Proudly Sponsored for over 70 years by:
The Rotary Club of Oshawa
Issue 25
Week of Mar 24, 2013
Cadet Tagging!!!
One of our most important Fund Raising Events of the cadet year
will be held Thursday April 18 to Sunday April 21.
A reminder that all cadets are expected to tag at least 2 shifts with Sergeants and up expected to tag at least 3.
The Competition Band will be excused from tagging on Thursday night April 18th. They will however be expected to still fulfil their commitment.
Sign Up Sheets will posted this Monday
A New Captain in 151 Squadron
Congratulations this week go to one of the Squadron’s officers Lt Chandler who has just been promoted to the rank of Captain. Not everyone may be aware but Capt. Chandler has served for many years as CIC Officer on the Army side. In fact he was a commanding officer of an Army cadet unit. He took a break from the military but has recently found that he has the time to commit again (and in the right colour this time). Once he was re-enrolled, it took a while for the military to approve him returning to his former rank.
Familiarization Flying Oshawa Airport
This past week we managed to get 25 cadets airborne and in some cases it was the cadets first flight in a powered aircraft. Our flights usually originate in front of the Chadburn Lounge at the Oshawa airport so as you can see in the photo parents are welcome to get out on the tarmac and get that important photo of their son or daughter’s first flight.
We are fortunate to have experienced and dedicated owners, flight instructors and pilots who are willing to take the time and effort to give our cadets a meaningful introduction to aircraft and powered flight.
Glassy Boot Award
Honourable Members
F/Cpl Barton, Sgt. Hembruff, Cpl Milne, WO2 Bauer, Sgt. Boyden, Sgt. Katzer, Cpl. Hancock, F/Sgt. Chandler WO2 Smith
F/Sgt Bliss, Sgt Mogosh, Cpl Hewett, F/Cpl Shaw, Sgt. Keller, Cpl Zdebiak, F/Cpl J. Ehrt, WO2 Neill, Sgt Sheppard, Sgt Sam, F/Cpl Abraham, Cpl C. Swatridge, AC J. Hancock, F/Cpl D. Lloyd, F/Cpl C.Brandow, Cpl M.Achan, F/Cpl V. Singh, Sgt Nemeth, AC F. Chandler
Ganaraska Forest Centre
As you can read in the comments by Major Bliss the Squadron has just returned today from its annual NCO bush survival and orienteering weekend at the Ganaraka Forest Centre.
This was a challenging two days and next week we will have more photos so you can see more of the cadets activities.
Thoughts From The Treadmill
I had the opportunity to work with an old friend the other day. As we passed Trenton on a train he mentioned that his father had bought an airplane there and had had it displayed at his museum in Cobourg until a museum in Ohio had bought it from him. After further questioning, it turns out that the museum in Ohio is actually the Museum of the United States Air Force that we visited last year on the year end trip. The aircraft was a CF100 Canuck and it is on display in the museum. I have known this gentleman for close to 20 years and this is the first time that I had heard this story. Next time we head back there as a squadron it will give us some good trivia.
I had the pleasure heading out to Ganaraska this weekend for a while to see some of the training that was going on. Overall I am very pleased with the enthusiasm I am seeing from our senior NCOs. They certainly got a good workout and I am sure that as I write this many are having a well deserved nap. Although the calendar says it is spring, judging from the depth of snow in the woods, winter is holding on as long as it can. This just makes the walking and orienteering all that much harder.
I would like to thank all of the staff that gave up their weekend to make this training weekend so successful. More than 15 staff members were present at some point this weekend with 8 staying the whole weekend.
Questions have come up once again about the display board on the parade square at Rotary Hall. People want to know why there aren’t more photos up. We have displayed all that we have received. Once again a request to all the readers, if you are a former cadet who has gone on into the military, please get your photo to me so that we can get it up on the board. This is to show people just how proud we are of all former Chadburn Squadron cadets who have gone on to serve. You do not have to be currently serving, but I would like the picture to be of you in your DEUs if possible. We are putting the pictures in a 5 x 7 frame, and have a variety of poses from head shots to full body to one with a CF18 in there with the pilot. If you know a former member, please pass on this request to them.
One last thing as a reminder to the senior leaders in the squadron,
Never Pass A Fault. This doesn’t mean picking on someone or being unreasonable, but if you spot an issue, fix it.
Stay safe and have a great week.
Major Bliss
Aviation Photo Of the Week
The Story of 5 Grand
In May 1944 a B17 called 5 Grand was officially delivered to the US Army Air Forces at Boeing Field. When she left the United States for the Eighth Air Force’s bomber bases in Britain, over 35,000 signatures of Boeing employees adorned the its bare metal finish. Some thought that the plane should be stripped as the Luftwaffe might make special effort to shoot it down but it was decided the signatures would stay in place.
On the trans-Atlantic flight, the crew found the B-17G was about 7 mph slower than a stock B-17G due to the weight of the ink and paint used on the signatures and the surface roughness from some of the more colourful applications! The fuel consumption was higher and stronger-than-forecast winds aloft resulted in one of 5 Grand’s engines cutting out on landing in the UK due to fuel starvation. The aircraft was assigned to the 388rd Bomber Squadron at Snetterton Heath in Norfolk and it would fly 78 missions over the Reich adorned with her signatures.
On 14 June 1945 5 Grand returned home to the United States, first landing at Bradley Field in Connecticut before continuing on to Boeing Field in Seattle. While in Seattle, many employees found their signatures still in place. Local officials wanted to preserve 5 Grand as a memorial to the city’s home front war effort. The US Army Air Forces were willing to donate 5 Grand to Seattle for the memorial planned by the Seattle Historical Society, but on 3 January 1946, Seattle city officials declined the donation of 5 Grand on the grounds that building a memorial with the aircraft represented too costly an endeavour.
Unfortunately no one in the local government wished to take responsibility and the aircraft and it was sold off for scrap and forever lost to history.
This article was taken from the following publication. If readers would like to read more about the scope and amazing variety of aircraft produced in North America and England during the war years just click on the following link.
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151 Chadburn Squadron
Royal Canadian Air Cadets
*** Excelsior per Debere ***Excellence through Endeavour
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