Fred McCall was Canada's fourth-ranking WW One flying ace credited with having shot down 37 enemy planes.
One of Fred’s most famous flights took place at the 1919 Calgary Stampede. He had just taken off with two young passengers, the sons of Calgary Exhibition manager E.L. Richardson, when his Curtiss JN-4D lost power. Unable to land on the infield because of an auto race, and seeking to avoid the Stampede crowds, he pancaked the plane on top of a carousel.
It was a masterful landing — no one was hurt. The plane was taken down, put in a tent, and pieces of it sold as souvenirs.
“I think he almost made enough to buy a new plane,” said his son, Fred Jr.
