The CMS is a proud member of:
The official eNewsletter of the CALGARY MOSQUITO SOCIETY
Retain, Restore, Honour and Educate
Welcome to Volume 5 (December 28, 2008)
Best of the Season to all
INCORPORATION. Papers have been re-filed with under the longer and more explicit name of The Calgary Mosquito Aircraft Preservation Society. Thanks for the
suggestions and input. (Even to those who suggested a civil servant barbeque). We hope that will satisfy the provincial powers-that-be. It will still take a few weeks so we cannot
open a bank account until this is finalized. If you wrote a cheque, please be patient. We'll call a proper meeting with elections and such once this is in hand.
PHOTOS and STORIES. As we make our intentions and desires known, more people are contacting us with photos and stories. Check the website at
www.calgarymosquitosociety.com for a great photo of 'HMS generously provided by Andy Dawson of
www.mossie.org and some of the best colour photos I have ever seen of Spartan Mossies taken in Winnipeg and provided by Wayne McKenzie. Our
thanks to both for the images and support.
Bob Bolivar, a former Spartan navigator has been talking to other former co-workers about our efforts and in turn people are getting in touch with us. Very cool stuff coming from
this! In the past couple of weeks, I had emails from Bob Zeiman, a former camera operator on CF-HMS and Betty Campbell who worked for Spartan in the 1950s and spent 30 years with the
Survey and Mapping Branch of Energy Mines and Resources. Betty's husband Jack flew P-38s for Spartan and later founded Capital Air Surveys. Betty is sending us a DVD she produced
about the early years for the September reunion of 'Air Survey' people. A very big THANKS to the Bobs and to Betty for getting in touch and offering to help preserve the stories,
histories and images that make HMS so significant to Canada. Your efforts help us to fulfill part of our madate to "Honour and Educate", beyond Retaining and Restoring the airplane.
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Aero Space Museum.
As directed by the committee of City Council on November 5, city staff, working with the Aero Space Museum, are holding an open house to get public input on the future of these two
airplanes. Nice idea and so far, so good. Where this goes completely off track is that city staff have devised a questionnaire that they will ask everyone to fill out at the open
house. It would appear from the built in biases in the questionnaire that city staff, are still supporting the Aero Space Museum's desire and intention to sell either or both
airplanes.
WHAT TO DO? I suggest that you:
1) Show up; bring a friend, bring family, bring people willing to support you as it is open to anyone, and have your say, but
2) DO NOT answer the YES/NO, sell either or both airplane, narrow, limited, misguided questions.
3) DO use the "Please explain your choice" spaces on the questionnaire to write out what you actually want, or better still,
4) Look at the attached questionnaire and write out your own answers, desires, or vision for what you want to see and submit that.
5) If you cannot attend the meetings, send your responses to me and/or directly to the city's staff person, Gerry Laing at gerard.laing@calgary.ca
6) Drop all city alderman a note at alderweb@calgary.ca, or your specific alderman
(a link can be found through this page) and tell
them what you think of how this process is being corrupted and does not meet their direction that city staff examine ALL options
7) Please cc me if you do send anything in, and please let me know if you have other ideas or suggestions on this issue.
There is no allowance in the questionnaire for options such as the Calgary Mosquito Society doing all the necessary fundraising to restore the Mosquito while allowing the City to
retain ownership. As it stands, this questionnaire reminds of the nasty old line about whether someone is still beating their spouse. No matter how you respond, you are guilty and
disgraced. If you respond to this questionnaire as it is written, you are supporting the sale or disposal of either or both airplanes. Read it and ask yourself 'where is the
passion, the determination, the vision, the guts, or the get it done regardless attitude'? Clearly nonexistent with the people authoring or supporting this kind of document and
process. (Excuse me while I go lie down for a minute and let the blood pressure mediation kick in...).
OTHER MOSSIE DOINGS. Latest word is that Bob Jens's Mosquito, CF-HML is still in Vancouver awating better weather before being shipped across the straits for
completion by Victoria Air Maintenance. It has also been reported that he is now planning to finish 'HML in its Spartan colours! Also a correction, thanks to Peter Cromer, that the
next big warbird show at Wanaka NZ, for which Gerry Yagen is targetting completion of his Mosquito, is in 2010, not 2009 as I misreported in Bytes #4.
HOPE TO SEE MOST OF YOU JAN 6 or 7, AS I WILL BE ATTENDING BOTH EVENING TO WITNESS GOINGS ON. Until then, my thanks as always for your interest, passion, support and efforts.
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Richard de Boer
Prez (pro tem), CMS
403-235-1350
