The BCATP Story

At the outset of WW II the Allies needed a plan to close the air power gap between themselves and the Axis. The documentary Yellow Wings to Victory will tell the story one of Canada’s major military contributions to the Allied war effort through its central role in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), and how it was this plan that was essential to the Allied victory. The Yellow Wings to Victory project celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the RCAF.

The Project

Told by veterans in their own words, given context by leading historical experts and brought to life with authentic archival footage as well as in-flight high-resolution photography shot in restored WWII aircraft, Yellow Wings to Victory will preserve and illuminate this important element in Canadian and world history.

Why is this Project important...

Interactive Content

The planned full length documentary will be edited into a series of shorter segments more amenable for online, as well as classroom viewing and discussion. An e-learning portal, with these edited clips, lesson plans, and a guide to using the digital interactives will be created for educators. Yellow Wings to Victory has particularly strong ties to both elementary and secondary curricula in Canada.

Planned Content:
— Interactive timeline of the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force
— Immersive virtual tours of aircraft used by the RCAF in WWII
— Interactive map of BCATP Bases across Canada
— Digital recreation of a BCATP Base
— BCATP aircraft flight training simulator
— Digital recreation of BCATP training program

Museum Partnership Information

The Project Team

Advisors:

Paul Cabot: President, Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association CAPA-ACCA and numerous Member Museum Curators and Interpreters.

Dr. Richard Oliver Mayne: Director RCAF History and Heritage, Department of National Defence.

Christopher Terry: Past President and CEO of the Canada Science and Technology Museum and former Director of the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum.

Dr. Rachel Heide: Military Historian and a pre-eminent authority on the infrastructure, creation and building of the BCATP.

Brigadier-General David Jurkowski, CMM, CD (Retired): Former Fighter Squadron, Fighter Wing and Fighter Group Commander. As an RCAF General Officer and a Vice President at Bombardier Aerospace, he played roles in the marketing and administration of NATO Flying Training in Canada, a modern evolution of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Production Principals:

Keith Dunnet: Producer, Next Frame Productions
Keith has independently produced numerous documentaries including By His Hand a film about Professor John Humphrey, who wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By His Hand broadcast on CBC, Vision-TV and Discovery Channel USA and was featured in the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen and the Montreal Gazette.

Julian Kingston: Interactive Producer, Theoria Cultural Thinkers
Julian oversaw development of immersive learning experiences during his 10-year tenure as Head of Education and Programs at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). As Program Manager, Arts, Media and Culture for Sheridan College, he directed the development of courses in multi-media, web development, game design and digital storytelling.

Project Contacts

Paul Cabot
President, Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association
pcabot@erifilm.ca

Keith Dunnet
Next Frame Digital Productions Inc.
nextframedigital@cogeco.ca