Ford, Jack Cecil

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-03-13

Birth Date: 1913-July-20

Born: Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas, USA

Son of Lonnie Calhoun Ford and Ora Matilda (nee Gray) Ford

Home: Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RAF

Unit

45 Group (RAF)

Base

Dorval, Quebec

Rank

Civilian

Position

Civilian

Service Numbers

JC Ford was a civilian "ham" radio operator and had been in the US Corps of Engineers

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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