November 5, 2025: If Torontonians look to the skies on Remembrance Day to a distinctive roar and see four yellow historical aircraft flying in formation, but don’t know who they are or where they are from … they are Second World War era Harvards from the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association based in Tillsonburg, Ont.
The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association has been flying over Toronto to commemorate Remembrance Day for more than 20 years.
This volunteer-run registered charitable organization is honoured each year to be invited by the City of Toronto, the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre and other organizations to participate in their ceremonies from the skies.
Harvard aircraft played a significant and pivotal role in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.
It was the primary advanced, single-engine aircraft used to train more than 130,000 aircrew under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Canada. With its distinctive roar, the Harvard was a familiar sight and sound at many of the more than 200 BCATP training sites across Canada.
Nov. 11’s volunteer pilots, one of them a Torontonian, will perform the ‘missing man’ formation, an aerial salute to honour those who served and sacrificed so much.
Scheduled flypasts: (subject to change based on weather and aircraft maintenance)
- Flypast over Burlington Cenotaph – 10:45 a.m.
- Flypast over Toronto Old City Hall Cenotaph – 11:05 a.m.
- Flypast over East York Civic Centre Memorial Gardens – approx. 11:10 a.m.
- Flypast over Sunnybrook Veterans Centre – approx. 11:20 a.m.
- Flypast over York Cemetery Cenotaph – approx. 11:30 a.m.
- The plan is for a four-plane formation, but three planes may end up taking to the skies.
This press release was prepared and distributed by the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association.
To view the Original article on Skies Magazine click here.