— Text and photos by Gustavo Corujo

William (Bill) Long passed away at Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington, Ontario, on Feb. 2, 2022, at the age of 85.

Long started his aviation career at the early age of 17 and built a successful career as a pilot for the next 60 years, beginning with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and then as a commercial pilot, including time with Wardair, Air Vietnam and then sharing his flight knowledge as a teacher for Air Canada.

After retirement, Long kept his passion alive by flying the Harvard aircraft at the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association and Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. He also continued to train pilots part time in simulators until the year of 2015.

Long took his very first flight on the Harvard Aircraft 242 back in 1954 while training to be a pilot with the RCAF in Claresholm, Alberta, and 60 years later his final flight as a pilot was on the same aircraft at the Tillsonburg Airport on August 5, 2017.

Blue skies and tailwinds, Bill… You will be missed. More photos can be found here.