The Webster Memorial Trophy Competition has opened the application period for the 2023 program, which is set to take place August 21 to 26, 2023, at the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre, in Waterloo, Ontario. To be considered for this year’s National Finals, a process that begins with regionals, applications must be submitted before midnight on June 15, 2023.

Year 2022 saw the return of the competition to determine Canada’s top amateur pilot following the global pandemic, with a high level of competition at all stages. It was won by Harmeet Garg of Southern Interior Flight Centre, finalist for the Western Canada region.

Garg wins Webster Trophy as Canada’s top amateur pilot

“We’re delighted to host the prestigious Webster Memorial Trophy Competition this year and look forward to welcoming the finalists and Webster Team to WWFC,” said Bob Connors, General Manager of the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.

Organizers of the Webster Memorial Trophy Competition note the 2023 program will include updates and modernizations to continue to honour John Webster’s memory and the traditions of the competition. “By working through our operational pause during the global pandemic and collecting feedback from our 2022 qualifying and competition processes, we have identified more ways to develop the competition to reach a more a contemporary audience while continuing to honour our traditions,” said Laura Matheson, Webster’s National Administrator for 2023. “The 2023 rulebook will be released shortly, reflecting these changes.”

The annual Webster Memorial Trophy Competition has operated since its inception in 1932, interrupted only three times: First by World War II, again in 1954 due to rising administrative costs, and most recently in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The competition is named after John C. Webster Jr., a civilian pilot who participated in the 1931 Trans-Canada Air Pageant. In July 1931, John Webster flew his Curtiss-Reid Rambler representing Canada in the King’s Cup Air Race in England. A month later, while in St. Hubert, Québec, practising for an aerobatic display as part of the pageant, Webster was involved in a fatal aircraft accident. His father, Dr. John C. Webster, of Shediac, New Brunswick, established the John C. Webster Memorial Trophy Competition to perpetuate his son’s memory.

For more information visit www.webstertrophy.ca.

(Photo: Webster Memorial Trophy Competition)