DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS FOR 1932 101 



Personnel and Special Operations: 



I would consider this report incomplete were no mention made of meritorious 

 service performed by the staff which operates and maintains the equipment in 

 constant airworthy condition through times of intense operation. Without the 

 least discounting the continuous care and supervision exercised by the ground 

 staff, I would draw attention to certain outstanding work done by certain 

 members of the staff who were able to take advantage of situations which offered 

 opportunity to perform spectacular service. 



In this connection, I am specially gratified to report that The Honourable, 

 the Minister of National Defence, who is Trustee for the McKee Trophy, has 

 awarded the trophy to our District Superintendent, Mr. G. H. R. Phillips, for 

 meritorious flying during the year 1931. It is considered that the award for 

 1931 is especially valuable, in that it does not represent a single brilliant exploit 

 only, but rather long hours of hard flying through months of service. It 

 represents useful flying of a commercial character during periods of intense fire 

 hazard, when the utmost was demanded of personnel and equipment. 



To give concrete illustration to the above remarks, it might be in order to 

 show the work done by Mr. Phillips in terms of flying hours, before and during 

 the year 1931: 



1929 559 hours 



1930 555 " 



1931 770 « 



Month of June, 1931 126. 15 hours 



" July, 1931 202.25 " (flew 31 days in July) 



" August, 1931 160.50 " 



Thus it can be seen that the trophy was well awarded, since Mr. Phillips 

 proved that given a good pilot and machine, the ideal combination, it can be 

 expected to fly long hours every day without mishap. This very point was 

 badly in need of proving, and its practical demonstration has done much, not 

 only for the Ontario Provincial Air Service, but for commercial aviation through- 

 out Canada. Furthermore, it should be noted that Mr. Phillips learned to fly 

 in 1927, as a member of the Provincial Air Service. This adds further proof 

 that commercial flying of a sane character in suitable machines, is not necessarily 

 a vocation confined to young and inexperienced men. Outstanding performances 

 of this nature demand as much inherent stability in the character of the pilot 

 as is found in the aircraft that shared the honours of the award. 



I am glad to report, that as a result of cool and courageous action on the 

 part of George A. Doan, Air Engineer at Kenora Station, six people were saved 

 from drowning. 



On the evening of August 21st, 1932, Mr. Doan was standing on the town 

 dock at Kenora, preparatory to getting into his speed boat to return to our 

 Kenora base, when he heard a frantic shout for help. He immediately jumped 

 into his speed boat, and in a matter of seconds, arrived at the spot where a large 

 power canoe carrying seven persons, had been rammed and cut in two by a big 

 power boat. The rescue was- possible because of the cool skill and excellent 

 judgment displayed under conditions of extreme emergency. The seventh 



