canso inside with no lighting for photography. This time, however, I hit the jackpot, for 11093 was out in the air. This was a scenario that called for a series of photos.

Postwar, the RCAF retained a fleet of Cansos for such duties as search and rescue, and supporting Northern and Arctic operations. As kids we always loved to see a Canso at the airshows, especially if a JATO take-off was on the program. In 1960, however, the Grumman Albatross entered RCAF service – the Canso was on its way out. The last went into storage in 1962, but soon were in demand by commercial operators, especially when the Canso’s usefulness as a water bomber was understood. The government’s surplus sales corporation, Crown Assets of Ottawa, quickly sold off the Cansos stored at such bases as Dunnville. It was a buyers’ market. Old time Canso man, Joe Reed, once told me that he flew a Canso out of Dunnville in the early Sixties, having paid a mere $1500.

11093 close-up shots. Note how the wartime aft observation blisters have been removed and replace on both sides by cargo doors with small blisters.

Anyone dropping in to see the Canso can’t resist spending an easy hour watching all the jump club activity. Jumpers are known for their hospitality, so no fear of being rousted off the ramp, etc. Here are some typical scenes. Sometimes 3 or 4 ‘chutes will be in the sky, if the single Cessna is the jump plane, but if the King Air or Skyvan are at work, the sky will be crowded with parachutes.

Gananoque’s jump planes in August 2015 included this vintage 1965 workhorse in “Cabotair” colours. A Cessna 182H Skylane, “GDJ” looked about as well-worn as any typical jump plane. It came to Canada from the USA in 1991. Notice – pilot’s seat only, the rest stripped out to make room for the jumpers.

Jump plane N32BA getting set for a circuit. It’s a 1969 Model B90 sn LJ475 with a pair of PWC PT6A-60A turbine engines. Then, Skyvan N192WW. Both planes were chartered from US owners and equipped for the para role. The pilots were very experienced at this demanding sport aviation specialty.

The spacious Skyvan cabin. Then, jumpers heading out ready for their one-way Skyvan flight.

The Skyvan back at base and taxiing by the Canso after another drop.

Watching some happy jumpers on the way down.

Some final views from my 2015 visit. I look forward to dropping by again to see “what gives” with Gananoque’s trademark Canso (there sometimes are rumours that it has been sold, etc.) and to enjoy all the jump school fun and games. Notice the tired old 1973 Piper PA-31 (C-GIRU) Chieftain in one photo. It had gradually been fading into the weeds. PS … yet another little know fact about Gananoque: if you drive downtown to the waterfront, you can see the old Link Trainer factory, now a condo development. Link manufactured some 5000 of its basic flight simulators here in the 1930s and through WWII.

It’s printed off a bit of a dirty old “120” negative, but here’s a shot I took of “NJL” in the early 1960s when it was dormant at Ottawa “YOW”, before going into long-term storage at Gananoque

Conair — A Great Canadian Company’s History in Fire Bombing & Aerial Application. Stearman to Q400 in 5 minutes: https://vimeo.com/421329061?ref=em-share

A Little Remember but Dramatic Episode of “Canada at War”. How Canadian Paratroops Helped Save Denmark in May 1945. See  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWcRl7Q7pGs

It Could Be Painful, but Somehow We’ll Make Do 

“Here’s how the coronavirus will change Emirates first, business class. Covid-19 takes a little lustre off flying in Emirates’ first class and business class.” Google this excellent item from executivetraveller.com to see what our future in air travel might be!