Fonds 226 - John Davids fonds

John Davids was born in Stornoway, Saskatchewan on July 23 1915; he was the eldest of seven children. His father was employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) as a maintenance man and tracklayer. Early in John's life, CPR transferred the Davids family to Hartney, Manitoba. In 1931, John developed an interest in constructing airplanes when he assisted Maurice Fry with the construction of Peintenpol CF-ARH. Later they constructed a Monocoupe. Although he enjoyed building airplanes and barnstorming, financial considerations required he take a job with Continental Auto Supply. During his employ with Continental he moved from Brandon to Regina and finally to Edmonton as Branch Manager. In World War II, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force where he served as a staff pilot and later as a conversion instructor. Soon after the war, John Davids began flying with Associated Airways Ltd., which later became Pacific Western Airlines. While working with Associated Airways, he met and married Coral Enzenauer. He was eventually promoted to the position of Chief Pilot of PWA's Northern Division, VFR Department. With a keen interest in the history of aviation, he researched and taped interviews for the Canadian Bush Pilot Flying Story Project. He was Secretary-Treasurer for the Edmonton Quarter Century Aviation Club (EQCAC) for many years and later became the Club's President. An avid writer and photographer, he published the EQCAC Newsletter for many years and compiled a collection of over 20,000 photographs including 10,000 slides and a few hundred feet of movies.