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 L7056
To Western Air Command on 5 November 1941, for use at No. 32 Operational Training Unit at RCAF Station Patricia Bay, BC. Went missing on 30 October 1942, during a routine navigation exercise (Pat Bay, Port San Juan (today Port Renfrew), Cape Beale, Pachena Point Pat Bay).Court of Inquiry concluded aircraft most likely lost at sea and wreckage was never found. Still not located when struck off, all 4 crew missing. Wreckage located near Port Renfrew on southern Vancouver Island in October 2013. Remains of all four crewmen identified by June 2014, given full military funeral and burial at Royal Oak Cemetery north of Victoria on 10 November 2014.
Edits: Robert M Stitt,
1941-06-25 Taken on Strength Aircraft Repair 2019-08-20
1942-October-30 Accident: 32 Operational Train Loc: Vancouver Is Names: Baird | Fox | Lawrence | Luckock
1942-12-01 Struck off Strength 2019-08-20