THUNDER BAY — Three iconic Harvard IV aircraft will be flying above the city next month.
Built in Fort William at CanCar, the Canadian Car and Foundry, in 1951 and 1952, the Harvards are a piece of local history.
The Northwestern Ontario Aviation Heritage Centre is bringing in the historic planes to Thunder Bay on July 19 and 20 for their event Wings of Time — Homecoming of the Harvards.
“We’re just so excited to see these old aircraft coming home,” said Denise Lyzun, the centre’s executive secretary.
The biggest draw to the event may be the chance to ride in one of the planes, which organizers say are all sold out.
Themed around the 1950s, the event will also feature 50s music, live performances by the Roy Coran Big Band in the Wasaya Hangar on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and a march around the ramp by the Macgillivray Pipe Band and Thunder Bay Police Pipe Band on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
The public can also visit a static model aircraft, various kiosks and 1950s classic cars, purchase merchandise and enter in door prizes.
After producing a significant number of aircraft during the Second World War, said Lyzun, the CanCar plant still had the ability to produce aircraft, so when the Korean War began in the early 1950s, the Royal Canadian Air Force needed planes to train pilots, which led to these aircraft being built.
“The whole concept of doing this is to celebrate the history of Thunder Bay, our aircraft manufacturing history, which starts back in 1942 with the Hurricanes (and) Elsie MacGill," said John Hill, a retired commercial pilot, who became involved with centre around four years ago.
"And then going on in the 50s, we also produced a whole bunch of these airplanes, these Harvard airplanes.”
Hill said he will be flying and riding one of the aircraft coming in from Tillsonburg, the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association’s FIN number 242.
“My father flew that airplane in 1957 when he was a pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force,” said Hill.
After a cancellation of the event last year due to rain, the centre has since made modifications to ensure its historical planes will soar into the skies this summer, including an earlier start and designated rain date the following weekend.
Last year's cancellation was “pretty devastating,” Lyzun said, so they ensured they had contingency plans ready to go.
“Part of the problem was it wasn’t so much raining here, but these aircraft are very old. They were built in the 1950s in Fort William…,” said Lyzun.
“And they’re flying from Tillsonburg, Ont. and one of them was also coming from Lethbridge. So, the weather was very poor in Southern Ontario, so they couldn’t fly up here because they can’t do the same kind of flying that, say, a modern aircraft can do.”
With the event moved, the planes are also not taking off from Air Bravo, where they were supposed to be last year, she said, but at the Wasaya Airways Ramp, which is a lot bigger and more open.
“We’re really appreciative of their efforts to host this event with us,” said Lyzun.
Hill added that they’re looking forward to a wonderful weekend of events, which are open to the public free of charge.
“People can come out and see what we did here, what the Rosie (Riveters) did here, what the people of Thunder Bay manufactured here at (Canadian) Car,” he said.
Entrance to the event is by donation.
