About the Documentary

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) stands as a pivotal chapter in the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The program helped shape modern military aviation and laid a robust foundation for commercial aviation across Canada. 

The documentary film Yellow Wings to Victory tells the story of one of the most extensive aviation training programs in history and how this monumental country-wide Canadian effort helped the Allies to gain air supremacy in Europe and eventually turn the tide of WWII.

Yellow Wings to Victory is a 1-hour television documentary. A half-hour educational streaming version is available to classrooms across the country through McIntyre Media Inc. educational services. The documentary project also includes a website with a timeline and maps, as well as printed material, providing additional educational resources to enhance the learning experience.

The documentary is hosted by Lt. General Al Meinzinger (Ret.), a retired senior officer who was Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2018 until 2022. His expertise, along with the insights from historians and museum curators, guides the viewer through the history of the BCATP and its contribution to the Allies' victory in WWII.

Newsreels, archive footage and interviews with veterans bring the story of one of Canada's most significant wartime efforts to life. 

Film Website:
www.yellowwingstovictory.ca

 

Film Credits

A Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association Presentation

Executive Producer for CAPA - Paul Cabot

Concept and Production - A Next Frame Digital Productions Inc.

Producer and Director - Keith Dunnet

Associate Producers - Rob Hill, Gerry Milinkovic

Production Facility - Hill’s Video Productions, Burlington

Research and Script - Keith Dunnet

Director of Photography - Keith Murphy

Camera Operators - In Canada, Andrew Walker, John Tuk
United Kingdom, Robert Wright, Karen Worden

Drone Operation - Rob Hill

Location Sound - Colin Van Hattem, Jon Lebrun

Editing - John Luff

Audio Post Production - Colin Van Hattem

Original Score - John Jamieson, Soundhouse Studio

Narrator - Elissa Lansdell

News Reel Announcer - Erik Tomas

Assistant to the Producer - Doris McDougall

Historical Advisors - Dr. Michael Bechthold, Dr. Richard Mayne, Mark Peapell

Website - Albert Peres, Julien Kingston, 
MacGregor Marketing Communications Inc.

Photo and Archive Research - Paul Cabot

Veterans Archive Footage - Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, 
Voices from the Past: Brian Thorne, Clarence Short

Archive Footage - Library and Archives Canada, 
Management & Staff of Skies Magazine

Photo Archive - National Defence Image Library, Janet Lacroix, 
RCAF Audio Visual Library, Yves Gemus

Locations Manager - Paul Cabot

Accounting - Sandra Deuchar, Paul Johnston

RCAF Public Affairs - Major Trevor Reid, Captain Rachel Brosseau, 
Captain Jean Doyon

Featured Participants 
LGen (Retd) Al Meinzinger, Dr. Mike Bechthold, Jacqui Burley, 
Erin Gregory, Stephen Gray, Dr. Rachel Lea Heide, Laura Imrie, 
Dr. Richard Mayne, Dr. Harry Raffal, Kevin Windsor

Veterans  
Bill Baggs, Lloyd Berryman, Richard Bennett, Roy Blay, 
Gordon Bowlby, Jack Finan, Bill McNeill, Russell McPherson, Reginald Parr, 
Harvey Smith, Ernie Weeks, Jack Weber

Locations
Canadian Harvard Association, Canadian Aviation and Space Museum,
Parliament Hill, Arnprior Airport, Canadian War Plane Heritage Museum
National Air Force Museum of Canada, Canadian Forces Base Trenton
Base31 Picton, Royal Air Force Museum London

Special Thanks
George Hough
Brig.-Gen. (Retd) David Jurkowski
Chris Terry
Richard Landau
Deborah Devine
Honourable Karina Gould
Nadine Heath
Bill McVean
Loreena McKennitt
Tom Cochrane
Gerry Lee
Col. Margaret Jacula
Major Mathias Joost
Captain Edward Soye
Captain Peter Musters
Kathy Fitton - Western Canadian Development Museum
Linda Brand
Johnny Constantinesco

Financial Support
Royal Canadian Air Force Heritage Fund
The Department of Canadian Heritage, Commemorate Canada

The Project Team

Paul Cabot, Executive Producer
Past President of the Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association (CAPA-ACCA) and former Manager and Curator of the Toronto Aerospace Museum, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge on Canada’s aviation history. Paul is an Assistant Locations Manager for the Directors Guild of Canada. Paul’s father served in the RCAF and was trained in the BCATP.

Keith Dunnet, Producer and Director
Keith produced a 6-part series called “Make My World Safe,” broadcast on Canadian Learning Television. Each half-hour episode focused on safety issues about children from infancy to age 6. World Pairs Figure Skating Champion Barbara Underhill hosted the series.

Keith also produced and directed “Green Footsteps”, a documentary on Charles Sauriol, who founded the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Keith produced “By His Hand,” a documentary about Professor John Humphrey, who wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By His Hand was broadcast on CBC, Vision-TV and the Discovery Channel USA. “By His Hand” was featured as a “Pick of the Week” by the Toronto Star, and was reviewed in The Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen and the Montreal Gazette.

In association with the Director’s Guild of Canada, Keith has worked as an on-set production assistant for: Alliance Films, Castle Rock, Disney, Warner Bros., HBO, NBC Television, Newline Cinema and Showtime USA.

Lieutenant General Meinzinger (Retired) Al Meinzinger, Host
Al Meinzinger is a former Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), most recently serving as its longest-serving Commander in the last 60 years. He became a helicopter co-pilot in 408 Sqn in May of 1992. In 1996, he became an Instructor Pilot in Gagetown, New Brunswick.

Meinzinger held various RCAF leadership positions, including Director of Strategic Joint Staff and Deputy Commander, in addition to being Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada. He has also served in the U.S. as a member of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command, where he was instrumental in refreshing the Department of Defence Arctic strategy, and in Afghanistan as Canada’s Air Wing Commander, where he oversaw the delivery of air capabilities in theatre.

He is currently the President of Boeing Canada.

Hill’s Video Productions
Hill’s Video Productions is a full-service media production facility with over 30 years of expertise in B2B, B2C, commercial, and broadcast production. Their comprehensive services include editing, sound mixing, and studio production. Whether you require the convenience of our in-house capabilities or the flexibility of on-site recording, Hill’s Video Productions is equipped for your needs. Our live event streaming broadcasts, featuring both single-camera and multi-camera mobile options, ensure dynamic and engaging coverage. Above all, we take pride in approaching every project with the utmost respect it deserves.