Donald McVicar

Donald McVicar entered aviation at age 18 and worked in the industry for more than 60 years. In 1941, he joined the RAF Ferry Command as a civilian pilot, ferrying warplanes from Dorval to England. With Louis Bisson, he flew difficult missions in the Arctic that established the famous Crimson Route. For that, he earned the King’s Commendation in 1942. McVicar also carried out the first ever Polar Europe-Vancouver crossing, flying a Handley Page Hampden. For these actions, he was awarded in 1944 the OBE. In 1945, McVicar formed World-Wide Aviation Consulting, a Montreal-based firm that found jobs to many veterans and ferried aircraft from North America to 39 countries. Retired, he wrote 12 books, many of them telling the story of his exciting career. In 2002, five years after his death, McVicar was inducted into the Quebec Air and Space Hall of Fame.