Seth Walter Grossmith
(Jan. 5, 1922 – March 17, 2017)
LCdr Seth W. Grossmith CD RCN (Ret.), of Ottawa, was born and raised in Montreal and enlisted in the RCAF, obtaining his wings in 1940. During the Second World War, he served as a flight instructor in the BCATP before posting overseas, flying Lancasters with 635 Pathfinder Squadron in the RAF Bomber Command. After the war, Seth attended McGill University, graduating as an Electrical Engineer in 1951. He then joined the RCN as a pilot and went to England, where he graduated as a test pilot from the British Empire Test Pilot School in Farnborough in 1954. Seth had a rewarding career as a naval test pilot and executive officer with VX-10 squadron.
After retiring from the Navy in 1966, Seth had a successful career as a civilian test pilot, with private industry and government. His tenure at Transport Canada also included a secondment to NASA at the Ames Research Centre in California. He was awarded the McKee trophy for his work with NASA, and in 1990 he was inducted as a Member of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. In a flying career spanning nearly five decades, Seth flew more than 170 different types of aircraft, including gliders, helicopters, single and multi-engine aircraft and supersonic jets. Seth retired from active flying in 1986. He was predeceased by his wife Margot in 2010 and is survived by sons David (Margaret) and Mark (Evelyn).