Our Aircraft

HARVARD MK II AJ583 C-FHWX

Manufacturer:: North American Aviation; Inglewood, CA
Entered Service:: July 29, 1941
Disposed of:: June 21, 1960
Served:: No. 31 SFTS, Kingston, ON; Gimli, MB

Originally part of an order of 450 aircraft ordered by France, AJ583 taken on strength by the Royal Air Force (RAF) at No. 31 SFTS Kingston. It was one of the aircraft dragged across the Canada/US border under the guise of not violating the American Neutrality Acts prior to the US entering the war in December 1941. Used to train Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilots at Kingston, AJ583 was transferred to the RCAF in 1943. After being retired by the RCAF in 1960, this aircraft was purchased by J.P. Rheault of Trois-Rivières, Quebec in 1961 for $750 and registered as CF-HWX. Later flown in the St. Maurice Aero Club by Alex Kennedy of Trois-Rivières, in 1965 before being acquired by Dr. John Cowan in 1966. HWX was converted to a racer in a blue and white paint scheme, and was flown to victory by Dr. Cowan in the 1968 Cleveland Air Races T-6 Class. In 1986, this aircraft was obtained with the generous assistance of Dr. Cowan by the fledgling Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, becoming the first CHAA-owned Harvard. Now registered C-FHWX, it was repainted to wartime colours in 1989 with the support of BASF. An overhauled engine was installed in early 2018, and later that year she took part in the celebrations for the 80th Anniversary of the AT-6/SNJ/Harvard as well as the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force at EAA Airventure at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

HARVARD MK II 3830 C-FRWN

Manufacturer:: North American Aviation; Inglewood, CA
Entered Service:: May 10, 1941
Disposed of:: October 11, 1960
Served:: No. 11 SFTS Yorkton, SK; No. 8 SFTS Moncton, NB; Flying Instructors School, Trenton, ON

Following RCAF service, 3830 was purchased by Hicks & Lawrence, a St. Thomas, Ontario company specializing in crop dusting, fire fighting and fighting budworm as a training aircraft for pilots of the massive Grumman Avenger. It was sold in 1978 to George Gilvesy of Tillsonburg, who built a hangar to house the plane (CHAA now owns this hangar). It was later purchased by Dr. Don Nightingale, a professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario as a flying memorial to his father who received his wings at No. 6 SFTS in Dunnville, Ontario and instructed at No. 9 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in St. Catharines, Ontario. Bill Hayes of Tillsonburg spared no expense and RWN was restored as an authentic Harvard Mk II. Upon CHAA’s “Class B” Museum designation, the aircraft was donated to CHAA in honour of Nightingale’s father. In 1997, RWN returned to Tillsonburg.

HARVARD MK 4 20242 C-FWPK

Manufacturer:: Canadian Car & Foundry; Fort William, ON
Entered Service:: February 29, 1952
Disposed of:: July 30, 1967
Served:: Advanced Flying School, MacDonald, MB; No. 3 FTS Claresholm, AB; No. 2 FTS Moose Jaw, SK; Flying Instructors School, Moose Jaw, SK; No. 4 FTS Penhold, AB

Disposed through Crown Assets for $1,850, 20242 became CF-WPK and spent several years flying out of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. Jim Vernon of Oakville purchased WPK in the early 1970’s and was later flown as the No. 2 position in a 4-plane Goldilocks Formation for the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum near Hamilton, Ontario. In 1978, it was bought by Bob Hewitt, Norm Beckham, and Kent Beckham and was based out of Woodstock, Ontario. WPK was purchased by Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association in 1989, and the engine was overhauled in 1991 for $27,000.

HARVARD MK 4 20321 CF-UFZ

Affectionately known as “Bessy”

Manufacturer:: Canadian Car & Foundry; Fort William, ON
Entered Service:: June 10, 1952
Disposed of:: February 21, 1966
Served:: No. 1 Air Navigation School; Summerside PEI; No. 3 FTS Claresholm, AB; No. 2 FTS Moose Jaw, SK; No. 4 FTS Penhold, AB

20321 was sold through Crown Assets to Darnel Diston, Ladner BC and registered as CF-UFZ. Later purchased by Albert Beach of Burns Lake, British Columbia in 1966. UFZ was then bought by Tony and Mary Swain of Vancouver, British Columbia in 1971. Tony, a former director for the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), flew ‘Bessy’ for more than 30 years. UFZ was purchased under the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association’s Class “B” Museum designation in 2005 and was delivered to Tillsonburg in March 2006. The engine was overhauled over the 2008-2009 season, and UFZ is now currently offline for a complete repaint.

HARVARD MK 4 20422 C-FRZW

Manufacturer:: Canadian Car & Foundry; Fort William, ON
Entered Service:: October 9, 1952
Disposed of:: October 15, 1964
Served:: RCAF Station MacDonald, MB; No. 4 FTS Penhold, AB

20422 was purchased by Tom Ladobruk of Steinbach, Manitoba in 1966 and registered as CF-RZW. It was later bought by Lew Benvenuto of London, Ontario in 1972, and was then sold to the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association for $1 in 2003. RZW was repainted in 2005 with a Trillium Foundation grant of $46,000.

HARVARD MK 4 20436 C-FWLH

Manufacturer:: Canadian Car & Foundry; Fort William, ON
Entered Service:: November 28, 1952
Disposed of:: September 7, 1967
Served:: Flying Instructors School, Trenton, ON; Flying Instructors School, Moose Jaw, SK; No. 4 FTS Penhold, AB

While based at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, 20436 was one of the Harvards used in the Goldilocks Aerobatic Team. After being sold through Crown Assets, it was bought by Percy Ellard of Caron, Saskatchewan in 1968 and registered as CF-WWI. It was later owned by Robert Wilkinson of Calgary, Alberta and purchased in 1988 by William E. Lamon of Eugene, Oregon, an ex-NATO pilot trainee from Belgium who trained on Harvards in Canada. It received the U.S. registration N436WL. In 1999 ‘436 was a part of the Canadian Air Force Heritage Flight, flying in formation with a CT-133 Silver Star and CT-114 Tutor. It is also an honourary member of “The Big 2” (#2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School) in Moose Jaw. The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association acquired the aircraft in January 2008 and it was flown from Oregon to Ontario in April 2008, a distance of 2130.5 nautical miles. It was re-registered in Canada as C-FWLH which stands for William Lamon’s Harvard.

HARVARD MK II 3191 C-FMTX

Manufacturer:: North American Aviation; Inglewood, CA
Entered Service:: June 25, 1941
Disposed of:: September 26, 1960
Served:: No. 14 SFTS Aylmer, ON; No. 2 SFTS Uplands, Ottawa, ON; Primary Flying Training School, Centralia, ON

3191 was sold through Crown Assets by Bert Reynolds in November 1960 and registered as CF-MTX. It remained in the Toronto area until sold to Al McHardy, based at Maple Airport. MTX was later purchased by Stan Castle, then based at the Toronto Island Airport, and was flown as an aerobatic plane at air shows around Ontario. The aircraft moved to King City, Ontario where Norm Beckham saw it and partnered with Bob Hewitt and Len Fallowfield – the three founders of the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association – to acquire MTX in 1975. When purchased, MTX was turquoise with black stripes and in 1978 was repainted into British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) markings. In 1992, it was sold to Jim Goff of Seminole, Oklahoma, but was purchased back at an auction in 1997 and flown to Tillsonburg by Norm Beckham. It was taken offline in 2005 for a full restoration.

HARVARD MK 4 20304 C-FBZT

Manufacturer:: Canadian Car & Foundry; Fort William, ON
Entered Service:: May 15, 1952
Disposed of:: November 1, 1965
Served:: RCAF Station Macdonald, MB; Primary Flying Training School; Centralia, ON

Purchased from Crown Assets out of RCAF Dunnville by Gilbert Dressel in December 1964, 20304 was stored in a building on his property near Wainfleet, Ontario for 42 years. In June 2006, it was obtained jointly by Stan and Greg Tyrell. The plan was to fully restore the aircraft and at an appropriate time donate it to the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association. Greg did not see his plan come to fruition as he sadly passed away in December 2008. In November 2009, Jennifer Tyrell, Greg’s widow, announced the gift of 20304 to CHAA on behalf of Greg and the Tyrell family. In December 2009, the fuselage of 20304 was transported to Tillsonburg and the wings followed in May 2012. Now registered C-FBZT, the restoration to airworthy condition is almost complete, after more than 60 years since it last flew.

NA-64 YALE 3399 C-GLJH

Manufacturer:: North American Aviation; Inglewood, CA
Entered Service:: September 16, 1940
Disposed of:: September 25, 1946
Served:: No. 1 SFTS Camp Borden, ON; No. 4 Wireless School; St. Catharines, ON; No. 1 Wireless School,; Mount Hope, ON

Appeared in the 1942 Warner Brothers movie “Captains of the Clouds” starring James Cagney. Stored at the Brantford, Ontario airport after the war, 3399 along with dozens of other Yales were sold as scrap to Amsco Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario who then put the aircraft up for sale. 3399 was one of approximately 36 Yales purchased by Ernest V. Simmons, who lived south of Tillsonburg. It was later purchased at the estate sale of Mr. Simmons by Don Goddard of Waterloo in 1970. Obtained by the CHAA in 1987, the task of restoring the Yale to airworthy condition was assigned to CHAA’s Restoration Team under the direction of the late ex-RCAF Wing Commander Lou J. Hill. The Yale is dedicated to W/C Hill and the Yale’s registration C-GLJH bears his initials. The first post-restoration flight was on May 20, 2010.