Excitement is building in Thunder Bay for the July arrival of four historic North American Harvard Mk IV airplanes. The Wings of Time event, featuring the “Homecoming of the Harvards,” is being hosted by Northwest Ontario Heritage Aviation Centre (NOHAC) in Thunder Bay and will recognize both the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the welcoming of the Harvards. The four aircraft will truly have a “homecoming,” as all were built in the 1950s at the former Canadian Car & Foundry (“Can-Car”) plant in Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay).
The Harvards will be on public display at the Wasaya Ramp at the Thunder Bay Airport on Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a rain date on the following weekend. The aircraft are expected to arrive in Thunder Bay sometime on Friday, July 18.
The Harvard—recognized as one of history’s best advanced training aircraft—was a variant of the T-6 Texan designed by North American Aviation. Different aircraft designations were given depending on the user. For example, the U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) and United States Army Air Force (USAAF) designated it AT-6 (Texan); the U.S. Navy designated it the SNJ; and in Canada, it was known as the Harvard, the name it was most known by outside of the U.S.
In the article “The Homecoming of the Harvards” in Revue Airforce Magazine (Vol. 48, No. 4), authored by NOAHC’s Denize Lyzun, David Kemp, and Marvin Lassi, they noted that it was the Korean War outbreak in 1950, along with the onset of the Cold War, that directly linked Can-Car with the Harvard. To meet the demand for pilots in aviation training, Canada participated in the NATO Training Program (1950-1957), which was similar to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) of World War II. The NATO goal was to prepare pilots to fly in combat with more advanced aircraft like the Hurricanes and Spitfires. And it was at this point in history that Can-Car began building the Harvard Mark (Mk) IV.
In Canada, a total of 3,355 Harvard Mk IV aircraft was produced, with 555 manufactured at Can-Car and 2,800 at Montreal’s Noorduyn Aviation Limited. According to the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum, the Canadian-built North American Harvards were “specifically adapted for the harsh climate, ensuring durability and reliability even in extreme weather conditions.”
Two of the Harvards coming to Thunder Bay are from the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association in Tillonsburg, Ontario. A third is a privately owned Harvard from Lethbridge, Alberta, and will be part of the static display. The fourth, “The John Magee” Harvard, is from Gatineau, Quebec. This plane holds special aviation significance as it is named after U.S. Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., (1922-1941), who wrote the iconic poem “High Flight” on August 18, 1941, a few months before he died. Magee had joined the RCAF in October 1940 and received flight training in Ontario in St. Catharines and Service Flying Training in Ottawa, where he flew a Harvard.
Rides are being offered on three of the aircraft, with several booked flights involving family members of former Harvard pilots. Many flights are already booked, but anyone interested in purchasing a ride can contact John Hill (jdhill@tbaytel.net) to see if any more flights are available.
There will be at least 40 NOHAC volunteers working in parking, merchandise sales, kiosks, ride coordination, ramp control (especially for static and flight operations), a donation table, music organization, and water and food services.
For some nostalgic fun at the event, NOHAC encourages the public to dress up in the styles of the 1940s and 1950s. The Roy Coran Band will play 1950s-themed music on Saturday, July 19, from noon to 1 p.m., and the Macgillivray Pipe Band of Thunder Bay will perform on July 20 at the Wasaya Ramp, also from noon to 1 p.m. There’ll also be a 1950s classic cars display, information booths, door prizes, Harvard merchandise, and more. The cost to attend is by donation.
As the annual Oshkosh Air Show in Wisconsin will be held the same weekend, NOHAC welcomes any aircraft owners attending Oshkosh to consider flying a few hours north across the border and visit Thunder Bay’s “Homecoming of the Harvards” event. Aircraft owners interested can contact the main event organizer at: jdhill@tbaytel.net.
More information is available on NOHAC’s Facebook, or visit: noahc.org.
