Vol 3, Issue 10

Personal Perspectives 1962-1963

For those RCAF instructors who enjoyed the thrill of multiple aerobatics in the low-level environment, selection as the Red Knight was something to aspire to.  Another young pilot who earned the privilege was F/O Bill Fraser. Although his tour cut short by higher demands for his talents, his memories are vivid and capture the essence of what it was like to be involved in a unique profession:

"I was in the Red Knight business in 1962 and 1963. For my first season on the road, I was Dave Barker's back-up but did eight shows on my own.  I was the Red Knight in '63 and got in nine shows before leaving Portage la Prairie in early June of that year.  Being transferred out in the middle of the season was very unusual considering the expenses in training and publicity that had already been invested.  However, I had been selected to become the executive assistant to the AOC of Air Div HQ in Metz, France, A/V/M D.A.R. Bradshaw.  He had been commandant of the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario during my time there until graduation in 1956.

My crewman in 1962 was LAC Paul Boucher who knew more about the T-33 than anyone in the air force. In 1963, Cpl Pat Dunn took over and we covered a lot of ground together - he was the most constructive critic I had. He would debrief me after each show and was instrumental in keeping the show quality exact - one of the unsung troops. As I have said before, the pilots get most of the attention, but without the hard work of the administrative and maintenance personnel, there would be no show.

In two years I did 17 official shows. There were several other unofficial ones, mostly practices authorized over Portage, done for such things as flying course graduations and station visitors.  My logbook also records many, many practices, starting each of the two years at high level and working down to show level.  Most of these were done over the Assiniboine River, southwest of Portage.  There was a wide bend in the river with a small meadow for an aim point, and the canyon was deep enough to provide a safety measure when the surrounding prairie was used as ground level.  There was a farmhouse on the edge of the canyon, right on the bend. That family probably saw more of my Red Knight shows than the rest of my audiences combined.

During the show season practices were normally done at Portage after day flying was over. We lived in a PMQ where the kitchen window faced the hangar line so my wife Lee could watch my practice as she prepared dinner. She would comment on my vertical line in relation to the hangar roofs when I got home.

The Red Knight was uniquely Canadian - a solo military display. As with all of the RCAF teams, the positive publicity achieved was tremendous, and all for what was, even in those days, a very small budget. We did some 'openers' for the Golden Hawks and took part in some large Canadian and American displays but most of our shows were singles in out-of-the-way places that did not rate a team. We were away from home a lot. On arrival back at Portage, normally after hours, we would do a pass over the PMQs to let everyone know we were back.

My new posting was grand but I was sad to leave the Red Knight job, particularly in midyear. It was a very special experience and certainly the sublime point of my flying career. The thrill of performing low-level aerobatics with the confidence that comes from knowing you can do them safely, flying the aircraft to its limits during aerobatics and cross-country flights, and the satisfaction of independent operations - in the boonies, without normal support, and having to deal with the locals are some of my fond memories. And the learned personal things - the discipline of practice and routine, and the self-confidence gained from those independent operations stood me in good stead for the rest of my career, both as a pilot and as man.  I have tried, I believe with some success, to pass these values on to my son who is also a pilot."

William C. (Bill) Fraser 

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