PENNFIELD RIDGE AIR STATION PHOTOGRAPHS

Airplanes

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No.2 Air Navigation School (1941-1942)
"In low ceilings with poor visibility the Pennfield airport was hard to find. Other than receiving our base station radio bearings there were no landing aids. At night, many of us in such conditions, providing we could find the dull glow of the city of St. John from beneath the cloud, would descend over the glow in a wide spiral until we could find the west-bound highway from the city. When necessary we would descend to a few hundred feet above sea level to find it, and then follow this westerly road. With the landing check done and wheels down, after 12 minutes or so, upon seeing the road crossing the railroad track we had to do an immediate steep turn to starboard, rolling out on a heading of 348 degrees to the runway heading. The end of the runway should then be a few hundred feet ahead. Should we not see the railroad track or the runway, then we immediately applied full power to avoid the high ground on the far side of the airport. Fuel state permitting, we could then return to St. John to start all over again - if not? Then it was up to us to 'be creative'." F/L A.F. Coggon, former No.2 ANS Instructor (2005).
Westland Lysander 423	Westland Lysander 420 Et Al	Grumman Goblin 338
	Anson 6687
No.34 Operational Training Unit (1942-1944)
"The Ventura was probably more pleasant to fly than a Hudson, which was not a wise aircraft to three point. We were taught to three point the Vent' in daylight, but to not commit to a full stick back three pointer at night, when it was thought more safe to let the mainwheels make contact while still 'sinking on' and then pin it on to them while still unstalled with a small but positive amount of forward nose-down elevator at initial touchdown on the mainwheels while keeping straight with rudder and 'sloooooowly' allowing the (locked) tailwheel to come down. On a stormy night to commit  to a stick full-back touchdown when one's height above the pavement is not likely known accurately, is to risk a wingdrop with expensive results." P/O R.H. Fowler, graduate of Course No.20 (Pilots), No.34 OTU pilot (December 26, 2007). "I found the Lockheed Ventura a delightful aircraft to fly. It was unforgiving of stupid mistakes, which often had the unfortunate characteristic of being fatal. But if you flew them properly, they were very nice." F/Lt. S.W. Shapton, former BCATP Instructor and graduate of Course No.18 (Pilots), No.34 OTU pilot (September 5, 2007).
o Consolidated Canso & aircrew (1943)
Lockheed-Vega Ventura Mk.1	Lockheed Hudson Bomber (1943)	Lockheed Venturas
Ventura Coded "P2"	Ventura 2248 'B'	Ventura Coded "P2"
Ventura AJ164 being fueled
Canso on taxi-strip	Maintenance (ca1943)	Maintenance (ca1943)
Looking out No.5 Hangar	No.5 Hangar from highway	Ventura fueling
Ventura aircraft on runway	Ventura on runway	Ventura on runway
Snowplow and Ventura	Ventura sitting in Hangar No.2	8th Victory Loan Campaign (1944)
"Tea Time"	Ventura AE954	Ventura FD???
"F2" In Flight	Inside the Hangar	"G3" In Flight
	"Duty Flight"
RCAF Station, Pennfield Ridge (1944-1945)
Ventura 2245 'M'	Pennfield Ridge (1945)	Ventura 2249 'L'
Ventura On Approach - July 1944	Ventura On Approach - July 1944	Dakota - July 1944
Ventura Leaving - July 1944		Clearing The Runway

Aircraft Accidents and/or Mishaps

Ventura AE664 (1942)	Ventura AE923 (1942)	Ventura AJ173 (1943)
Ventura AE943 (1943)	Ventura AE678 (1943)	Ventura AE677 (1944)
Ventura AE907 (1944)	Ventura AE929	Ventura 2235 (1945)
	Bolingbroke 9190 (1945)

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