1 Air Division

I was personally involved in the "sale" of the two RCAF Comets. Regrettably, the disposition of these aircraft became quite complicated and messy.

RCAF Comets 5301 and 5302 were retired from service on 10 October 1963. Military policy at the time required all RCAF aircraft to be ferried to the Aircraft Maintenance and Disposal Unit (AMDU) at Mountain View when they were struck off strength for disposal. Mountain View was an old World War II flying field which was located close to RCAF Station Trenton. In accordance with this policy, the two RCAF Comet aircraft were ferried to Mountain View by 412 Squadron on 30 October 1963.

The bottom line - Comets 5301 and 5302 were "for sale". An interested buyer (Eldon Armstrong) from Crown Assets had made previous purchases and was negotiating both with Crown Assets and with others to whom he intended to resell both of the RCAF Comet aircaft (at a profit).

I flew a number of potential buyers to Mountain View to see the Comets. My log book verifies that I flew a total of 13 flights from Downsview to Mountain View in a Cessna 182 on 13 different occasions between 28 July 1965 and 10 October 1965. The various negotiations continued and the principal buyer decided that if he waited long enough the aircraft would be sold to him at scrap prices rather than as they were. That was an accurate but sad decision for the fate of the aircraft.

We arrived at Mountain View one evening in mid August 1965 to find 5301 sitting on the ramp on its main gear and tail with the nose cut off and gone, looking like a beheaded fish...horrible. Comet 5302 had all RCAF avionics and equipment stripped from it...or rather chopped out of it! Connectors were not undone, the cables were all cut. Equipment was not unbolted it was chopped out. Absolutely disgraceful!

I understand there subsequently was an investigation as to who had issued such orders and in particular chopping the nose off 5301, but I don't know the outcome. The result was one Comet was destroyed and it was harder to sell the one remaining Comet rather than two together. It took a long time and a lot of effort to repair the damage done to 5302. Eventually it was flown over to 6RD at Trenton where it was repainted blue and white with registration CF-SVR. Later it was ferried from Trenton to Mount Hope (Hamilton) where I with one of the ex-412 Squadron flight engineers would fire it up and taxi it around periodically.

Ownership of the aircraft had changed hands and was in dispute with litigation. Arrangements were being made with Transport Canada for a ferry flight to a buyer in BC when the aircraft was spirited away by another ex-412 Squadron crew and flown to Miami in January 1968 (via Malton to correct an undercarriage snag). The aircraft was destined, we understood, for Peru, but never turned a wheel again after parking in Miami and was eventually scrapped in 1975.

Whether it never flew again because of snags or because of the litigation surrounding the aircraft and its "theft" is unknown to me but it likely was both. All in all a depressing end to two glorious aircraft, precipitated by one or more idiots. Rather than cutting the nose off (crudely!) and chopping up the remains of the aircraft, it is so sad that 5301 was not simply flown to Rockcliffe and parked along with the other museum derelicts.

Having had the nose section of 5301 in storage there about 35 years, I'm afraid it's very unlikely that the museum will ever find the resources and space to refurbish the nose of 5301 and put it on display. Display plans relayed to me a few years ago have not materialized and the museum now has its hands full with the new construction plans. These will not be completed for many years hence and in any case are focussed on saving the large aircraft that have been rotting away outside for 30 years or more. Now...if the museum had Comet 5301, instead of just the decapitation product, it likely would have been the prime beneficiary of the expansion!

Courtesy of Robert Fassold