We have an extensive display of uniforms in our Uniform Hall showing the changes over the years.

 As you proceed through the  Uniform Hall on the way to see the  planes in the hangar, you will see a  Link Trainer that was actually used at the No. 6 SFTS.  The trainer was  brought back to the Museum thanks to donations from Jack Murphy,                                                                                                      Carol Logan, Paul Segui, Ed Franks, Don Oatman, Ernie Amadio, Jim Mattice and James Bird.

The Planes

Our half of Hangar 1 houses a WW II vintage Fleet Finch trainer built in Fort Erie.  Before the Airport was closed to flight operations, we had a Tiger Moth, a Yale, and a Harvard.  Tiger Moths and Fleet Finchs were used extensively at Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS).  Students were required to graduate from an EFTS before coming to a SFTS such as the No. 6 at Dunnville.  Harvards and Yales were the primary aircraft used for training at Dunnville.

This photo shows a Yale, Harvard and Fleet Finch parked in front of the hangar after returning from the Tillsonburg Airshow on August 18, 2012.  The Tracker is just visible behind the Yale.

 This is a great shot of the De Havilland 82 Tiger Moth in flight with the Dunnville Airport in the background. This version with a stronger undercarriage and a sliding canopy for protection from the weather was designed for training use in Canada. This particular aircraft was built by De Havilland Canada at Downsview, coming off the line in February 1942 and was #1020 of a production run of some 1,300.

The Fleet Finch 16 B (RCAF Finch MK II), # 4708, is shown here outside of the Hangar. This is a refined version of a 1934 design with structural strengthening suitable for aerobatics.  It was built by the Canadian Fleet Aircraft Ltd. in Fort Erie.  With the RCAF designation C-GQWE this plane served at No. 7 EFTS Windsor and No 13 EFTS St. Eugene Ontario before going to St. Thomas for repair training.  Powered by by a 125 hp Kinner B5 5-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine, it had a maximum speed of 104 mph, a cruising speed of 85 mph and a service ceiling of 10,500 ft.

This plane was extensively renovated by a local flying enthusiast.  It was purchased by Russ Cameron, the owner of the Dunnville Airport, and donated to the Museum.  It flew right up to the closure of the Airport and was then mothballed, ready to fly again if the opportunity presented itself.

Thanks to a generous donation through the Samsung Heavy Industries Group, the Museum acquired Yale X9 as a static display.  It was built in 1940 for the French Armee de l’Air.  After the French surrendered, it was purchased by the British Purchasing Commission for use in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.  Given the RCAF serial number 3416, it entered service on September 17, 1940 and initially served at No. 1 SFTS Camp Borden. 

Suffering some damage at Camp Borden, it was sent to Noorduyn for overhaul and converted to an airborne wireless trainer (WT) at No. 9 Repair Depot in St. Jean, Quebec in mid-1943.  It was officially designated Yale W/T, given the code X9 and served at No. 1 Wireless School in Mount Hope, Ontario.  

At the end of the war it was placed in stored reserve at No. 4 Reserve Equipment Maintenance Unit (REMU) located at Brantford, Ontario.  On September 26, 1946, it was made available for sale by War Assets and passed through several private owners.  Eventually it was purchased by Tom Dietrich, and was restored to a static display in the mid-1990s and placed on outdoor display at Guelph Airpark.  

Yales, and the slightly more powerful Harvards, were the primary aircraft used to train pilots at the No. 6 SFTS

Thanks again to a generous donation from Samsung and Russ Cameron, as well as the Allan Foundation, Lynda Bain, James & Dorothy Bird, Jamie Logan, Pat Logan, Tim Logan and Joe & Lois Weir we acquired a Cornell that is in beautiful condition.  Early experience indicated that Cornells were not sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of training student pilots.  This plane was in flying condition before being put on static display in the Museum.

We acquired a model of a Mosquito bomber, know to some as a "Wooden Wonder" because of its all wood construction.  The model was built by Bill Rice in memory of John & Laura Rice.

The Museum houses two static displays not related to WW II.  

The Grumman S2E Tracker is a favorite with young visitors because they can climb inside and sit in the cockpit. Trackers operated from the HMCS Bonaventure and various shore bases for anti-submarine duty.  It was donated to the Museum by Daniel Ricker.

After the Bonaventure was decommissioned in 1970, shore-based patrols continued until 1981.  The few remaining Trackers served until 1990 doing fisheries protection and maritime patrol duties. A few were converted to water tankers to fight wild fires.

The other static display is a 7/8 scale replica of a Nieuport 17 donated by Jock Williams.  It was #3 of a Chandler Arizona-based team that did flypasts for military funerals and other patriotic events.  When that team broke up in the fall of 2006, two of the Nieuports were bought by Jock Williams and brought to Dunnville.  Both were in flying condition until the landing gear on this one failed and the plane ended up on its nose.  Fortunately, the pilot was not hurt.  Jock Williams donated the plane to the Museum as a static display.  Museum volunteers repaired the damage plane so it could be safely displayed. Visitors are amazed by the small, cramped cockpit.   (The other Nieuport was sold to a buyer in Australia.  Museum volunteers assisted in disassembling the plane for shipment.)  

Hangar Art

HARVARD MARK IV:

ONE OF THE TRAINING PLANES USED FROM 1940 TO 1945

                  Painted in 2009 by: Derek Burrage, Cam Grey, Stan Swayze & Ross Watterworth.

NO.6 AIRFIELD:

  Painted by Derek Burrage 2012

RCAF FLAG: 1944 RCAF STANDARD FLAG  FLYING AT THE AIRPORT.

        Our Meeting Room

If you leave the hangar by way of our meeting room, this is what you will see.  

Our Library is on the right in this photo.  

Not shown in this photograph is our modern flight simulator that allows you to "fly" a wide range of single and multi-engine aricraft, including all of those flown during WW II.  Each of the BCATP bases has been recreated, so you can take off and land at each base.

Another relic of the No. 6 SFTS is the "Butts Building" behind Hangar 5.

 Backed up by a earthen berm  and concrete wall.  This was a place where trainees could practice firing both side arms and aircraft armament.  The building is not in good repair and is  not available for visitors.

Other WW II Aircraft Heritage Sites

Canada is home to several other WW II aircraft historic sites, including:

• A wealth of personal stories of graduates of the No. 6 SFTS can be found at http://www.rcafdunnville.blogspot.ca/
• The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association collection at the Tillsonburg Airport includes six Harvard aircraft, a Tiger Moth, and a Yale in flying condition.
• The Canadian Historical Aircraft Association based out of the old No. 7 EFTS hangar in Windsor.  They are restoring Lancaster FM212, building a DH Mosquito and fly two Chip,umks, a Stearman abd a Harvard (RCAF s/n 20382).
• The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope, ON has 25 aircraft in flying condition. The most famous is one of only two surviving Lancasters in the world that are still airworthy.  If you like Air Shows, check out the 45 minute video featuring the Lancaster, the last flying Mosquito, two Spitfires and two Hurricanes flying in formation www.youtube.com/embed/ceuU1UQuwVU?feature=player_detailpage
• The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon, Manitoba is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the BCATP.  The Museum serves as a unique memorial to those airmen who trained and served, and especially those who died, while serving their country in the air war of 1939-1945.
• The Tiger Boys' Aeroplane Works & Flying Museum is a “hobby out of control” overseen by partners Tom Dietrich and Bob Revell. For the past thirty-five years, The Tiger Boys have tracked down the remains of rare old airplanes in barns, fields, forests, and from the bottom of northern lakes, then rebuilt these wrecks to better-than-new condition.
• A dedicated group of volunteers is developing flight simultation software that will allow visitors to "fly" training aircraft from all of the BCATP bases in Canada.  Check out what they have accomplished at http://www.flightontario.com/BCATP/bcatp-schools.htm