432 Algoma Wing 
The RCAF career of Vernon Harnden
In 1947 after I graduated from Technical School I enlisted in the airforce into the avionics branch. After graduation I was transferred to a 414 Dakota Squadron that was helping to map Canada. At that time vast areas of Canada had not been mapped. We operated out of Ottawa at the Rockcliffe air base. During the winter we overhauled the aircraft and during the summer we photographed the assigned areas from 20,000 feet, the first year out of Norman Wells in the North West Territories and the next year we operated out of Watson Lake in the Yukon. That fall we did the Alaskan Highway out of Whitehorse for the army.
In 1950 I was transferred to Gimli Manitoba on Harvards. I didn’t like small aircraft because I couldn’t fly in them. I requested to get back on transport aircraft. It worked and I went to Lachine Quebec on North Stars, 426 Squadron. They were doing the Korean Airlift from Seattle to Tokyo. I was only there a few months and I was transferred to the VIP 412 Sqn in Ottawa on the DeHaviland ,state of the art, Comets. They were so advanced for the time, they were considered ten years ahead of any other transport aircraft. 412 Sqn received 2 Comets and used them as VIP aircraft for everyone from high ranking officers, Members of Parliament, Prime Ministers to Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth. About a year after we started flying the Comets, British Overseas Airways had 2 Comets explode over the Mediterranean due to metal fatigue. All Comets were grounded for about 2 years. Ours were modified and were returned to 412 Sqn. I was 6 1/2 years with 412 and had many adventures working and flying with them mainly with the Comets and the 4 engine VIP C5. All told I was in 42 different countries , from Vietnam to Johannesburg.
In 1958 I was transferred to Camp Borden as an instructor. 3 1/2 years later they were having trouble with a 66% failure rate of electrical and instrument technicians qualifying for exams in Bagotville, Quebec. I taught electrical and electronic theory for 4 1/2 more years, then got transferred to St Hubert Quebec with the Mobile Command Buffalo Sqn. When the Buffalo Sqn switched over from army support to Search and Rescue I moved to Trenton with part of the squadron. I retired from there in 1971 as a Warrant Officer and because of my experience in the electrical field and supervisor I hired on at Algoma Steel in Electronic Repair. I spent 21 years there before I retired for the second time.
After I retired from the airforce I worked with our air cadet squadron for several years and I also taught cadet officers in Falconbridge Ont. [Major Vern Harnden was the Commanding Officer of 155 Borden Gray G.C. Royal Canadian Air Cadets from 1984 to 1986 – www.155aircadets.ca]