Wing Commander Jack Meadows, DFC, AFC, AE
The Museum is sad to report the passing of one of its long-term members, Jack Meadows, on July 20, 2010.
Jack Meadows was born in India and brought up in the UK. In 1937, as soon as he was old enough (17), he got his Licence (forerunner of to-days PPL). He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve, flying Tiger Moths and Hawker Hart variants to Wings standard. At the outbreak of war, he waited until January 1940 and was then posted to repeat the SFTS course on the Harvard Mk. I.
Destined for a Spitfire OTU, he was instead diverted to CFS Upavon for an Instructors’ course, then taught on Harvards. In late 1940 he was sent to Canada to instruct on Ansons at Fort Macleod, AB and Carberry, MB. In 1942 he was a Flight Commander at the Flying Instructors’ School at Vulcan, AB. Early in 1943 he instructed on the Senior Officers Refresher Course at Trenton, ON, and was then sent back to the UK on an Empire CFS course.
On his arrival, by lying to Air Ministry, he instead got at long last to a Spitfire OTU then to 130 Squadron on operations at West Malling. Late in the year the squadron was sent north to Catterick and he transferred to 604 (County of Middlesex) night fighter squadron, which was then flying the Beaufighter VI. Soon re-equipped with the Mosquito XIII, 604 moved south to cover the invasion, then was the first allied NF squadron into occupied Europe. In September, he was appointed as a Flight Commander in 219 Squadron (Mosquito NF 30), also in 2 TAF. In 1945, tour expired, he became the Personal Assistant and Personal Pilot to his former AOC in a new SHAEF under Air Command Berlin, which was soon redundant. He finished the war at HQ 2nd TAF.
After joining Unilever in early 1946, on the reformation of the Auxiliary Air Force he joined 600 (City of London) Squadron, had a short spell with 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, returned to 600, and soon to Command of the squadron (the original Spitfire XVIs and 21s had soon been replaced by Meteor 4s, then 8s). In 1955 he handed over the squadron to become Wing Commander (Ops) in Metropolitan Sector until his company sent him in 1957 to South Africa for eight years.
Since then he has only done some occasional light aircraft flying. On his retirement in 1981, after 35 years with Unilever in various senior positions, he and his wife (a B.C. girl he had married in 1942) came to B.C., where both daughters were living. Since then has written at some length for (mainly) aviation magazines and also kept his aviation interest up by involvement with the Canadian Museum of Flight, at Langley. He is also Past Chairman of the Greater Vancouver Air Crew Association.
Museum Update: April/May 2010
“Diamonds and Rivets” Auction
The Museum is happy to report that the “Diamonds and Rivets” Auction as a huge success thanks to all the volunteers:
Carla Deminchuk - who organized the tables, theme and decorations;
Caitlin Ringland - who managed to get the visa/debit machines all working;
Dave Beales, Guy Miller, and Gord Wintrup - who solicited many of the donations;
Julie Willoughby, Gloria Willoughby and Lana Brunner - who organized all of us.
Our efforts paid off as the Museum netted $28,000.00.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM was held April 24th with a limited turnout. The election for the Board of Directors saw two new faces, and congratulations are extended to Daryl Carpenter and Brian Friesen. Returning directors were Paul De Lange and Vic Bentley. All four terms are for two years.
A special thanks to outgoing directors Carol Bellavance and George Miller who have been staunch supporters of the Museum for years.
Presentations were made by the President, Gord Wintrup, Treasurer, Paul De Lange, General Manager, Terry Brunner and Website Coordinator, Vic Bentley. A special presentation on work done by the Board on Strategic Planning was presented by Colin McDonald. To read this report, click here.
Museum Hours
As of May 24th weekend the Museum will be open an extra hour in the afternoon, closing at 5pm daily.
Restoration News
Restoration of the Fleet Canuck continues to move along. The fuselage should be covered by the end of May and the wings by the end of June.
Volunteers
We continue to pick up new volunteers. Several new volunteers have been specifically enlisted to help with the entrance / gift shop cash desk duties during the week.
Back to Baddeck - the CMF experience
Under the leadership of the Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association (CAPA), aviation museums and aviation heritage sites across Canada celebrated the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Canada with a unique and historically oriented event - a coast-to-coast-to-coast flying relay to mark this very significant aviation milestone. This Canada relay stopped at all of the CAPA member museums across Canada, at each provincial/territorial capital as well as in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, and was completed using a variety of vintage aircraft.
The Canadian Museum of Flight (CMF), BC’s only flying aviation museum, played a major role in this relay. The Museum’s Harvard flew from Comox to Victoria and the Tiger Moth, from Victoria to Langley. This story unfolds as the CMF’s 1937 Waco and crew took their turn at being a part of history and continuing the relay, with the mail bag in hand, to Nanton, AB.
Canadian Museum of Flight Announces New Logo.
At the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Museum of Flight on April 25, 2009, the new Museum logo was officially unveiled.
The Museum has had a new logo in transition for some time – that of the Handley Page Hampden. The Hampden is a unique symbol at our Museum, but virtually unknown except among dedicated aircraft fans. This logo also had some shortcomings in its presentation. While it was acceptable on letter size printed material, it lacked definition when printed on larger items, such as shirts.
The Directors studied this problem and came to the decision that it would not be acceptable to go back to the previous logo of the yellow Tiger Moth. Instead we should be forward looking to something that is unique in our collection. One aircraft that met the criteria was the Waco AQC-6 Cabin biplane. It has a long history of flying in BC – about 55 years – and was a unique airplane compared to the ubiquitous Tiger Moth. The red and cream colour scheme made it especially suitable for use as a logo for the Museum.
Well known local photographer, Cam Hutchins, provided the image taken during air-to-air photography with Museum aircraft, and Acro Media Inc. of Kelowna, BC did the design work to provide the logo that is now in use.
HEAVY SNOWFALL DAMAGES HISTORIC AIRCRAFT
December 2008
Langley, British Columbia – December 28, 2008 – Despite the best efforts of Museum volunteers the recent extreme weather in the lower mainland has caused considerable damage to some exhibits at the Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, BC. Hardest hit is the Museum’s Handley Page Hampden, a World War 2 bomber that was raised from the oceans depths off Vancouver Island in 1985.
Ongoing efforts to clear the rapidly accumulating snow from the wings of the aircraft were overwhelmed during the night of December 26 when a failure of the left wing internal structure occurred as a result of the weight of the snow on the wing. The wing separated from the fuselage and collapsed onto an adjacent display case containing one of the aircrafts original engines. The wing itself suffered considerable damage at both the root and tip. Further damage is visible on the tail of the aircraft although a full investigation of this area has yet to be completed.
The Museum’s Hampden is the sole survivor of its type on display anywhere in the world although another example was recovered recently from a crash site in Russia and is under restoration in Britain. The twin engine Hampden was part of the Royal Air Force’s front line equipment at the start of World War 2 but was soon rendered obsolete and retired from active operations against Nazi Germany during the summer of 1943.
One hundred and sixty Hampdens were built in Canada during WW2 and many were used on the west coast to train crews in the difficult missions of attacking enemy shipping with torpedoes. The Museum's aircraft was lost on just such an exercise on November 15, 1942 when it crashed into the ocean moments after dropping a practice torpedo. Following its recovery the aircraft was the subject of a long and challenging restoration to static display condition which was completed in 1998.
It is anticipated that a lengthy program of repair will be required to put the airplane back into displayable condition and the Museum is putting out a plea for the public's assistance in providing both financial and practical support to help re-build this important piece of Canadian history.
For more information contact the Museum at 604-532-0035 or at cmflight@telus.net
Contact:
Gord Wintrup – Museum President – 604-230-1560
Terry Brunner – Museum Staff – 604-532-0035
Canadian Museum of Flight
Hangar #3 – 5333 216th Street, Langley, BC V2Y 2N3
Email: cmflight@telus.net
Plans for Museum expansion.
August 2008
The Canadian Museum of Flight is planning on expanding its facilities to gain additional floor space. This will mean that the Museum can restore and display additional aircraft and artifacts that are currently in storage, or those that will be acquired in the future.
The Museum is currently housed in a 5,000 square foot facility and is planning to build a 30,000 square foot structure that will contain offices, a gift shop, a workshop, a large display area and a fully equipped commercial kitchen.
The Museum has reached an agreement with Air Cadet Squadron 746 Lightning Hawk to share the proposed building. The partnership of the air cadets and the Museum will be of benefit to both growing organizations, giving motivation, mentorship and challenges to both parties.
Our goal over the next two years is to expand our facilities in order to increase our revenue streams, increase our membership, create more partnerships, run more organized tours, and host more events such as weddings and corporate events.
Museum under Distinguished Patronage.
July 8, 2008
The Museum is delighted to announce that His Honour, the Honourable Steven Point, Lieutentant Governor of British Columbia has accepted our invitation to become Honorary Patron of the Canadian Museum of Flight.
The Lieutenant Governor is the representative of Her Majesty The Queen of Canada in the Province of British Columbia, and as such, takes precedence over everyone in the province except the Sovereign. The Lieutenant Governor personifies the Crown, which is both the apex and the unifying link in the constitutional and political structure of the province — executive, legislative, and judicial. All legislation must receive Royal Assent before it becomes law. It must therefore be signed by the Lieutenant Governor. All Orders-In-Council and official proclamations are also signed by the Lieutenant Governor in the name of The Queen.