July 07 & 10, 2025: An organization dedicated to the preservation of a particular model of Second World War aircraft that trained thousands of fighter pilots marked its 40th anniversary on Saturday.
The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association celebrated the milestone during a July Open House and Fly Day at the Tillsonburg Regional Airport.
“We’re celebrating 40 years of representing the (Royal Canadian Air Force), those that served, and those that perished,” said association president Walter Irie. “It’s also kudos to the community that supported us for 40 years and the members who keep the planes running. The restoration and maintenance that goes on is a community effort. We’re always open to anyone with interest that wants to come and join us.
“The Harvard was called the pilot maker,” Irie added. “If you could fly the Harvard, then you were ready to fly the P-51 Mustang, Spitfire, the P-40, or whatever combat aircraft for the unit you were going into. It was the last step in the flight training program for pilots before they went off to combat.”
The British Commonwealth Air Training Program had several bases set up across Canada, including sites in Brantford, Aylmer, Dunnville and St. Thomas, and the United Kingdom as a safe place to train pilots from Canada, Europe, India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Pilots, navigators, bombers, gunners and flight engineers who graduated from this training program totalled 131,553.
The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association currently has four flight-worthy aircraft in operation and three in restoration. The organization numbers about 500 paid members from around the world who range from pilots and mechanics to volunteers, aviation enthusiasts, and some who had relatives that flew Harvards.
Looking for lost aircraft and airmen from the Second World War is also conducted from the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association facility.
“We found a P-51 Mustang off the shore of Picton ( in Lake Ontario),” said Irie, who runs a team that does scuba diving to look for lost aircraft and airmen. “We discovered the wreck in 2022 and have recovered some items. The pilot is still with the site, so we’re being respectful of that. This year, we’re going back to recover the fuselage and, if we’re lucky, find the pilot’s remains or leave a marker there for him.”
A colour guard from Branch 153 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Tillsonburg marched along the pavement in front of a row of Harvards to kick off the ceremony at 1 p.m., followed by speeches and cake.
“People come for the planes and stay for the people,” association past-president Bill Shepard told the crowd. “Keeping history alive is one of our mandates. It’s important that we honour the memories of people who flew as part of the greatest generation.”
Casey Bukowski of Lancaster, N.Y., made the trek to the event, thanks to his neighbour Amy-Marie Beechler.
The 101-year-old U.S. Army Air Corps veteran was a gunner in a B-17 bomber, flying 16 missions before being shot down over Germany and being incarcerated as a prisoner of war for 14 months.
“We took him back to England for his 99th birthday to his airbase at Ridgewell outside of Cambridge,” Beechler noted. “They took him flying in the two-seat Spitfire, and he was off doing six or seven victory rolls. He was part of the 79th commemoration of D-Day in Normandy, and last year he spent his 100th (birthday) there as well.”
Nancy Widish of Milton and her husband Allen paid a “long overdue visit” to where Allen’s father, Ted Widish of Tillsonburg, has been volunteering with the restoration of Harvards at the association for 15 years.
“We wanted to get in for a flight today,” Nancy Widish said. “I’ve been in a small Cessna, but this was definitely a different experience. It was exhilarating and so much fun. It was pretty zippy.”
Ted Widish joined the Harvard association in 2010 after his wife convinced him to take a flight.
“He has a very mechanically oriented aptitude,” Allen Widish said of his father Ted. “This hobby and volunteer effort for him really suits his personality. It’s a way for him to exercise all his skills.”
Ted Widish said he has learned a lot about airplanes during his time with the association and moved to Tillsonburg in 2006 because “it is laid back and has all the amenities. It’s the perfect place to retire.”
The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association offers flights to the public on weekends for a fee from May to October.
Article courtesy of the Norfolk and Tillsonburg News and The Simcoe Reformer. To read the Original Article click either of links below,
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