Fleming, John
Killed in Flying Accident 1943-07-13
Birth Date: 1923
Born:
Son of John James Fleming and Mary Fleming, of South Shields, Co. Durham, England.
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RAFVR
Unit
31 EFTS- Elementary Flying Training School (RAF)
Base
DeWinton, Alberta, Canada
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Sergeant
Service Numbers
1215112
First Burial
Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
www.findagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)This incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Cornell Cornell III Serial: 14449
All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.
Fairchild Cornell
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
In early 1942, an agreement was signed between the Canadian Government and Fairchild Aircraft, which licenced Fleet Aircraft of Fort Erie, Ontario to construct the PT-26 Cornell in Canada. The first 800 Cornells used by the RCAF were supplied from Fairchild, until production commenced at Fort Erie in November 1942. By the end of the war in 1945, 2,853 Cornells had been built by Fleet - 1,565 for the RCAF and 1,288 for the RAF.
PT-26 Cornells were flown at many of the Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS) of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, where they replaced the Fleet Finch and the de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane trainers. After the Second World War, many Cornells were sold to the civilian market, but some were retained by the RCAF, where they were finally retired in 1948.CWPHM
Cornell Trainer
Wikipedia Cornell Trainer 
Harold A Skaarup Web Page 31 EFTS (31 Elementary Flying Training School)
An Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) gave a trainee 50 hours of basic flying instruction on a simple trainer like the De Havilland Tiger Moth, Fleet Finch, or Fairchild Cornell over 8 weeks.Elementary schools were operated by civilian flying clubs under contract to the RCAF and most of the instructors were civilians. For example, No. 12 EFTS Goderich was run by the Kitchener-Waterloo Flying Club and the County of Huron Flying Club.The next step for a pilot was the Service Flying Training School.
For More Information on RCAF Station DeWinton see here
RCAF.info - RCAF Station DeWinton AB
RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Gladys AB
RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Shepard AB
Bomber Command Museum of Canada
Vintage Wings - Ghosts of Southern Alberta
No. 31 Elementary Flying Training School was formed on 18 June 1941 and was located at De Winton, Alberta. No. 31 EFTS was originally under the control of the RAF as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan within No. 4 Training Command. The Toronto Flying Club also known as the Malton Flying Training School Limited, took over operations from the RAF on 13 July 1942. No. 31 EFTS was to have been disbanded on 25 August 1944 but under Organization Order No. 407, dated 13 July 1944, the date was amended to 25 September 1944.
Project 44 BCATPCornell 14449
Cornell Cornell III 14449
With No. 31 Elementary flying Training School when it crashed on 13 July 1943. Instructor pilot was performing unauthorized low level aerobatics with mechanic on board, wing tip struck ground, both killed in crash.1943-06-30 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1943-July-13 Accident: 31 Elementary Flying Training School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Fleming | McCue
1943-09-21 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07