FOREVER YOUNG

The forthcoming documentary Wings of Courage celebrates Canada’s Great War aviation aces. This photo essay, part of a partnership with the film’s producers, sees modern-day air cadets re-enacting historical photos of similarly aged pilots from the conflic

BARELY A DECADE HAD PASSED since the Wright brothers skipped across the fields of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in their first flying machine, but by the start of the First World War in 1914, there was no question that the battle in the skies would be as important as the battle in the trenches. Aircraft fitted with special cameras were invaluable for their ability to capture a bird’s-eye view of enemy emplacements, and planes equipped with bombs or machine guns could wreak havoc on the men on the ground. Out of the skies came the world’s first air aces, including Canadians such as Gerald Birks, Joe Fall, Arthur Roy Brown, Carl Falkenberg and Andrew Mckeever. They were living legends, even though they were practically boys when called to service. This photo essay explores the connection between yesterday’s heroes and today’s youth by recreating iconic photos of Canadian First World War aces with members of the Air Cadet League of Canada. Terry Kim, 19, Richard Knopp, 18, and Kristine Ragsdale, 18, of Air Cadet Squadron 746 are roughly the same ages as the Great War pilots at the start of the conflict. They not only posed with a replica Sopwith Pup biplane, they volunteered to help construct it — an experience they say changed how they thought of the planes and the men who flew them. The cadets’ construction of the Sopwith Pup and another replica plane is part of Wings of Courage, the second part in a documentary trilogy called A Nation Soars. Created to commemorate Great War flyers during the centennial of the conflict, the project is a partnership between documentary filmmakers Sound Venture, Heritage Canada, CPAC, Canadian Geographic and its publisher The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The juxtaposition of modern cadets with air aces here is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by young Canadians a century ago, and a tribute to all who fought.

Sub-lt. Joe Fall ( left), one of the only pilots with three Distinguished Service Crosses for aerial gallantry, stands with a Sopwith Pup. Cadet Richard Knopp with Betty ( main image), a replica of a Pup flown by Fall that was named for Fall’s younger...

Flight Commander Carl Falkenberg ( below) duck hunting in Alberta after the war, a favourite pastime. Cadet Kristine Ragsdale ( right) says, “We can use them as examples to improve ourselves, to be better people.”

Carlo Ricci is a Vancouver-based commercial photographer and director who specializes in editorial portraits. His work has appeared in Forbes magazine and Condé Nast publications. Tom Hall is Canadian Geographic’s special projects editor.

Terry Kim ( right), with replica, poses like Lt.-col. Andrew Mckeever ( above), the Royal Flying Corps’s highest-scoring two-seater fighter pilot. “History is important,” says Kim, “and we should never make the same mistakes again.”