Walter McDonald McLeish

Walter McDonald McLeish, C.D., B.Eng., M.Eng., was born on September 28, 1920 at Verdun, Quebec. His interest in aviation began early  - he was seven years old when Charles Lindbergh made his solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean to Paris, and the following year he won a free plane ride as a prize in a model aircraft contest.

He did not give up on his dreams of aviation during the depression years, even though he had to leave school at age sixteen to take a full-time job. He attended evening high school and spent weekends at the local airfield washing airplanes and sweeping the hangar floor.

After World War II began, McLeish worked at an aircraft factory and was encouraged to attend night technical school classes in aeronautical engineering. He attended a British Air Commission course to train as an aircraft inspector of military aircraft being produced in North America for the Royal Air Force (RAF). A year later he was released to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), graduating six months later as Pilot Officer with his pilot wings. By mid-1944 he was transferred to an Operational Training Unit (OTU), becoming a fully qualified de Havilland Mosquito pilot before being sent to England. But while waiting to join a Squadron, the war in Europe ended (V-E Day, May 8, 1945), and the war with Japan ended (August 14, 1945) before his group could join a Mosquito Squadron in the Far East.

When he returned to Canada in 1945, he attended McGill University in Montreal (B.Eng., 1950), and the University of Michigan (M.Eng., 1952). He then returned to the RCAF, which posted him to the Central Experimental Proving Establishment at Rockcliffe, Ontario, as the Chief of Airworthiness with the rank of Squadron Leader. Here he spent the next decade on research and development projects covering ejection seats, fighter aircraft runway arrester gear, autopilots and other projects to enhance flight performance. Another project involved the conversion of the rear seat of a T33 to hold a caged cat fitted with medical sensors to measure its reaction and balance under the influence of zero gravity, as part of Canada's contribution to the US space program.

McLeish was promoted to Wing Commander, but resigned from the military on the eve of a promotion to Group Captain (Colonel) in the midst of a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) tour in West Germany at the Fourth Allied Tactical Airforce Headquarters, to work in civil aviation.

In 1964 he was appointed to the Canadian Department of Transport, Civil Aviation, as the Chief Aeronautical Engineer responsible for Airworthiness and Aircraft Certification. Over the next 18 years with the Department, his responsibilities increased dramatically. He became Director of Civil Aviation in 1970, Director General of Civil Aeronautics in 1972, and was appointed Administrator of the Canadian Air Transportation Administration (CATA) in 1976, a position he held until his retirement in 1982.

The administrative demands during this time were enormous. Major issues arose from all sides and had to be resolved: the aviation community's needs for consultation, the newly created public service unions' demands to be heard, Parliament's new policies on bilingualism and minority rights, the advent of domestic and global hijackings causing an urgent need for a national security policy, and general public demand for aircraft noise abatement.

McLeish decided to undertake several studies - many of which resulted in changes being implemented -  to explore the concept of divesting federal airports to cities and regions, the need for a national airspace systems plan, the need for a comprehensive appeal process for licence and operating certificate denials, and the delegation on a national basis of findings of regulatory compliance. He also engaged consultants to explore concepts and organizational issues to streamline CATA operations.

The federal airport divestiture study became the airport authority concept which materialized in the mid-1980's. The appeal arrangement began as a review process by the Administrator and eventually became the Civil Aviation Tribunal. The national airspace system plan was initiated and eventually transferred to NAV Canada in 1996.

McLeish launched a review of the Aeronautics Act, and established the CATA review process for Canadian Aviation Documents and major aircraft accidents. In 1979 Justice Dubin's inquiry into aviation safety resulted in a comprehensive report in 1981. Dubin's  recommendations on accident investigation led to the creation of the Canadian Aviation Safety Board. McLeish was a member of the Minister's Advisory Committee on the Dubin recommendations and assisted with drafting the legislation.

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) bilingualism crisis during the early 1970's until the early 1980's was a demanding national issue which polarized into two sides: those who supported the use of English as the only language of communication by ATC world-wide, and those advocating the use of French/English in certain areas. McLeish conducted a two-year en route and terminal simulator exercise that showed that a bilingual system could be operated safely.

Throughout his Transport Canada service he developed a close liaison with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This was particularly important in the areas of security and air traffic control. Upon his retirement in 1982, he was presented with the FAA's Distinguished Service Medal.

McLeish was recognized by the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI) for his many accomplishments. He was named a Fellow of the Institute in 1965, and received the C.D. Howe Award in 1980 for his achievements in the fields of planning and policy making and overall leadership in Canadian Aeronautics and Space activities.

After he retired, he worked as an independent consultant to governments, airlines, and the aerospace industry. He founded Aerodevco Consultants Ltd., which offers technological assistance globally. He died in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. on January 5, 2004.

Civil aviation in Canada from 1965 to 1980 enjoyed phenomenal growth. Aircraft on the Canadian Aircraft Registry increased from 7,000 to 30,000. Throughout that period there were rapid technological changes, as in turbojet power, pressurized aircraft, avionics, long-range navigation, radar controls, autopilot - autoland procedures, engine life-cycle design and maintenance, satellite weather forecasting, cockpit and flight data recorders, all of which had to be managed to allow the Canadian aircraft fleet to modernize while becoming even safer. Under Walter McLeish's guidance and personal vision Canada was a world leader in aviation development.

Walter McDonald McLeish was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 2003at a ceremony held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.