Original Posted By: Replicraft(at)aol.com
To Ken Beanlands,Was looking at one of your recent messages to the PietenpolDiscussion Group in which you mentioned the loss of the pro-totype Canadair Challenger and its test pilot.I knew Norm Ronaasen well. We were classmates during highschool here in Camrose (Camrose Lutheran College, in thosedays) and graduated in June 1947. He was an exceptional per-son and, from all accounts, a superb pilot. We, who knew himwell, still mourn his loss.During the early 1960's he was based at Cold Lake flying CF104'sand one summer they were temporarily moved to Namao. I hap-pened to be home on time off from flying helicopters on the AlbertaForest Service contract when he phoned me and came over for avisit at our home in Sherwood Park. We had a great time reminisc-ing and getting caught up on things. He invited me to the officers'mess for lunch the next day, and I got shown around the base byNorm and his buddies. Even got to sit in the cockpit of a CF104!That was the only time we saw each other after high school, but wesort of kept in touch via mutual friends and acquaintances until histragic death in 1980.Norm built an nice Emeraude which is kept by his brother Arne wholives on the family farm in the Barrhead area. Apparently, he carriedpieces of that Emeraude all over during the years he was posted todifferent places with the RCAF. I'm not sure just when he was able tocomplete it, but it was under construction for quite a few years.I have a video tape from The Fifth Estate TV program made during theearly 1980's that covers Norm's life and the events leading to hisdeath.If you have not seen it, I could make you a copy.As you pointed out, deep stalls are generally a problem with aircraftthathave high-mounted horizontal tail surfaces. The Challenger has this andI recall that the prototype BAC111 (I think it was) airliner was lostwith theentire test crew when it simply mushed all the way to the ground in adeepstall. It also had a T-tail. I'm very glad Pietenpols (and Christavias)don'thave them! Cheers,Graham (Pietenpol CF-AUN)________________________________________________________________________________
Pietenpol-List: Deep stalls....
Pietenpol-List: Re: Deep stalls....
Original Posted By: Doug Sheets
He's a guy I would love to have met. The story I related was myrecolection of that very Fifth Estate TV program you mentioned. If Iremember correctly, wasn't he also involved with the ill-fated Avro Arrowtest flight program? The show certainly portrayed him as a Canadian hero,which he rightly deserved.KenOn Sat, 15 May 1999, Graham Hansen wrote:> I have a video tape from The Fifth Estate TV program made during the > early 1980's that covers Norm's life and the events leading to his death.> If you have not seen it, I could make you a copy. > > Cheers,> > Graham (Pietenpol CF-AUN)________________________________________________________________________________
He's a guy I would love to have met. The story I related was myrecolection of that very Fifth Estate TV program you mentioned. If Iremember correctly, wasn't he also involved with the ill-fated Avro Arrowtest flight program? The show certainly portrayed him as a Canadian hero,which he rightly deserved.KenOn Sat, 15 May 1999, Graham Hansen wrote:> I have a video tape from The Fifth Estate TV program made during the > early 1980's that covers Norm's life and the events leading to his death.> If you have not seen it, I could make you a copy. > > Cheers,> > Graham (Pietenpol CF-AUN)________________________________________________________________________________