Tom Cooke takes the cake

Thomas C. Cooke, a founder of the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, was honoured today as a pioneer of Canadian aviation.

Cooke was recognized at a special ceremony at the Sault Ste. Marie facility he helped conceive more than 15 years ago with Norman Green.

He'll be formally inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame June 12 at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga.

Cooke is "a quiet and self-effacing man who did not seek publicity," Green said today.

Shortly after the centre was founded, Cooke took over as president.

"We've been together since day one," said Green. "To know him is to love him."

Cooke was also instrumental in designing the float-mounted water tanks used on many bushplanes; including the DHC-2 Beaver (shown).

This design, along with other Cooke innovations, have helped to make Canada a leader in forest management and fire control, Bushplane Museum officials said today.

Cooke also developed an effective method for pick-up of water by skimming the surface of a lake and precisely dropping it onto forest fires and a float-mounted carrier for transporting canoes and bulky materials on float planes.

A battle with a U-boat

"I had to use evasive action to keep their guns off me," said Cooke, describing a battle he was engaged in with a German U-boat in World War 2.

"I was taking some flak .... The last 300 meters both our guns quit. They had four 20mm cannons and we only had a couple machine guns."

Cooke sank that U-boat and won the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944 for his bravery. "I had a good tail-gunner," he laughed.

Cooke was also an instructor with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

He had a 37-year career with the Ontario Provincial Air Service and was its director for 11 years.

Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Hall of Fame

Also taking the spotlight today were three engineers, recognized for feats in the Canadian aircraft maintenance industry.

The Bushplance Museum made a home for them in its new Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Hall of Fame.

The first three inductees are:

James Chatham Leggat (Markham, Ont.) Clinton D. Shannon (Halifax, N.S) Nils Chistensen (Salt Spring Island, B.C.)

The maintenance hall of fame will be permanently housed at the Bushplane Museum with the names commemorated on a plaque.

"We have been discussing the Aircraft Engineers Hall of Fame since 1999 and today it becomes a reality," said Don Johnson, general manager of the Bushplane Museum.

The maintenance hall of fame recognizes people whose aircraft maintenance contributions have benefited the Canadian Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME).

They must be licenced AMEs or design engineers. Inductees do not have to be native to Canada.

New inductees will be unveiled annually.