Honoraries

413WgNewBldg01Apr06 036Honorary Group President – Ontario Group – NOEL T. FUNGE, MAJOR RCAF/CF (Ret.), BA, CD. Maj (Ret.)Funge was born in Melbourne, Australia.   He joined the RCAF in 1953, graduating as a navigator in 1955.  Posted to 408 Squadron, Rockcliffe, Ottawa, he flew on Dakota and Lancaster aircraft on transport and photo-reconnaissance operations in the high Arctic. He joined 412 Squadron in 1958 as a navigator on the Comet, C-5, and North Star aircraft engaged in VIP transport duties.  He served for three years as an exchange navigator on Canberra reconnaissance aircraft of 58 Squadron, Bomber Command, RAF Wyton, England. In 1965 after a one-year tour as tactical reconnaissance instructor of CF-104 pilots and photo-interpreters at Marville, France, he was posted to Canadian Joint Air Training Centre at Rivers as a photo-navigator instructor on Dakota aircraft and also flew C-130B aircraft. After graduation from the Aerospace Systems Course in 1967, he served as an aerospace instructor at Central Navigation School until 1970.   He then served two years as Staff officer Navigation Training at Training Command headquarters, Winnipeg; was Navigation Leader at 436 Squadron, Trenton until 1974, Aircrew Leader there until 1975; and Chief Air Training Instructor at 426 Operational Training Squadron until 1978. After serving four years as Commander of the Aerospace Squadron at Canadian Forces Air Navigation School, then as Staff Officer Navigation and Aerospace Training at Air Command HQ, he retired from the Canadian Forces in 1985. Maj (Ret.) Funge now resides in Carrying Place with his wife Irene.  He served as Ontario Group President 2005-2007 and is now Honorary President of Ontario Group of the Air Force Association of Canada.

McCabeHonorary Group President – Atlantic GroupBrigadier General (Ret’d) Paul J. McCabe. Born in Truro N.S. and a past member of the 77 Truro Air Cadet Squadron, BGen (Ret’d) McCabe graduated from the Royal Military College in May 1975 with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and was commissioned in the Canadian Forces as an Aerospace Engineering Officer. While serving at Canadian Forces Base Shearwater he met and married his wife Sandra (Squires), formerly of Stephenville, Nfld. In May 1978, BGen (Ret’d) McCabe was promoted to Captain and returned to RMC to obtain his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. In June 1980 BGen (Ret’d) McCabe was posted to the Directorate of General of Aerospace Engineering and Maintenance in Ottawa where he carried out project management activities. He was promoted to the rank of Major in May of 1984 and was posted to the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta with the responsibility for aircraft instrumentation. In July 1987, BGen (Ret’d) McCabe was transferred to the Base Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Organization at CFB Greenwood, N.S., supporting CP140 Aurora operations. On being promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in June 1990, he was appointed the Base Technical Services Officer at CFB Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. In September 1992, BGen (Ret’d) McCabe was posted to Air Command Headquarters, Winnipeg, responsible for coordinating maintenance of maritime aircraft and tactical helicopters. In June, 1995 he was appointed the Commanding Officer of 14 Software Engineering Squadron Greenwood N.S., responsible for software support for the CP-140 Aurora fleet. In August of 1996, on promotion to the rank of Colonel, BGen (Ret’d) McCabe was posted for a second time to Air Command, now 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters, where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff Maintenance. In July 1999 BGen (Ret’d) McCabe was appointed Wing Commander 5 Wing Goose Bay, responsible for supporting four Allied Nations conducting low level flying training. In 2001 he was awarded the Order of Military Merit by the Governor General for significant contributions to the military and community organizations throughout his career. On promotion to Brigadier General in 2002, BGen (Ret’d) McCabe was posted to 1 Canadian Air Division, responsible for Air Force support and training activities. In June 2005, he was appointed as the Director General Aerospace Equipment Program Management in Ottawa where he was responsible for in-service support for all Canadian Forces aircraft fleets. He retired from the Canadian Forces in June 2008. BGen (Ret’d) McCabe is currently employed as the Vice President Engineering at IMP Aerospace and resides in Truro NS. He and his wife Sandra have one son, Geoffrey, who lives with his wife Tara in Saint John NB.
johnamblerHonorary Group President – Pacific GroupColonel(Retired) Jon K. Ambler OMM CD. Jon Ambler was born in Rotherham, England in 1955 and he and his family immigrated to Canada in 1964. They initially lived for two years in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and then in 1966 they moved to Kenora, Ontario. He is a graduate of Beaver Brae Secondary School in Kenora, Ontario and the Red River Community College, Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1997 he completed a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Manitoba. He was active in Sea Cadets from 1968 to 1973, and attended summer camps at Quadra and Esquimalt, qualifying as a Boatswain, and taking cruises on HMCS Provider and HMCS Columbia. He joined the Canadian Forces in 1979 as a Direct Entry Officer and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He earned his Navigator wings in 1980. His first operational tour was with 415 (MP) Squadron, initially flying the Argus in Summerside and then the Aurora in Greenwood, until 1984. A tour as a Navigator-Communicator instructor followed at 404 (MP&T) Squadron. In 1986 he was selected to serve as the Navigator Career Manager at National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa. In 1988, then Major Ambler was posted to the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff London, England to serve as Staff Officer Operations and Plans. Following his graduation from the RAF Staff College in 1990 he re-joined 415 (MP) Squadron, serving as Flight Commander and Deputy Commanding Officer. Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1993 he was posted to NDHQ where he served as the Executive Assistant to the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister (Personnel). In 1995 he commenced his third tour at 415 (MP) Squadron, serving as the Commanding Officer until 1997, and completing over 3,000 operational flying hours. Following his graduation from the USAF Air War College in 1998 he was promoted to Colonel and was posted to the HQ of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force in Mons, Belgium, where he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Standards, Policy and Plans. Returning to Canada in August 2001 he served two years as the Director of Cadets at NDHQ, with overall responsibility for the Air Cadet, Army Cadet and Sea Cadet programs across Canada. In July 2003 he commenced a year long command of Task Force El Gorah, Canada’s contribution to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), a non-UN peacekeeping force located in Egypt’s Sinai Desert. Colonel Ambler took command of 19 Wing Comox in July 2004. In September 2006 he was appointed an Officer in the Order of Military Merit. Upon relinquishing command of 19 Wing in July 2007 Colonel Ambler retired from the Regular Force. He continues to serve part time as a Reservist. During the past year in his capacity as a SPO for CAS he wrote “way ahead” papers on the ANAV, AESOp and FE Occupations. Involved in municipal politics he will run for office in the upcoming election. He also works part time as the Manager of the Comox Air Force Museum. He and Jill, his wife of 31 years, reside in the Comox Valley.

QuebecGroupHGpPres AFAC, Quebec Group, Honorary President – John C. Henry, CD BGen (ret). B/Gen Henry was born in Kirkland Lake, Ont. in 1927. He attended High School there and spent five years in the Air Cadets before going to the University of Toronto to study Aeronautical Engineering. In 1947 he joined the University Air Training Plan, UATP Course #1, and took pilot training at Trenton during the summers of ‘47,’48 and ‘49. He graduated from U of T in 1949, and got his Pilot Wings at Centralia in 1949 along with Course #9 of the Regular Force. He joined the Regular Force as a Flying Officer, and married Eilleen Anderson on 28 August 1949. Following further training at Trenton, he was transferred to 426(T) Squadron based in Lachine, Quebec in 1949 where he was trained as a copilot on North Star aircraft. In 1950, when the Korean War started, the Squadron was moved to Tacoma Washington, as the USAF base for the Airlift to Japan and Korea. F/O Henry became qualified as a captain on North Stars and completed numerous trips across the Pacific, both on the Northern Route through Alaska and the Aleutians, and on the Southern route through Wake Island, Hawaii and San Francisco. In the summer of 1952 F/L Henry was transferred to Central Experimental and Proving Establishment (CEPE) in Rockcliffe, ON, where he qualified on several aircraft types, including the Vampire jet. In January 1953 he was transferred to England to attend the Empire Test Pilot School in Farnborough. He returned to Canada in December 1953, and was assigned again to CEPE, and the unit moved to Uplands airport in 1954. F/L Henry was assigned to the Avro Arrow CF-105 training program until it was cancelled. He was promoted to Squdron Leader, and transferred as the Officer in charge of Flying at CEPE Climatic Detachment in Namao This involved winter trials of the Argus aircraft and helicopters at Churchill, Man., and summer trials at the USAF Eglin Base in Florida. After Namao, S/L Henry spent a year at the Staff College in Toronto before being assigned to the USAF Space program at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio. in 1961, as the Test Pilot coordinator for the Dyna-Soar Program being developed by Boeing in Seattle in conjunction with the test pilots at Edwards AFB in California. In 1963, S/l Henry was promoted to Wing Commander and posted to North Bay, ON to train to take over 414 Voodoo Squadron. While training for this position, W?C Henry encountered a medical problem which meant he lost his flying category for 6 months. During this period he organized the Air Force Day program for Air Defence Command Bases. In the summer of 1964, W/C Henry completed his Voodoo training and was assigned as Commanding Officer of 416 All Weather Fighter Squadron in Chatham N.B. .He commanded this squadron for the next three years, and was then transferred to NDHQ in Ottawa as the Director of Force Structure and promoted to Group Captain, and then one month later, on 1 Feb 68, with Canadian Forces Integration, he became a Colonel. In the summer of 1968, Colonel Henry was assigned to the National Defence College Course XXIII. Following this course he was transferred to Winnipeg as the Prairie Regional Director of Operations and Cadets. during which time the first Air Cadet summer camp at Churchill Man. was established. In the summer of 1972, Col Henry was transferred to Colorado Springs as the Deputy Assistant Director of Plans for NORAD. Then in the summer of 1974 he was transferred to Trenton, ON, as the Base Commander, which position he occupied for the next four years. In the summer of 1978, Col. Henry was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned to Tacoma Washington as the Deputy Commander of the 25th NORAD Region. This region was responsible for the Air Defence of the West coast of North America, from Oregon to Alaska, and inland covering Washington and Montana States, and British Columbia, Alberta and Northern Saskatchewan. In December 1980, BGen Henry retired from the Canadian Forces and accepted a position as the Vice-President of Flight Operations at Canadair in Montreal where the Challenger aircraft was being developed.. This position lasted until the summer of 1983, and BGen(ret) Henry moved to Paramax (A division of Sperry which eventually became part of the Unisys Corporation). as the Director of Marketing, developing the team that chose the EH-101 Helicopter for the Canadian Navy Frigates. BGen (ret) Henry retired from Unisys in 1991, but still maintains his life-long interest in aviation, and the Air Force Association of Canada.. He accepted the position of Honorary President of the Quebec Group for the second time in the spring of 2009.