Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 26, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba B4 City / District Winnipeg free press saturday june 26, 2004 Bird Hunting assisted second world War Ace by Kevin Rollason s hooting Birds and gophers with a .22 when he was Only nine and living in Rural Saskatchewan turned out to be the Best train ing James Edwards could have had to Battle Ger Man fighter planes in the second world War. Edwards who later came to be known by his Nick names Eddie and Stocky used his childhood experience Well becoming the Royal Canadian air forces Only triple Ace at least 15 planes shot Down of the wars desert Campaign and flying a total of 373 missions. Its surprising that the pilots who had some Bird Hunting in their life put it to Good use the slight Grey haired 83-year-old said yesterday. You had to be Able to Fly your air plane and then you had to be Able to use your guns to hit your tar gets while they were moving. The More experience you had the Edwards is believed to be Canadas top living air Ace. He is in the City this weekend along with 250 other former Canadian f-86 pilots for the Sabre pilots association of the air division squadrons reunion. Veterans have come to Winnipeg from As far away As new zealand for the weekend event being held at the Fairmont hotel. The pilots get together at a reunion every two years but this is the first time it has Ever been held in Winnipeg. The jets divided into 12 squadrons were the Back Bone of Canadas air Force through the 1950s and into the 1960s before being retired. The last of the 1,815 f-86 jets built by Canad air is on display at the Western Canada aviation museum. It was donated to the museum by the Pakistan air Force in 1996. After the second world War Edwards stayed in Canadas air Force and later commanded a Squadron of f-86 fighters in Western Europe during the cold War before retiring after 32 years of service. Arnie Cavett the reunions organizer and a vet eran f-86 Pilot himself said Edwards is known for something else. He a the Only Man in the annals of aviation his tory during world War ii who shot Down More air Craft than he Ever claimed Cavett said. They were Only confirmed after the War through enemy Edwards said it want just modesty. Mostly you did to have a Chance to witness an actual kill he said. Sometimes it was too danger Ous to follow anyone Down or watch. You were being attacked by someone Edwards said he went on 75 missions before i Felt any kind of Confidence in my flying and meet ing the Robert Mccormack another reunion organizer said its sad that while there Are a few Hundred f-86 veterans still alive 107 pilots died in the plane Dur ing the cold War even though an actual War never broke died in training missions Mccormack said. It was pretty dangerous when you re doing com Bat training. A lot of us lost our Cavett himself started flying the f-86 while stationed in Western Europe in 1952. I wish i was still flying them he said. They were Beautiful planes. It was a dream of an aircraft to Fly. It was the last real pilots aircraft. The ones which came after were highly computer?ized.?. ;