Walter Woollett

Walter 'Babe' Woollett, O.B.E., was born on January 1, 1906, in Rochester, Kent, England and educated at Eastbourne College in Sussex. He joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) at Duxford in 1924 and learned to fly on the Avro 504-K. He resigned his commission as a F/L in April 1929 to accept an appointment with Fairchild Aerial Surveys at Lac-a-la-Tortue, Quebec.

Woollett reported to Ken Saunders, Operations Manager of Fairchild Aerial Surveys, who taught him to fly seaplanes. The following month he was issued Commercial Pilot Licence #469.

During that summer he participated in the first air exploration of huge iron ore formations in northern Labrador. He was involved in air searches for pilots who were forced down by engine troubles, including his friend Peter Troup. Later that fall, Woollett flew wealthy sportsmen on the first fly-in moose hunt to New Brunswick. He flew prospectors and tons of supplies into the booming Chibougamau gold fields during the winter of 1929-30. During the spring of 1930 he was assigned the task of aerial survey mapping of the north shore of the Lower St. Lawrence River.

Fairchild Aerial Surveys amalgamated with Canadian Airways Ltd., and Woollett was transferred to Montreal in the fall of 1930. He moved to Quebec City to fly the winter 'drop-mail' to villages along the Lower St. Lawrence, and then to Winnipeg to fly mail. In 1933 he took an instrument flying course through the RCAF at Camp Borden, Ontario, and was put in charge of the first gold expedition to Lake Wabush in Labrador. He flew the first International Airmail service between Canada and Labrador for the Newfoundland Government on July 20, 1933.

During the winter of 1934 he joined Peter Troup's company, Dominion Skyways Ltd. at Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec as operations manager. The following winter they took delivery of the first Noorduyn Norseman. Woollett had advised his friend Bob Noorduyn on many special features for this first aircraft designed especially for Canadian bush operations.

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In 1937 Woollett was hired by an agency from Holland to perform a large aerial survey contract in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. A further contract was made to fly a group of 'Forestry Engineers' to photograph the area around Canada's strategic Anticosti Island. The so-called 'engineers' all turned out to be German military officers. He tactfully informed the RCMP and the media, and on January 1, 1938, the group made a quick departure for their homeland.

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In January 1938 Woollett participated with pilot Ralph Spradbrow, engineer Joe Lucas and Syd Walker in the hectic search for 15 surveyors who had been flown into the north the previous summer and had not been picked up. Months later, when it was discovered that they had missed their caches of winter equipment and food, fears mounted for their safety. When they were located, they had suffered greatly from starvation and frostbite, some losing toes and fingers, but all were rescued.

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At the start of World War II in late 1939, Dominion Skyways was one of several major bush contractors in Canada who were requested to submit bids to operate training schools for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) under the umbrella of Canadian Pacific Railways. Woollett and Troup set up Dominion Skyways (Training) Ltd. in Toronto and submitted their detailed plans for non-profit operations of training schools. These were the best of all the proposals received, and they opened No. 1 Air Observer School (AOS) at Malton, Ontario on May 27, 1940. It became the template for the nine AOS's that followed, a model of cooperation between the military and civilian operators.

Woollett became supervisor of all Canadian Pacific Air operated AOS's in Ontario and Quebec. His No. 9 AOS was awarded the "Cock of the Walk" trophy presented by the RAF, and his other schools were frequently awarded first place for efficiency. In recognition for his outstanding work in the BCATP, Woollett was awarded the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) in 1946.

After the war, Woollett returned to CP Air as superintendent of operations in Eastern Canada, based in Mont-Jolie, Quebec. His focus was on the huge iron ore development in northern Labrador and building an all-season runway, since no seaplanes were capable of hauling the required freight.

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Woollett led another dramatic search, this time for pilot Jim Hartley and six lumberjacks who had been forced to land on an ice floe in the St. Lawrence River on December 23, 1946. Their plane had gone through the ice and there seemed little hope for their survival. Woollett insisted on flying through the dark, dropping flares which the survivors said kept them alive by keeping up their hopes. On the second day a Grumman Goose Amphibian landed among the ice floes and was able to rescue three of the men, then came back to find three more. One was lost.

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In December 1948 Woollett was transferred to Montreal to work with the President of CP Air, Grant McConachie, on developing CP Air's first international route over the South Pacific. The following year CP Air inaugurated scheduled air passenger service from Vancouver to Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. Woollett was appointed manager for the South Pacific, and transferred to Sydney, Australia to cover New Zealand and Fiji. He served for several years as Superintendent of Sales and Operations for South Pacific at Honolulu, Hawaii.

Woollett was promoted in 1957 to become Assistant to the Executive Vice President in Montreal to work with the governments of Portugal, Spain and Italy in developing new international services. In 1961 he returned to Hawaii as Superintendent, South Pacific. He was recognized by CP Air for his efforts in developing air services to Canada and promoting Canada's Expo '67.

Woollett reached the compulsory retirement age of 65 on January 1st, 1971. However, the following day he was re-hired by CP Air as Director of Community Affairs, South Pacific. For the next five years his activities promoted Canada throughout CP Air's international network.

In 1989 Woolett published his anecdotal life story titled “Have a Banana!”, a term meaning “Have Fun!” or “Live it Up”. Throughout his life he did just that, on his 80th birthday he flew an open-cockpit Pitts Special from Honolulu Airport, doing a loop and a roll.

He died at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 1, 1998, at the age of 92. To honour his lifetime of achievements, he was inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame in 2003.

Walter 'Babe' Woollett was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in Mississauga in 2004.

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