Celebratory fly-in at Tilsonburg airport this weekend

The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association (CHAA) hosted a special fly-in this weekend at the Tilsonburg Regional Airport.

The gathering honoured those who made the British Commonwealth air-training plan — a contribution Canada made in WWII.

Under the plan, more than 130,000 personnel from the commonwealth countries came to Canada to be trained as pilots, observers, and flight engineers.

The event will also celebrated the 80th anniversary of Tillsonburg’s airport, with surprise visits from the Royal Canadian Air Force’s ct-156 Harvard II trainers from 15 wing moose jaw.

The CHAA 1985, comprised of a group of volunteers based at the Tillsonburg Regional Airport in southwestern Ontario. Its mission is to acquire, preserve, restore, maintain, display, and demonstrate the Harvard and other training aircrafts associated with the British Commonwealth Air Training plan (BCATP) and the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The Harvard was the primary, single-engine advanced training aircraft used by the BCATP to prepare pilots for duty in the Second World War. It continued to serve as a trainer with numerous countries, including Canada, which used it until the mid-1960s.

More information can be found on their website.