We hope you enjoyed answering the Canadian Aviation Moments in August. We encourage readers to send in their responses to the Canadian Aviation Moments questions at: info@cahs.ca. Your responses will be included in the following month's newsletter. Here are the correct answers:

Question: What British troop and vehicle transport was designed and test flown in less than ten months? It was on strength with the RCAF from 1948 until 1959.

Answer: “The Horsa was a Second World War troop and vehicle carrying glider used by the British and their allies during many of the airborne assault actions in the war. Designed and test flown in less than ten months, the glider was put into quantity production starting in 1940. Built virtually entirely of wood, the aircraft featured fairly complete cockpit instrumentation for flying at night or in cloud. The fuselage was built in three pieces and the main fuselage and tail sections featured quick-disconnect bolts to allow the aft section to be removed for rapid unloading of the pay-load. The main gear of the tricycle undercarriage could also be jettisoned, and a nosewheel, in combination with a central shock absorbing skid, could be used for rough ground landings. The RCAF acquired a small number of Horsas for use in post-war evaluations.”

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Page 51

Question: How many appearances did the Red Knight make and in how many seasons? How many pilots flew the Red Knight and what type(s) of airplane was it?

Answer: ”So, who (or what) was was the Red Knight? The cadet indicated that it was actually a team. Well, eventually it was, but not in the beginning. The visitors may have been interested to know that the Red Knight programme actually originated in Trenton. Had a script been provided to the young cadet, he might have told his tour group that the Red Knight was the solo aerobatic performer of the RCAF's Training Command from 1958 through 1969. Although originally authorized to perform only three shows, the Red Knight went on to make over 600 appearances, throughout North America. The role of the Red Knight was actually shared by 17 different pilots over the 12 seasons. The Red Knight was commonly sent to venues considered too small for the established aerobatics teams of the day. The Red Knight pilots brought an extremely impressive and professional aerobatics show to communities that might not otherwise get the chance to see such an event.”

Source: Canadian Aviation Historical Society Journal – Vol. 46 No. 3 – Fall 2008 – THE RED KNIGHT – John Corrigan – Page 105

Question: What influenced the British bombing policy during the Second World War?

Answer: “Without doubt, British bombing policy during the Second World War was influenced by the strategic aerial bombardment experiences of the First World War. Over one hundred German Zeppelin and giant fixed-wing bomber raids on Britain produced nearly 3500 casualties. Moreover, they generated widespread shock, a sense of vulnerability, and a significant disruption of wartime production out of proportion to the actual damage inflicted. This widespread disruption included lost time due to the suspension of manufacturing, the upheaval of transportation systems, worker consternation and anxiety, and the diversion of limited human and materiel resources to directly combat these threats. However, General Sir Hugh Trenchard, the Independent Force's first commander and later the RAF's Chief of the Air Staff from 1919 to 1929, staunchly maintained, throughout the 1920s, that the psychological impact of the bombing significantly overshadowed the material damage, in his view, by a factor of twenty to one.”

Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience, 1939 to 1945 – David L. Bashow – ISBN 1-55125-098-5 – Page 15

The Canadian Aviation Moments were submitted by Dennis Casper from the Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter of the CAHS.

The Canadian Aviation Moments questions for September are:

Question: Who in the RAF in 1936 was a key proponent of a heavy versus a medium bomber force and would eventually win the argument for a longer-range offensive capability?

Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and The Bomber Command Experience 1939 – 1945 – David L. Bashow – ISBN 1-55125-098-5 – Page 18

Question: What type and mark of aircraft was used by the 664 and 665 Squadrons? When was the aircraft taken on strength and struck off strength and how many were taken on strength?

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – A Military Compendium – T.F. J. Leversedge – ISBN 978-1-55125-116-5 – Page 55

Question: What Canadian Squadron was credited with the last 2nd Tactical Air Force Mustang kill of the war, on April 16, 1945?

Source: Canadian Aviation Historical Society Journal – Vol.47 No. 2 – Summer 2009 – Page 42