The Westlock Flying Club took advantage of the nice weekend weather on Aug.10 to host its annual Fly-In Breakfast, featuring pancakes, planes, and a special guest plane with a rich history.
Over 300 residents across the county visited the Westlock Airport for a showing of local aircraft transport vehicles that have travelled within a 200-kilometre radius from Westlock, according to Robert Lawrence, the president of the Westlock Flying Club, but this year's main attraction was the Canso Water Bomber from WWII.
The Canso Water Bomber is a World War II patrol bomber that had its first flight in 1943. They were primarily used for anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue missions and as cargo transport. They were one of the most successful flying boats during their time.
After the war, many of the surplus crafts were converted to water bombers for Canada and other countries around the world to serve as forest firefighting techniques.
The one seen on Aug 10 served greatly during the war and was then converted for civilian use during wildfire season in Newfoundland. It later made its way to western Canada before it was written off for a malfunction. While fighting fires in the Inuvik, N.W.T., area in 2001, the boat began taking on water during loading, where it sank an estimated 100 feet. It was pulled out of the water on the northeast shore of Stitidgi Lake, where its engines were salvaged.
The water bomber currently resides at the Fairview Aircraft Restoration Society (FARS), which flew it into the airport on Aug. 9. The FARS team had set up a giant display for people to learn about this valuable piece of Canadian history. Residents were also allowed to take a seat in the captain's chair.
However, it was not the only aircraft in attendance. Attendees toured several different planes and helicopters from different eras that were personally transported by owners in the area.
“These would be people who either rent the aircraft from a flying club, or they own the aircraft themselves, or they own it with a group of three or four people,” says Lawrence.
It’s not just pilots who join the flying club; any enthusiast can become a member for a small fee, but it comes with the perk of being able to rent the flying club plane with the proper paperwork and licences. When it was first created in the mid-1970s, there were many local people who were interested in getting their licence. According to Lawrence, though, it has decreased since then.
“It was a lot easier to get your licence and keep flying back then than it is now,” Lawrence says, stating that membership was higher during this time, too.
The flying club is unique to the province in that it is one of the only ones to have a plane available for members to use, but it was bought during a time when there were more members.
Lawrence’s 13 years in the club give him great insight into what a club like this can do for others.
“Like many other clubs, it’s good to have camaraderie and shared passion and working together, having a club was a good thing, and it is a good thing," Lawrence said.
This would include the two recipients of their scholarship. Levi Taylor and Dayce Madson were each presented with a $500 scholarship to go towards their aviation careers. This bursary comes from the annual club fee that members pay as a way to encourage more aviation members.
“We wanted to provide some help to people wanting to get into aviation careers, not just a piloting career, but aircraft maintenance engineer, air traffic control or any sort of career that’s associated with aviation," Lawrence said.
Both plan to use the funds to get their private licences.
The Westlock Flying Club continues to be a staple through its incredible dedication to the community.
