On April 14-15 the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (RAMWC) in Winnipeg will host a special aviation conference on the theme of “Versatility Was Their Virtue,” about the development of civil, commercial and military aviation in Canada from 1918-1924.
Over 20 presentations by invited speakers will contribute to a lively program with topics on three main subjects: People, Planes and Places. A number of the speakers are well-known to CAHS members from their presentations at other conventions and conferences. They include Richard Mayne, Allan Snowie, Diana Trafford, Matthias Joost, Chris Terry, Ruth Groome and Robert Galway.
Hedley Auld, a volunteer with RAMWC and a member of its aviation research group, will be presenting a luncheon address about the establishment of the Air Station at Victoria Beach, the first air station in Manitoba. Research about that air station and work by the research group helped inspire the concept of planning the conference.
“While we were digging into the first trans-Canada flight of 1920, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, to Richmond B.C., we encountered a wealth of material of which we had not previously been aware. These were not necessarily new discoveries; they were largely re-discoveries,” says Terry Slobodian, president and CEO of the museum. “It dawned on us that it would be important to review the events that led to the development of Canadian civil, commercial and military aviation in the critical period from 1918-1924.”
The 1918 Airco DH.9A biplane, shown here, flew the final leg, including those by seaplanes, of the first trans-Canada flight in a relay across the country in October 1920. (Photo via internet)
A fine article about the 1920 cross-country flight, organized by the Canadian Air Board to publicize the value and versatility of aviation, was written by Col (Ret.) John Orr and appeared in SKIES magazine, which can be seen when you click here. John is one of the featured speakers for the conference.
Although there is no direct link of the conference to the 100th Anniversary of the RCAF, there is definitely a tie-in with the establishment of the RCAF on April 1, 1924. “We hope that the conference will facilitate research into Canadian aviation from 1918-1924,” says Terry Slobodian. As a follow-up to the conference, proceedings of the event will be published, for which funding has been received. It is expected that they will be available in time for the RCAF Centennial in 2024.
The event will raise the visibility of an era of Canadian aviation history, and highlight the museum and its unique archival collection relating to the development of Canadian aviation. Since opening on May 21, 2022, the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada has had over 77,500 visitors by the end of February 2023. Included in that number are a great many students attending the museum on school visits.
Full information about the conference, speakers and sessions can be found on the museum’s web site when you click here.
Full registration cost including parking, all sessions, lunches and end-of-day receptions is only $129.00, with early bird rate by March 31 of $119.00. As well, for anyone unable to attend in person, virtual access cost is $49.00, with early bird price of only $39.00.
The Friday lunch address by Hedley Auld will be about Basil Hobbs (1894-1963), DSO, O.B.E., DSC, a member of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, who was one of the pilots of the 1920 trans-Canada flight. The museum’s mascot, Hobbs, is named in honour of Basil Hobbs, whose grandson, Duncan Hobbs, is president of Charton Hobbs, a supplier of wine and spirts established in 1925 by Basil Hobbs. The company is the sponsor of the end-of-day receptions that will provide opportunity for conference attendees to visit and share their interests in Canadian aviation.
Canadian Aviation News 
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