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The Red Knight

The Red Knight continued from page 1

A Board of Inquiry was held to determine the cause of the accident. In the end, the Board put forth a number of recommendations to improve the margin of safety for the act. The practice of coordinated shows, (which had never been officially sanctioned), was terminated. MacLellan took over the role of the Red Knight and continued the schedule of performances. In the fall of 1963 Winnipeg native Bill Slaughter, a new Portage la Prairie Instructor and former F-86 pilot, volunteered for the role of Alternate Red Knight for the remainder of the season. All together the four pilots who participated in the Red Knight program made 90 performances, in 1963.

In 1964, the Red Knight program regrouped, reorganized and recovered from the traumas of the previous year. After Bud Morin’s accident, there had been some discussion about canceling the program. In the end, it was decided that the Red Knight needed additional support while on the road. A new position, Red Knight Officer Commanding (OC) was created. The OC was to travel with the team and look after all the organizational details, allowing the pilots to concentrate on their shows. The first Red Knight OC was Jack Desbrisay.

The Canadian Government made significant cuts to Defense budget in the 1964. This forced the RCAF to reduce spending. The most notable actions taken were to disband the Golden Hawks and lay-off hundreds of pilots. Wayne MacLellan, who probably would have continued as Red Knight in 1964, was one of these unfortunate pilots. As a result, Bill Slaughter became the Red Knight. The Alternate for 1964 was D.C. “Tex” Deagnon. Paul Boucher returned as Crew Chief, along with newcomer Ellis Gauthro. With the budget cuts, the team’s schedule of performances was dramatically reduced. Bill Slaughter completed only twenty-six air shows that season. Tex Deagnon performed four additional shows as Alternate. In September of 1964, the Red Knight Program moved once again, this time to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

The 1965 Red Knight was Tex Deagnon, moving up from his role as Alternate in the previous year. His new Alternate, Terry Hallett, was also a former F-86 pilot and a Squadron mate in Europe. The remainder of the team consisted of Jim Stothard, who replaced Jack Desbrisay as Red Knight OC, and Crew Chiefs Jack Rathwell and Tom Lupton. The base of operation remained at Moose Jaw. Deagnon made 26 appearances that year, with Hallett performing an additional 3 shows.

Terry Hallett became the Red Knight in 1966. Terry was born in England, but was raised in Powell River, B.C. His Alternate that year was Roger Cossette. Roger, a native of Amos, Quebec, had flown CF-100s and CF-101s operationally before becoming a Flight Instructor. Ken Sheppardson assumed the role of Red Knight OC, and the Crew Chiefs were Jack Rathwell and Chip Lake. It was another busy season for the Red Knight, with Hallett performing 59 shows. Cossette was kept busy too, as Chip Lake put it: “Following Joey Smallwood around Newfoundland as he opened up sections of the Trans-CanadaHighway.” Before the end of the season, however, both pilots would leave the team. Terry Hallett was posted to Chatham to begin training for CF-104 posting. To make matters worse, Roger Cossette had accepted a position with Air Canada and had already left the team. This left Red Knight OC Ken Sheppardson without a pilot. Bill "Kiwi" MacArthur was asked to complete the season and had accepted the job; however, he was not a member of Training Command at the time, so word came back from HQ to find another man. Jake Reilly explains what happened next: "Headquarters transferred Terry Hallett right in mid-season - way to go "HEADS". Ken Sheppardson (the Red Knight OC) was also my boss in Standards and was crying in his glass at "Beer Call" so badly and so long on the Friday following the bad news because Roger Cossette had left for Air Canada and he didn't even have a back-up that I told him that I'd do the job for him if he'd just agree to stop crying." So, Reilly took over as Red Knight and completed the remaining dates that season, doing 8 shows.

The 1967 season started off on a sad note, as former Red Knight Dave Barker was killed in a flying accident on February 15th. A member of the Golden Centennaires Aerobatics Team at the time, Barker was part of a nine-plane formation practice just west of Comox. During a right banking turn, the horizontal tailplane of Barker’s aircraft came in contact with the left wing tip of another aircraft. The tailplane of Barker’s aircraft was torn off. His aircraft pitched over and he crashed into a wooded area. Barker was an excellent pilot and had the distinction of being the only person to have been a Red Knight, a Golden Hawk and a Golden Centennaire.

Although Jake Reilly fully expected to carry on as Red Knight in 1967, events happening elsewhere would dictate otherwise, as Jack Water recalled, “In late 1966 Canadian Forces Headquarters in Ottawa approved the creation of an air demonstration team in celebration of Canada’s Centennial Year, 1967. The Golden Centennaires, as they were called, were formed under the leadership of Wing Commander O.B. Philp, a W.W.II pilot and CF-104 Strike/Attack Squadron Commander (434 “Bluenose” Squadron, Zwiebrucken, Germany). O.B. was posted to Portage la Prairie, where Group Captain Vic Stuart was designated to administratively support the new Team. The original Centennaire Team complement was nine Tutor aircraft, one CF-104 Starfighter, one CF-101 Voodoo, two Avro 504K WWI vintage biplanes and one T-33 Silver Star support and communications aircraft. The team schedule was to cover approximately one hundred locations in 1967. To my best knowledge, there was initially no plan to include the Red Knight operations into 1967 and beyond, but as Centennial Year air show requests rolled in from communities across Canada, it became clear that the Centennaire Team alone could not meet all air show commitments; therefore, a decision was made in early 1967 to continue the Red Knight program. As it happened I wrote O.B. in January 1967 from my “desk job” at Recruiting Centre Detachment Kitchener, Ontario, in order only to congratulate him on his new challenge (I had known him and flown with him at Zweibrucken). After he received my letter he called me in early February to offer me the 1967 Red Knight job. (I am not certain of the dynamics whereby, the original Moose Jaw Red Knight selected for 1967, Jake Reilly, was not allowed to join the Centennaires “Flying Circus”, but I suspect that O.B. Philp wanted someone he both knew and had flown with.) I was at the time contemplating a job with Air Canada but quickly changed course and accepted the Red Knight posting. By March 1st, I was in Portage and starting Red Knight practices.”

The Alternate Red Knight was F/O R.E.M. (Rod) Ellis. At 23, the native of Bathurst, N.B. was the youngest member of the Centennial aerobatics team. The official programs showed Bob Hawes and Greg Moore as the Crew Chiefs for the Centennial Red Knight team, however, Moore was replaced very early into the 1967 season by Vince Kavic. (The Red Knight OC position was not continued after 1966.) It was a physically exhausting schedule, with Waters completing 94 air shows throughout Canada and the United States. Ellis, completed an additional 7 displays, bringing the 1967 Red Knight total to a record 101 shows.

After a rather exhausting schedule during the Centennial celebrations, the Red Knight prepared to return to a more normal routine in 1968. Jack Waters, now a Major, had moved on to other duties at Portage La Prairie and Rod Ellis had decided against assuming the role of Red Knight. Dave Curran, of Kingston, Ontario, a former F-86 pilot with operational experience in Europe, volunteered to be the Red Knight. The pilot selected as his Alternate was John Reid, who had flown CF-104s and had recently come to Portage La Prairie, as a Flight Instructor. The Crew Chiefs for 1968 were Larry Hunt and John Hilts.

On May 21st, 1968, in preparation for the upcoming season, Curran and Reid were involved in a photographic session to obtain publicity shots for the Red Knight. Reid, flying T-33 21620, made several low-level passes over the airfield. On his third pass, he pulled his aircraft into a loop. In attempting to complete this loop, his aircraft struck the ground and exploded. Reid was thrown from the wreckage and was found alive; however, he was gravely injured and died five hours later in a Winnipeg Hospital.

Once the shock of Reid’s death had worn off, Curran prepared to salvage as much of the season as possible. Although Curran made one appearance in the remaining T-33 aircraft, (on Air Force Day at Portage La Prairie), it was clear that a reliable spare aircraft was needed. Unfortunately, there were no suitable T-33 aircraft available. There were, however, a number of ex-Centennaire Tutors in storage at CFB Mountainview. These aircraft were already modified for aerobatics display, so two Tutors were quickly dispatched to Portage. The aircraft arrived at the base on July 15th and, by the end of that month, both aircraft had been accepted, stripped, painted and made ready for use. It was about this time that Joe Houlden joined the team, to serve as Commentator and pilot of the spare aircraft. To his credit, Dave Curran completed 22 shows across Canada that year: twenty one of them in August and September.

As preparations for the 1969 season began, Dave Curran received word that he was being loaned to the US Air Force. It was at the height of US involvement in the War in Vietnam and there was a shortage of Flight Instructors in the United States. Since there was no Alternate from the 1968 season, the 1969 Red Knight would be starting from scratch. This presented a problem, as Jack Waters explains: “In early 1969, I cooperated with Dave Curran to select a 1969 Red Knight, but found that the volunteers were few and all too young and inexperienced, with no operational background. (Actually only two instructors underwent 1969 selection flight with Dave Curran, and both were young “pipeliners” with no operational experience.) As I recall, it was against our judgment that headquarters in Winnipeg designated Bryan Alston to be Red Knight.”

Perhaps Training Command was less concerned than Waters and Curran because the other members of the team all had experience from previous seasons. The Crew Chiefs for 1969 were both returning veterans. Larry Hunt continued on from his 1968 duties, while Bob Hawes returned to the team after a one-year absence. Joe Houlden also moved to Moose Jaw, to continue his role as Red Knight Commentator. However, prior to the beginning of the 1969 air show season Houlden stepped down and was replaced by Robert (Bob) Cran.

Although only 23 years old, Bryan Alston was an extremely talented pilot. By one account, he was so skilled that, within a few weeks of practising, he was able to fly his whole show inverted. The season progressed well, with the team performing a number of shows throughout Canada and the United States. Unfortunately, that would all come to an end on July 13th, 1969. Upon returning to CFB Moose Jaw from a show in Selkirk, Manitoba, Alston was asked to perform for some visiting Italian Air Force Officials. During this display, his aircraft experienced a power failure and he decided to attempt a forced landing. As he made his turn towards the runway the aircraft, Tutor No. 26154, went out of control and crashed inverted. The aircraft burst into flames and Alston was killed. (Compounding this tragedy, Cran died seventeen days later in a training accident.)

Alton’s crash effectively ended the Red Knight program. It was the second fatal accident in less than fifteen months and the third in Red Knight history. However, it wasn’t the only reason the Red Knight program ended. Perhaps just as significant a factor was the posting of Colonel O.B. Philp to CFB Moose Jaw. Philp, the former commander of the “Golden Centennaires” had dreamed of forming another air demonstration team.

On his first tour of his new command, “O.B.” noticed a number of ex-Centennaire Tutor aircraft on the base, including the Red Knight’s spare aircraft -- Tutor No. 26153. He quietly set to work re-establishing a Canadian Forces air demonstration team that would become, of course, the Snowbirds. Thus ended a unique chapter in RCAF/CAF aviation history.

Until now, the 12-year history of the Red Knight has remained for the most part, untold. Perhaps that is due to the very nature of the programme. Members of the team participated for a year or two and then moved on. The base of operations changed six times during the twelve seasons -- the longest period at any one base being just over three years. This lack of information seems rather sad for what should be an important part of RCAF/CAF history. Undoubtedly, many of today’s pilots were inspired to pursue careers in aviation after seeing a performance of the “Red Knight”.

Note: John Corrigan is compiling information on the Red Knight for the purpose of writing a pictorial history about the RCAF’s Solo Aerobatics performer. He would welcome any information, including copies of any letters, photographs, film or video tapes, logbooks, air show programs, newspaper or magazine articles, that may help fill in details of the 12 year history of the act. John’s address is 397 Ormond Drive, Oshawa, Ontario, L1K 1J3, telephone: (905) 725-1697, e-mail: 703937@ican.net.

This article originally appeared in Winter 1998-99 issue of Airforce Magazine (Vol. 22 No. 4) Reproduced with the permission of the Author.

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