Billy Barker was born in Dauphin, Manitoba on November 3, 1994. He left the trenches of the Great War to join the Royal Flying Corp. By the end of the conflict he would become one of the wars most decorated air aces. Recognition of merit included the Victorian Cross, the Croix-de-Guerre and two Italian Silver Medals for Valour. Excellent accounts of his exploits and life can be found at ...

• Canadian Air Aces and Heroes
• The Aces of World War I - Billy Barker

William Claxton of Gladstone, Manitoba scored 37 victories in just 79 days to become the highest scoring ace of his squadron. Read his account at ...

• The Aces of World War I - William Claxton
• Who's Who: William Claxton

THE KONIGSBERG INCIDENT - Canadians flew in almost every operational theatre during World War I — from North Russia to East Africa, and from the North Sea to the Indian Ocean. One of the most intriguing early air-sea incidents in­volving a Canadian flyer was the destruction of the German light cruiser "Konigsberg" in July 1915. For his part in the battle, Flight Sub-Lieutenant Harwood James Ar­nold, whose hometown was Van­couver, B.C., was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

Pin-Points in the Past - On the morning of 5 September 1917 information was received at the Royal Naval Air Service station at Great Yarmouth, on the east coast of England, that German Zeppelins were operating off Terschelling Island, 200 miles away across the North Sea. Two aircraft, a twin-engined H.12 flying-boat and a single-engined D.H.4 land-plane, were at once sent off to attack them.

• Eileen Magill - Manitoba's first licensed woman pilot.
• Alys Mackey Bryant - Canada's first woman pilot
• Pauline Gower - Leader of the first eight female pilots of Air Transport Auxillay
• Marion Orr - Air Transport Auxillary pilot (WW II)
• "Eager for the Air" - women pilots in the Second World War
• The Ultimate Challenge, the Ultimate Leader - Dee Braseur, Canadian Forces first female CF-18 Hornet Pilot

An Me 262 Attack - Norman Malayney, our resident military aviation historian, has captured a Mosquito pilot's encounter with one of the Lufwaffe's secret weapons.

Lefty Witman - On May 2, 2007 at the Grace General Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, George Andrew Whitman passed away at the age of 87 years. Lefty was born March 5, 1920; educated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He joined the RCAF in New York City, September 1941. Recruited by the Clayton Knight Committee. He flew Hurricanes, Typhoons and Tempests with #3 (F) Squadron RAF in England. #3 Squadron began its illustrious history in 1912; its motto, `Tertius primus erit' meaning `third shall be first' has been passed on through many famous hands and to this day it continues on active service. (Story courtesy Vancounver Island Aircrew Association)

George Foot - A young Winnipeg boy joins the RAF for the adventure in 1937 and finds that he is 'in for the duration'. (Story courtesy Vancounver Island Aircrew Association)

"The story of the Ferry Command, seen through modern eyes, makes the perfect plot for a swashbuckling action movie. Its civilian pilots wore cowboy boots, romanced women in Montreal and flew up the Nile searching out the pyramids. They also made history by carving out the routes and inventing the methods that are the backbone of modern aviation. Their mission was dangerous, and shrouded in secrecy. It's a made-in-Canada story of heroism."(an exerpt from CBC.ca's Above & Beyound: Ferry Command - Air Bridge to Britain)

Twenty-three-year FSgt. Art Weaver of Toronto cold hardly qualify for ‘nothing every happens to me’ classification. Trouble has been his, but doubled.   Back from a two-week brush with death in the Arctic Circle where he and two RCAF birdmates were forced down during a ferry flight, FSgt Weaver was happy with the world again as he realized at home, his wife by his side and $120 advance pay hidden in the family jewel case. His happiness soon was jolted, however, for  a thief broke into this home relived him of his money and other valuables and left him pondering over that angle about lightning striking twice.

Alan Robertson - Coastal Command pilots and crew flew long hours in their quest for the illusive U-Boat. (Story courtesy Vancounver Island Aircrew Association)

Few Are Chosen  "Canada’s Airmen V.C.'s" By Squadron Leader C. L. Heide, D.F.C. (reference:  The Roundel, Vol. 8, No. 4, May 1956) In 1855 Queen Victoria, her at­tention focussed on the many deeds of valour that had occurred in the Crimean War, recognized the need for an award that could be given for outstanding gallantry in action against the enemy; an award that could be given to all ranks, male or female, whatever their colour, race or creed, on the merits of bravery alone.

MY FIRST PARACHUTE JUMP - BY GROUP CAPTAIN E. G. FULLERTON, A.F.C., C.D., (Retired) Note: The author is a member of an exclusive group. He is one of eight RCAF personnel who have been awarded the McKee Trophy, the Nobel prize of Canadian aviation. Group Captain Fullerton won this coveted award in 1934 in recognition of his work as an instructor of instrument flying.The episode, which he relates here, took place in the days when flying in Canada was still a comparative novelty and the RCAF was but two years old.

The Enigma - The ability to intercept and decipher the secret messages of your enemy was a decisive strength in determining the outcome of any coflict. At Blechley Park the broke the code of the German High Command and kept it a secret too. (Story courtesy Vancounver Island Aircrew Association)

TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD BY AIRSHIP - By WING COMMANDER K. R. GREENAWAY In 1958 I was senior navigator aboard the first airship to penetrate the Arctic in more than a quarter of a century. We made the 4700 nautical mile round-trip in a United States Navy ZPG-2, at no time exceeding an altitude of 2100 feet above sea level, to evaluate the use of lighter-than-air craft in supporting arctic research.

Mediterranean Mission - At the Casablanca conference in mid-January 1943, President Roose­velt and Prime Minister Churchill decided that, on the completion of the African campaign, the "soft under-belly" of Europe should be attacked prior to the opening of a "second front" in France. The first target would be the island of Sicily which, when captured, could be used as a base for operations against the European mainland. The date for launching the Sicilian invasion was set as 10 July 1943. The code name for the operation was "Husky".

Memories of a Canadian Airman - One of Canada's greatest flyers of all time is Air Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw, CB, DSO, OBE, DSC, DFC, who left his native Nanaimo, B.C. in 1915 to become a top-scoring allied fighter "ace" in World War I. He was more than a courageous and skilful fighter pilot. More significant than his personal victories was his leadership. Whether it was a flight or a squad­ron, any formation under Collishaw's command rapidly gained a wide reputation for high morale, efficiency and an unquenchable determination to press the attack.

Runway Excursion at Resolute - A North Star crew has some cross wind problems while landing at Resolute Bay in the 1950's. (Story courtesy Vancounver Island Aircrew Association)

Rose Mateus Trumps Wind - A Northstar crew has the right pilot to do the job under the right circumstances. (Story courtesy Vancounver Island Aircrew Association)

Beating the Odds - Training to be a navigotor on the prairies had its risks too. (Story courtesy Vancounver Island Aircrew Association)

Omer Levesque - On March 31, 1951 Omer Levesque was the first Commonwelath pilot to shoot down a MIG-15. (Story courtesy Vancounver Island Aircrew Association)

In Korean Skies - Although both the Luftwaffe and the RAF employed jet aircraft dur­ing World War II, there were no engagements between the jets of the two air forces. It was not until the Korean War that jet versus jet combats took place. Then, the Sabres of the USAF won against MIG-15s with a kill ratio of 10 to 1, despite heavy odds. Among those Sabre pilots was a score of Cana­dians who contributed their share, shooting down at least nine MIGs and damaging many more.

Gull One Down - At 0746 Zulu (Z) (14:46 PM) on 25 February 1966, a surface-to-air missile (SAM) struck and crippled Douglas RB-66C serial 54-0457 'Gull One'. The engagement occurred ten-miles northwest of  Vinh, North Vietnam, while heading 270 degrees at 28,000 feet. The following best-case scenario details the mission and 'accidental' rescue of its crew. WWII RCAF veteran, Major Robert P. Walker. piloted the ECM  aircraft.