Red Knight set for Winnipeg flight

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This article was published 28/11/2018 (2669 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 51-year-old Woodhaven Park monument has received a $50,000 makeover and is being rededicated to include the story of a Winnipeg fighter pilot who flew the iconic Red Knight.

The decommissioned Canadair CT-133 Silver Star monument has been grounded for the past several weeks as it was refurbished. One of the most notable changes is a bright red paint job, commemorating the group of military pilots who flew the Red Knight aerobatic display aircraft from 1958 to 1969.

The only Winnipegger among those 17 Canadian Forces pilots, Brig.-Gen. William (Bill) Slaughter, also flew with the Golden Centennaires, an aerobatics group active during the country’s centennial in 1967.

Slaughter was born and raised in St. James. He died in October 2013 at 74 years old.

The refurbished monument will feature a new plaque explaining the history of the Red Knight team, and will commemorate Slaughter’s accomplishments. A picture of Slaughter getting into an original Red Knight T-33 in 1964 will also be included.

“I think (Bill) would be happy it was painted as the Red Knight, but I don’t think he would want any attention drawn towards him; he was a very modest person. I think he would be rather embarrassed at even having his name mentioned in the sidebar,” his son, Rod Slaughter, said this week.

“The plane is still in commemoration of the (Royal Canadian Air Force) from the original plaque. As a sidebar, we just note that somebody who made the plane famous was born and raised in St. James, so we thought that was a good local connection.”

The original monument was erected Aug. 18, 1967, in honour of the members of the RCAF who trained in the city during the Second World War.

The plane’s original blue, red and silver paint job had chipped and faded after decades in Winnipeg’s harsh weather, and the monument’s concrete pedestal needed repairs.

“It’s good, (the new red paint) makes it stand out more. It was kind of getting faded and weather-beaten,” said Lorraine Marek, a resident of the Woodhaven area for more than 40 years.

Marek said she walks by the monument with her dog at least two times a week, adding she thinks the refurbishment was a good use of money.

“When we have stories of a resident such as Bill Slaughter, a resident of St. James who had a very distinguished career and who flew both as a Red Knight in the ’60s and later as a Centennaire, and flew these very planes, it’s important to commemorate their contribution to our community and to our nation,” said Coun. Scott Gillingham (St. James). “It just looks great.”

Gillingham said the refurbishment is complete and the plane is expected to be placed back on the pedestal shortly.

There will be a commemoration ceremony, organized by the Royal Military Institute of Manitoba, in the spring.

danton.unger@freepress.mb.ca