Visitors at the Okanagan Military Museum take a look at the Sabre 86 seat.
(CARLI BERRY / iNFOnews.ca)
November 09, 2022 - 7:30 AM
His name isn’t on Kelowna’s cenotaph or in the Field of Crosses but this year, the life of a Rutland jet fighter pilot will be remembered.
Edward Welters was born in Rutland in 1931 and grew up in the Okanagan. In 1951, he served with the Royal Canadian Air Force with the No. 414 All-Weather Fighter Squadron in Germany as part of NATO’s commitment to protecting Europe from a Soviet Union invasion during the Cold War.
Welters was part of an all-Canadian acrobatic team called The Skylancers, similar to the Canadian Forces Snowbirds of today, flying F-86 Sabre aircrafts.
F 86 Sabres flying in formation
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Okanagan Military Museum
They practiced air interceptions and dog fights with allied planes and performed roughly 20 shows in 1955 but four of five pilots, including Welters, were killed in 1956 during a training flight. He was only 24.
A display, complete with an old Sabre aircraft ejection seat, has been set up along with a poster honouring Welters at the Okanagan Military Museum in Kelowna.
“They were doing their aerobatics above a cloud level and when they broke through the clouds, they were too low,” said military historian Keith Boehmer.
READ MORE: Security bolstered for Kelowna Remembrance Day ceremony
Three years after the fatal crash, a new team, flying F 86 Sabres called the Golden Hawks, entertained Canadian and American audiences from 1959 to 1963, according to military museum documents.
“It’s a little different from our usual wartime remembrance stories because it’s not directly related to the First or Second World Wars, or even Korea but it speaks to those who also served in other capacities and in this case, for entertainment, showcasing air force expertise among the NATO allies.”
The aerobatics section of the Canadian Air Force officially began in 1929, called the Siskins, with three Armstrong Whitworth Siskin biplanes, building their reputation for performing daring maneuvers until 1932.
The Snowbirds are the fifth generation of Canada's aerobatic teams, which includes Siskins, the Blue Devils, the Golden Hawks, and Golden Centennaires. In 1971, the Snowbirds officially adopted its name.
READ MORE: Grounded Snowbirds cleared for flight; making stop in Penticton on way to home base
These groups would often form in secret first with daring pilots testing their machines' capabilities before teams were formed. Many demonstration teams were short-lived, including The Skylancers, Boehmer said.
“Each of these groups had some similar sort of stories where someone was a rogue pilot… there’s stories of flying different types of aircrafts under Niagara Falls’ bridge and other stunts,” he said, before they formalized and began show circuits.
With Remembrance Day, there’s a common perception of veterans and those who have fallen as people who died in dire combat situations but this display provides an example of a skilled pilot who was capable of flying these Sabre fighters against West Germany and the Soviets, Boehmer said.
“By being a part of a demonstration flight, they’re showing their group acrobatics and the skills that go with that which is indicative of their individual flight skills,” he said. “There are so many other people behind the bigger stories and the epic battles.”
Welters’ story was presented to the military museum by the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation.
A Remembrance Day ceremony will be held in Kelowna at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at the City Park cenotaph. You can also visit the Okanagan Military Museum for a Remembrance Day Open House from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
READ MORE: Remembering unlikely war hero George McLean, his battle at Vimy Ridge and his infamous roots
Edward Welters of Rutland
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Okanagan Military Museum
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