Vintage Wings Canada, Mike Potter's Flying Aviation Museum held its 'Battle of Britain', open house celebration day. The GGC Puchacz, flown by Paul and Doug was aerotowed over to Gatineau Airpark by Andrew in the Citabria. The day started an hour earlier than expected as Doug received a phone call late on Friday afternoon requesting that we arrive at Gatineau an hour earlier than planned due to the large contingent of visiting aircraft and Warbirds expected. This message arrived too late to contact the GGC participants who had already left their places of work or homes. However Doug, with the able help of new GGC member, Michael Friederick (MANY THANKS MIKE), who was hav
ing an early morning coffee on the Clubhouse verandah, opened the hangars, DI.ed the Puchacz, and got things setup on the flightline. We rudely awakened Andrew who was still asleep in his trailer, and took off enroute for Gatineau, only about 10 minutes behind schedule. We were told to orbit over the Ottawa river, about five kms short of Gatineau, for another 10 minutes, while a European Alphajet did a flyby and circuit and landing ahead of us. Then, not to be outdone, once cleared to land, we released over the airfield and did a high speed circuit and approach down the runway at about one metre height and turned onto the taxiway, clearing the active runway, so as not to hold operations, and were then pushed to our static display location. There was a lot of interest in the glider throughout the day, by several who were previous glider pilots and were contemplating the possibility of returning to the sport.
The high points of the flying displays were flybys of an assortment of WW II aircraft that included: two Spitfires, two Hurricanes, two Mustangs, a Corsair, and the Lancaster, four-engined bomber. The sounds of all those Rolls-Royce merlins were music to the ears. There were also, excellent aerobatics displays by a Pitts Special, a big 450 HP Stearman, and a three aircraft formation aerobatics team of Harvard trainers. Then the Puchacz was towed out from Gatineau at about 1500 hrs, just before the next NOTAM closed down the airfield, and was flown out by Paul and Daniel while Doug drove Dan's car back to Pendleton.
Meanwhile, south of the border, fall wave flying kicked off with an advance team from MSC, RVSS and GGC starting wave camp operations in Lake Placid. XS, AT and IAK were the first to taste Adirondack wave in 2008. Stay tuned for reports from our wave camp fly week (Oct.4th through 13th)
However, the real highlight of the day back at Pendleton, was the first solo flight in the ASK-13 by Emma Walker. Emma is only 14 and soloed after only 37 flights, a true accomplish
ment. CONGRATULATIONS EMMA. Emma's mother and father, Alex and Ron watched anxiously as Norm Fortin sent her off, and their pride and joy flew the nest and found that true freedom in the silent world aloft, now free from those pesky instructional comments from the back seat drivers ringing in her ears. After landing, Emma was chased around the airfield and doused with water, as is the custom, by a flock of young damsels from her Pony Club. This is only about the second time in the last decade that we have had a 14-yr. old go solo at our Club.Doug & Roger
Photos: D. Duclos, S. Hildesheim, Doug L-L
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