THE RIGHT STUFF
Last week was an exciting time at Vintage Wings of Canada and at Cold Lake Alberta. Paul Kissmann flew Hawk One out to the frozen sweep of Cold Lake and the vast Primrose range trailing a U-Haul full of hope and excitement. He was met there by his old friends from the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment, the test wing of the Canadian Air Force. Excitement was indeed in the air along with Hawk One and an AETE Hornet.
In the backseat of the Hornet was Corporal Jennifer Chiasson an air force photographer from AETE who captured the historic moment in a series of wonderful images which we share with you today. Her work compares with the great air-to-air shooters of this country and we applaud her and Hornet driver Major Wayne Karperien for getting in close and personal and bringing this magic moment to life.
In addition to the arrival photos, we got some other Hawk One "stuff" last week. Some "good stuff". Wayne Foy, a veteran pilot and avid 1/72nd scale modeler since childhood sent us a few shots of his recent model - a replica of Hawk One, not in her RCAF markings, or her future Golden Hawk markings, but in the Centennial of Flight decal scheme she wore when she was rolled out over two months ago - unfinished zinc-chromate panels and all.
We also got some photos sent to us by Doug Fisher from warbirddepot.com that he took of the Hawk One bird more than 35 years ago. And to top it off, we received notification that Much More Music's new program "Where you at, Baby?" will feature the Canuck rock legends Glass Tiger and their keyboardist Sam Reid who is writing the Hawk One Tour musical score. The episode was shot on location at Vintage Wings of Canada and will air this Sunday, November 30th, 2008.
Then we bring you a few photos of Jim Belliveau's shooting spree in Cold Lake.
Lots on the go, so let's go. We got da right stuff, baby!
Alberta bound. Vintage Wings of Canada pilot Paul Kissmann arrives overhead Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in the failing light of day. Below, the full misery of a Northern Alberta winter has not yet descended upon the hardy folks of this most northern of Canadian fighter bases. After crossing Canada at an average 500 kts plus speed, the "temporary" decals of the roll out scheme are still in place. Photo: Cpl. Jennifer Chiasson, AETE.
Photographer Corporal Jennifer Chiasson of the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment, shooting from from the back seat of the AETE CF-18, captures Hawk One as Kissmann slides away to the south beginning his descent to his old "hunting grounds". Kissmann has spent many years at Cold Lake as AETE's senior test pilot, amassing more than 2,400 hours in the Hornet. Photo: Cpl. Jennifer Chiasson, AETE
Paul Kissmann leads the AETE Hornet into Cold Lake. Checking over his shoulder, he offers Jennifer Chiasson in the Hornet a happy thumbs up for his triumphant return home. Hawk One wears a temporary scheme depicting elements from the Centennial of Flight logo designed by Vintage Wings of Canada. On her sides she also wears the logos of Vintage Wings of Canada and major partners, the Canadian Forces and Discovery Air. Photo: Cpl Jennifer Chiasson, AETE
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The AETE Hornet driver Major Wayne Karperien slides beneath Hawk One, allowing Chiasson a shot up to the Sabre's belly where her old USAF markings meet her temporary Centennial markings. Photo: Cpl. Jennifer Chiasson, AETE
Kissmann drops down to the Alberta landscape in the feeble light of early winter. Photo: Cpl. Jennifer Chiasson, AETE
At around 500 feet, Kissmann crosses over the sun burnished but icy waters of Cold Lake, Alberta. There are a few great aviation photographers in Canada - names like Mike Reno, Rick Raddell, Eric Dumigan, Peter Handley and John McQuarrie come to mind. But if there was any doubt that the Canadian Air Force has talent, this tack sharp and dramatic photo by Cpl. Jennifer Chiasson should put a stop to that! One of the best Air to Air shots we have seen in years. Nice work Jennifer.
Now down to just a few hundred feet, Kissmann reefs Hawk One into a 90º bank over the iconic wilderness of Northern Alberta. Photo: Cpl. Jennifer Chiasson
Next time Hawk One flies over the Alberta woodlands, she will have her fresh Golden Hawks livery - no hotter Sabre scheme anywhere! Photo montage - Vintage Wings of Canada.
"Follow me grandpa, let's show them how it's done".
"We'll son, you should relax, take it easy... Have I ever told you the story about the old ram and the young ram standing at the top of a hill?. You see, the young ram says "See those nice... "
The AETE CF-18 Hornet flown by Major Wayne Karperien - leads the venerable frontline fighter of the Cold war across the infield at CFB Cold Lake. This Hornet (188907) was the last CF-18 in Kissmann's log book. Photo: AETE
Flaps, Slats and Boards out, Hawk One crosses the threshold of the Cold Lake runway, just a few feet from making it back home to a working Canadian fighter base for the first time in 40 years. On the ground, the pilot of an AETE CT-114 Tutor, awaits Kissmann to clear the runway. Photo: AETE
Not gone and certainly not forgotten, Sam Reid (right), keyboardist for Canadian 80s rock legends Glass Tiger has joined the Hawk One team to write, arrange and record an original musical score for the Hawk One tour. The Juno Award-winning, Grammy-nominated Glass Tiger, who rocked the house in the 80s with such mega-hits as "Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone" and "Someday", will be featured on "Where You at Baby?" a new television reality/documentary program about rock stars of the past and what they are up to today. Photo courtesy of Glass Tiger, Background: Peter Handley
Probably the only model that will ever be made of Hawk One in her temporary Centennial of Flight markings. Scale modeler Wayne Foy, himself an experienced pilot, recreates the scene of Hawk One's roll out on September 20th, 2008 at Gatineau. Here in 1/72nd scale, Paul Kissmann (back to camera) appears to be lining Dan Dempsey up for a left haymaker as they argue over who will take the beautiful bird aloft. Photo: Wayne Foy
Wayne Foy's models have long graced the entrance to Vintage Wings of Canada's hangar. With over 900 1/72 scale models in his collection, Foy has every model he has ever made since childhood. This example is true to the real thing in every way - including her authentic CoF markings, Mike Underwood's hand-made naugahyde Golden Hawk head rest (made from 6 Naugas he killed and skinned himself in the wilderness of Northern Ontario), the unpainted zinc-chromate flaps, rudder and skin panels, former USAF checkers (nicely distressed), all the proper remove-before-flight flags and finally - if you look close enough - the little spring-action hula doll that graced the top of the control panel - now that's detail. Photo: Wayne Foy
From a Hawk to a dog. The one-time Golden Hawks try-out aircraft, Sabre 23314 wears a rust and yellow paint scheme that some have likened to a 1950s woodie station wagon. Underneath that low-rent paint, she's still all predator though. Photo: Doug Fisher, www.warbirddepot.com
One of the many lives of Hawk One. After she left the Royal Canadian Air Force as s/n 23314, the Hawk was registered in the US as N8687D. Here she is in egregious yellow and rust markings at the Reno Air Races in 1972. Her pilot, none other than air show and air force superstar Bob Hoover, shoulder checks while waiting in the blistering Nevada heat. Photo Doug Fisher, www.warbirddepot.com
Bob Hoover rolls N8687D out to the runway more than 35 years ago. Photo Doug Fisher, www.warbirddepot.com
Bob Hoover, air show royalty if there ever was, chats from the cockpit of the Sabre that is now Hawk One. In the foreground behind the wing and in the RCAF flying suit and boots stands Ormond Hayden-Baillie another legend of the air show biz back in the day.
And now for something completely different! As Hawk One was only days from her touch down at Cold Lake, the paint crew under the direction of Jim Belliveau gets ready by Shootin' Some Sheffield's. Master Corporal Craig Harris, the Hawk One Paint Crew Chief brought two samples outside in the early dawn light so Belliveau could photograph the samples and check out its chromatic properties in normal light. Here Craig holds up an aluminum panel that has been primed with yellow primer, coated on the left side with a gloss white. Then the entire square was air brushed with 3 thin coats of Sheffield's Pale Gold. It's obvious that the white makes a brighter base. Outside of the normal considerations for applying metallics, the Temp Polyurethane behaves well, according to Belliveau. Photo: Jim Belliveau
The Hawk One paint team also painted a 'Racal' paint hood, the shell for the paint helmet worn by Air Component & Structures (ACS) Technicians. It's a displacement hood which dumps breathing air at high volume around the face. It's a lot cooler than a tight fitting mask and yes, it looks damn fine in gold. The paint team and the entire shop are caught up in excitement of what will be the most exciting project in years. "My fellow team members have dubbed themselves the 'Hawk One Paint Team', and we all eagerly await the project. They are even preparing special helmets to wear in the paint booth as well. This is why I like to come to work in the morning." says Belliveau. Photo: Jim Belliveau
