Page 4 - May2019

It looked like we were about to spend a long time
here. Were we surprised when we were airborne
within 2 hours after a few talented gentlemen on
the airfield machined a new bolt from a piece of
metal and we installed it and were good to go. You
meet the most amazing people in aviation.
We arrived in Downsview where KDN was greeted
once again, like the celebrity she is. We spent a
couple days there offering rides and finalising the
De Havilland Canada Chipmunk DHC-1 G- details of KDN’s future. It was very emotional to
AKDN — 2016 United Kingdom Tour Pt. 14 leave, as I patted her on the nose, walked out the
By Dave Gillespie door, leaving her sitting on the spot she was built
The sky was falling at the Reno Air Race. One second on 65 years before.
Karen and I were watching the modified P-51 Mustang
As time passed we worked on the paperwork
roar past at over 300 mph and in the next split second it needed to gain a cultural property designation for
pitched up, zoomed to 1000’, rolled onto it’s back, stalled
KDN, and secure it’s final disposition. Then, that
and dove straight for us!
terrible day at Reno, we received the unexpected
Time stood still. I grabbed Karen’s arm and ran. Looking call that the museum was closing. I made a call to
over my shoulder the Mustang accelerated. Slowly the our contact at Bombardier, which manufactures
nose started to lift and it changed direction. It slammed aircraft at the south end of the airfield. They
into the grandstand-seating full of people. We were in reassured me they were already on their way to the
shock, but unhurt. museum and were towing KDN to their Delivery
Hangar where it was welcome to stay as long as we
That wasn’t the end of our day. A few hours later, we got needed. At the end of a very long and stressful day,
a call to tell us the museum at Downsview was closing,
we were very thankful that KDN, Karen and I, were
and our Chipmunk KDN was about to be locked in! Not a
all safe and sound.
great day.

Previous to this, James and I had been flying KDN at
events around Saskatchewan and enjoying it. But we had
decided the best future for this airplane would to be part
of the collection at the museum located in the same
building where KDN had been built. We met with the
museum management and arranged to donate it, if we
could have it protected by getting it recognized as a
Canadian Cultural Property. This would protect it forever
as a recognized national treasure.

In the meantime, we agreed to fly it to the museum and KDN safe and sound in the beautiful Bombardier Delivery hangar.
have it put on display.
Another exciting cross Canada flight. This time we flew
over the north shore of the Great Lakes. Everything was
going smoothly, until a broken bolt was found during a
fuel stop.
This normally wouldn’t be a problem, but we were at
Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island in the middle of nowhere
(or maybe the middle of everywhere?) with no source of
aircraft parts.
to be continued...