The Times Advocate, 2005-11-23, Page 14Crossroads
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Wednesday, November 23,2005
Exeter Times Advocate
Exeter aviation legend celebrates 60 years of flying
By Nina Van Lieshout
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
EXETER — A love
for airplanes came at
a young age for
Exeter's Gus
Chisholm.
It began in Truro,
N.S., when Chisholm
was just four -years -
old.
Chisholm watched as
the famous Italian
flier Balboa flew his
armada of planes over
his family home from
Italy to Canada.
Chisholm, too little
to begin flying at that
time began building
model airplanes with
every bit of spare time
he had.
In Grade 4 his love of
airplanes grew so
strong that anytime a
plane flew over his
schoolhouse in
Hardwood Hill, East
Mines, N.S., Chisholm
was allowed to go out-
side.
"My teacher, Mary
Forbs would excuse
me so I could go look
at the plane," says
Chisholm.
He became a flying
instructor at 12 -years -
old.
Chisholm also has
another memory of
when he was 12.
"I made a cardboard
plane and sent my
brother down the hill
in it. It crashed," he
says.
In 1942 Chisholm
worked at the Clark
Ruse Aircraft Co. in
Dartmouth, N.S., over-
hauling Lockheed
Hudsons and Catalina
Flying Boats.
Chisholm then went
to Victory Aircraft in
Malton, Ont. between
1944 and 1945.
He worked at the
Flight Test Hangar
doing initial engine
runs and final inspec-
tions on the Lancaster
Bombers before their
delivery to Ferry
Command.
After a year
Chisholm moved to
Goderich and began
working at the Sky
Harbour Air Services.
Chisholm earned
both his air engineers
license and his pilot
license.
Chisholm also met
Keith Hopkinson
(Hoppy), who would
soon become his best
friend.
In 1953 Chisholm,
Hoppy, Jim Sherratt,
George Morley, Clare
Love, Don Fisher and
the staff mechanics at
the time built a Stits
Playboy.
It was the first regis-
tered homebuilt plane
in Canada.
After the completion
of Hoppy's Playboy in
1955 Chisholm wanted
to make his own
plane.
"Bits 'n' Pieces", a
Corbin Baby Ace was
completed in 1958
after two years, eight
months and 15 days of
collecting inexpensive
parts and working
diligently in his base-
ment.
It became Canada's
second registered
homebuilt plane and
only cost $620 to com-
plete, exactly how
much it weighed in
pounds when finished.
Hoppy flew the cre-
ation for the first time
Aug. 3, 1958, testing
the Baby Ace.
That was the first of
many for "Bits `n'
Pieces."
Chisholm's creation
brought much atten-
tion including a visit
from the founding
members of the
Experimental Aircraft
Association (EAA) in
the United States.
"Bits 'n' Pieces" was
also published in the
April 1959 issue of
Mechanix Illustrated.
They presented
Chisholm a Work
Bench Award
Certificate and a 24 -
carat, gold plated
hammer that hangs to
this day above his
work bench in the
basement of his
Exeter home.
Over the years
Chisholm and "Bits 'n'
Pieces" and Hoppy
and his Playboy flew
to many airports, even
Rockford, I11. at an
EAA Airshow.
Unfortunately on
March 26, 1964,
Hoppy, an aviation
hero and role model to
many people was
killed in an airplane
crash on a stormy
night.
Chisholm describes
his best friend as a
man who was loved
and respected by
everyone who knew
him
About 1,000 people
attended his funeral
which is believed to be
Goderich's largest
funeral in history.
Hoppy's Playboy Stits
is displayed in the
Canadian Aviation
Museum in Ottawa.
Over the years
Chisholm has owned
seven different planes
and rebuilt several.
"I owned an Ercoupe
in the 50s, 'Bits `n'
Pieces', a Harvard
Mark 4, a 172 Cessna,
a Waco Custom Cabin,
a 150 Cessna and a
172 Cessna," says
Chisholm."
Chisholm has also
taken many people
flying.
"I've taken hundreds
of people," he says.
One passenger that
sticks out in his mind
was a waitress,
Debbie Kerr who was
terrified of flying.
"There was this
waitress at Joe's
Landing at the Sky
Harbour Airport in
Goderich and she just
wouldn't go flying
with me. I used to bug
her all the time so
finally I said, 'what do
I gotta do, come in
here dressed as a
woman?, and she said
yes."
Chisholm showed up
at the restaurant
wearing a wig, dress,
panties and all.
"I was afraid if I did-
n't wear the bra and
panties and every-
thing she wouldn't
come. I had to have
everything perfect."
Kerr did go flying
with Chisholm but he
says she was scared,
the only passenger
that has ever been
scared over the past
60 years.
After years of flying
Chisholm says his wife
Diane now does most
of it after catching the
flying bug about eight
years ago but he does
enjoy flying on an
early morning above
the country. "I find
that very relaxing,"
says Chisholm.
And his advice for
anyone wanting to get
into flying is, "Today
there are such big
opportunities, and
many for ladies, too.
They are just as capa-
ble as a man to fly."
Chisholm explains
flying in comparison
to getting a disease
and says he's just as
passionate about fly-
ing now as he was
then but says when he
turns 80 next year he
won't fly anymore,
he'll just be the pas-
senger.
"Another pilot can
fly me until the day I
die," he says. "I want
to be safe."
When asked what his
biggest flying achieve-
ment has been, "I'd
say flying for 60
years. It's one hell of
a feat."
Gus Chisholm in 1946 at the Goderich Sky Harbour Airport with his Tiger Moth
Dehaviland. (photo/submitted)
From left, Gus Chisholm, president of the Experimental Aircraft Association in the
United States Paul Poberezney and Keith (Hoppy) Hopkinson stand in front of
"Bits `n' Pieces" in 1959 at the Goderich Sky Harbour Airport. It is the second
registered homebuilt plane in Canada and the oldest still flying. (photo/submitted)
Gus Chisholm flying recently in his Skyhawk 2. One side of the plane reads "Dear
Old Dad" and the other "Lady Di" for his wife Diane. (photo/Nina Van Lieshout)
11
frAdow
Debbie Kerr (left) a waitress from Joe's Landing at the Goderich Sky Harbour
Airport and Gus Chisholm, dressed as a woman in June 1987 are just about to go
flying. Kerr told Chisholm the only way she would go flying with him was if he
dressed like a woman. Chisholm won the bet. (photo/submitted)