442 Squadron

The DHC-5 is a rare bird, and this was the highlight for me at the Oregon International Air Show. It looked very much the same when Gerard Helmer photographed it in the early 1980s.

Operated by 442 Squadron based at Comox BC. Previous serial 9456.

This lovely Canadian Buffalo was one of the star visitors to the 1989 International Air Tattoo.

Shot through the trees at the western end of Greenham common's huge runway on a weekday before the Air Tattoo

Delivered to the RCAF May 16 1968 as 9461, this Buffalo was re-numbered 115461 when Canada's armed forces amalgamated May 27, 1970. In 1973 it was loaned for use with the United Nations in the Middle East. It became the only Buffalo loss in Canadian service when shot down by surface-to-air missiles August 9, 1974 near the village of Diemas, Golan Heights. Canadian Warplane Heritage has painted up an ex-Sudanese Buffalo as 115461 to commemorate the crew lost that day.

CF-LAQ was used as a demonstrator ahead of its delivery to the Canadian air force as 9460 in May 1968. It was in Australia to be shown to the Australian air force as a Caribou replacement but no order eventuated.