Meade, Edward Griffin

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The Northrop A-17, a development of the Northrop Gamma 2F model, was a two-seat, single-engine, monoplane, attack bomber built in 1935 by the Northrop Corporation for the U.S. Army Air Corps. When in British Commonwealth service during World War II, the A-17 was called Nomad.

The Royal Canadian Air Force received 32 Nomads that had been part of a French order of 93 aircraft. When France fell in 1940, this order was taken over by Great Britain who transferred 32 of the aircraft to Canada where they were used as advanced trainers and target tugs as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. All were assigned to No. 3 Training Command RCAF.

Nomads were never used operationally overseas. Initially, the aircraft were used at Camp Borden to check out qualified civilian pilots who were offering their services to the air force. In 1941, the aircraft were modified to a target-towing configuration to allow for air-to-air gunnery training at various schools in Quebec and Ontario. In addition to being used by the RCAF in Canada, the Royal Norwegian Air Force trained some aircrew in exile on the A-17A at airports in Toronto and Muskoka. The RCAF Nomads were retired with the cessation of hostilities. The Nomads were not particularly outstanding aircraft, but they did provide reliable training service logging an average of approximately 3,000 flying hours each in their four and a half years of service.Wikipedia and Harold Skaarup web page

Wikipedia Nomad Trainer

Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Northrop Nomad - Kestrel Publications

9 BGS (9 Bomb and Gunnery School)

The Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) offered instruction in the techniques of bomb aiming and aerial machine gunnery to Air Observers, Bomb Aimers, and Wireless Air Gunners. These schools required large areas to accommodate their bombing and gunnery ranges, and were often located near water. The Avro Anson, Fairey Battle, Bristol Bolingbroke, and Westland Lysander were the standard aircraft used at B&GS schools.

RCAF.info - RCAF Station Mont Joli QC

9 BGS History

Ted Church Tail End Charlie - 9 BGS History

Project 44 BCATP

Project 44 BCATP

YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy

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Nomad (Northrop) 3498

Nomad (Northrop) 3498

Delivered marked as NX-NI7. Assigned to No. 1 Service Flying Training School, Air Traffic Services, Camp Borden, Ontario. Category "B" damage on 14 Oct 1940 while at Camp Borden. To No. 6 Repair Depot Trenton, Ontario, for conversion to target towing configuration as of 3 Jul 1941. Next assigned to No. 4 Bombing & Gunnery School in Fingal, Ontario, as of 31 Jan 1942. Transferred to No. 9 Bombing & Gunnery School at Mont-Joli, Quebec, on 22 Sep 1942. Category "A" accident on 20 Jul 1943 near that station. The a/c was on a post-maintenance test flight. The a/c was restricted to the confines of the aerodrome and below 2,000 ft to avoid both the cloud ceiling and related weather. The maintenance test pilot, Flying Officer E.G. Meade, was an experienced pilot, but new to the a/c type having only 3:15 hours on the Nomad. The a/c was observed making left and right turns below the ceiling. A civilian witness then observed the a/c begin to spin. The investigation concluded that the pilot had executed too steep a turn, stalled the a/c, and entered a non-recoverable spin from low altitude. Both Flying Officer E.G. Meade and Cpl J.T. Vasileff were killed.

1940-08-13 Taken on Strength at Uplands, Ontario 2022-01-26
1940-October-14 Accident: 1 Service Flying Training School Loc: Camp Borden Names: Gillard | Rawson
1940-10-14 Accident Category B 2022-01-26
1942-July-22 Accident: 4 Bomb & Gunnery School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Brownlee | Wheat
1942-November-15 Accident: 9 Bomb & Gunnery School Loc: Station Aerodrome Names: Darby
1942-11-15 Accident Category C 2022-01-26
1943-July-20 Accident: 9 Bomb & Gunnery School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Mead | Vasileff
1943-07-20 Accident Category A 2022-01-26
1943-11-02 Struck off Strength written off 2022-01-26