Aviaeology | Early Canadian Military Aircraft, Volume 1

Reviewed by Mark Proulx

Aviaeology has just released their latest book, their first hardcover and the first volume of a multi-part series detailing Canada's early military aircraft.

To begin with, perhaps a little background into the genesis of this project as a whole would be in order. It first began taking shape under the watchful eye of the late John A. Griffin. It was his aim to document this long-neglected period in Canada's aviation heritage in as much detail as possible. John believed he could present a coherent history of each between the wars (1920 through 1938) military type from initial acquisition thru eventual disposition, if enough reference material was forthcoming. For years he poured over archives and collections, gathering the documents, photos and other materials for this monumental effort. Needless to say, he eventually amassed a huge repository and set himself to the task of sorting it all out. In the mid 1970s fellow Canadian Aviation Historical Society member Tony Stachiw was introduced to the project by John, and was later invited to join forces to aid in co-authoring the work.

Sadly, John passed away in 2008 before bringing his vision to fruition. Fortunately, Tony persevered with the original ideals and added a few tweaks of his own. As the project neared completion, he was joined by Carl Vincent, noted Canadian aviation historian and author. Carl assumed the role of series editor. Together they believed in the importance of this project and pursued it to publication with the assistance of Terry Higgins at Aviaeology.

Eventually, all volumes will detail the 58 aircraft types, which entered Canadian military service between the two World Wars. Volume 1 identifies the first 7 of these, all of which had initial examples taken on strength through 1920, as follows:

  1. Avro 504K
  2. Airco (DeHavilland) D.H.9a
  3. Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5A
  4. Curtiss HS-2L
  5. Bristol F.2B
  6. Curtiss JN-4 (Canadian)
  7. Fairey IIIC Transatlantic

It is printed on heavyweight, glossy paper; a prerequisite for a quality book in this reviewer's opinion. The printing quality is superb and the photographic reproduction flawless. The format and specific details for this original offering are:

The easy to follow format breaks each aircraft type, oriented chapter into two distinct parts: The first features a year by year operational summary, and the second (which is likely to be of most interest to modelers) a thorough study of the colour and markings schemes worn by the type during its Canadian Service.

In the first part, every page is loaded with related photos. All are beautifully presented and many have been painstakingly restored just for this project.

In the second part, illustrator Andrew Tattersall provides lavish schematic-type colour multi-views to graphically communicate the authors' finish and markings interpretations. These include all pertinent views with colour callouts on each page. Adjacent to the colour art for each distinct scheme are the authors' extensive notes on the origin of the finish depicted, the paints used and the markings sizes. As part of this review I have some select examples of the Bristol F.2B schemes, which may be of interest to the large scale modeler.

The extent of the number of volumes in the series is yet to be determined, but the publisher says the whole is mandated to carry 58 full-coverage chapters - one for each aircraft type involved - and this format of presentation is to be used throughout. Terry Higgins advises me that an Addenda and Errata section will be produced concurrently with the final volume of the series, should any significant additional material on aircraft types already published come to light as the series evolves. Ongoing reader feedback is also likely to play a part in this aspect of the overall work.

The book concludes with an appendix section:

Appendix 1 provides material on finish and markings directives and materials including an interesting little treatment on the original colour chips and digital comparisons. Also included are facsimiles of related official documents from both sides of the Atlantic, and a thorough presentation of registration lettering styles (handy resource for modelers and restorers.)

Appendix 2 features plainly presented scale plans for each of the 7 aircraft types. These are to 1/72 or 1/96 scale, depending upon the size of the subject aircraft. Once again, to graphically illustrate these plans copies of the Bristol views are provided here.

The Appendix section culminates with 2 maps drawn by Terry Higgins. One showing the locations of all RCAF bases covered in volume one and the other the Trans-Canada Flight Route of 1920.

A project of this magnitude is clearly a massive undertaking and a testament to the authors' passion for the subject at hand. This is quite evident as you read through the book. As a Canadian, I must that this is an often-neglected period in our aviation history and one that yours truly really underestimated. Griffin and Stachiw remind us time and again of the hardships faced by these early 'bush pilots in uniform'.

I am certain this series is destined to become the primary reference book on this subject and makes a fantastic one-stop reference source. My compliments to all who were involved in its creation and seeing to it that John Griffin's vision didn't pass away with him.

Authors Note: All of John Griffins material is being held for posterity. It was donated to the Office of Air Force Heritage and History at 17 Wing, Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, Manitoba. After the transfer, The John Griffin Library was dedicated in a ceremony on 29 August 2008.

© Mark Proulx 2008

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This review was published on Saturday, July 02 2011; Last modified on Wednesday, May 18 2016