Grostenquin France

1951-1952 - 416 Squadron - Larry Milberry

No. 416 Squadron reformed at Uplands on January 8, 1951, under S/L DC Laubman and equipped with P-51s. Laubman, like many post-war fighter squadron OCs, had a distinguished wartime career that included 15 enemy aircraft shot down, seven in just two days in September 1944. Some of Laubman's pilots would soon go on to be well known Sabre drivers, including John Deb Ouden, Ernie Glover, Jim Hanna, Ken Lewis, Dough Lindsay (7 kills, WWII), Bill Marsh and Chuck Steacy. Mustang days were full of action and lots of fun, with such activities as firepower demonstartions at Petawawa and Borden, and drogue towing at Chatham. There were the usual survival and escape and evasion exercises, but if these dampened the boy's spirits a bit they make up for it otherwise, as a note in the squadron diary for June 19, 1951, suggests: "Complaints of low flying and dogfighting over the city of Ottawa were received". On an air defence exercise on June 22, 415 claimed 5 North Stars, 6 TCA DC-3s, a Lancaster, Anson and Norseman in its list of "kills".

By September 1951, 416 was flying three T-birds (14681, 14687 and 14689), so its pilots were getting a little more jet time. The following March (1952), S/L Laubman was posted to Europe, and S/L John MacKay took over as OC. Flying with 401 Squadron during the war, MacKay had 10 7/10th kills, including part of an Me 262. He also had numerous damaged aircraft to his credit, including three Arado 234 jets.

The squadron's firs Sabres appeared in April 1952. On April 9, F/O Harry Hrischenko became the first in the RCAF to save his life with an ejection seat. When his Sabre got into an uncontrollable spin over the countryside near Ottawa, he pulled the handles and his seat functioned as advertised. Hrischenko had been a flying "nut" since his boyhood. He had learned to fly on a post-war Air Cadet scholarship at the Windsor Flying Club. His Sabre flying was to include tours with 414, 416 and 421 Squadrons. Later he flew Neptunes and finished his flying career on Cosmos and Falcons with 412 Squadron.

On June 14, 1952, 416 participated in air shows at Uplands and St. Hubert, with highlights being a four-squadron flypast by 48 Sabres and solo aerobatics by 416's F/O Roy Howie. On more serious business, 416 conducted plenty of practice air firing to prepare for its forthcoming posting overseas.