Ferry Squadron Tales

Another very memorable flight I made in 1945 while flying with 126 Ferry squadron out of Winnipeg, Man. commenced at North Battleford, Sask.where  our group of pilots was dropped off  to fly Harvard aircraft to Dauphin, Manitoba.

It was a beautiful summer day  without a cloud in the sky when we took off. I remember being able to see for hundreds of miles from an altitude of 8-10 thousand feet. First I could see  Saskatoon, then Manitou Lake at Watrous and finally Big Quill Lake next to my home town of  Wynyard.

The plan for the flight was  to land for refuelling at Yorkton, However, when we arrived over Wynyard I could not resist giving  the citizens another airshow of aerobatics while the rest of the flight continued on. When I arrived over Yorkton I could see that my companions had already refuelled and left for Dauphin. Anxious to catch up, I estimated that I had enough fuel  and so did not land  but pressed on. As I  flew towards Dauphin the weather deteriorated with visibility becoming less and less  When  my ETA (estimated time of arrival)  passed, Dauphin airfield was still nowhere in sight. Not having a map, I  was completely lost  and despite  an ever widening circle could not find the airfield. By this time the fuel gauge showed empty so I had to get down fast or take to my parachute abandoning the aircraft,  not a pleasant alternative.

The countryside was covered by bush with only the occasional farm field.large enough in which to land  a Harvard.  I used the last few drops of fuel looking  and at the last moment found a summerfallow field  surrounded by tall poplar trees I  skimmed the trees and with a steep side-slip made one of my better landings. The only trouble was the field was short and as I approached the end I reached  to lift the undercarriage to prevent winding up in the trees. Fortunately, the deep summerfallow slowed my progress and I got stopped  with only yards to spare.

Owner of the land accompanied by several neighbors who had witnessed my circling and landing  quickly arrived  for a close-up look. When an aggressive  bystander attempted to climb into the cockpit, I became quite concerned for the safety of the aircraft,  The farmer-owner agreed to tether his guard dog  next to the aircraft, setting up a security perimiter  while I headed for the highway leading to Dauphin , 15 miles away. I was lucky to catch a ride with a Coca Cola truck,spending the night  in airforce quarters. In the morning I enquired about transportation  to carry fuel back to the aircraft.  The station was in the prosses of closing down  and the only vehicle available was an ambulance. With the driver I loaded  several gallons of gas and returned to my aircraft, still safely sitting  where I had left it.

 With the gas on board, and  with the help of the farmer and neighbors we pushed the aircraft to the far end of the field, back into the trees as far  as I safely could and with flaps down, brakes on and with full throttle I  zoomed  out of that field like a helicopter, landing shortly after at Dauphin.

My hope that  I had “got away with it” lasted for a few weeks until one day the Commanding Officer called me into his office  wanting to know what I was doing in that farmer’s field  where he claimed  damage to his crop.

 Lucky for me, I had a very understanding commander who  when he heard my sad tale, dismissed the whole affair and I never heard another word about it.