Why Was Ferry Command A Big Deal?
Lockheed Hudson Bomber, North Atlantic Aviation Museum, Gander
What was Ferry Command?
In 1940 World War II was raging in Europe. More and more, battles were being fought from the sky. Britain needed more planes. It quickly became evident that manufacturing in the UK could not keep up with the demand.
Ferry Command was an ambitious plan to build planes in North America and fly them to Britain.
So, Why Was It A Big Deal?
In 1940, when Ferry Command began, flying was new.
It wasn’t until 1903 the Wright brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight, and that lasted only seconds.
16 years later Alcock and Brown left St. John’s and made the first trans-Atlantic flight.
In the two decades that followed there were other attempts to fly across the Atlantic but, by 1940, there had actually been fewer than 100 successful transatlantic flights.
Flying thousands of planes from North America to Europe was an audacious idea. It was nearly uncharted territory and pilots would have to navigate without any of the modern supports, through the night sky without the use of beacons, weather data or radio aids.
Trying Flying
The idea was put to the test.
On November 10, 1940, under the cover of darkness, seven Lockheed Hudson bombers left Gander, Newfoundland bound for Ireland. The planes had to fly in formation and keep in sight of each other because only one plane had a navigator. As the group approached Ireland, they encountered bad weather. The group got separated. Four planes successfully touched down in Ireland after 11 hours of flying. The three remaining planes lost their way in the storm but they, too, landed an hour later.
The trial run proved flying the planes was possible.
Ferry Command Success
Ferry Command Lockheed Hudsons at Gander //Royal Air Force official photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
With the concept proven, the Ferry Command project went into operation. Over the course of the war nearly 10 000 aircraft were flown from North America to Europe with about an astounding 95% success rate. Many of the planes transiting the North Atlantic travelled through Gander and as many as 1500 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians contributed to the efforts. While the overall success of the operation cannot be denied, some paid a tremendous price. By the end of the war over 500 people had died ferrying planes across the Atlantic.
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As word of the Atlantic Ferry Organization spread, some people tagged along on flights to their assignments in Europe.
On February 20, 1941 Sir Frederick Banting, winner of the Nobel Prize for his co-discovery of insulin, left Gander in a Hudson bomber. Shortly after the plane took off there was engine trouble. The plane crashed near Musgrave Harbour.
The pilot survived but Banting and the remaining crew were killed. They were the first fatalities on a delivery flight.
So, why was Ferry Command a big deal? Not only did it help the Allied Forces win the war, it changed the face of aviation. It moved the idea of flying across the Atlantic from the realm of daredevils to something attainable, predictable and safe. And it happened because people dreamed big, were brave beyond imagination and dared to risk everything.
Ferry Command Memorial, Gander
