Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum & RCAF WWII Memorial

The Ghost Fleet of Fu-Go: When Japan attacked Canada in WWII

Whitney Hodgins is a Master of Arts student at Athabasca University focusing on Heritage and Social History.

Picture this: You are tending to your field as a farmer when all of a sudden you see a shadow on the ground approach you in the distance. When you look up into the sky, you see this round dark orb blocking out the sun with a weird looking shaped item floating beneath it on strings. It is approaching the ground… then you realize it is approaching you! You back up and then turn to run as fast as you can away from it. When it lands, it glides quietly to the ground and nothing happens. You approach it apprehensively to get a better look at the unknown object that landed in your field and you come to find a missile tied to this balloon. You immediately run back to your truck, drive back to the farmhouse and call the authorities.

display of Fu-Go Balloon Material — *The Fu-Go Balloon material on exhibit on the 2nd story of the museum.*

What that farmer saw was something that is known as a Fu-go Balloon Bomb. The term Fu-go is translated roughly in Japanese to mean “Code Balloon” because Fu was short for Fusen*. These balloons were in response to the Doolittle Raiders against Tokyo in 1942 by the Allies to confuse and impede the production of weapons from the Japanese (Mikesh, 1973). The Japanese had been in the process of creating these balloons well before WWII in 1933 under their “Proposed Airborne Carrier Research and Development Program”, where the main mandate was to research and carry out the development of new war weapons (Mikesh, 1973). This program was effectively dropped in 1935, however, the Fu-Go never fully shut down because it showed promise at the time (Mikesh, 1973). Then again, anything sounds better than the Ray-do, their death ray the Japanese attempted to create (Mikesh, 1973). These balloons were completely unmanned. When considering the human cost of war, this would have been considered a win for the Axis Forces as a way to save man-power in WWII efforts as by now their man-power is starting to dwindle and morale is beginning to drop.

In November 1944, 9,000 of these balloons were released into the jet-stream to bring the battlefront to the homefront (US Department of Agriculture, 2026). The Japanese’ primary objective was to start mass forest fires across the continent as a way to pull resources back to the homefront (US Department of Agriculture, 2026). Only 1,000 of these balloons would make it to North America and only 342 would be spotted (US Department of Agriculture, 2026). The Allies responded with two things, mass censorship on the balloons themselves and Operation Firefly. Firefly involved the US Military, the Canadian Military, and US Forest Services. This operation had been tasked with spotting the Fu-go Balloon Bombs, shoot them down before they have a chance to land, and if they land, dispose of them immediately to save the natural resources and civilians in the area (US Department of Agriculture). Which brings me to the aircraft used for this operation. Although the US Military used their own aircraft, Canada primarily used Hawker Hurricanes and KittyHawks to intercept these balloons (Hangar Flight Museum, 2026).

Here at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, our collection includes a partially restored Hawker Hurricane. Hawker Hurricanes are renowned for who assisted in the building of over 14,000 of them. Elsie MacGill, also known as the Queen of the Hurricanes, was a Canadian woman who was the Chief Aeronautical Engineer that headed the production of these air-craft in WWII in Canada (Canadian Encyclopedia, 2007).

*The Hawker Hurricane in the Hangar in the CAPTM.*

Of course, sometimes these bombs snuck past air force operatives and bombs would touch the ground. Once they did, those involved with Operation Firefly would need to go deal with the bomb by interviewing those who spotted these incendiary balloons land (Halliday, 2009). But even then, not every bomb was dealt with in time. On May 5, 1945, 6 Oregon citizens died when a Fu-go bomb landed nearby and exploded where they were having a family picnic (Halliday, 2009; Uenuma, 2019). This ultimately would be when the censorship ban would be lifted as the US Government had to warn civilians of the dangers of these bombs (Halliday, 2009).

The Fu-Go program stands as a fascinating, albeit deadly, piece of World War II history—a testament to desperate innovation when the war reached a stalemate. While the tragic loss of life in Oregon forced the declassification of these weapons, the joint defense efforts of the U.S. and Canada successfully mitigated much of the intended destruction. Today, aircraft like the Hawker Hurricane and the incendiary balloon featured in our collection at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon serve as a physical reminder of this unique, trans-Pacific airborne threat.

* This may not be an accurate translation. I do not speak or know Japanese. If the translation is incorrect, feel free to contact us at the CAPTM and we will happily correct it to reflect the translation accurately.

The Arrow Phenomenon

This post is by summer student, Rory M. He is a music student at Brandon University, this is his second summer with us.

The Avro Arrow seems to be a near-mystical phenomenon in the world of aviation, and I have witnessed this lingering hold firsthand. During my time as a summer student, guests have shared countless memories, conspiracy theories, and stories about the Arrow, and much to my surprise, Arrow merchandise is the top seller of all aircraft in the gift shop. This fascination leads to the core question of this blog post: what is all the fuss about the Avro Arrow? Is it a resemblance to our current geopolitical tensions with the United States? A grand conspiracy that took place beneath Canadians’ eyes? Or was it simply a massive project that put the federal government too deep in the red? To find out, I dove into various news articles, and two books: Fall of an Arrow by Murray Peden, and Requiem for a Giant: A.V. Roe Canada and the Avro Arrow by Palmiro Campagna. In this post, I hope to have uncovered why the Avro Arrow remains so fiercely alive in Canadian aviation history.

Rory with Arrow Swag form the Tiger Moth Gift Shop

The story of the CF-105 Avro Arrow is not only one of innovative engineering, but also of national ambition and a sudden, controversial cancellation. The project began in the mid-1950s as the RCAF issued a set of requirements for an aircraft project that seemed nearly impossible, needing an interceptor capable of flying at more than 50,000 feet to patrol the vast, frozen Arctic. (Campagna) Avro Canada’s response was a technological leap that met these requirements, featuring a delta-wing design that seemed structurally impossible to the engineers of the time (Fall of an Arrow).

The Avro Arrow is rolled out of its Hangar at A.V Roe Canada’s plant in Malton, ON, on Oct. 4th, 1957. (Globe and Mail)

Prime Minister Diefenbaker addresses the Canadian people on CBC following the cancellation of the Arrow project. (CBC)

Because traditional parts wouldn’t fit the aircraft, Avro’s team had to invent many systems to help the aircraft function, including tandem pistons, high tensile steel alloys, as well as a technology known as “fly by wire.” (Peden) The true innovation of the project, however, was the Orenda Iroquois Engine. As written in Requiem for a Giant, much like the Merlin engine of WWII, this engine was a huge step in Canadian aviation. With titanium construction to save weight, it could produce more than 26,000 pounds of thrust, more than four times that of some of the American jets of the time.

One of the sources of conspiracy within the aviation community about the Arrow is a “cruel coincidence” of historical events. (Campagna) On October 4th, 1957 as Avro rolled out a prototype of the aircraft to an ecstatic crowd in Malton ON on the same day, the Soviet Union launched an operation which would change global defence priorities overnight, Sputnik I (CNN). Suddenly, Canada’s primary threat was no longer manned bombers which the Arrow was built to defend from, but rather ICBM’s (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles). From this day, the Arrow project had a shift in perception by the Canadian defence network, beginning to view the Arrow as a “beautifully engineered dinosaur.” (Skeptoid with Brian Dunning)

Soon after this change in defence priority, the end was near. The Arrow’s last blow was dealt on February 20th, 1959, a day colloquially known as “Black Friday.” (Fall of an Arrow) Prime Minister Diefenbaker addressed Parliament and announced the immediate termination of the project, effectively relegating Canada’s aviation industry to the “industrial minor leagues.” (Fall of an Arrow)

The impact led to immediate devastation in Canadian aviation. Roughly 14,000 skilled employees at Avro and Orenda were fired instantly, with some hearing the news over the factory’s PA system. Including subcontractors, this decision resulted in job losses for more than 50,000 people. (CNN) These skilled Canadian aviation elite fled to the United States, and a group of 32 top Avro engineers were recruited to NASA, becoming leads on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects. (CNN)

To add insult to injury, in a head-shaking move, the Arrow was completely erased in a move which Fall of An Arrow deems “vandalism.” Five completed, flyable aircraft were cut into pieces with blowtorches, blueprints shredded, and assembly jigs melted down. (Peden) This destruction was responsible for the “Ghost Plane” theory, which suggested that the prototype Arrow was secretly flown off the tarmac to a hidden hangar before demolition occurred. While there were aerial photos showing the plane missing from the tarmac, a more likely reality is that it was moved into a different hangar so that technicians could remove confidential electronics. (Skeptoid with Brian Dunning). In fact, authentic Arrow parts have resurfaced over the years, including an ejection seat on eBay a few years ago. These pieces were likely smuggled as “souvenirs” by heartbroken workers who didn’t “want their life’s work to be turned into scrap metal.” (Skeptoid with Brian Dunning)

The largest remaining part of an Arrow, the nose section. At the Canadian Air and Space Museum in Ottawa (photo by M. Nantais)

Another popular myth of the Arrow often blames American sabotage for its death, but the sources that I have read tell a more complicated story than simple American influence. While it is true that the U.S and U.K decided to protect their own markets by not buying into the Arrow project, its true killer was its price tag, which was believed to have cost more than $470 million (Peden). This project may not have been in the cards, as the Diefenbaker government inherited a massive deficit and had recently joined NORAD, which required a quarter-billion-dollar commitment to missile defence upgrades (CNN). Simply, Canada could not afford the pricy Arrow project as well as missile defence

Based on these factors, I believe that the prolonged interest of the aviation community in the Avro Arrow is a bit of national heartbreak about what could have been. Understanding that our outstanding technology was stolen by another nation, killed by a politician, or part of a larger conspiracy is quite entertaining. However, in my estimation, the truth is that geopolitical tensions of the Arrow’s time period were too great for such an extravagant red line on the national budget and a middle-sized country like Canada was unable to support it. Ultimately, I apologize if you were looking for a confirmation of a conspiracy theory, but I have not seen adequate evidence to see it myself.

Special Event: Jazz in the Hangar!

This coming August 12th from 1 – 2 pm, one of our summer student workers, Rory, and his fellow music student, Kurtis, will give a free (with admission) concert in the hangar! Surrounded by historic aircraft, experience an afternoon where music and history come together in an unforgettable way. Read a bit more about this duo below.

Rory McCallum (Trombone) and Kurtis Johnson (Piano) are current students and graduates from the Brandon University School of Music. Performing instrumental music in the jazz and contemporary popular music realm, they draw on jazz traditions and contemporary perspectives, using improvisation and interaction in familiar and standard repertoire. Together, these musicians have had the pleasure of performing in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, including the Cork and Bone Dinner Specials in Moosomin, SK, the Onanole Foundation Art Auction in Onanole, MB, the Brandon University Jazz Festival and other private and corporate events

Dangerously Dressed: RCAF Fire Suits of WWII

This post is by summer student worker, Whitney M. Hodgins is a Master of Arts Student from Athabasca University.

Author’s note: I would like to acknowledge and thank Greg Bartlett, a former Canadian Forces firefighter, for peer reviewing this article and taking the time to provide their expertise to this piece to ensure accuracy of content.

One of our most interesting artifacts (in my biased opinion), is huddled in a blue display case inside the hangar of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum. At first glance it looks like a frumpy off-white suit, with a tiny window for the wearer to peak out of. When you look at the artifact’s tag you quickly realize why it is encased in a display case that has no ability to be opened by anyone without the right equipment. The tag reads “Asbestos Fire Suit”.

The museum’s asbestos fire fighting suit
(in a special safe enclosure).

Asbestos is the general name for six related naturally occurring minerals that are fibrous and silicone-based (PSAC, 2022). The three main kinds of Asbestos are chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite (PSAC, 2022). Prior to WWII and even as recently as the 1990s, many manufactured items and building materials were created using asbestos because it was both heat resistant and fire resistant (PSAC, 2022). This suit inside the museum was one example of asbestos being used in war-time by fire-fighters to protect them from fires where extreme heat and the possibility of a fire reflash could occur (DC Museum, 2026). A reflash, or flash fire known by some, is when all combustible materials in a space ignite simultaneously (Kiurski, T., 2010). Although many items may have different temperatures of ignition, it is when the heat rises so rapidly that it creates a flashover (Kiurski, 2010). Flash fires occur when oxygen and fuel meet a heat source and combust (Sanchez, 2019). Oftentimes, this means that the heat is too extreme for most regular fire equipment to last more than a few seconds even by modern fire protective equipment standards (Kiurski, 2010). The asbestos suits were a past solution to a problem where it would allow emergency grounds crews the ability to have more time to actually do their jobs which in the RCAF was rescuing pilots from plane crashes. However, it is important to remember that more time does not mean infinite time, as crash crews who responded to extreme fires from aircraft crashes only had three minutes to get there, save the pilot, and avoid total loss of the aircraft (Museum of RAF Firefighting, 2026).

Every RCAF base had its own ground crews that had a fire brigade and everyone had to be trained to put out fires, a tradition that is still current even at the Brandon Municipal Airport (Hayter, S. 2026). These fire-fighters were assigned to a crash-crew, and they had to put on these suits whenever a plane would take off or land (Hartle, 2019). Their primary role was not necessarily putting out the fires that would occur, but more so they had the role of getting pilots out of the burning aircraft (Hartle, 2019). In addition to having breathing apparatus’ and oxygen tanks strapped to their backs, they would also have a bag of small tools with them (Hartle, 2019). These tools allowed the firemen the grim responsibility to free a pilot from the aircraft by either extracting pilots through the windows or amputating limbs that may be caught or crushed in the plane if needed (Hartle, 2019; Museum of RAF Firefighting, 2026). At the No. 12 Service Flying Training School here in Brandon, Manitoba, only two fires involving aircraft occurred since its inception in 1941 (Library Archives of Canada, 2026). Neither involved extraction or amputations (LAC, 2026). They had other fires they attended that were not aircraft related, but overall, the crash-crews here in WWII were not facing such grim situations.

Like most manufactured items that were the precursors to modern equipment and technology we have today, there are some design issues with the suit that are important to make note of. Firstly, the suit did not burn but it was able to conduct heat (DC Museum, 2026). This means that fire fighters in these suits were wearing them and fighting blazes for a very limited amount of time (DC Museum, 2026). In order to address this limitation, there would have needed to be multiple fire fighters who could switch out with one another in order to contain any blaze that occurred (DC Museum, 2026). In addition to the time limitations, there are legitimate risks for the wearer of this suit. If the suit got saturated with water when conducting their duties, the heat and water could scald the person wearing the suit (DC Museum, 2026). Additionally if the suit got wet from steam, the wearer would need to switch out and find a cool place to avoid getting overheated (DC Museum, 2026). But there was also a silent killer that existed with this suit and that is the material itself.

Asbestos may not have hurt service members in the moment, but long-term it impacted the health of many people who come in contact with asbestos regardless of their occupation or what branch of the military they were serving in. How this occurs is that fibres from the asbestos are inhaled by the individual wearers and over time they can create a health condition known as mesothelioma (PSAC, 2022). Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that lines the membranes of the lungs in the human body (PSAC, 2022). It can also cause irreversible damage called asbestosis, which is scarring of the lung tissue caused by the asbestos fibers damaging the tissues (PSAC, 2022). This is what makes this suit so sinister; because it not only draws attention to what RCAF members would wear to fight fires in WWII, it also is showcasing bravery for servicemembers dangerously dressed.

To see what a simulated rescue from one of these crash crews looks like, watch this video linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQzSjDQLSaw

A Few of My Favourite Things

This post is by summer student worker Seraphina. This is their third summer with us. Seraphina is a recent Music School graduate (Brandon University) and will soon be heading to Ottawa at the end of summer to do a Masters program at Carleton University.

This is my final summer at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum after three years of working here and it has been a very eventful period of my life. I have done a variety of different things while here such as working the front desk, archival maintenance and cataloguing, and responding to a large number of research requests. I have also researched and designed an exhibit for the CATP Museum (hopefully to be developed soon) as the final project for one of my senior history courses at Brandon University. I’ve also mowed the lawn — once. They haven’t asked me to do it since, so clearly, lawncare is not my strong suit; I tend to gravitate towards work that keeps me inside and relatively clean. Though, that being said, I have been known to crawl under vehicles and aircraft from time to time. I have done a little bit of everything while here, but there are few things in particular that hold a special place in my heart.

One of my favourite parts of my job is getting to be a tour guide. I enjoy working with and am comfortable touring around any age group; I remember once having to tour a kindergarten class and then turn around and tour a retirement home afterwards. That being said, I’ve always enjoyed touring young kids the most. There’s always a level of excitement and child-like wonder that you can’t find anywhere else. I love answering questions too, and kids, well, they have lots of them. There’s plenty to see in the museum but touring in the hangar is almost always a little bit magical in a way. Kids are absolutely fascinated by the planes and love to learn about the differences between the aircraft. From the Tiger Moth to the Harvard and even to our Hurricane, there is always something exciting to learn about. The best part though, is telling kids that some of our planes still fly. It just completely blows their minds, sometimes they don’t even believe me. It’s always such a joy.

And the fact that the planes still fly, is one of my other favourite parts of the job. Every couple of weeks in the summer the museum offers rides to the public in some of our airworthy aircraft. We have pilots and ground crew who volunteer their precious time to come and work with our planes, simply because they love it. They work together to make an unforgettable experience for those who come to sit in hour planes. During these days, I’ve gotten the opportunity to help with work behind the scenes managing bookings and the schedule, as well as with waivers and other general organization. Typically, I try to do everything in my power to make the crew’s lives easier and to make the day run smoother. It may not come with the same glory as actually flying one of the planes but I’m more than happy to help out where I can. It means a lot to me that I’m able to help get our passengers up in the air. Seeing the joy on their face when they come back through the museum after a flight is more than fulfilling enough for me.

On July 1^st this year, on top of offering rides, a few of our planes also participated in Canada Day fly pasts, both at Winnipeg Beach and here in Brandon. I was doing my usual work until it was mentioned to me that there was an extra seat in our Harvard Mk. II during Brandon’s fly past. I was told that it was taking off in twenty minutes and I had the choice on whether or not I wanted to go. Obviously I said yes. Truthfully, during my time here the Harvard hasn’t interested me all that much. While I do talk about it during my tours, I mainlt use it to discuss the uses of mounted gun cameras during the war, since the Harvard was equipped with the system. While I don’t want to undermine what truly an incredible plane the Harvard is, I’ve just always felt more drawn to some of our other aircraft like the Tiger Moth. Still, I said yes. I’ve never had the opportunity to go in one of our planes before and I absolutely wasn’t going to turn it up.

The CATPM’s Harvard (with Sera aboard) during the July 1 Canada Day Flyover.

The Harvard returns from a flight on July 1, 2026.

After a very quick safety briefing I was strapped into the plane for take off. Immediately I was so captivated by the internal pulley systems moving inside of the plane, that I didn’t even bother to look out through the canopy. I’ve always described these planes as giant marionettes and after finally the plane in action, I was happy to finally know that my descriptor was accurate. I’ve always loved roller-coasters and G-Forces, so I had no issue with the take-off or flight itself. If anything, I actually found the experience somewhat relaxing. Most of the time I was up there, I was completely fixated on the beautiful view around me. I grew up in Rivers and so Brandon was always the “big city” for me growing up. Although I’ve only actually started living here in recent years (and will be moving away soon), Brandon always has and always will hold a special place in my heart. I’ve explored so much of the city by foot on the ground and so it was incredible to get to see a birds eye view of it.

It was a really incredible opportunity for the chance to get out the office for a bit and take a ride in our Harvard. All of our planes are beautiful, and I would’ve been happy to ride in any of them, but I am really happy it worked out the way it did. Prior to getting inside that plane, I didn’t have any connection to it, but when I stepped out of it, that had all changed. It was now the plane that showed me home in a brand new light; it also gave me almost a sense of closure just before I have to move at the end of the summer. I get to see and talk to everyone after they get back from their rides, and I’ve seen the many different emotions and reactions that came from it — most typically excitement and exhilaration. For me, it was just this deep feeling of peace and calm. Then, after we landed, it was right back to work doing exactly what I love to do. Just like that, an aircraft that was once just one of many in our collection to me, became something that I will forever hold close to my heart.