George Kirbyson looked very much at home in the cockpit of the CF-104 Starfighter at the Canadian Museum of Flight at the Langley Airport.

On Monday, April 1, the museum celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force, and Kirbyson, a White Rock resident, was among several veterans who attended.

B次元官网网址淚 could fly it again,B次元官网网址� Kirbyson smiled as he sat in the pilotB次元官网网址檚 seat..

B次元官网网址淚f I get the engines started, IB次元官网网址檓 sure I could fly it.B次元官网网址�

Kirbyson explained the jet on display at the museum was a B次元官网网址渄ual,B次元官网网址� a two-seater model for training, not quite identical to the single-seat supersonic fighter he spent 1200 hours flying in Europe during the Cold War era.

B次元官网网址淚t was a dream to fly and the job that we were doing with it was even more fantastic,B次元官网网址� Kirbyson recalled.

B次元官网网址淚t was all low level, doing photo reconnaissance. We flew all over Europe.B次元官网网址�

100 years ago, to the day, the RCAF was born.

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The museum marked the anniversary with a display of historic aircraft, cockpit tours, a salute by local air cadets to veterans, and a special reception for former military pilots.

One of those veterans was featured speaker George Miller, who managed the Langley Airport for 21 years.

Miller said he grew up in the RCAF, joining as soon as he turned 18.

B次元官网网址漈hey were like my mom and dad,B次元官网网址� Miller said.

Miller started out flying the F-86 Sabre, calling it B次元官网网址渁 bulwark aircraft of the Cold War.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 had three tours on the F-86 Sabre and then went on to fly the Starfighter which took its place, [and it flew] twice the speed of sound. The F-86 was was supersonic as well, but the Starfighter was [often called] a missile with a man in it.B次元官网网址�

Fellow RCAF fighter pilot Al French, a director of the museum, joined the RCAF in 1965 when he was 17.

B次元官网网址淚 had to get my parentB次元官网网址檚 permission.B次元官网网址�

He went on to pilot training and was selected to be a fighter pilot, spending six years flying Starfighters in Germany and Cold Lake, Alberta.

B次元官网网址淪till one of the fastest airplanes in the world,B次元官网网址� French noted, B次元官网网址渋ideal for the mission that we had in Germany, which was low level strike bombing.B次元官网网址�

French and Miller have known each other about 60 years, going back to when Miller had a tower built in the Mediterranean to teach RCAF pilots how to survive parachuting into the water.

B次元官网网址淭hey would drag us behind the speed boat as if we landed in the ocean in the high wind and we had to extricate ourselves,B次元官网网址� French recalled.

At least, the water was warm, French said, preferable to where they run the school today, B次元官网网址渋n the icy waters of Georgia Strait.B次元官网网址�

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