Remembering Don McClure - The Whip
 

Around the world to thousands he was known as The Whip. He was Don McClure who managed the Moncton Flying Club for thirty years. On January 5 he would have been ninety years of age. On the occasion family and friends are going to meet at The Moncton Airforce Veterans Club to toast an individual whose achievements in flight training resulted in his induction into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. To mark this event a Facebook page has been created and individuals are encouraged to share their stories about The Whip.

https://www.facebook.com/DonMcclureTheWhip

Unfortunately I do not do Facebook.

Did my training at the Moncton Flight Center(as it was then called) more 25 years ago.
Met and spoke with Don several time, a really great man with a lot of passion, loved by all the students.

Yeah, I refuse to do facebook.

I worked as an instructor at McClure's Flying Circus in the mid '70's. As with many, many others, I have lots of stories featuring Don as the principle character. I have enjoyed tipping an ale or two over the years with friends as we swapped memories of those days.

My schedule shows me sitting in MIA on January 5th for 48hrs. I'll raise a quiet one to The Whip.

604
 

Where you the guy that put the $ sign on the roof of the building?:ok: That was funny.

Met a lot of guys from the Caribbean. Most I think are flying for Liat Airlines or so it was back then.

Still got the guys from Canada who never thought we would make it to an Airline, but we did.:D

Mr. McClure ran a good ship back then and I have fond memories. Tough but good.

I did a PPL cross country with a Cherokee, YZV - YQM RON, YQM - YCL - YZV the next day. I had hangar space at the MFC for the airplane overnight. The CFI of our club, Jack Last, was a good friend of Don's and knew just how he hated to see an airplane sitting around idle. Jack stuttered a bit, so his instructions to me before departure went like this... "Make sure you l-l-lock the airplane up because that fa-fa- :mad: McLure will have it f-f-flyin' all night." :D

Get Flying!
 

The person being warned to lock his airplane reminded me of some stories of a similar nature.

In 1966 I was working for Don as an instructor doing mainly instrument instruction. He came out of his office saw me sitting in dispatch and saw a Cherokee parked front on to the window. I got a lecture about sitting around while there students waiting for instrument instruction and on top of this an idle aircraft! I was bluntly told to get a student and get flying. When I pointed out the Saint John flying Club would probably get a bit cross if we used their plane the only thing that came out of Don was “Oh”.

Another time Don came out of his office and told a young guy to go pre-flight the Cherokee sitting on the ramp. The guy started to protest but Don told him he didn’t have time to argue. The dispatcher saw the guy heading out to the aircraft and told Don he was there to service the vending machines and wasn’t a student at all.

That's the Don I remember.:ok: