The Chosen Ones: Canada's Test Pilots in Action

Gordon C. Shaw is professor emeritus in the Faculty of Administrative
Studies at York University.

The Chosen Ones tells the story of 10 Canadian test pilots during the
heady days after World War II when there was expectation that new
aircraft types could be developed in Canada and sold to a world market.
Six of these men were with A.V. Roe Canada, while the other four were
with De Havilland Canada. One of the latter, Russ Bannock, later became
CEO of De Havilland. The six A.V. Roe pilots worked mostly with military
aircraft, including the famous Avro Arrow. The book adds to general
knowledge of these planes and the AVRO Jetliner. This latter plane was
the world’s first passenger jetliner but failed to gain market
acceptance. The four De Havilland pilots tested and helped develop such
aircraft as the Moth, Beaver, and Otter, all of which facilitated
opening the remote areas of Canada.

Besides giving the individual histories, the author shows the role of
the test pilot in handling the first flight of some new, unproven
aircraft as he tries to find anything that can go wrong with the
aircraft before anyone else flies it. In effect, Rossiter puts the
reader into the cockpit to experience the “heart-stopping moments”
of a first flight.

In addition to telling the 10 personal histories, The Chosen Ones
provides insight into the challenges of testing new aircraft. It is not,
however, an easy read for the generalist who is unfamiliar with
technical aircraft terms.