Schiller, Clarence Alvin "Duke"

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-03-13

Birth Date: 1900-June-18

Born: Onawa, Monona County, Iowa, USA

Home: Onawa, Monona County, Iowa, USA

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RAF

Unit

45 Group (RAF)

Base

Dorval, Quebec

Rank

Civilian Pilot (Captain)

Position

Civilian Pilot (Captain)

Service Numbers

CA "Duke" Schiller had previously been a pilot with the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS)

The Firebirds by Bruce West, pages introduction, xii, 37-39, 53, 74, 77-78, 107-108, 112, 133, 139, 237

Ocean Bridge, The History of RAF Ferry Command by Carl A Christie, pages, 121, 217, 318

Canso Catalina Mk. IB FP116

Ferry Flight 1943-March-13 to 1943-March-13

45 (T) Group (RAF) Dorval, Quebec

45 Group RAF Transport Command. Catalina aircraft FP 116 crashed into the sea near Bermuda after an engine failure

Canadian civilian Pilot CA "Duke" Schiller, Navigator Sergeant D Wilkie (RAFVR), Newfoundland civilian Radio Officer WB Collins and USAAF Radio Officer JC Ford were all killed in this flying accident

General [Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

Span class="citation">Ocean Bridge, The History of RAF Ferry Command by Carl A Christie, page 318

Consolidated Canso Catalina PBY PB2B A-10 OA-10 Black Cat

RCAF Canso A (Serial No. 9754), No. 162 Squadron, F/L David Ernest Hornell aircraft.
Hornell pby Yarmouth 1943 (003).jpg image not found

The Consolidated Catalina and Canso were close cousins. The Canso was the true amphibious version of the design and therefore included a conventional undercarriage to allow for either water or land use. The Canso provided more than two decades of valuable service to the RCAF. The Catalina variant came first and was produced beginning in 1935 for the United States Navy. The amphibious version, designated PBY-5A, came in service early in 1941 and the RCAF began using the aircraft on anti-submarine patrols that same year. After the Second World War, the RCAF used Cansos for search and rescue, Arctic survey missions and various transport operations.RCAF

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Wikipedia Wikipedia Canso PBY

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page