Harry (as he was known) was born in Roseneath, Ontario in 1903 as the youngest of 5 children to Thomas Henry Honey and Annie Beatrice Weir.
When his mother (Annie Weir) died shortly after giving birth to Henry, he was brought up in the home of his aunt & uncle (James S. Honey & Ida Elizabeth Weir).
He lived with them at various locations, including Warkworth, Cherrywood and Milliken (all in Ontario).
1911 census shows him living with James and Ida in the Pickering district.
He learned to fly at the Leavens Brothers Airport in Belleville, Ontario.
In Trenton, Ontario in 1936 he married Rena May 'Eleanor' Ferguson and together they had 4 children.
During World War II, he was hired as a private contractor through the Leavens Brothers to train navigators in the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.), based out of Trenton, Ontario.
Following the war, he moved his wife and kids to Leamington, Ontario where he flew the mail from Leamington airport to Pelee Island from 1943 to 1953.
During those years, he made between 8500 and 9000 flights on the shortest scheduled air route in Canada. He was his own engineer, freight stower and mail carrier.
While first using a Fox-Moth single engine plane out of Leamington, he changed to a Cee Bee and flew out of Windsor while the new airport was under construction in Leamington. Later, he upgraded again to a twin engine Cessna Crane.
He retired from the mail service in 1953 with an unbroken record of 12,000 accident-free hours in the air. Mostly, people contribute this fine record to something that he refused to do - fly in bad weather. He was known to go into the air with the cargo still on the ground, just to be sure the weather was ok - before returning to load the plane.
His most memorable incident was the first winter after the war had ended. His engine suffered structural failure and he ended up landing on an ice floe about 20 miles offshore. Thanks to an island resident calling in his non-arrival, Maurice Robinson was sent out to search for him, along with an RCAF vet. They rescued Henry, flew back to Windsor and ordered a new engine part. When the part arrived, they flew back to the ice floe, affected the repair right there on the spot, and got both planes off the ground before reaching the end of the ice floe. (Maurice Robinson was well-known as Windsor Airport's Mr-Fixit, back in those days).
This is a link to a photo showing him in his mail plane:
http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=record_detail&fl=0≶=English&ex=00000777&hs=0&rd=217251#
In 1953, having retired from the mail route, he took a construction job in Las Vegas in and did not return until 1957.
Upon his return, he moved to Naniamo and then Chilliwack, BC and married Norma Vanderburg.
He worked various jobs as a heavy machine operator until his death in 1975.
A few years before his death he wrote: "During my life I have been jack of all trades - but there are times when I get terribly lonesome for flying."
When his mother (Annie Weir) died shortly after giving birth to Henry, he was brought up in the home of his aunt & uncle (James S. Honey & Ida Elizabeth Weir).
He lived with them at various locations, including Warkworth, Cherrywood and Milliken (all in Ontario).
1911 census shows him living with James and Ida in the Pickering district.
He learned to fly at the Leavens Brothers Airport in Belleville, Ontario.
In Trenton, Ontario in 1936 he married Rena May 'Eleanor' Ferguson and together they had 4 children.
During World War II, he was hired as a private contractor through the Leavens Brothers to train navigators in the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.), based out of Trenton, Ontario.
Following the war, he moved his wife and kids to Leamington, Ontario where he flew the mail from Leamington airport to Pelee Island from 1943 to 1953.
During those years, he made between 8500 and 9000 flights on the shortest scheduled air route in Canada. He was his own engineer, freight stower and mail carrier.
While first using a Fox-Moth single engine plane out of Leamington, he changed to a Cee Bee and flew out of Windsor while the new airport was under construction in Leamington. Later, he upgraded again to a twin engine Cessna Crane.
He retired from the mail service in 1953 with an unbroken record of 12,000 accident-free hours in the air. Mostly, people contribute this fine record to something that he refused to do - fly in bad weather. He was known to go into the air with the cargo still on the ground, just to be sure the weather was ok - before returning to load the plane.
His most memorable incident was the first winter after the war had ended. His engine suffered structural failure and he ended up landing on an ice floe about 20 miles offshore. Thanks to an island resident calling in his non-arrival, Maurice Robinson was sent out to search for him, along with an RCAF vet. They rescued Henry, flew back to Windsor and ordered a new engine part. When the part arrived, they flew back to the ice floe, affected the repair right there on the spot, and got both planes off the ground before reaching the end of the ice floe. (Maurice Robinson was well-known as Windsor Airport's Mr-Fixit, back in those days).
This is a link to a photo showing him in his mail plane:
http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=record_detail&fl=0≶=English&ex=00000777&hs=0&rd=217251#
In 1953, having retired from the mail route, he took a construction job in Las Vegas in and did not return until 1957.
Upon his return, he moved to Naniamo and then Chilliwack, BC and married Norma Vanderburg.
He worked various jobs as a heavy machine operator until his death in 1975.
A few years before his death he wrote: "During my life I have been jack of all trades - but there are times when I get terribly lonesome for flying."
Harry (as he was known) was born in Roseneath, Ontario in 1903 as the youngest of 5 children to Thomas Henry Honey and Annie Beatrice Weir.
When his mother (Annie Weir) died shortly after giving birth to Henry, he was brought up in the home of his aunt & uncle (James S. Honey & Ida Elizabeth Weir).
He lived with them at various locations, including Warkworth, Cherrywood and Milliken (all in Ontario).
1911 census shows him living with James and Ida in the Pickering district.
He learned to fly at the Leavens Brothers Airport in Belleville, Ontario.
In Trenton, Ontario in 1936 he married Rena May 'Eleanor' Ferguson and together they had 4 children.
During World War II, he was hired as a private contractor through the Leavens Brothers to train navigators in the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.), based out of Trenton, Ontario.
Following the war, he moved his wife and kids to Leamington, Ontario where he flew the mail from Leamington airport to Pelee Island from 1943 to 1953.
During those years, he made between 8500 and 9000 flights on the shortest scheduled air route in Canada. He was his own engineer, freight stower and mail carrier.
While first using a Fox-Moth single engine plane out of Leamington, he changed to a Cee Bee and flew out of Windsor while the new airport was under construction in Leamington. Later, he upgraded again to a twin engine Cessna Crane.
He retired from the mail service in 1953 with an unbroken record of 12,000 accident-free hours in the air. Mostly, people contribute this fine record to something that he refused to do - fly in bad weather. He was known to go into the air with the cargo still on the ground, just to be sure the weather was ok - before returning to load the plane.
His most memorable incident was the first winter after the war had ended. His engine suffered structural failure and he ended up landing on an ice floe about 20 miles offshore. Thanks to an island resident calling in his non-arrival, Maurice Robinson was sent out to search for him, along with an RCAF vet. They rescued Henry, flew back to Windsor and ordered a new engine part. When the part arrived, they flew back to the ice floe, affected the repair right there on the spot, and got both planes off the ground before reaching the end of the ice floe. (Maurice Robinson was well-known as Windsor Airport's Mr-Fixit, back in those days).
This is a link to a photo showing him in his mail plane:
http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=record_detail&fl=0≶=English&ex=00000777&hs=0&rd=217251#
In 1953, having retired from the mail route, he took a construction job in Las Vegas in and did not return until 1957.
Upon his return, he moved to Naniamo and then Chilliwack, BC and married Norma Vanderburg.
He worked various jobs as a heavy machine operator until his death in 1975.
A few years before his death he wrote: "During my life I have been jack of all trades - but there are times when I get terribly lonesome for flying."
When his mother (Annie Weir) died shortly after giving birth to Henry, he was brought up in the home of his aunt & uncle (James S. Honey & Ida Elizabeth Weir).
He lived with them at various locations, including Warkworth, Cherrywood and Milliken (all in Ontario).
1911 census shows him living with James and Ida in the Pickering district.
He learned to fly at the Leavens Brothers Airport in Belleville, Ontario.
In Trenton, Ontario in 1936 he married Rena May 'Eleanor' Ferguson and together they had 4 children.
During World War II, he was hired as a private contractor through the Leavens Brothers to train navigators in the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.), based out of Trenton, Ontario.
Following the war, he moved his wife and kids to Leamington, Ontario where he flew the mail from Leamington airport to Pelee Island from 1943 to 1953.
During those years, he made between 8500 and 9000 flights on the shortest scheduled air route in Canada. He was his own engineer, freight stower and mail carrier.
While first using a Fox-Moth single engine plane out of Leamington, he changed to a Cee Bee and flew out of Windsor while the new airport was under construction in Leamington. Later, he upgraded again to a twin engine Cessna Crane.
He retired from the mail service in 1953 with an unbroken record of 12,000 accident-free hours in the air. Mostly, people contribute this fine record to something that he refused to do - fly in bad weather. He was known to go into the air with the cargo still on the ground, just to be sure the weather was ok - before returning to load the plane.
His most memorable incident was the first winter after the war had ended. His engine suffered structural failure and he ended up landing on an ice floe about 20 miles offshore. Thanks to an island resident calling in his non-arrival, Maurice Robinson was sent out to search for him, along with an RCAF vet. They rescued Henry, flew back to Windsor and ordered a new engine part. When the part arrived, they flew back to the ice floe, affected the repair right there on the spot, and got both planes off the ground before reaching the end of the ice floe. (Maurice Robinson was well-known as Windsor Airport's Mr-Fixit, back in those days).
This is a link to a photo showing him in his mail plane:
http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=record_detail&fl=0≶=English&ex=00000777&hs=0&rd=217251#
In 1953, having retired from the mail route, he took a construction job in Las Vegas in and did not return until 1957.
Upon his return, he moved to Naniamo and then Chilliwack, BC and married Norma Vanderburg.
He worked various jobs as a heavy machine operator until his death in 1975.
A few years before his death he wrote: "During my life I have been jack of all trades - but there are times when I get terribly lonesome for flying."
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