Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association – Formation Team Pilots

Our team of dedicated and professional pilots comes with decades of flying experience. They possess a blend of technique, mastery and style in an environment that demands the utmost skill, discipline and precision.

Our pilots are FAST qualified and recognized by NATA, EAA Warbirds of America and ICAS.

The team has a diverse background. An astronaut, a South African military and commercial pilot turned orthopaedic surgeon, multiple engineers and professors, gliding instructors and a P-51 Red Tail Mustang pilot and Vice President of the Commemorative Air Force make up the dynamic CHAA Formation Team.

SCOTT MCMASTER

FAST Pilot

Scott has been a pilot since 1975 and has logged 6,600 hours.  He holds an Air Transport Pilot Licence and a Glider Pilot Licence – both with aerobatic instructor rating.  In addition to CHAA, Scott flies aerobatic competitions (Unlimited category) and owns 2 aerobatic airplanes, a Bellanca Decathlon and DR-107 One Design.  Scott also flies towplanes and gliders at SOSA gliding club, plus he is Chairman of the Soaring Association of Canada’s National Airspace Committee.  Scott is the Manager of the McMaster University Particle Accelerator Laboratory.    He holds the following:  B. Eng (Physics), M. Eng. (Physics), P. Eng.

PERCY CONTRACTOR

FAST Pilot

Born in India, raised in Nigeria and educated in England before moving to Canada.  He has had a passion for aircraft since before he had a conscious memory.  He learned to fly before he could drive a car, at age 16, eventually earning his Glider and Power Pilot Wings while a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.  Percy is a Reserve Officer in the CIC branch of the RCAF Reserves, where he has held numerous flying, instructional and supervisory positions and is an active Glider and Tow Standards Pilot.   He has been flying with CHAA for 12 years, is a Harvard Conversion Pilot and is FAST Wingman qualified.  Percy has an Airline Transport Pilot Licence and has over 2,800 hours in 17 different types of aircraft.  He has a degree Aerospace Engineering and currently works for an aircraft OEM.

BILL SHEPARD

FAST Pilot

Bill is an experienced pilot and a veteran member of the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association.   He has served as Director of Operations at Erickson Aircraft Collection in Oregon. Bill has been an outstanding volunteer and advocate for the organization since 2009.  He has also piloted the CAF Red Tail Squadron’s P-51C Mustang across North America and spoke to thousands about the importance and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.   Bill holds a degree in industrial management and has more than 30 years of experience in the mining, automotive and aerospace industries.

DAVE MARTIN

FAST Pilot

David earned his Harvard wings in the South African Air Force in 1966 where he also flew the C47 Dakota.  He was in Active Reserve from 1969 to 1980 and flew the Impala 1 jet trainer and Impala Mk2 ground support fighter along with the Tiger Moth.  Dave became a commercial pilot with South African Airways from 1969 to 1979 and flew the Boeing 707, 737 and 747 and the Hawker Siddeley 748.  He has been active in the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association for 21 years as a Harvard, Yale and Tiger Moth conversion pilot and FAST check pilot.  He has more than 7500 flying hours.  Dr. Dave is a retired orthopaedic surgeon who specialized in total joint replacements.

ALLAN PAIGE

FAST Pilot

Allan serves on the CHAA Board of Directors as the Chief Operations Officer.  He has been flying Harvards for 15 years and has more than 400 hours on the aircraft.  He is FAST Wingman qualified and holds a Commercial Pilot Licence with over 2500 hours of flying since 1977.  He owns two airplanes – a 1954 Cessna 170B and a 2016 Van’s RV-6.  Allan is a professional engineer (BASc, Mechanical Engineering; MASc, Aeronautical Engineering) and was employed as an Engineering Manager at Bombardier Aerospace for 33 years in Aerodynamics / Stability & Control / Engineering Management.  He is currently the General Manager of the Brampton Flight Centre just north of Toronto.

POUL HANSEN

Pilot

Poul is a native of Leamington, Ontario.  He worked 20 years in Toronto in trading and capital markets.   He is a glider instructor, aerobatic glider instructor and has been a tail-dragger pilot from the start.  Poul got his Private Pilot Licence on a Supercub.   He loves the Harvard and the entire CHAA organization and is proud to serve on the board of directors.

JOE AUGER

Pilot

“Flyer Joe” was born in Eel River Crossing  N.B.  After graduating high school at Dalhousie, N.B., he migrated to Ontario, the “province of opportunity”.   He attended Sheridan College and worked in the telecommunication industry.  Joe received his Private Pilot Licence at the Hamilton Flying Club and was a member of the St. Catharines and Port Colborne sky diving club.  He did free falls from 3500 feet up to 12,500 feet.  Joe received his night rating and Commercial Pilot Licence at the Brampton Flying Club.  He is a member of the Great War Flying Museum in Brampton and has been with CHAA since 1999.

ROBERT PEJSA

Pilot

Rob began his aviation career as an Air Cadet.  After earning his glider wings at CRGS, he continued flying familiarization with the Cadet program and then worked at Trenton CSTC for five summers as an instructor, tow pilot and flight commander.  Today Rob is an Air Traffic Controller, Flight Instructor and proud father of two.  With decades as a pilot, Rob has flown 25 different types of aircraft and is a volunteer pilot with both CHAA and Vintage Wings of Canada.

HANS JUERGENSEN

Pilot

Hans is a farm kid from Fergus, Ontario who learned to fly gliders in 1974.  While in Engineering school he obtained his power licences in Guelph and instructed in northern Ontario.  He graduated from Canadore College with a commercial helicopter licence in 1985.  Hans instructed at Sault College then joined Austin Airways in 1986 flying various turbo props.  In 1999, he joined Air Transat on the L-1011 and is currently flying the A330 and the Boeing 737.  Hans holds an Airline Transport Pilot Licence with approximately 17,000 hours.  He still flies at the SOSA Gliding Club in Rockton and owns an ASW-20.

ANDREA KUCIAK

Pilot

Andrea began her flying career in 1995, learning to fly gliders at SOSA Gliding Club in Rockton, Ontario.  She is a glider aerobatic instructor, tow pilot and past president of SOSA Gliding Club.  Andrea flies aerobatics in her Bellanca Decathlon and DR-107 “One Design” and competes at the sportsman & intermediate level.  She has been flying with CHAA since 2013. Andrea holds a mechanical engineering degree from University of Waterloo and works as a project manager at Dofasco, a steel company in Hamilton.

RICK VOLKER

Pilot

Rick is a new Canadian citizen, born in the US.  He maintains a dental practice in Niagara Falls, NY.  Rick is a winner of multiple Unlimited aerobatic contests (Canadian-American Aerobatic Challenge, Kathy Jaffe Challenge, and Henry Haigh Challenge) in Pitts and Sukhoi aircraft.  He has been an air show performer in Sukhoi SU26 Harvard, and Spitfire Mk IX, with aerobatic solos and formation aerobatics for 12 years.  Rick was founder and a competitor of the Aerobatic Race Challenge in Canada, and was a member of the Canadian Heritage Flight team in the Spitfire Mk IX with a CF18.  He has been an Independent test pilot for Swift Fuels, GT propellers, and Hartzell Propellers.  He was the focus of episodes of the Discovery Channel and Aviators TV and is a contributing writer for Sport Aerobatics and Classic Wings magazine.  Rick is one of a few pilots alive to fly the Spitfire, Messerschmitt, and Hurricane, the 3 principal fighters of the Battle of Britain.  He is currently the only pilot in North America that has flown the Messerschmitt Bf109G, and has flown about 40 different aircraft types.  Rick is an ICAS aerobatic competency evaluator for piston warbird, high and low performance solo and formation acts, and has accumulated more than 2500 hours of high performance tailwheel time.  Rick is currently flying a Harvard Mk IV on the air show circuit. He has written an aerobatic operations manual for CHAA.