Bearcats and things
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Bearcats and things
Ten or twelve years ago a Canadian pilot posted intermittently on Jet Blast his reminiscences of a long and eventful life in aviation. I remember reading through tears of laughter his very detailed and descriptive dry sense of humour, recalling tales of crop-dusting/spraying/water-bombing (my memory's not that good now!) in converted warbirds such as the Bearcat and Avenger. I got the impression that these postings were prompted by his having been diagnosed with what he referred to as the "Big C", which I assumed was cancer.
Does anyone out there know what became of this superb storyteller (and aviator, obviously). I'm sure there's much more to tell, was his life storey ever published?
I would love to see it passed on to the whole new generation of pilots who've started their careers since then and have never known any flying other than straight-and-level with passengers.
Does anyone out there know what became of this superb storyteller (and aviator, obviously). I'm sure there's much more to tell, was his life storey ever published?
I would love to see it passed on to the whole new generation of pilots who've started their careers since then and have never known any flying other than straight-and-level with passengers.
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I suspect that you are refering to a gentleman that posted under the handle Duke Elegant. Les made his final flight 8 years ago last month. Lots of his stories reside over on AvCanada
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Thanks for the prompt responses gents, I've just re-read the first couple of stories ... and they are at least as good as I remember. Apologies to the Duke's memory for calling him Canadian, and to any who feel I should for confusing a Bearcat with the Avenger (in name only).
You don't necessarily have to be born in Canada to be a Canadian. When it comes to pilots, they don't get much more "Canadian" than Les and his contribution to aviation in Canada was significant in its own way. I still miss his stories.
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Apologies to the Duke's memory for calling him Canadian
with all due respect to our First Nations friends and neighbours