All Weather Fighter Association

Len Sturch passed away on 4th November 2024, at Kenwyn Rest Home and Hospital in Te Aroha, New Zealand, in his 87th year.

Born in London on 21 May 1938, Len joined the RCAF on 12 April 1957. He graduated from 2AOS Winnipeg on 22 April 1958 as an Air Observer/AL.

After graduating Course 66, at the Cold Lake CF 100 3 AW(F) OTU on 15 January 1959, he joined 416 AW(F) Squadron in Montreal in February 1959. In July 1961, Len was posted to Bagotville Operations, where he remained until being posted to 423 AW(F) at 2(F) Wing at Grostenquin, France in October 1961, during the NATO build up at the beginning of the Cold War.

Len then moved to Uplands, Ottawa, Operations, until he left the RCAF as Flight Lieutenant Sturch on 3 October 1964, together with many others.

After leaving the RCAF, Len travelled to Sydney, Australia, where he worked for QANTAS for 18 months, before moving to Auckland, New Zealand to fly with Air New Zealand as a navigator. Len met his wife, Elizabeth while flying with Air New Zealand, and they had two children, Robert and Kate.

Len built a number of yachts in the late 70s and early 80s, most notable the trimaran Banshee, which won a number of races, and Peregrine II. Len and his family sailed Peregrine across the Pacific in the early 80s, with Len using the celestial navigation skills from his RCAF days and AirNZ, to navigate from Auckland to Seattle and return.

Len continued his love of travel, visiting his family in England, and many friends in Canada through the years. He spent his life learning, inventing and exploring, and spent many hours building things for others in his workshop both in Auckland and in the Waikato.

Len is survived by his son Robert (Sarah) and two granddaughters Harriet and Hazel in Sydney, Australia, and his daughter Kate (Terry) and grandson Max in Canberra Australia.

ROBERT "Bob" LYNN GILLET (Major, RCAF, Ret’d) of Trenton, Ontario, in his 86th year, slipped peacefully into the arms of God at Hospice Quinte, July 12^th, in the year of our Lord 2024, surrounded by loved ones. Born September 17, 1938 in Port Arthur, Ont, Bob is predeceased by his precious daughter Leah (May ’63 - June ‘69); his wife Bernice Gillet, nee: Murphy (2023); parents Marcel Gillet (1910 - 1997) & Winifred Gillet, nee: Locking (1915 - 1986); sister, Leah Kreewin, nee Gillet (2017). Bob is survived by his loving son Robert A. Gillet (Kingston), his devoted companion, caregiver & best friend, Sharleine Haycock (Belleville), nieces Debra Hannaford (Dave), Brenda Bedard (Becki), Sherry Morettin (Roland), nephew Eric Morettin, cousins Doris Kawulia and Drew Locking (Cecile). We will always remember Bob as being “fighting fit.” He served his country in the RCAF (1956 – 1994) an Airborne Intercept Navigator, flying the air defence mission with 416 Lynx Sqn - ‘Ad Saltum Paratus’ (Ready for the Leap) and 409 Nighthawk Sqn - 'Media Nox Meridies Noster' (Midnight is our Noon). He subsequently served two tours as Chief Air Traffic Controller (CFB Bagotville & CFB Portage La Prairie); completing his service as Chief Admin Officer, Central Region Cadet HQ, CFB Trenton. Bob loved the theatre and was very involved during his RCAF days. Golf was his other passion. He will be sorrowfully missed by his family and all those who knew and loved him; especially his loving companion, Sharleine, beloved son Robert, RCAF Comrades and his ‘bestest buddy’ Marion Chalut, who was like family. Bob will also be fondly remembered by Cathy & Stan Hart, niece Caitlin Bedard and nephews Mike & Chris Clark. His sense of humour will linger on and cheer our hearts.

Thank you for your service to your country, Bob. A life well lived; God rest your sweet soul.

A Private Celebration of Bob's Life will be held at a later date.

If desired, donations in memory of Bob can be made to these Royal Canadian Air Force organizations:

Royal Canadian Air Force Association "Per Ardua Ad Astra" https://www.rcafassociation.ca, National Air Force Museum of Canada http://airforcemuseum.ca/eng, 413 Wing (Trenton) - Royal Canadian Air Force Association https://www.rcafassociation.ca or the National Air Force Museum Foundation https://nafmcfoundation.com/#donate

September 14, 1948 to April 28, 2024. Hank was born in Haarlem, Netherlands and passed away at the North Bay Regional Health Centre after a multi-year battle with cancer. Predeceased by his father, HENRI DIELWART and mother VERONICA DIELWART (BRAAM). Predeceased by brother GEORGE HENRI JOSEPH DIELWART. Survived by brother JOHN DIELWART and sister MARLIES VINCENT.

Henri to his family, and Hank to all his friends and colleagues, was the oldest of 4 children. After he joined the Air Force Hank was also known by the callsign RHINO, or nicknames HORSE and THE HANKSTER, depending on the venue.

The family emigrated from The Netherlands to Canada (via the USA) in 1951 and settled in BOWNESS, a community near CALGARY which was eventually amalgamated with that city.

Father Henri died in 1955; so the family was raised by their single Mom Veronica. Hank’s mother was injured in a car accident soon after and could not work full time. However, the family struggled on with help from their Catholic Church parish and the local community.

From his earliest years Hank developed a strong interest in aviation. When he was 10 years old he began building and hand painting model aircraft (mostly military). His works were so detailed and well executed that the Hudson Bay Company commissioned him to build models for their in-store displays when he was only 15.

Hank joined the Air Cadets as soon as he became eligible and would walk and bus to Calgary to attend parades, returning with a big smile on his face. He excelled in most things he did and completed high school as an honour student.

Aviation was Hank’s lifelong passion. In the summer of 1966 he started training for his PRIVATE PILOT LICENCE at the Victoria Flying Club in Sidney B.C. He logged his FIST SOLO FLIGHT there in July 1966. He applied to the RCAF and was enrolled on 6 January 1967. After a number of flights on the Chipmunk (DHC 1) aircraft as a military student pilot, Hank was transferred in August 1967 to the Air Navigation School (ANS) in Winnipeg where he began Navigator training on a DC 3. During this time Hank completed his CIVILIAN PILOT training with The Winnipeg Flying Club and received his Private Pilot Licence.

The next step for Hank in November 1968 was training as an Air Intercept Navigator in Bagotville with 410 (AW) Operational Training Squadron. He flew back seat in the SILVER STAR (CT-33) and VOODOO (CF 101) aircraft. On completion, in May 1969, he assumed his position as an Air Intercept Navigator with 409 Squadron in COMOX B.C.

Participating in the NORAD air defence mission and associated exercises, Hank remained posted to Comox until the end of 1972. During this time he continued his interests as a civilian pilot and acquired his first aircraft: a small home-built with an open cockpit that was made of plywood and powered by a Volkswagen engine. The entire plane was designed to be partially dissembled to fit on a standard trailer for road transport. It was so tiny in comparison to Hank that it looked like a toy. However, Hank was more interested in flying than how it looked so he flew it extensively.

His next posting was a ground or ‘desk job’. He was posted to Val d'Or Quebec, a detachment of 425 Sqn, and also spent time on the DEW Line. Being in a ground job did not dissuade Hank from flying. He continued, of course, to fly as a Civilian Pilot. However, he would also volunteer to fly as a navigator with 425 Sqn during his time off and when on leave. He logged so many hours that he maintained his combat ready currency on both of his primary aircraft (the Voodoo and the T-Bird). Besides his recreational flying and military flying as a navigator, while in the Far North Hank volunteered to work as a spotter for search and rescue missions in Twin Otter, Buffalo, and Hercules aircraft.

In 1975 Hank received a new posting to 416 Squadron based at CFB Chatham, New Brunswick, where he returned to flying the Voodoo. On the civilian flying side, even though he still flew his Volksplane a lot, it was time for an upgrade so he replaced it with a Biplane which was larger and better equipped. The Chatham posting ended up being much longer than expected. Hank remained with 416 Sqn until 1984, presumably because the era of the Voodoo was coming to an end. The introduction of the single seat CF-18 "HORNET" would also signal the end of the Air Intercept Navigator specialty. This was actually a boon for Hank in that it allowed him to set a record by accumulating well OVER 4 THOUSAND HOURS in the VOODOO as an AI Nav. He loved flying the Voodoo and was quite proud of this achievement.

During his long stay in Chatham he expanded his civilian flying activities and qualified on multiple aircraft: CESSNA 150, PA 28-140 CHEROKEE, FLEET 80 CANUCK, CESSNA L-19E, CITABRIA, AERONCA CHAMP, TAYLORCRAFT L2, STEEN SKYBOLT and others. He also became active in the Air Cadet Gliding Program as a tow pilot flying the L-19 Birddog on weekends under the auspices of the Air Cadet League. In May 1982 Hank qualified for and obtained his CIVILIAN COMMERCIAL PILOT LICENCE and maintained it until he ceased flying.

With the Voodoo retired as an interceptor, Hank attended courses in Canada and the USA to qualify for his new Navigator specialty: Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO). With his ideal background, it was an easy transition. Hank was posted to CFB North Bay in 1985 to fly as an EWO with 414 (EW) "BLACK KNIGHT" Squadron on the EWT-33 (an electronic warfare version of the T-Bird) and the EC-117 Falcon. The Squadron's mission was to provide electronic warfare emitting adversary target aircraft (RED) to NORAD exercises and also to Naval exercises both in Canada and the USA. This required frequent deployments coast to coast to coast, including Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic.

After moving to North Bay Hank continued to actively fly as a civilian pilot in his Skybolt aircraft. He also joined the North Bay Gliding Centre which operated on weekends in the spring and fall as an offshoot of the Air Cadet Gliding School at Mountainview, an airfield just south of CFB Trenton. Since Hank gained experience towing gliders for cadets in New Brunswick, he readily checked out on the Air Cadet League's Scout aircraft. Over time, Hank became an established presence in the cadet gliding world in Ontario, often spending a few weeks in the summer towing gliders at Mountainview in addition to his flying in North Bay.

To better service his own aircraft, Hank enrolled in and completed the Canadore College Aircraft Mechanic Course during his time in North Bay. In May 1988 he took possession of what became his pride and joy: a beautiful DHC-1 CHIPMUNK aircraft in great condition and sporting original RCAF markings; and which he had flown when he first joined the RCAF. This became his aircraft of choice for all recreational flying activities, including his yearly ‘Pilgrimage’ to OSHKOSH.

Permanent military flight operations at CFB North Bay ceased in the summer of 1992 and 414 EW Squadron aircraft were moved to one base on each coast (East and West) and personnel reassigned. After 414 Squadron departed from North Bay Hank was employed on the Base's NORAD facility until his official retirement from the Regular Force on 13 September 1993. His last flight as aircrew in the Regular Force took place on May 15, 1992. His Military Flight log books show he accumulated a total of 6,180.1 hours in Military aircraft during his Service as a Regular Force officer.

Following his retirement from the Regular Force he became a Reserve Officer in support of the Air Cadet gliding program and flew as a tow pilot. Eventually, after having to retire from the Reserves at age 65, Hank continued on as a Civilian Instructor in the same capacity until his FINAL retirement when mobility issues caused him to stop flying and Covid put an end to gliding in North Bay. At that time Hank had accumulated approximately 2,566 hours as a civilian pilot.

Hank donated his Chipmunk to the Canadian Warplane Haritage Museum in Hamilton in 2003. He was also a volunteer in the War Bird section of Oshkosh when he made his annual pilgrimage. Oshkosh was very important to him, and the source of much happiness, particularly after his retirement. Hank was always happy to reminisce and tell tales about the activities there. He last attended Oshkosh in 2019 largely due to the Covid pandemic. By the time Oshkosh reopened Hank found it too difficult to travel by road. Without Oshkosh, recreational flying, or cadet flying, Hank’s outlook in life suffered.

Although the main focus of his life was Aviation related, Hank's character was not unidimensional. He had other interests. A very important one for him was model railroads. Interestingly, when he travelled he much preferred to do so by train and virtually never used commercial air travel.

In the view of many of his friends and colleagues that knew him long and well he epitomizes the description of ‘A CHARACTER’. Hank was a complex, intelligent, knowledgeable, fun loving, kind, and idiosyncratic man with strong convictions. He was a truly unique individual who was well and amicably regarded. In the words of a friend who replied to the news of his death "He marched to a different drummer but was still in the same parade." Well said! We'll miss The Hankster!

A visitation will be held at Hillside Funeral Services, 362 Airport Rd, on Saturday July 6th, 2024 from 12pm until 1pm. A memorial service and reception will be follow at 1PM at the funeral home.

Brian Taylor

On 6 May 2024, our Brian passed away peacefully at age 70 due to cancer, in the presence of loved ones at the Aitken Hospice in Courtenay. He is survived by his wife Gwyneth, children Jill (Rob) and Mark (Stephanie) of whom he was very proud, mother Helen, sisters Sharon (Hugh), Gayle (Ray) and Sue (Ron) and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He loved you all.

Born in Winnipeg to Robert and Helen Taylor, Brian’s early life in a military family shaped him into the man he would become. His father’s many postings within Canada, to Edwards AFB in California and to England were all valuable learning experiences. His family camped across our country sparking Brian’s love of the outdoors and fishing. A trip through the Rockies was the start of his love for the west coast. His father’s ability to fix and build things was passed on to Brian, sometimes to the annoyance of his mother when he disassembled household appliances so he could learn how to rebuild them. He also learnt how to rebuild old cars which culminated years later with the restoration of a Jaguar E-type including converting it to a left-hand drive. Later, Brian would follow in his father’s footsteps and join the military.

Brian attended both military colleges, his favourite being Royal Roads in Victoria. There he played rep hockey and soccer, was the Band Master for the Marching Band, played saxophone in the Stage Band, squeezed in some study time, and later graduated from Royal Military College in Kingston as an engineer. Real life then kicked in and Brian became a fighter pilot. It was a proud moment when his father, a former fighter pilot, pinned his wings on. Career highlights were flying the CF101 Voodoo on 409 AW(F) Sqn in Comox and the F4M Phantom on 29(F) Sqn RAF Coningsby England. Friends who flew with him described him as an ace pilot, a mentor, and a role model. When Brian retired, he left with countless exciting memories and many lifelong friends.

No one loved an adventure and a challenge more than Brian. He was always thinking (scheming) about the next one. First up after his military career was owning an RV Park and sport fishing business in the Comox Valley with friends, and its later development into residential condominiums. Then it was building and renovating houses, including our multi-generational home in Comox. For several years he enjoyed moose and elk hunting trips, primarily for the camaraderie, time spent in the great outdoors and the opportunity to explore remote areas. Highlights were a thrilling (sometimes heart-stopping) three week jet boat trip up the Kechika and Muskwa Rivers in northern B.C., a ten day guided horseback trip in the Rocky Mountains and a Vancouver Island elk hunt in the Brooks Peninsula area using kayaks (an unsuccessful, crazy idea with very close bear encounters never to be repeated).

In 2013, Brian’s dream of owning a waterfront fish shack in Ucluelet came true (thanks to his very understanding wife). It was in worse than terrible shape, almost condemned, which made it the perfect challenge and fit for Brian’s tenacity, problem solving and building skills. Over several years, he, with a friend assisting, rebuilt it completely. Of course there was always time for fishing along the way. This was Brian’s happy place, be it on the water catching the big one or sitting on the deck watching the sun come up. This is where his ashes will be scattered.

Brian lived his life to the fullest, and as his brother-in-law said, he did it his way with a little course correction now and then from his wife. We will remember him always, not just for his many talents and intellect, but also for his character, humour, wisdom, and the mischievous twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes. Rest in peace Brian. We hope you are out fishing with your father and nephew.

A huge thank-you to our families and friends, near and far, for your support and love (and stealthy food drop-offs) over the past few months. We also wish to thank our medical system personnel for their tremendous support, including our family doctor, B.C. Ambulance, Comox Valley Hospital, Home Support, the Aitken Hospice, and our MAiD doctor. We will be eternally grateful for the wonderful, compassionate care provided at the Hospice.

There will be no formal service at Brian’s request. An informal gathering will be held at a later date. If you wish to make a donation in memory of Brian, please consider the Cancer Society or your local Hospice.

Retired Captain (RCAF) Gerald Joseph Takach (87 yrs) passed away peacefully June 7, 2024. He was an extremely devoted husband to his wife Janice who predeceased him in 2016 and he never stopped missing her (she was his navigator, he was her pilot!).

He was an incredible dad to his four children and made it clear his family was everything to him. He was born in Welland Ontario August 11, 1936 and raised in Niagara Falls.

Predeceased by his wife, Janice Elaine Takach (nee Marks), his parents Ann (nee Nagy) and Victor Takach, his brother Phillip Douglas Takach, and his sister Bette Ann Chevalier (Tom Chevalier).

He leaves behind his beloved brother Donald Takach and 4 children: Lori Takach (Doug St.Michel), Glenn Takach (Debbie Ferraro), Philip Takach (Carla), Susan Hoy (Randy Pabsdorf) and grandchildren, Sara, Trevor, Olivia (Alex), Tamara (Luke), Jonathan.

After graduation in Niagara Falls he joined the military (1955) with dreams of becoming a pilot (a childhood dream since the age of 8). He achieved that dream after basic training, meeting his sweetheart (first date they held hands and it was love at first sight!), getting his navigator training and getting his wings (Feb 18, 1969).

He and Janice moved many times throughout his career making many dear friends, both military and civilian, along the way. He was very family orientated and he loved fishing with his sons, loved his gardening, sporting events ...die hard Maple Leaf and Toronto Blue Jay Fan!....and he and Janice loved antiquing and exploring all their married life.

He was also very passionate about his military flying ("the faster the better") and all things planes. After retiring from the military in Comox (1982) he and Jan moved to Vancouver where he was a flight simulator instructor on the Boeing 737 for Canadian Airlines. After 16 years he and Jan retired to the island to Comox.

Dad's words of wisdom to his kids: "Use the KISS principal always and watch your six o'clock".

A celebration of Gerald's life will be held at Comox Valley Funeral Home, Cremation and Reception Centre, 1101 Ryan Rd, Courtenay on Saturday, June 22 at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate a donation in Gerald's name to Comox Valley Hospice Society (Aitken Community Hospice) or one of your favourite charities.