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- 4135 George W. Hosang (RMC 1958)

After RMC, George went to Portage la Prairie, MB to finish his RCAF flying training on T-33’s. He received his wings, in August, 1958, then obtained his BASc in Mech Eng with honours at U of T in April, 1959.

Next, it was back to Portage for the instrument flying rating and on to #3 AW (F) OTU at Cold

Lake, AB for CF-100 conversion in October, 1959. Then it was off to 425 Alouette Squadron at St. Hubert, QC in April, 1960. What an exhilarating job and existence it was, flying high above the weather and, in those days, most of the other air traffic except the odd DC-8! George’s desire and goal from his youth to fly the CF-100 had been achieved!

In August, 1960 George married Karen Whitney from Sydney, NS, a nurse/stewardess for Trans Canada Airlines, as they were known then.

In April, 1961 CF-100 retirement began with disbandment of 425 Squadron. George was among those transferred to the other CF-100 St. Hubert Squadron, 416 Lynx. It too was disbanded the following August. Still at St. Hubert, the Electronic Warfare Unit there was being greatly expanded with added CF-100’s. Long non-stop trips to the James Bay area and return as “pretend Soviets” supplanted practice intercepts, detachments to Chatham, NB, and air-to-air rocket firing back at Cold Lake. One real EWU highlight was a flight to Frobisher Bay via Goose Bay for the continent-wide Sky Shield II exercise in October, 1961. The return to Montréal at night provided a spectacular show of the Northern Lights.

George was disappointed in early 1962 that the RCAF was not then interested in sponsoring postgraduate studies for aircrew. He obtained an engineering position with Rolls-Royce Canada, RCAF service ending in April. His first assignment was on the Tyne 5300 HP turboprop on Canadair’s CL-44 in service with the RCAF, as the Yukon, and three US freight airlines. After a year or so dealing with all rotating components except the bearings, he was switched to those and all other oil-wetted parts. For those two years, George flew C-45’s and Otters in 401 City of Westmount Reserve Squadron. Then, in late1964, R-R support was offered for a one-year sabbatical for an Athlone Fellowship, providing study at a UK university. The University of Leeds had a 12-month MSc course in friction, wear, lubrication, and bearing technology, the exact field of choice. So, Fellowship won, in September, 1965 Karen and George left for Leeds, their two little girls in tow. They returned to Montréal in December, 1966 with George’s MSc, after a stint at R-R Derby, England.

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