Brown, Gary: my Royal Canadian Air Force recollections (March 18, 2013)
An interview/narrative of Gary Brown's experiences whilst serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Interview took place on March 18, 2013.
Interviewee: Brown, Gary
Rank: Captain.
ABSTRACT: Captain Gray Brown was a Royal Canadian Air Force officer from 1958 to 1974. He served as a pilot instructor, U.N. transport pilot in the Kashmir region, V.I.P. pilot for the 412 squadron, and as a controller for the Dubai International Air Show after retirement. The interview contains his biographical information, as well as highlights from his air force career. He also talks about R.C.A.F. public relations, and provides anecdotes from various postings throughout his career relating to the subject. Much time is spent addressing his role in the Dubai international air show, and what he feels the purposes of air shows are in general. In the last part of the interview, Captain Brown addresses some common criticisms of air shows, and gives his opinions on the 431 demonstration squadron Snowbirds. 0:00 Standard interview narratives. 0:35 Biographical information including fathers military experience. 1:40 His father's willingness to talk about the First World War. 2:39 Year of marriage, birth of children, and relation to career. 3:08 Joining the Air Force in 1958. 3:50 Goals when joining the Air Force. 4:18 First assignment as flying instructor. 5:10 Explains his various promotions throughout his career: Cadet to Captain. 5:45 His experience with R.C.A.F. public relations especially at communities close to bases. 7:30 Break in Interview due to noise 8:00 Explains public relations during his career from 1958 to 1972. 9:50 Explains other ways the R.C.A.F. interacts with the public and difference between local and national P.R. 10:25 Describes what the public's image of the Air Force is. 11:35 Theorizes why the Canadian Navy and Army are better recognized by the public. 12:05 Military involvement in search and rescue operations. 13:40 Details personal public relations moment from his career, particularly as a V.I.P. pilot. 15:30 Talks about time in U.N., and representing U.N. to foreign populations. 17:00 Describes pilot instructors duties and his duties as one. 18:20 Talks about ground school classes for officer training and lack of P.R. training. 19:38 Talks about importance of bases to communities, and relations between military and civilians. 20:25 Interview moves to talking about Captain Brown's experiences as a pilot in Kashmir 21:40 Representing the U.N. to the public, but internally in the organization representing R.C.A.F. 22:40 Explains training missions and how they used these for P.R. 22:15 Talks about British Royal Air Force adventure training. 25:25 explains how interesting experience of working for the U.N. was. 26:35 Stories of man he was transporting getting bit by snake and women injured in bad turbulence. 28:05 Story of Chinese propaganda about Chairman Mao flooding the radio airwaves and Chinese involvement in region. 30:10 Explains time flying in 412 V.I.P. squadron based in Ottawa from 1967-70. 31:30 Experience flying heads of state during Expo '67. 32:15 Greeting V.I.P. passengers as a Captain. 33:10 Story about flying into Northern Canada in Cosmopolitan aircraft and flying into Iron Curtain countries. 34:30 Explains his involvement in the Dubai International Air show as member of flying control. 37:05 Dates he worked for the air show. 95, 97, 99. 37:30 What he feels the function of air shows is. 38:38 Talks about size, location, and expansion of the Dubai International Air Show. 40:50 Talks about his role in maintain safety for air traffic control at the show. 43:20 Explains the main commercial function of the Air Show. 44:40 Talks about all the international companies involvement at the air show. 45:50 The expansion of Middle East, and Eastern airlines and military. 47:05 the R.C.A.F. was not involved. 47:30 Why he feels demonstration teams are an effective P.R. tool. 48:56 Why the Snowbirds are just demonstrating professionalism 50:00 Rumanian teams banning from all international air shows. 51:01 Addresses criticism of air shows being used for military sale. 53:10 Addresses criticism of air shows glorying war. 54:25 Address criticism of pollution from air shows. 55:30 Addresses the costs of air shows and demonstration teams. 56:52 Explains his views and opinions on the Snowbirds. 58:20 Explains his opinion on why the Tutor is such a good aircraft for the Snowbirds 58:50 Explains why he doesn't feel the Snowbirds are necessary, but are important. 59:25 His enjoyment of air shows to this day and their contemporary importance. 60:50 Interview conclusion and standard narratives 61:25 Interview ends. Suggested Clip(s) for Archive: 3:30 Explaining his reason for joining R.C.A.F.: "The specific reason was that that's the only way you can get out. There's only two ways you can get out of small town Saskatchewan if you had no money. One was to join the air force, the other was to join the R.C.M.P." 22:40 Story about how he worked inside the U.N.: "We used our training time to carry our U.N. personal, or brothers from other countries to various spots. They came along with us, and we picked out interesting spots to fly into cause that's what the military wanted you to do. For you to go new places you haven't been before, go to interesting spots, Go to spots that are difficult to get into and out of. So when the balloon does go up, you will have that sort of experience. So we used our training flight to not only keep our qualifications up, and to get new qualification, but also to as P.R. for the R.C.A.F. with the other U.N. personnel." 40:50 "At air displays Safety is the overriding feature, so you must ensure that the spectators are provided with the highest level of safety during these shows as possible." 43:20 Explains the main commercial function of the Dubai International Air Show: "it was mainly people trying to sell military or aviation products, a large bunch of it military. Now, in the past 20 years, I would say, the countries that have spent the most on both commercial and military aircraft had been in the Middle East or the Far East. So, all manufacturers wanted to come to Dubai to demonstrate their products because that's where the money was, and they were the guys that were going to buy aircraft." 48:56 Why the Snowbirds are just demonstrating professionalism: "Yes but our demonstration team use the Tutor now, and we don't manufacture the Tutor anymore, so we don't have an airplane to sell. it is just the fact that we are demonstrating the professionalism of our air force to the general public and that's a good thing. 53:35 On why demonstration team aren't glorifying war: "To say that air shows are promoting war is to say that the Grenadier guards in front of Buckingham palace are promoting war because you've got military troops with guns on their shoulders marching back and forth, or the changing of the guard on parliament hill in this country. So, a military display is of interest to the public because they are professional and they are precise and they have precision shows, so that's the entertainment value. it isn't promoting war; I don't think anybody promotes war. 58:50 Explains why he doesn't feel the Snowbirds are necessary, but are important: 11 No I don't. Because if you talk about a necessity, we would still have a Canadian air force that was combat ready to go anywhere in the world if we didn't have the Snowbirds; however, would it be as good? Would we have attracted the very best without the Snowbirds? I don't know. I think the Snowbirds attract the cream of the crop that you're going to get.
Interviewer: Kowalski, Luke
- In Collection:
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 45.41117, -75.69812
- Original sound recording (WAV) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- BG_787
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- March 18, 2013
- Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 24 kHz. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2013. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI
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