HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1980-09-18, Page 20,
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MAN AND HIS WINGS - Ross Smith of RR 1, year ago. TM'S' summer, Mr. Smith and his
Mitchell, stands beside the 1946 Fleet Canuck _flying buddy, Josef Grau, piloted the plane
Canadian built airplane that he bought three across the country to Dawson City and back.
iit 'Anton
SEAFORTH FROM ABOVE - In case you derirfiecogtilie It, PaUrEllis as heTnierview a pilorfforii Mitchell, Ross
—
this is a picture of the main intersection in town, taken from a Smith, last month.
plane flying a few hundred feet above. The photo was taken In
mositor
SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, SBPTEMBER 18, 1980 [Second Section Pages 1A — 8A]
Seaforth from an antique plane
Above me, clear, blue sky, with all
threats of an earlier thunder shower
replaced by serene, gentle clouds. Below,
firm ground.
Not unusual for an average sufnmer
afternoon. The difference lay in the fact that
the ground was some 1200 feet below, and I
was experiencing the assignment of a
lifetime: interview a local pilot with a unique
aircraft, with the added bonus of seeing
Seaforth from the air.
There I was, in this thirty-four year old
single engine plane, winging along at eignty
miles per hour far above the fields and towns
of Huron. And the only thing between
myself and that long and definitely fatal drop
was a single lap seatbelt. My side of the
• plane had had the door removed.
For many. the fear of flying, especially in
such a small airplane, would undoubtedly_
=eel any thoughts of undertaking such an
assignment. Lucidly. 1 suffer from no such
fear, although 1 admit 1 was less than
confident at first when 1 realized that my life
lay in the hands of a stranger 1 had just met
and a plane that was twice my age. .
I have always been rather interested in the
art of flying. And flying is an art. Free, with
no lines or roadways to direct or impede your
progress. flying is like a living dream. 1 can
think of no greater way to escape from the
reality and rush of life in the 20th century, to
escape all pressures in just moments,
• without actually leaving the home area,
without truly leaving.
To be in the cioucts, and took down on the
seemingly surreal world below, arranged
neatly in rows of corn or blocks of
black -roofed buildings. To fly, and dip and
curve in any direction desired. at any
moment. To be free.
The man who presented me with this
opportunity is Ross Smith, a Mitchell area
resident with a passion for planes. The plane
is a 1946 Fleet Canuck two-seater.
Mr. Smith seems very proud of his
unusual little aircraft, with its bright white
and red paint job. StreakS-of red bleed back
from the engine along the fuelage, and flare
out in wide wedge-shaped bands on the
rudder. Above and below the wings, more
strips cross the brilliant white. It would be
hard to mistake the identity of this vehicle of
the air, with a patriotic maple leaf, and
official letters CF-ENW prominently display-
ed on the side.
The plane was built shortly after the
close of World War 11 by the Fleet Aircraft
Company of Fort Erie,.Ontario. At that time
Fleet was one of the largest private plane
manufacturers in Canada, making about
three hundred of the Canuck-type of plane.
Many of those were utilized as training
aircraft.
The Fleet Canuck was originally designed
to be a private plane capable of carrying four
passengers. People were beginning to see
the benefits of owning their own plane, and
this tough little craft was perfectly suited to
the businesstnan, farmer or flying enthusi-
ast. Planes were finally being buil; which
were dependable and safe, yet affordable
enough to create a market which was not
long trips.. long trips like the one Mr. Smith
and his flying buddy, Josef Grau, also of the
Mitchell area, made this sununer. The pair
set out from the private Sexsmith airport
northwest of Exeter, and flew across Canada
and up into the Yukon Territory to Dawson
City.
The men made the flight in the Canuck,
and did it because they wanted to. There
were no meetings to attend, no specific place
to be at any given time. There was only the
desire to go and fly and see some of the
country. Dawson _City seemed like a good
destination. It is about as far away as you
can go from Ontario without going South to
the United States.
But this was not Ross' first trip to the
Yukon. A few years ago. he drove a school
bus up the Alaska Highway to Dawson, and
a couple of years later, he and his son
hitch -hiked to the same area. On that trip.
the two took with them only what they could
carry, and relied on the goodwill of friendly
In .a plane twice my age...
with the door off
strictly limited to the wealthy.
Although constructed to %Ciithstand a great
deal, a design defect meant that the Canuck
could not pass inspection as a four -seater.
Rather than starting over and redesigning
the entire aircraft, company officials decided
to go ahead and market it, but only as a
two-seater.
CLOTH—COVERED
The Canuck is a cloth -covered plane,
powered by a four cylinder engine. It uses .
about 41/2 gallons of fuel per hour, at a rate
of about twenty-six miles per gallon. That
sounds like fairly good mileage and better
than most cars. But the problem is that the
gasoline mixture used in aircraft engines is
quite a bit more expensive than regular
automobile, fuel.
Mileage and fuel costs are important to
anyone who travels these days. especially on
motorists to provide them with transporta-
tion.
On this summer's voyage. the two flyers
experienced a very memorable flight.
Besides the wide variety of interesting
characters they met along the way. they also
encountered the danger of a box canyon in
the spectacular mountains of the West, and
the excitement of flying over huge forest
fires burning out of control in Northern
Alberta. At one point. they were forced to
make an emergency landing near the
Syncrude Tar Sands development when a
shift in winds and a dangerous forest fire
made travel in the small plane hazardous.
ANNUAL FLY—IN
On another trip this summer. Ross flew
his Canuck to Wisconsin to Oshkosh. the
annual fly -in that attracts thousands of pilots
and planes from across North America.
BIRD'S EYE VIEW - With the side door
removed from a- small aircraft, there Is no
problem with spying on a, few back yards from
the air. These house, including the one in the
centre belonging t the photographer, are
situated on John Street in Seaforth.
41111.31111111111111211111111MIENNIMITMEMEffik
The Canuck is one of sixteen light planes
occupying hangar space at the Sexsmith
Airport, run'by Leonard tirebb, the owner.
He maintains the single grass landing strip,
and has constructed the hangars to store the
planes. On that slibject, Leonard figures that
he could instantly rent out space for
another ten or twelve planes, if he were to
builduw dmuoii-de sheaenmg adr fsifi.
cult to visit 5exsmith
without coming in contact with Leonard. An
interesting character, running the airport to
Leonard is almost more of a hobby than
anything else. He knows all the pilots that
use his facility, and provides them with fuel
for their aircraft at near wholesale prices. In
eturn, the pilots help with the maintainance
of the airport, including taking their turn at
cutting thc grass on the runway.
RULES, REGULATIONS
One question or comment concerning
planes. pilots or aeronautical history is
enough to spark a story from Leonard, as he
is known to the flyers. He tells of flying
many years ago when there weren't as many
planes in _this area. and when regulations
and rules governing private aircraft were
few.
When queried about fatal accidents in
Huron County due to small planes, Leonard
remembers one incident when four young
men were forced to land their rented plane in
a field north of Clinton. due to a loss of
power. Later. when the four tried to take off
again. one wheel of the plane's landing gear.
caught on a hydro line. sending the plane
into a fiery. fatal spin to the ground.
(Since the interview was done. a fly -in was
held at the Sexsmith Airpott. At that meer.a
pilot from London crashed his plane on the
runway. and was killed. Pilot error was
blamed for the incident.)
But there are relatively few deaths linked
to airplane crashes. In nearly all cases, the
accidents are due to pilot error under
extreme circumstances. Airplane crashes,,
being Iess common than. for instance,
automobile accidents, seem to draw more
attention from the media.
Many of the pilots who use the Sexsmith
Airport are members of the Experimental
Aircraft Association (E.A.A.), Chapter 687,
Exeter. One building at the site houses three
"home-buihs", airplanes which have been,
or are being, constructed by the pilots and
their friends. One such crafts is a
Volksplane, powered by a small. modified
Volkswagon autrimobile engine.
Mr. Smith also owns another small plane
which he plans to rebuild eventually. Used
aircraft, like used cars. can be purchased at
relatively low prices, and often need only an
engine overhaul or fuselage repairs before
being in condition to fly agaih.
Ross bought the Canuck in 1977 under
some rather strange circumstances. He saw
the rare plane for sale. and was entertaining
thoughts of buying it when a gust of wind
blew a piece of paper past his feet. When
Ross picked up the paper, he discovered it to
be a centrefold from an old airplane
magazine. On the page. there was an
advertisement for a dependable new plane,
the Fleet Canuck. Taking the incident as an
Photo story
by
Paul Ellis
_
omen, Ross soon bought the plane, which
has just recently received its present paint
scheme.
"The thing about this plane," says Ross,
"is that it's practically indestructible."
He intends to keep the Canuck, at least as
long as it's in good condition. As he says, its
nearly indestructible, and there are't many
around.
Flying, especially in a country as beautiful
as Canada. is a fantastic experience, unlike
any other. Seeing this country from a bird's
eye view is "something to remember," says
Mr. Smith.
"I'll never forget it. .,the two
extremes: the colours here (of the fields and
trees), and the jagged mountains there (in
the West)."
HIGH IN THE SKY - Reporter Paul Ellis took to the air this summer to
Interview pilot Ross Smith of Mitchell, an assignment which included a
half hour flight in Mr. Smith's plane, with the -side door removed for a bit
of aerial photography.
'
PATCHWORK FIELDS - The fields and forests of Ontario make a
spectacular scene from the air, according to Ross Smith, a local pilot who
does a lot of flying in his thirty-four year old light plane.
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