Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame
Profile of Members
Palmer, John Ender Pasmore, Hubert Martyn Peel, Ronald Phillips, George Hector Reid Phipps, Welland Wilfred Plant, John Lawrence Powell, Peter Geoffrey
John Ender Palmer
Nickname: "Jock" Palmer
Birthdate: December 28, 1896
Birth Place: Cambridge, England
Year Inducted: 1988
Death Date: November 19, 1964
Awards: AFC, DCM
"His pioneering work in the use of air to ground wireless, his piloting the first international air mail run and his continued dedication to instructing others to fly have been of outstanding benefit to Canadian aviation."
John Palmer joined the 10th Battalion in 1914 and went to Britain with the First Contingent later that year. He was posted to France in February 1915 and later that year was promoted to Sergeant. He transferred to the 2nd Brigade, Machine Gun Company and was commissioned to Lieutenant in 1916. Later, Palmer joined the RAF where he was promoted to Captain. He returned to Canada in 1919 after being credited with nine victories in WWI. After the war he attended ground school for radiophone communications. While with Technical Services Squadron in Kent, he assisted in designing air to ground wireless communication. Later in his career Palmer did aerial photography, transported explosives to oilfields, and created his own flying school and service repair in Calgary, Alberta. He ended his flying career in 1955 with over 18,000 hours and received the title "Grandfather of Alberta Aviation".
Hubert Martyn Pasmore
Birthdate: June 17, 1898
Birth Place: Devonshire, England
Year Inducted: 2008
Death Date: April 21, 1998
Awards:
"Under his outstanding leadership, Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) became one of Canada's leading military and commercial aircraft manufacturers during the Inter-war period, producing many unique aircraft types that would contribute to the development of Canada."Hubert Pasmore piloting skills and leadership qualities guided him eventually to Fairchild Aircraft Limited (Canada). The company became one of the most active aircraft enterprises during this period. Pasmore had exceptional leadership qualities. He was creative and imaginative, and hired workers with the highest potential. He had the ability to motivate and inspire them, which led to immense individual pride in workmanship. When the Canadian aircraft industry expanded in the late 1930’s, skilled Fairchild personnel contributed considerably to its rapid growth. By the end of the Second World War, he had one of the most capable aeronautical engineering teams in Canada.
2008 Induction Video - Biography of Hubert Martyn Pasmore
Ronald Peel
Birthdate: March 10, 1922
Birth Place: Leeds, England
Year Inducted: 1991
"His superb navigational and organizational skills and ability to develop comprehensive training methods and operating procedures are an asset to Canadian and world aviation."
Ronald Peel served during WWII as a navigator/bomb aimer. During a mission in 1941 he was badly burned and hospitalized following a near fatal crash. After his discharge from the RCAF, Peel became Chief Navigator of TCA. During this time he developed techniques for the selection of optimum routes, flight altitudes, and cruise control for long range flights. His contributions to the development of pressure pattern flying were published in 1953 in the Journal of the Institute of Navigation in England. He also assisted Canadian Pacific Airlines in setting up its overseas department as well as being a founding officer and a president of the Canadian Institute of Canadian Navigation. In addition, he participated in the development of Canada's first community college pilot education program.
George Hector Reid Phillips
Birthdate: August 17, 1893
Birth Place: Orangeville, Ontario
Year Inducted: 1974
Death Date: July 20, 1977
"As a pioneering forestry pilot he applied himself without reserve to designing new techniques for increasing the safety factor of fire-fighting pilots, which have substantially benefited Canadian aviation."
George Phillips fought with the RAF and Independent Air Force during WWI and upon returning to Canada joined the Canadian Air Force as an observer. His legacy in the aviation field however, is in the field of fire fighting. He participated in many hazardous forestry and fire patrol flights. In 1931, he flew 770 hours where the fire hazard was high and 202 of these hours were logged during a hectic month of July. He also helped design and perfect new methods of forestry control and fire-fighting techniques. During WWII he ferried aircraft across the South Atlantic Ocean. He was captured and held for three months by the Vichy French and upon his return to Canada was promoted to Squadron Leader and given command of the RCAF base at Edenvale, Ontario.
Welland Wilfred Phipps
Nickname: "Weldy" Phipps
Birthdate: July 23, 1922
Birth Place: Ottawa, Ontario
Year Inducted: 1973
Death Date: October 29, 1996
Awards: CM
"The application of his aeronautical abilities in designing and perfecting the use of super-balloon aircraft tires and his numerous flights into the high Arctic, have been of outstanding benefit to Canadian aviation."
Welland Phipps flew for the RCAF during WWII and was shot down over Germany in 1943. He is best known for his development of the Tundra Tire which was a light weight, super sized balloon tire. This allowed his small aircraft to operate from tundra, snow, and rock-strewn ground. He joined Bradley Air Services in 1957 where he expanded his use of the big tires in the far Arctic and added to his knowledge of cold weather aircraft operations. He made several extended flights to the North Pole for scientific purposes and in support of expeditions.
John Lawrence Plant
Birthdate: August 20, 1910
Birth Place: Swansea, Wales, England
Year Inducted: 1986
Death Date: May 7, 2000
Awards: CBE, AFC, CD
"By the application of his unique leadership qualities in both war and peace, he changed aviation to the substantial benefit of Canada."
Prior to WWII, John Plant conducted a successful "whirlwind" flying instructors course at Camp Borden. The graduates of this course proved to be invaluable to the RCAF during the war. During the war, Plant served as a Squadron Leader for No. 12 Squadron, was posted to Trans-Atlantic Ferry Command where he flew in a Catalina aircraft from Bermuda to Scotland in record time and became Wing Commander of No. 413 Squadron. He was later posted to Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa as Deputy Air Minister, and became Air Officer Commanding of No. 9 Group. In this position he flew to all units in the Group located in Canada and overseas. In 1958 he was appointed President and General Manager of Avro Aircraft but resigned six months after the Avro Arrow project was cancelled.
Peter Geoffrey Powell
Birthdate: April 19, 1917
Birth Place: Rosedale Abby, Yorkshire, England
Year Inducted: 1990
Death Date: September 8, 2005
Awards: DSO, DFC
"As a navigator of great courage and ability and as a teacher and administrator, Peter Powell has made a great contribution to aviation in both war and peace. His dedication and his lifetime of resolute effort have been of great benefit to Canada."
Peter Powell joined the RCAF aircrew in 1940 and because of previous experience in the Merchant Marines, was chosen as navigator. He flew with No. 5 Pathfinder Squadron where he was promoted to Squadron Leader. In August 1944 Powell participated on the raid on Peenemunde and completed a similar mission on Berlin a few nights later, for which he was awarded the DSO. After the war, he worked for Trans-Canada Air Lines where he served as Assistant Chief Navigator, and later Superintendent of Navigation until 1977. His contributions to the airline included navigation procedure, recruiting, training and supervising new navigators and developing pressure pattern flying, in which the aircraft takes advantage of atmospheric conditions.© Copyright in the portrait drawings of the honoured members of the Aviation Hall of Fame, which were prepared by Mrs. I. Coucill are the property of Mrs. Coucill.