Spooner, Michael: my RCAF experience (March 10, 2019)

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Rank: Lieutenant Colonel.

An interview/narrative of Michael Spooner's RCAF experiences. Interview took place on March 10, 2019 in Comox, B.C.

Interviewer: Lindquist, Sarah

ABSTRACT: Lieutenant Colonel Michael Spooner describes his upbringing and early life in Victoria, British Columbia before enlisting in the RCAF. He describes his Basic Officer and Pilot training before being posted as an instructor on the T-33 aircraft. After, he describes his time as an instructor on the T-38 aircraft and posting flying the CF-101 Voodoo aircraft. The focus of this interview is Spooner’s time as a 1 Canadian Air Group CF-104 pilot during the Cold War. He discusses his CF-104 training at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta and CF-104 operations out of CFB Baden-Soellingen, Germany, including squadron exercises and exchanges. At the end of the interview, Spooner recollects flying the remaining CF-104s at Baden to the Turkish Air Force in Bandirma in 1986, when the last CF-104s were stood down from Canadian service. 0:30 – 2:19 - Growing up in Victoria, British Columbia, university education, introduction to flying, first aviation memory. 2:20 – 4:40 – Enlistment to Royal Canadian Air Force, air crew selection. 4:41 – 6:43 - Basic Officer Training in Centralia, Ontario. 6:44 – 10:54 - Basic and Advanced Pilot training in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. 10:55 – 12:42 - Instructor on T-33 aircraft at 2 FTS Moose Jaw, instructor on T-38, posting on CF-101 Voodoo. 12: 43 – 22:49 - CF-104 selection, CF-5 transition training for the CF-104, CF-104 training, Mach 2 flight, weapons training, characteristics of the CF-104. 22:50 – 27:09 - Posting to Baden-Soellingen, Germany, description of CFB Baden-Soellingen, description of community of Baden, interactions with German locals. 27:10 – 31: 57 - Description of work week, Snowball exercises, 1 CAG exercises, NATO exercises. 31:58 – 36:07 - Role as four-plane lead. 36:08 – 44:36 - NATO meets, squadron exchange in Memmingen, Germany, squadron exchange in the Netherlands, squadron exchange in Spain, Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DCAT), air-to-air training at Sardinia, Italy. 44:39 – 49:35 - Description of CF-104 conventional weapons, weather conditions in Germany, interactions and flying with other 1 CAG squadrons, vacation time. 49:36 – 55:04 - Description of Soviet threat, NATO’s deterrence efforts, description of 1 CAG’s role if war broke out, operations with the Canadian army contingent posted at Baden, 55:05 – 1:00:49 - Close calls in CF-104, anecdote of almost hitting a hang glider, F-16 pilot fatality during squadron exchange in the Netherlands, fatality during F-5 training in Cold Lake. 1:00:50 – 1:16:46 - Phase-out of CF-104s from 1 CAG, move from 421 Squadron to 441 Squadron in 1986, transfer of CF-104’s to Bandirma, Turkey, last CF-104 landing and takeoff at Baden, time in Turkey, final remarks on CF-104 years, role as Deputy Commanding Officer. 1:16:47 – 1:19:55 - RCAF career after CF-104, final remarks on aviation career.

Interviewee: Spooner, Michael, 1945-

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Date created Relation
  • Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews.
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 48.4359, -123.35155
  • 51.5, 10.5
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recordings (MP3) also available.
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • SM_885
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • March 10, 2019
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 192 kbps. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2019. 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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