Provincial Institute of Technology and Art - Record Yearbook (Calgary, Alberta Canada)

Page 23 text:

AERO 2 G. B. ASSELSTINE D. BOWEN Calgary Royalties P. DOSKOCH E. DUBBER Bruderheim Calgary R. BROWN G. CAITHNESS ' Calgary Didsbury H. W. JOHNSON Calgary W. F. LUXTON W. E. MULLER G. H. PEOHLMAN Banff Munson Edmonton A. SHAPIRO K. TOMPKINS T. WALWORK Coal Valley Humboldt, Sask. I, B. SHAW Calgary B. WAYNE K. RIGBY SWALWELL W. DOWNEY (Aero 3) Strathmore Page twenty-three

Page 22 text:

AERONAUTICAL DEPARTMENT HE year 1939 was a great year for the Aero. Department, and, as these lines are being written, 1940 promises to be equally active and eventful. The regular First and Second Year Classes, comprising sixty- nine students with an additional four special Third Year students, concluded on June 23rd, 1939. The first special course of training for the R.C.A.F. under the Dominion-Provincial Youth Training Plan was organized immediately. This course was open only to students who had satisfactorily completed the regular two-year course in Aeronautics, and thirty-five trainees were enrolled. It consisted of an intesive three month’s course in shop work for Aero. Engine Fitters only. On July 24th the first regular course of train¬ ing for the R.C.A.F. under the D.-P. Plan was commenced. This included classes for Engine Fitters, Riggers, Electricians and Wire¬ less Operator Mechanics. In all, one hundred and five trainees were enrolled, but medical rejections reduced this number by about forty per cent. On October 17th the second regular course of R.C.A.F. training was inaugurated, with an enrollment of ninety- six, of whom sixteen were subsequently rejected as medically unfit. At the time of writing there are one hundred and twenty-one students receiving instruction under the auspices of the Aeronautical Department. Of these seventy are undergoing special training for the R.C.A.F. as Engine Fitters, Riggers, Wireless Operators and Electricians, fifty-one are taking the regular course in Aeronautics. Since the regular two-year course ended in June of last year, ten ex-students of the Department has secured positions with Short Brothers Ltd., of Rochester, Kent, England, builders of the famous Imperial Airways flying boats, while another has joined the West- land Aircraft Co. Ltd., of Yeovil, England. Thirteen more have secured employment in the Fleet Aircraft Co. factory at Fort Erie, two are with the Fairchild Co. at Longueil, Quebec, and one with the Pratt and Whitney Co , aircraft engine manufacturers of Mon¬ treal. It is very satisfactory to know that all these ex-students are doing well in their new jobs and upholding the reputation of the “Tech.” In addition, seventy-four trainees have joined or are about to join the R.C.A.F., since the courses of training under the D.-P. Plan were put into operation. In every case the trade tests were passed satisfactorily and the men were enlisted as skilled tradesmen. With the rapid growth of the Aeronautical Department during recent months a number of additional instructors have joined the staff. To these I should like to extend a welcome, and to express the hope that their association with the Department may be pro¬ longed and mutually beneficial. Arrangements are at present under consideration for the en¬ rollment of new classes for the training of mechanics for the R.C. A.F. and it is expected that this work will be enlarged and developed. That these plans may materialize, and that the Aero. Department may continue to make a useful contribution to the Empire’s war effort is to be sincerely hoped. In conclusion, may I wish every member of the Aero. Depart¬ ment “Good Luck and Happy Landings!” A. A. PEEBLES, Chief Instructor. EDITORIAL HIS year we are offering you a brand new Year Book — a new book and a new policy. You have probably already noticed the lack of biographies. If you had read them as I had to — well, your reaction would have been the same. Four hundred handsome boys meet four hundred charming ladies. You know the rest. So this year everyone is treated exactly alike — your name and your address. We have had no small amount of trouble using up this extra space and can only hope that our efforts have pleased you. In this year’s book you carry away with you a complete account of what each of you accomplished in your training, the way you worked and the ' way you played, and we have presented them in a way that everyone can see — in pictures. We are offering each of you the privilege of taking your family and your friends on an inspec¬ tion tour of the Institute buildings through the medium of the camera’s eye. So there you have it, gentle reader. We are proud of our efforts, may you be proud of your Year Book. Page twenty-two To those of you who are leaving us for service with Canada’s armed forces, to you in particular do we offer our best wishes. I wonder if McCrae realized how true his words were when he said: “To you from failing hands we throw the torch— be yours to hold it high.” How proud he would be if he knew how quickly Young Canada reached—grasped it—and high will hold it too. Our only prayer will be that the next Young Canada will not find it necessary to carry our torch through bloodshed as we are doing, and as our fathers have done before us. This is your job—you soldiers of the King, so do it well. There is another burden to carry—by those who stay behind— nor is the task a light one. Skilled technicians are required—yes and demanded, to keep the steady stream of material pouring into the inferno in Europe. So you see we are serving too. We are all serving, so that we may say to our Young Canada, “To you from failing hands we throw the torch — be yours to hold it high.” G. H.

Page 24 text:

Page twenty-four