Fighter pilot B.R. Campbell helped thrill hundreds of thousands of spectators as a member of not just one aerobatic flying team, but two, during the postwar golden era of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Mr. Campbell was a charter member of the Sky Lancers when that team was organized in March, 1955, by 2 (Fighter) Wing in Grostenquin, France. He flew overseas from 1953-57 with No. 430 Squadron, of 2 Wing. It was the first of his four tours in Europe.
Equipped with the F-86 Sabre jet, the pride of the RCAF, the Sky Lancers flew 20 shows in the summer and fall of 1955 to showcase the flying skills of the air division's crack pilots.
The team was led by Tony Hannas, Mr. Campbell was number 2, Len Eisler was number 3, Gerry Thériault, a future chief of defence staff, was number 4 and Herbie Graves was the solo.
It was Mr. Campbell's first taste of precision flying, executing complicated aerial manoeuvres such as loops, rolls, cloverleaf turns and bomb bursts, but it wouldn't be the last. He got a second crack at it six years later in Canada.
The 1950s was an exciting decade for aviation enthusiasts, wrote Dan Dempsey in his 2002 book A Tradition of Excellence: Canada's Airshow Team Heritage .
"The jet age quickly gripped Canadians from coast to coast - no one was immune to the thrill of watching a high-speed aircraft flash across the airfield in a matter of seconds, suddenly zooming skywards ….
"Watching man and machine then do it upside down, or with a series of aileron rolls thrown in, only added to the mystique of the aircraft and the lucky souls flying them."
In November, 1960, Mr. Campbell, known simply as B.R., was posted to RCAF Station Chatham, N.B., and the fabulous Golden Hawks aerobatic team.
Formed in 1959 to celebrate the RCAF's 35th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of powered flight in Canada and the British Empire, the Hawks flew for five memorable years before being disbanded for financial reasons in 1964.
That two-year tour proved to be a major highlight of his career, albeit a demanding one. Flying 80 shows each season from May to September all over North America, Mr. Campbell - the team's right wing - and the Hawks set an international standard for aerobatic teams that is still remembered almost 50 years later.
"The reason the Sabre was so effective for the Golden Hawks was its manoeuvrability. We could always perform a tight manoeuvre close to the crowd whereas other teams needed more airspace. We could perform our loops at just over 3,000 feet, for example," Mr. Campbell said in 2003.
His tour with the Hawks - the planes were painted a rich golden colour, with a red and white hawk stretching the length of the fuselage - came near the end of the RCAF's golden era, when its 2,000-plus aircraft and 55,000 regulars made it one of the most respected air forces in the world.
Not only did Mr. Campbell and his fellow pilots dazzle spectators with their highly demanding and complicated aerial manoeuvres - there was no margin at all for error - they also acted as ambassadors for the RCAF on the ground. Meeting VIPs, signing autographs for adoring fans, he and the Hawks quickly became aerial celebrities.
Looking for adventure, B.R. Campbell joined the RCAF in 1951 after playing quarterback for his high school football team in Almonte, near Ottawa. After training on Harvards and Sabres, he was awarded his pilot's wings in September, 1952.
A posting to No. 2 Wing, one of four wings based in Europe with the RCAF's No. 1 Air Division, in August, 1953, just eight years after the end of the Second World War, was quite an eye-opening experience for the newly minted Cold War warrior. He was one of thousands of Canadian airmen and soldiers over 40 years who helped deter the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact satellites.
"We saw devastation everywhere in the major German cities. In the French villages, I couldn't get used to seeing animals living in houses. [Their]body heat helped to keep the house warm," Mr. Campbell said.
Although conditions at Grostenquin weren't ideal, the social life helped make up for it, he said. It centred around the officers' mess.
"On Friday we let our hair down, but during the working week discretion was the better part of valour. Generally speaking, people were really keen to fly, especially the post-war pipeliners.
"For example, the keeners always had an eye open to do an air test after an aircraft came out of maintenance. That was a good way of getting [more]hours."
Famous for working hard in the air and playing hard after hours, air division pilots often indulged their need for speed with motorcycles.
Their accident rate was quite high and Moscow Molly, a Russian propaganda broadcaster, said, "We don't have to worry about the Canadians at Zweibrucken, if we give them all motorcycles they'll kill themselves!"
After 31/2 years with 430 Squadron, Mr. Campbell, a modest man who never dwelled on his accomplishments, flew a desk in Ottawa as a recruiter before he learned to fly the hot new CF-104 Starfighter jet.
He was back in Europe in 1964 with 444 Squadron at Baden-Soellingen's 4 (Fighter) Wing.
"The [Starfighter]was a spectacular performer, especially in the low-level role," Mr. Campbell said. "With its 21-foot wingspan, it could slice through turbulence with relative comfort, whereas many other aircraft would have a very rough ride.
"We learned to navigate using tree patterns as references, then when the technique of radar predictions was perfected by our people, we could blind-fly, low-level, anywhere in Europe using only the radar."
Mary-Ann Kruse, Mr. Campbell's daughter, enjoyed living overseas. "Dad loved showing us Europe and all the riches it held: food, wine, art, and architecture.
"As a family, we camped with a trailer all over Europe. He exposed us to as much as he could. We went to museums and toured castles. He always taught us about the history of the areas we visited. I spent my eighth birthday eating in a café looking at the Arc de Triomphe!"
In 1972 Mr. Campbell returned to the air division, renamed 1 Canadian Air Group (1 CAG) in 1970, as senior air staff officer, operations. Promoted to brigadier-general, he worked at NORAD from 1978-81 as deputy chief of staff for operations.
Almost 30 years after he first served in Europe with NATO, Mr. Campbell went back for the fourth time in 1981 to command 1 CAG. A highlight of that tour occurred on Nov. 14, 1982, when he hosted prime minister Pierre Trudeau and his son Justin, 14.
Someone had the bright idea of making a flight suit for Justin, complete with wings, name tag and squadron crests. While his father was being briefed by Mr. Campbell, a radiant Justin was on the flight line, getting his own briefing on the Starfighter.
Mr. Trudeau later expressed his thanks to Mr. Campbell for his "kind hospitality and impressive demonstrations. I definitely detected large measurers of the 'Right Stuff' among your dedicated and skillful pilots and ground crew. Justin is, of course, wedded to his flight suit and I have explained to him that such a uniform is to be treated with respect. Many thanks from him for that unique gift."
It's probably impossible to prove, but Mr. Campbell likely held the Canadian record for serving in Europe. His four tours - each in a separate decade - neatly illustrated the history of Canada's air force with NATO. Conversely, those tours also charted the slow and inexorable decline of the air force overseas.
When Mr. Campbell arrived in Grostenquin, the air division boasted 12 crack Sabre squadrons and 300 aircraft. When he commanded 1 CAG, there were only three squadrons and about 1,000 service personnel left at Baden.
Mr. Campbell allowed that the shocking decline in personnel and aircraft bothered him. "If there is a disappointment, it would be seeing one of the top day-fighter air forces in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s slowly get whittled down from 12 [squadrons]to eight to six to three by the 1970s. Despite our dwindling resources, I was happy to see that our air force got a lot of respect from our allies in Europe because of the professionalism of our technicians and aircrew."
Ms. Kruse remembers her father displaying a lot of professionalism himself as a natural leader. "My dad had a way of leading that just caused people to follow. No matter what situation he was in, people ended up turning to him for direction. He did this by his actions, not his words. He worked hard for others.
"He would just do jobs that needed to be done sometimes before others knew they needed it done. When he first arrived at CFS Sydney, he decided to walk around his new command in his civvies. A group of people were building a new curling club, so dad just pitched in without indicating who he was. I am sure there were some surprised people later!"
With 5,000 hours in the air to his credit, Mr. Campbell retired in 1987 as a major-general and chief of Canadian Forces personnel, careers and senior appointments. Afterwards, he spent much of his time fishing, hunting, volunteering and enjoying life at his summer cottage. He was also a member of the Sabre Pilots Association of Air Division (SPAADs).
Retired general Paul Manson of Ottawa met Mr. Campbell in the mid-seventies. "Even then, his reputation as a fighter pilot and leader was unmatched. It was an honour for me to turn over command of 1 CAG to [him]in 1981.
"During the handover parade I was struck by the fact that B.R., as he inspected the troops, recognized many of the NCOs in the ranks and greeted them warmly, often with a hand on the shoulder. Their pride in being so recognized and their respect for him was very much in evidence. I never met anyone who didn't have the greatest admiration for B.R. Campbell, nor did I ever hear him speak unkindly of anyone.
"He was the best of the light blue, and his sudden death was a great loss to the Air Force community in Canada."
B.R. Campbell
Borden Ross Campbell was born Nov. 13, 1931, in Fitzroy Harbour, Ont. He died of a stroke on Nov. 16. He was 78. He leaves his wife Ann, daughters Mary-Ann and Lynda, son Martin, brothers John, Kenny, Billy and sisters Mitzi, Margaret and Barbara. His first wife Mary predeceased him.
Special to The Globe and Mail