Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame has announced its 2027 inductees. The four individuals recognized for their contributions to the aviation industry include:
Giorgio Clementi: During his distinguished career in flight testing and aviation training, Clementi has helped to strengthen flight test education in Canada, notably through his leadership of the International Test Pilot School, Canada’s only civilian test pilot school and just one of eight test pilot schools recognized by the Society of Experimental Test pilots.
Billie Flynn: A highly accomplished Canadian test pilot, Flynn served for 23 years in Canada’s air force before becoming a leading civilian experimental test pilot. His career has included command of 441 Squadron during NATO operations in Kosovo and the flight testing some of some of the world’s advanced fighter aircraft, including the General Dynamics F-16, Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
George O. Johnson: A First World War flying ace, Johnson went on to a distinguished interwar career in military aviation. He continued to serve Canada during the Second World War, when he led Eastern Air Command’s effort to thwart the Nazi U-Boat menace. He rose to the rank of Air Marshall and served as Air Officer Commanding, RCAF Overseas, in charge of all Canadian air units in Europe. George Johnson died in 1980.
Kenneth Patrick: An RCAF veteran of the Second World War, wireless radio innovator and aviation entrepreneur Kenneth Patrick founded Canadian Aviation Electronics, now CAE, in 1947. What began in a hangar at Saint-Hubert airport has grown into a Canadian company recognized globally as a leader in flight simulation, training and aviation technology. Kenneth Patrick died in 2002.
Two additional awards were announced. The Belt of Orion Award for Excellence will be awarded to the Canadian International Air Show, and the Canada Aviation Distinction Award will be presented to Captain Robert “Bob” Pearson and the late First Officer Maurice Quintal in recognition of their extraordinary skill in safely landing an Air Canada Boeing 767 on an abandoned airstrip in Gimli, Manitoba after running out of fuel 17 minutes earlier.
The Induction Gala will take place in Calgary in September 2027.
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