FAIRVIEW AIRCRAFT RESTORATION SOCIETY

The Fairview Aircraft Restoration Society (FARS) initiates the summer by preparing the historic PBYS A Canso aircraft for the flying season. This preparation includes an annual mandatory inspection extensive cleaning and minor repairs carried out by 3 to 4 volunteers under the supervision of a qualified Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. The team contributes 150 to 200 volunteer hours. Each June FARS hosts the 'Yellow School Bus Historic Aircraft Tour' for grade 6 students. The tour features 3 to 4 stations where members present the aircraft's unique features. Each class spends about 2 hours on the tour which is scheduled over 3 to 4 days accommodating 2 classes per day. Following this FARS organizes the Annual Father's Day Fly-In Breakfast typically hosting 4-500 visitors at the Fairview Municipal Airport. Throughout the summer FARS participates in 3 to 4 airshows across western Canada flying the aircraft with a minimum crew of 8 members—4 flight crew and 4 ground crew. The display at each airshow includes 3 to 4 stations where the aircraft's features and history are explained. After each event the display is dismantled and returned to the home base. Each airshow involves approximately 400 volunteer hours. In 2024 a s part of its ongoing programming FARS undertook the ambitious 'Canso Across Canada tour' traveling to Nova Scotia for the memorial service of one of its honorary flight crew members from the 2017 First Flight of the Canso veteran F/O James McRae who passed away at the age of 106. On the return trip as part of the 100th Anniversary of the RCAF the tour participated in an airshow at Trenton the July 1st celebrations on P.E.I. and displays in Sioux Lookout Thunder Bay and Winnipeg. The aircraft and crew were gone for over a month.

Our feature aircraft is a PBY A Canso aircraft. This aircraft was built in 1943 at a factory at Carterville Que and was taken on force by the Royal Canadian Air Force as a patrol bomber and search and rescue aircraft. It served in this capacity primarily over the north Atlantic with the RCAF until the end of World War II. Restoration is ongoing with FARS’ 1947 Aeronca Chief and the newly acquired T-33 (T-Bird) training jet which become a static display at the Fairview Municipal Airport. Activities for the summer of 2025 include the School Children tours 4 fly-in/airshow events and being part of a opening ceremony for a Veteran’s House in Edmonton. Anticipated volunteer time for the summer projects will be well in excess of 1500 hours.