HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-07-16, Page 75Ma war pilots trained at Sky Harb
[iY H.W. BET GER
The question of founding an airport at
Goderich was first considered in 1920,
when the town clerk made an official en-
quiry to the Aero Club of Canada about the
possibility of founding a flying dub as a
municipal enterprise_ The project failed to
materialize.
The early 1930's saw the first small air-
port, a private one, established by Cass
Hough of Detroit. Mr. Hough leased a
105 -acre lot on the southeast comer of the
present airport site then owned by O.
Fleming, Q.C. The airport was not licensed
but it did attract some transient traffic and
thereby aroused public interest in avia-
tion. A small hangar, large enough to
house three small aircraft was built and a
gasoline tank installed.
During 1937 and 1938 plans were for-
mulated to establish an official Moron
county airport. In July 1938, the local avia-
tion enthusiasts announced the openingof
Huron County Sky Harbour Airport
30th of July with a monster air show.
Although the airport was still not licensed,
the air show did take place.
In October, 1938, Raymond Dean leased
the airport and was granted a temporary
license. "Shorty" Finlayson became the
flying instructor and began with a class of
six pupils and a Taylorcraft aeroplane` In
1939 the County of Huron bought out Mr.
' Dean's interest in the lease and offered the
site to the Crown for an air training base.
The County agreed to purchase the whole
site for $11,500. In 1940 the airport was
leased to the government for $100 a year
and the department of national defense
established No. 10 Elementary Flying
Training School on the site.
Since Sky Harbour lacked the personnel
to operate ' he sthnel; the. fritnbener-
Waterloo Club contracted to operate it
under the name Huron County Flying
Training School Ltd. J.R. Douglas was
general manager of the airport. 'Keith
Hopkinson, who later became owner-
manager
wnermanager was chief ground instructor. In
October, 1940, the first class of students.ar-
rived for training. Daring the war approx-
imately
5,000 RCAF and Fleet Air Arm ,
Sky Harbour played an important role in the war effort.
Below an airshow in the late 1930s attracted a large crowd..
pilotsViggo S,1
received their elementary received elementary training
at Goderich.
In 1945 Mr. Hopkinson began a small fly-
ing school and aircraft sales and service
under the name Sky Harbour Air Services.
One of the main activities of the company
was to ferry over 2,000 war surplus air-
craft where they were sold either to other
airports or to oreign governments.
Hopkinson continued to operate the air-
port udder an agreement with the County.
In 1960, Huron County purchased all por-
tions of the airport that it did not already
own and the drill hall and one hangar were
sold to the Goderich Manufacturing Co. In
1961 Hopkinson purchased the balance 'of
the property from the County and proceed-
ed to expand the facilities. '
On March 26, 1964, Mr. Hopkinson was
killed in a flying accident near the airport.
Since then his son John has operated the
company and has continued the expansion
plans of his father. The drill hall was pur-
chased, from the Goderich Manufacturing
Co. and converted into a mammoth paint
shop, the largest operation of its kind in
Canada. A 4,000 foot paved runway was
constructed and the airport now con-
stitutes a valuable asset to the entire
community.
In 1964 the last` four Air Forte Lan -
casters in the world were declared surplus
by the RCAF. Branch 109, Royal Canadian
Legion, Goderich, Ontario, purchased one
to save at least one from salvage demoli-
tion. It was ferried to Sky Harbour by No.
124 Ferry Squadron, RCAF and given
static memorial status in June, 1964.
Because aircraft make such a fragile
memorial and deterioration was becoming
evident, Canadian Warplane Heritage
Foundation offered to ferry FM213 out to
Mount Hope, Ontario. Here they could
restore it to C of A Standard and refinigh it
in the original Bobber Coming ld colours.
They could thus change the Status to a fly-
ing memorial and protect it m their
hangar.
The Sully Foundation of Goderich pur-
chased the Lancaster from Branch 109
with a memorial scholarship in memory of
the late AVM J.A. Sully.
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