The W/C Lloyd Chadburn Historical Collection

Chadburn Squadron is unique in that it is one of only two air cadet units in Ontario and perhaps all of Canada that are known to carry the name of a famous Canadian fighter pilot. In both cases the individual for whom the Squadron was named personally gave permission for the squadron to use their name. The other cadet unit is Billy Bishop Squadron in Owen Sound.

Over the years we have learned more not only about Chadburn's skills as a pilot and his ability as a leader of men but we have also learned much more about Chadburn's own life, his family and his engaging personality. This all started to develop with Major Forbes who wrote the book (Gone is the Angel) where in he described Chadburn's life and his record of achievements as one of the Royal Canadian Air Forces youngest Wing Commanders. Over the years the name Chadburn has developed into a meaningful and inspirational word for the cadets and staff of 151 Squadron.

As everyone is probably aware we have at the Oshawa airport the Robert Stuart Aviation Collection which is now up for sale. Not everyone may be aware that this museum had in the building a separate room devoted solely to W/C Lloyd Chadburn. The Squadron and the family were concerned that this special collection of documents and artifacts about Chadburn might be lost to some other group or organization far from Oshawa and 151 Squadron. As a result the squadron, family and friends petitioned the museum to have the items presented to 151 Squadron so this important part of the Squadron's history would not be lost.

We are pleased to report that the contents of this room have through the generosity and concern of Bob Stuart's daughter been donated to 151 Squadron. In the months ahead these items will be put on permanent display in the Squadron’s home, The Rotary Hall on Centre Street here in Oshawa.

One of the more emotional items in this display is the photo you see above. This oil painting of W/C Chadburn dating from 1944 used to hang in Lloyd’s mothers home in Toronto and upon her passing it went to her sister and then to her daughter. At one time it was on display at the automotive museum in Oshawa and then it appeared at the Squadron headquarters. At that time there was no place to safely store or display the painting so it was passed to Bob Stuart so it could become part of the Chadburn display. Now with Rotary Hall in excellent condition the painting will be back at the Squadron and put on permanent display in the main hall.

One of the items in the display is this broken propeller which was taken from this Tiger Moth which Chadburn managed to nose over in a field during his flight training.

If you would like to learn more about the life and times of Lloyd Chadburn go to the Squadron's web site, Chadburn.org, the history section and check out the comments and articles that have been written about Lloyd Chadburn.

It is always interesting to see and learn about air cadet activities in other countries around the world. In this case, 20 air cadets and 13 staff members from 3 different air cadet units in England travelled to the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo which is located in Asia between Singapore and Indonesia. The cadets were on a 2 week expedition over their Easter school holiday. Their expedition consisted of five different phases, Jungle Training and Trek, climbing Mount Kinabalu the highest peak in Southeast Asia, working on a Community Project which was the refurbishing and renovating of a local school, experiencing a White-Water Rafting trip down a grade 2 river, and a visit to a wild life park.

The group spent several days in the jungles of Malaysian Borneo. Here they learned about staying safe in the jungle, using hammocks, cooking on open fires and learning some basic survival skills like sourcing water and setting up a good camp. They also found out about the various flora and fauna that inhabit the area before utilizing their knowledge during a trek where they were cooking, sleeping and navigating their way through the dense rainforest using only their wits and teamwork to avoid the many hazards found in the jungle.

Normally we would never hear of such an expedition but in this case someone we know, F/O Laura Blackburn from 1955 Squadron in the City of Wells was along as a staff member on the expedition. Some will remember that Laura was here in Canada with the British exchange cadets in 2007. The other part of this little adventure and the part that brought it to our attention was the fact that the cadets and staff became stranded in Singapore due to flight cancellations caused by the smoke and ash coming from the volcanic eruptions in Iceland. Instead of being stranded far from home the United States Navy came to their rescue.

The Morale, Welfare and Recreation staff on the local US Naval Base gave the cadets first class rooms, fed them, brought them to the swimming pool at the all-hands Terror Club, organized a group tour of popular attractions at Singapore’s Sentosa Island, scheduled a trip to the Singapore Zoo's Night Safari, and arranged for the teens to participate in a scheduled neighborhood beach clean-up and a weekend block party. The generous hospitality of the US Navy personnel enabled the cadets to transform what might have become a travel nightmare into an extended vacation.

It should be noted that this is the fourth overseas "Eagle Expedition"; previous expeditions have been to Ecuador 2003, Mongolia 2005 and Ghana 2007. Anyone over here taking notes?

The special two weekend Squadron first aid course taught by C/V Nemeth has now been completed with some 15 cadets participating.

Honorable Members

Squadron Cadets

Lest We Forget

The World's Greatest Piggyback Ride

On occasion due to weather conditions spacecraft are forced to land at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Then one of the two customized 747 aircraft have the critical job of carrying space shuttle orbiters some 2,500 miles back across the country to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The inside of the 747.

Sorry no creature comforts on this aircraft, it is totally empty. In fact the biggest challenge the crew faces during a ferry flight is not the lack of facilities but the weather. The orbiter cannot be exposed to moisture, turbulence or temperatures below -9 Centigrade and these restrictions determine the flight path and altitude. To meet those conditions in the winter months, they sometimes fly as low as 10,000 feet.