By Skies Magazine | March 31, 2014 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 42 seconds.
The 51st National Convention of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) will be held from June 4-7 in Regina, Sask., with the theme of this year’s conference being “Canada’s Aviation History – the View from the West.” The title is appropriate as the Queen City can lay claim to Canada’s first licensed aircraft, a Curtiss JN-4 (Can) registered as G-CAAA, and Canada’s first licensed commercial pilot, Roland Groome.
Will Chabun, a conference organizer, said the CAHS’s focus is on preserving Canada’s aviation heritage, and spreading word about it across the country. “We are especially proud to host this year’s Annual Conference here in Regina, as aviation has been an integral part of Saskatchewan’s history, particularly in the north, and today continues to be an important sector of our provincial economy.”
The agenda includes two full days of presentations on Canada’s aviation history, focusing on the people, planes, places and plans that are such a colourful and noteworthy part of the country’s history. The event will also feature tours of 15 Wing Moose Jaw, 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School, and the Moose Jaw branch of the Western Development Museum, which are home to over a dozen historical aircraft and the Vintage Aircraft Restorers.
National CAHS president Gary Williams notes the extensive planning and preparation that has already gone into organizing the event. “We’ve really done our homework in lining up an impressive agenda of speakers, presenters and topics, and we are continuing our efforts to make this one of our most memorable conventions yet. There will be lots to see and do to make this a highlight of the 2014 Saskatchewan summer.”
The event location at the Travelodge South has free parking for anyone driving, and easy access to the Regina International Airport, fine restaurants and shopping. The Regina Flying Club will also host their annual Open House on Sunday, June 8, and Regina’s ever popular multicultural celebration Mosaic will be in full swing June 5-7.
The history of the CAHS stretches back more than half a century to the summer of 1962, when two Toronto aviation enthusiasts, George Morley and Jeff Burch, met and discovered a mutual interest in Canadian aviation history. They sought out other local enthusiasts, and in February 1963 the first formal meeting of the “Early Bird Club of Canada” was held in Jeff’s basement. The name was changed to the Canadian Aviation Historical Society in 1964, coinciding with its first official convention held in Ottawa that year. Today’s CAHS boasts chapters all across the country, devoted to the collection, preservation and dissemination of Canada’s flying heritage.
Full conference details are online at www.cahs.ca/2014-agm.
