Frederick Joseph Stevenson (December 2, 1895 – January 5, 1928) was a Canadian

bush pilot Bush flying refers to aircraft operations carried out in the bush. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormally ...

and aviation pioneer. Born in

Parry Sound, Ontario Parry Sound is a town in Ontario, Canada, located on the eastern shore of the sound after which it is named. Parry Sound is located south of Sudbury and north of Toronto. It is a single tier government located in the territorial District ...

, he moved with his family to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. In 1916 he joined the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

, and later serving in the British

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross as "A very capable flying officer of exceptional judgement and courage, who has been engaged in a number of combats and personally destroyed three enemy aeroplanes". After the war he became a commercial pilot for

Western Canada Airways Canadian Airways Limited was a Canadian regional passenger and freight air service based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was founded by James Armstrong Richardson Sr. in 1926 as Western Canada Airways (WCA), was fully established in 1930 following ...

, most notably supporting mining development by flying 23 tons of cargo to a remote exploration site. Flying the material was less costly than packing it in overland, and helped establish the usefulness of aviation for the development of Canada's North. He was killed in an airplane crash in the town of

The Pas The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provinc ...

, Manitoba. From its opening in 1928 until 1958, the Winnipeg airport was named Stevenson Field. His is commemorated in Winnipeg by Stevenson-Britannia School, Stevenson Road, and Stevenson Campus,

Red River College Polytechnic Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) is a college located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the province's largest institute of applied learning and applied research, with over 200 degree, diploma, and certificate programs, and more ...

. Elsewhere in Manitoba, Stevenson River and Stevenson Lake are named after him.

References

External links

Frederick Stevenson Icon of his Time
retrieved October 16, 2018 1895 births 1928 deaths Aviation history of Canada Bush pilots Canadian aviators People from Parry Sound, Ontario Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force officers {{Canada-bio-stub

See also

References

External links