12 | FLIGHTPATHNews
A Northrop Nomad in target-tug configuration
and colours. [Canadian Department of Defence]RCAF Northrop Nomad
Recovery Planned
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
plans to raise a W.W.II Northrop Nomad
from its resting place in Lake Muskoka, On-
tario, Canada this October. The RCAF will
use their recovery and salvage section from
8 Wing Trenton, with divers from the Fleet
Diving Unit from the Atlantic region, and
the aircraft will be delivered to the National
Air Force Museum in Trenton, Ontario.
On 13 December 1940, Flight Lieutenant Pe-
ter Campbell RAF and Leading Aircraftsman
Theodore ‘Ted’ Bates RCAF went missing
when their aircraft, Nomad 3521, was involved
in a mid-air collision with another aircraft, No-
mad 3512, while on a search for a missing air-
men themselves. Only Nomad 3512 and its
crew were subsequently located at the time.
In September 2013, the RCAF announced
that the remains of Flt Lt Campbell and LAC
Bates were successfully recovered, and
were laid to rest with military honours at
Woodlawn Memorial Park in Guelph, On-
tario. The remains of the airmen were lo-
cated and recovered by members of the
Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit
(Atlantic) during a dive to the aircraft
wreckage in Lake Muskoka in October 2012.
The Northrop A-17 was a military develop-
ment of the Northrop Gamma. Obsolete at
the start of W.W.II, the RAF and the RCAF
acquired the type (naming it ‘Nomad’) for
training purposes as part of the British
Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Initially
used at Camp Borden, Ontario, to check out
qualified civilian pilots, in 1941, they were
modified as target-tugs for gunnery training
at various schools in Quebec and Ontario.
No other British Commonwealth-operat-
ed Nomads survive - one USAAC Northrop
A-17 is on display at the National Museum of
the USAF, and a Douglas 8A-3P (the export
model) is on external display at the museum
of the Fuerza Aérea del Perú (FAP - Peru-
vian Air Force). James KightlyAlso taking place during the Reno National
Championship Air Races (see page 76) was
the National Aviation Heritage Invitational,
now in its 16th year. With six categories to
compete in, the Grand Champion award
went Dave and Jeanne Allen of Colorado
and their 1934 Waco YKC. The Classic tro-
phy went to Josh and Junelle of Washington
with their 1947 Cessna 140 and the Antique
Trophy was given to Tim Weston of Wash-
ington and his red 1944 Howard DGA-15P.
The Large Trophy went to Rick Clemens of
nearby Carson City and his 1944 Douglas A-
26C. Winning both the People’s Choice and
the Military Trophy’s was Brian Reynolds
and his white-tailed Goodyear FG-1D Cor-
sair from Olympia Washington. Others de-
serving mention were a huge GeeBee QED
replica, a Lockheed Vega DL-1 Special, and
a Grumman F3F-2. Roger CainReno
Invitational
Awards
Brian Reynolds’ 1945 Goodyear FG-1D Corsair won
both the People’s Choice and Military NAHI Award.Rick Clemens departs for home after winning the
Large Aircraft award in the NAHI competition.The Boeing B-747 Prototype, RA001 undergoing refurbishment at the Museum of Flight
in Seattle, Washington, USA. [John Freedman]Boeing’s First 747 Jumbo Jet Refurbished
News from the Museum Of Flight in Seattle, Washing-
ton, USA is that they have restored the Boeing B-
Prototype, RA001. It will wear the same scheme it had
when it rolled out of the factory on 30 September 1968.
The City Of Everett first took to the air on 9 Febru-
ary 1969, and was used to test further 747 improve-
ments until it was retired in October 1983. But the story
did not end there, it returned to test the Pratt & Whit-
ney 4084 engines in 1993.
Since then it had deteriorated from outdoor storage,
and was in desperate need of care, its once-gleaming
paint scheme had faded and was flaking off. Now the
‘Queen of the skies’ looks as good as she did when she
shocked the world on her launch. The museum has
plans to build another huge building to keep her and the
other outdoor exhibits from the elements, so that future
generations can see her in her glory. John Freedman