Special flyby planned for Remembrance Day

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on November 5, 2024.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Geoffrey Brayne will be performing a flyby in his Harvard MK IV during local Remembrance Day ceremonies.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

On Remembrance Day a Harvard MK IV will flyby the Lethbridge Cenotaph located outside of the Yates Memorial Theatre before heading to Coaldale, Raymond and Sterling.

Geoffrey Brayne, pilot of the Harvard MK IV, said that he will be flying the airplane in tribute to all those who served in the military.

“We started doing it when we restored the airplane four years ago and I was surprised by the number of phone calls I got after we flew that first Remembrance Day and people approaching me about how much it meant to them,” said Brayne.

He said those reaching out to him said that seeing the plane in the air meant a lot to them because they knew someone who either flew the airplane or worked on it.

“I realized it was significant for people to see a bit of history and a bit of connection to family members,” said Brayne.

He said this year’s flyby is special, not only because 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of The Royal Canadian Air Force, but because of who will be flying with him.

“This year is a bit unique, I have retired Captain David Deere with the RCAF. He’ll be flying the airplane and I’ll be in the back seat. He’s a retired F18 Snowbird pilot, now the technical pilot for WestJet,” said Brayne.

When talking about how he got involved with flying by during Remembrance Day ceremonies, he said he has always been an advocate of history and when he had the opportunity to purchase the plane he took it.

“We heard it was in a hanger in Tisdale, SK. abandoned for 25 years, so we took it apart, trucked it home to Lethbridge, spent about a year with some good friends and a good maintenance department here in Lethbridge YQL Aviation and we restored it back to the way it was when it was retired in 1966,” said Brayne.

 He said you have to love to maintain these old airplanes, they are 75 years old, and they do require a lot of maintenance.

“Typically, you’ll fly for an hour and then spend quite a bit of time cleaning it for one and just make sure it’s in top shape,” said Brayne.

He said they will be flying by the Lethbridge Cenotaph at around 10:30 on Nov. 11 to do a 360 before flying off to Coaldale, Sterling and Raymond.

“This year we’re also having a C-17 the military is bringing for the fly past and will fly off their wing behind them for the fly past at 11:02,” said Brayne.

When it comes to the Harvard MK IV airplane, he said it was used to train NATO pilots for the Cold War and it was principally a navigational trainer.