Did you know that Canada was where much of our aviation history started?
The Ninety-Nines have very fond memories of their member Vi Milstead, First Canadian Chapter – East Canada Section.
Today, Canada Post released the second instalment of its Canadians in Flight stamps, an issue celebrating the people, planes and technology that have allowed Canada’s reputation for innovation to soar.
This edition of Canadians in Flight commemorates a groundbreaking female pilot, a legendary bush plane and three innovators who contributed to this country’s aviation and aeronautical advancements:
Violet (Vi) Milstead (1919-2014), one of Canada’s first female bush pilots. “Renowned for her courage and determination, Vi Warren has been a role model and an inspiration to generations of pilots. In 1943 at the age of 24, she joined the British Air Transport Auxiliary and flew new fighter planes from factories to military bases across England and Allied Europe. She piloted 47 different types of aircraft, including Spitfires, Typhoons and Mosquitos, earning her the respect and admiration of her Royal Air Force peers. At war’s end, she resumed her career as a flight instructor and pilot in Ontario and became one of Canada’s first women bush pilots.”;
The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, considered the best bush plane ever built;
Kenneth Patrick (1915-2002) and the CAE flight simulator introduced to Canada through CAE Inc. (then Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd.), the company he founded in 1947;
W. Rupert Turnbull (1870-1954) and the variable pitch propeller that allowed pilots to adjust the angle of propeller blades in flight, improving efficiency;
Wilbur R. Franks (1901-86) and the world’s first anti-gravity suit, or G-suit.
These global advances provided the foundation for ongoing improvements in aviation and remain an important part of the world and Canadian history.