Great Canadian Flyers: Fred McCall Pt. 2

Upon his return to civilian life, Fred took advantage of his skills as a pilot to explore western Canada as a Barnstormer for several years. He performed stunts at fairs and exhibitions across the prairies, thrilling crowds with his amazing flying machine, still a rarity in those early days of aviation. On July 5, 1919 he had one of the most legendary landings in aviation history.


Notorious for his wartime exploits and his daring as a Barnstormer, Fred was a regular at the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. On this fateful day, he strapped the Exhibition Manager's young sons into the front seat of his open cockpit Curtiss Jenny and took of for a thrill that would win Fred worldwide renown.  While flying high above the crowds, the Jenny's engine suddenly quit (it was discovered later that one of the boys had accidentally closed the throttle) and the plane began to drop. A car race in the stampede infield precluded an emergency landing there, in what appeared to be the only open area.


Relying on his amazing skills, Fred spotted the only open area on the Exhibition grounds. Aiming his craft with precision, McCall stalled the Jenny and dropped it squarely on top of the carousel. The flagpole pierced the fabric floor and pierced the seat between the two boys.  Remarkably, no one in the airplane or on the ground was injured.


Once Fred, the boys, and the aircraft were safely on the ground crowds of spectators crowded in on a quest for souvenirs. People began ripping pieces of fabric off the wrecked plane as a memento of the occasion. The clever stampede manager quickly put up an awning over the Jenny and charged people 25 cents to take a piece of the plane away. He split the proceeds with McCall and suggested he do the same thing at an upcoming fair in Edmonton. Fred took him up on the offer and, by summer's end, he was able to finance the purchase of a new airplane.

Next Installment: More of Freddie's peace time adventures. Dynamite and Nitroglycerine!