Chow-Leong, Charles
Killed in Flying Accident 1952-02-04
Birth Date: 1922-June-27
Born: Lethbridge, Alberta
Ling & May Chow-Leong.
Home: Lethbridge, Alberta
Enlistment: Calgary, Alberta
Enlistment Date: 1942-07-27
Service
RCAF
Unit
2 ANS- Air Navigation School
Base
RCAF Stn. Winnipeg, Manitoba
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Flying Officer
Service Numbers
38500
Home
Lethbridge, Alberta
First Burial
Mountain View Cemetery, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
First Chinese Canadian to be trained as a pilot in the RCAF.
Just before 11:30 Expeditor 1478 took off from No. 2 Air Navigation School at RCAF Stn Winnipeg. At the controls was 29-year-old Flight Officer Charles Chow-Leong, a decorated veteran or World War II with 6,000 flying hours. Also aboard were two RAF student pilots from England, Acting Pilot Officer Peter Harvey and Acting Pilot Officer Edward Scanlan.
The 540 foot high radio mast at Carman, Manitoba was a regular landmark for anyone flying in the area. During the flight the winds picked up and fog rolled in such that the cloud ceiling was as little as 50 feet.
In these conditions Chow-Leong struck one of the tower guy wires at about the 400 foot level, and crashed to the ground, killing all aboard the aircraft. Subsequently, the tower later collapsed.
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
www.findagrave.com
Beechcraft Expeditor
Beechcraft CT-128 Expeditor Mk. 3TM (Serial No. A-734), (Serial No. CA-134), RCAF (Serial No. 1534), coded AO-N, Air Transport Command.
The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November 1969 (over 32 years, a world record at the time), over 9,000 were built, making it one of the world's most widely used light aircraft. Sold worldwide as a civilian executive, utility, cargo aircraft, and passenger airliner on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis, or floats, it was also used as a military aircraft.
During and after World War II, over 4,500 Beech 18s were used in military service – as light transport, light bomber (for China), aircrew trainer (for bombing, navigation, and gunnery), photo-reconnaissance, and "mother ship" for target drones – including Royal Canadian Airforce (RCAF), United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) C-45 Expeditor, AT-7 Navigator, and AT-11 Kansan; and United States Navy (USN) UC-45J Navigator, SNB-1 Kansan, and others. In World War II, over 90% of USAAF bombardiers and navigators and pilots trained in these aircraft.
In the early postwar era, the Beech 18 was the pre-eminent "business aircraft" and "feeder airliner". Besides carrying passengers, its civilian uses have included aerial spraying, sterile insect release, fish stocking, dry-ice cloud seeding, aerial firefighting, air-mail delivery, ambulance service, numerous movie productions, skydiving, freight, weapon- and drug-smuggling, engine testbed, skywriting, banner towing, and stunt aircraft.Wikipedia
Expeditor
Wikipedia Expeditor 2 ANS (2 Air Navigation School)
Nos. 1 & 2 Air Navigation Schools offered four-week courses in astronavigation and were the last step for Air Observers.
The RAF schools, Nos. 31, 32, and 33, provided the same training as Air Observer Schools.
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge NB
History of 2 ANS Pennfield Ridge NB
2 Air Navigation School was disbanded at Pennfield Ridge April 1942.
Unit was reformed in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island February 1944. RCAF.info - RCAF Station Charlottetown PEI
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Winnipeg Manitoba
The unit was redesignated No 2 Air Observer School 15 November 1955.
Project 44 BCATP