By Martin Zeilig
Bill Stunden and Woody Linton were using their modernized ham radios to connect with other such enthusiasts in Canada and elsewhere from under a military tent set up under the wing of an old Buffalo aircraft at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada on August 9 and 10.
Welcome to Buffalos on the Air.
The two longtime amateur radio enthusiasts were using the former RCAF aircraft’s antenna to speak with their fellow operators in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Ottawa, Ontario, Kenora, Ontario and several other locations in Canada and in other countries.
“This is an effort to connect six Buffalo aircraft, which have been preserved in museums across Canada, using their long range antennas and modern ham radio equipment for those aircraft to talk to each other and other people in the amateur radio world, who wish to listen to us or talk to us,” Gord Crossley, 17 Wing Heritage Officer, said.
Mr. Crossley helped organize the ham radio event at the museum.
“So, we have volunteers here who brought their own equipment and connected it to the aircraft,” he added.
“They’re talking right now to other Buffalo aircraft operators, as well as other interested ham radio operators around the world. They’re keeping a log of everything they do. Later on, the people who have connected with us will receive a postcard in the mail with a picture of the Buffalo.”
It was a fitting way to use the legendary, albeit immobile, aircraft on that particular weekend.
August 9th marked the 50th anniversary that nine Canadian Armed Forces members with the United Nations peace mission in Egypt were killed (August 9, 1974), when their Buffalo aircraft 115461 was shot down in a Syrian missile attack while making a routine supply run to the mission in the Golan Heights, says the Veterans Affairs Canada website.
“For this reason, August 9 has been declared National Peacekeepers' Day in Canada. The unit was stationed in Ismailia, Egypt, a small city next to the Suez Canal,” says the online information.
It was the single highest loss of Canadian lives since Canada began to participate in international peace missions, it notes.
“The first CC-115 Buffalos were stationed at 429 Squadron in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, where they performed a medium tactical transport role, such as transportation of troops and equipment,” says the Government of Canada website.
“In the 1970s, most of the Buffalo fleet were transitioned to search and rescue (SAR) operations at 413 Squadron (Summerside, Prince Edward Island), 424 Squadron (Trenton, Ontario), 440 Squadron (Edmonton, Alberta) and 442 Squadron (Comox, British Columbia). As a SAR aircraft, the Buffalo was capable of performing searches over land and sea, supporting rescues and searches with illumination flares, as well as parachuting SAR Technicians, rescue supplies and equipment to aeronautical and marine emergencies. It was also used for medical evacuations and transport.”
The final operational flight for the CC-115 Buffalo aircraft was on January 15, 2022 by 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron, based out of 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia. Canada’s new search and rescue aircraft will be the CC-296 Kingfisher.
In the meantime, the Buffalo, which is still be flown in a number of other countries for commercial purposes, will still serve as grounded stations for ham radio operators in Winnipeg and other parts of Canada.
Mr. Stunden, a retired CBC camera operator and longtime amateur radio operator, commented that ham radio technology is still a valuable asset.
“The technologies are really interesting,” he said.
“It’s there for emergency service. If there are any problems with emergency service, we can be there. We can operate on twelve volts around the world, on a car battery on a piece of wire. It’s just interesting to be able to have those capabilities.”
Mr. Linton, a retired police officer who lives in Kenora, remarked that ham radio is still popular because digital technology “can leave us” at any moment.
“So, this type of equipment is always there for you,” he said.
“When the internet goes down, you lose your television service and you’re unable to talk to grandma in San Diego. We can do that. We also access email without the internet. There are younger people coming along too.”
Then, in a static ridden call, Mr. Linton conversed briefly on his ham radio set with Chris in Kenora.
They agreed to speak again the next day.
“Bravo Uniform Foxtrot Whiskey out,” Mr. Linton said.