Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame announced this week their inductees for 2022. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 inductees are planned to be inducted together with the 2022 inductees at the next Induction Ceremony.
Thomas Appleton, a former Air Cadet who went on to obtain a pilot licence, worked for de Havilland Canada where he flew many of its models as a demonstration, instructor and test pilot. Appleton obtained an MBA and eventually became executive vice-president of the Canadair Regional Jet division. Appleton is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Maryse Carmichael, also a former Air Cadet, joined the Canadian Forces where she eventually became the first female Snowbirds pilot and then the first female commanding officer of 431 Air Demonstration Squadron. After serving in the RCAF for 22 years, Carmichael moved to CAE where she served in several roles including operations manager. Carmichael, a member of the 99s, is a recipient of the Northern Lights Aero Foundation’s Elsie award.
John Croll is also a former RCAF officer and pilot. Graduating from the Royal Military College with a degree in engineering physics, Croll spent much of his military career as a test pilot, and was awarded the Liethen-Tittle Award by the US Air Force after completing at the top of his class at the test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base in the U.S. After leaving the air force, Croll joined the National Research Council’s Flight Research Laboratory in support of the Canadian Space Agency.
James DeLaurier is a professor at the University of Toronto’s Aerospace Institute (UTIAS) where he conducts leading edge research and development in the field of aviation. DeLaurier obtained a PhD from Stanford University in the U.S., where he also served with NASA during the Apollo program. DeLaurier founded the Subsonic Aerodynamics Laboratory at UTIAS in 1974, where he worked on the Stationary High Altitude Relay Platform (SHARP).
Rhys Eaton joined the finance department of Pacific Western Airlines (now absorbed into Air Canada) in 1967, becoming its president and CEO in 1976. Under Eaton’s watch, the company absorbed Canadian Pacific Air Lines and Wardair, morphing into Canadian Airlines International. Eaton continued at the helm until he retired in 1995, having grown the company’s annual revenue from $100 million in 1976 to $3 billion before he retired. He later served as the president of IATA.
Don Laubman served as a fighter pilot in the Second World War, flying Spitfires in Europe where, after shooting down 15 enemy aircraft, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Laubman continued to serve with the RCAF during the post-war period and played a key role in the unification of the country’s armed forces. He later served as Commander of Canadian Forces Europe. Laubman retired in 1972 and passed away in 2018.
Marc Parent joined Canadair after leaving university with an engineering degree, later becoming a vice-president and general manager at Bombardier. Parent moved to CAE in 2005, eventually rising to the position of president and CEO in 2009. CAE as experienced substantial growth under his management. In 2020, Parent was inducted into the Order of Canada as a Member.
Russell Payson began his career as an airline pilot before founding Skyservice in 1986 as an FBO in a hangar at Montreal airport. The company expanded into the air ambulance and business aviation fields which later became Skyservice Business Aviation Inc., employing over 500 employees. Payson later founded Skyservice Airlines and, in 2011, Sky Regional Airlines. Payson was named an ATAC Lifetime Honoree in 2005 and CBAA Honorary Lifetime Membership in 2009.
Brampton Flight Centre first got off the ground in 1946 as the Brampton Flying Club, and its fleet composed of one de Havilland Tiger Moth. Fast forward 75 years and the club has morphed into the Brampton Flight Centre, a non-for-profit corporation that operates the largest privately owned airport in Canada with a fleet of 24 aircraft and has trained thousands of pilots who fly both recreationally and professionally. The BFC was awarded the 2022 Belt of Orion Award for Excellence.