Avro Anson
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Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Museum's Anson Mk. V was built by MacDonald Brothers in Winnipeg in 1944. It flew with No. 7 Photographic Wing and No. 414 Squadron in Ottawa on photo survey work until the late 1940s. In 1956, it was purchased by INCO and used for mineral surveying until 1980, when it was donated to the Museum. The exterior is painted in the yellow colour common to all BCATP trainers and is in its same wartime RCAF markings.
The Avro Anson was known by a number of nicknames including "Faithful Annie" or "Flying Greenhouse". It was the first aircraft to be flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force to have a retractable undercarriage, which was a comparative novelty in 1936. In 1940, a Canadian government owned company, Federal Aircraft Limited, was created in Montreal to manufacture the Anson for Canadian use. Nearly 3,000 Anson aircraft were produced and, in the early days of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), the Anson was the standard trainer for many pilots, observers (navigators), wireless operators and bomb aimers. More than 20,000 aircrew received training on the Anson. In Canadian service, the aircraft was substantially re-designed with the substitution of North American engines and many other airframe and equipment changes. Harold Skaarup web pages
CASPIR Aircraft Groups:
RCAF Owned (4404) RCAF 400 Squadrons (6) Canadian Crewed (259) Canadian Manufactured (3956) Canadian Museum (1)Anson Mk. I N9838
To No. 1 Training Command on 16 January 1941, for use by No. 31 Air Navigation School, Port Albert, Ontario. Still with this School when lost on 28 November 1942, on a night cross country training flight. Wreckage found on shores of Lake Huron, icing may have been a factor. All 4 crew killed: AC1 W.H. Addis, Flight Sergeant R. Brown, Leading Aircraftman C.P. James, Sgt. J.L. Shaw (pilot).1940-12-04 Taken on Strength Ottawa Car & Aircraft 2019-08-20
1942-November-28 Accident: 31 Air Navigation School Loc: Lake Huron Names: Addis | Brown | James | Shaw
1943-03-16 Struck off Strength 2019-08-20