For those just tuning in to this thread,you may think that I have finally cracked up and am living in another world.Actually the museum asked me to come up with a storyline and caption some of the pics at the same time.They plan to use some of this dialogue in their presentation for educational purposes.I have recently learned that these dioramas will not be going directly into classrooms for strictly educational purposes as I had originally expected but are to be exhibited instead on the main museum floor,hence the need for an expanded storyline.

The spirit of our times is best reflected by this note left behind by one of our fellow airmail pilots down south and was recently posted to the company bulletin board.

"Beloved Brother Pilots and Pals".(to be opened in the event of my death)

"I go west,but with a cheerful heart.I hope what small sacrifice I have made may be of use to the cause.When we fly we are fools,they say.When we are dead we weren't half bad fellows.But everyone in this wonderful aviation service is doing the world far more good than the public can appreciate.We risk our necks,we give our lives,we perfect a service for the benefit of the world at large.
They, mind you, are the ones who call us fools.But stick to it,boys.I'm still very much with you all.See you all again."

Leonard Brooke Hyde-Pearson

Here at the dispatch office I like to keep a file for our pilots to refer to for airport information .Most of this has been compiled by the pilots themselves and sometimes through bitter experience.
Someone one day should put this all together into a proper manual of some kind.

Now that we have finished our initial walkaround of the hangar it is time to invite our guests inside.
Billy Bishop our host for this occasion is welcoming his fighter pilot friends at the door of the dispatch office.The old Model T has just pulled up to the door after a open air,bumpy ride to the airfield from the ceremonies in town.Luckily it is a warm day for November 11th and besides these guys are quite used to conditions like these,in fact they look like they rather enjoyed it.
Just to Billy's left is Eddie Rickenbacker. The others are mutual friends of them both but I haven't got their names yet.

Canada Aviation Museum names new Director General
April 29, 2010, Ottawa - Denise Amyot, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Quick as Director General of the Canada Aviation Museum.

“Mr. Quick brings a heartfelt passion for aviation to his new position at the helm of Canada’s national aeronautical museum,” says Ms. Amyot. “With his extensive experience within the public and private sectors, and more than thirty years as a professional artist, Mr. Quick is uniquely qualified to guide the Museum in showcasing Canadian achievement and innovation.”

“As museums,” says Mr. Quick, “we should not only function as stewards and guardians of our collective past, but be proactive in introducing future generations to the tools that will help forge their future. We should act as extensions of established learning institutions, helping to shape the future and engender pride in Canadian endeavours by telling the stories of those who have dared follow their dreams, and by showcasing the next wave of exploration and innovation.”



Deeply involved in Canada’s arts and culture sector, Mr. Quick has been painting professionally since 1978, and has been a professional aircraft and military illustrator since 1984. He spent 27 years in the Canadian publishing industry, including senior positions with both McClelland & Stewart and Stoddart Publishing. He has also worked within the public sector, including positions at the Department of Canadian Heritage and the National Gallery of Canada, prior to becoming Associate Director General of the Canada Aviation Museum in 2008.

The Canada Aviation Museum is Canada’s finest aviation museum, with an internationally renowned aeronautical collection. The Museum, a component of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, is located at the intersection of the Aviation and Rockcliffe Parkways, just ten minutes from Parliament Hill.

It is really nice to know that a fellow artist is finally running the show!

Meet Harley the company mascot.His bark is worse than his bite ! All the employees love him ,in fact if you look closely through the engine shop window you will see a picture of him hanging on the wall.One of the pilots took it of him sitting in a mail plane cockpit usually however he sits here on the chair just inside the dispatch office door and keeps it warm for the pilots.

This is where Harley and I hang out most of the time here in the dispatch office.Today it is pretty quite but it can get busy in here at times especially in bad weather.
One of the pilots was just here and told me a pretty funny story that he had heard.It seems that these two guys were out practicing their wingwalking routine .The wingwalker began climbing a seven foot ladder atop the upper wing of the plane as the pilot prepared to execute a loop but he fell off in the process and landed in the cockpit on top of the pilot.One of his pant legs slipped over the control stick."There I was my flying controls up the wingwalkers leg wondering how the hell do things like this happen to me.I told him to hold on and I will try to land." They did with the pilot holding on to his leg and the stick too.

This is the view through the dispatch office window.You can just see the back of Harley's head and ears in the lower left corner.This inner door looks out upon the main hangar floor.As you can see the boss allows me to park my motorcycle against the carpenters shop wall.The inner window on the right looks out upon the carpenters shop itself.During the winter we leave this window open to provide heat for the office .The window does have shutters though when things get too noisy.Providing heat to the hangar floor can be a problem on very cold days.We have a removable tarp on the carpenters shop ceiling and another coal stove in the engine shop which helps with the heating also.

A friend asked so I thought that you guys would find this of interest also.

Hi Jason ! these dioramas were originally made for kids and were to be displayed in a classroom setting.The teacher of course would be there to answer questions and help tell the story.I was planning to do a small booklet with a lot of this stuff in it for the teachers reference purposes.

The museum has since changed its mind and they now plan to display them on the main museum floor,maybe even one in their new lobby.The plan now is to do some kind of audio/visual thing where you push a button to get pictures and some of the storyline.I don't know exactly how all that stuff works and it should be interesting to see what they come up with.

These dioramas were made for my own picture taking purposes as well and I lit them in such a way as to have a more dramatic effect.Unfortunately I think that a lot of this will be lost with only natural light.Also such areas as the carpenters shop,engine shop etc... have only somewhat restricted views.Therefore to really appreciate the dioramas there will have to be some kind of slide show and dialogue to accompany them.

Cheers! John.

Here is a better view of the carpenters shop from the office window.You can just see the back of the bosses gray hat that I swear makes him look like a gangster.Along the right wall you can see some carving and lathe tools with the lathe positioned in the background.On the workbench we are making a special prop for a racer pilot who is experimenting with a new design.The shop is not big but it is cosy and warm and besides most of the big stuff is done on the main hangar floor.A lot of the guys use it as a lunch/meeting room as well,you should hear some of the jokes and stories told when the ladies are not around !