The Canadian Aviation Moments were submitted by Dennis Casper from the Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter of the CAHS. Spoiler alert - if you read any further than each question, you will find the answer to the questions directly below. Good luck and have fun!
The Canadian Aviation Moments questions and answers for October are:
Question: Who was the Canadian pilot from Lethbridge, AB, who in 27 days had destroyed 10 and 1/2 aircraft in the air and one on the ground? This feat has never been equalled by any RCAF or RAF pilot. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar and was killed in combat March 1945 at the age of 23 years old.
Answer: “Dick (Richard Audet) had set an incredible record. In 27 days, December 29 (1944) to January 24 (1945), he had destroyed 10 ½ energy aircraft in air-to-air combat and one more on the ground. No RCAF or RAF pilot has ever equaled this feat.”
Source: Canada’s World War II Aces – Larry Gray - Page 18
Question: Why did the American and Canadian authorities impose a news blackout, during World War II, on the Japanese Incendiary balloons that were sent to the west coast of North America? How successful were they?
Answer: “American and Canadian authorities imposed a news blackout on balloon arrivals to deny the enemy any intelligence about the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of the devices. This proved so successful that only one report of balloon landings filtered back to Japan, even though thousands of persons witnessed balloons passing overhead or saw balloon debris lodged in fence lines or treetops.”
Source: Legion Magazine – July and August 2009 - Page 46
Question: How many SFTSs and E&RFTSs (EFTSs) did the RAF have in 1939? How many trained pilots did they turn out each year and how many part-timers were in various stages of training in the RAF Volunteer Reserve?
Answer: “By 1939, the RAF had 15 SFTSs (two overseas – Egypt and Iraq) and more than 45 E&RFTSs – Some barely started. It was also turning out about 750 trained pilots per year for the regular force and had thousands of part-timers in various stages of training in the RAF Volunteer Reserve. On the outbreak of the Second World War, the E&RFTSs were renamed Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTSs).”
Source: CAHS Journal – Winter 2009 – Page 139