Interview with Heather Stemp, an aviation writer

Matthew McCarthy conducts a zoom interview with Heather Stemp, a relative of the Archibald family and an aviation author. She discusses the role of the Archibald family in our aviation story, specifically Harry Archibald.

Recorded on Zoom February 9, 2023
Interviewer: Matthew McCarthy
Videographer: Christina Hearn
Duration: 1 minute, 42 seconds

Heather Stemp: Here’s a picture of Harry, I don’t know if you will be able to see it (Photo in book held up to computer screen).

Interviewer: Hold it a little closer to the camera.

HS: He is in the middle [yep] and there is a pilot and a mechanic in the picture with him, you can see him in coveralls. His job was to meet the planes when they landed, make them secure, and that was with a big long rope tied around empty oil drums and the people were welcome to come up and look at the planes but not touch.

HS: So he would stay with the plane in a form of security. There were watchmen that were hired to do that when planes came in as well, but Uncle Harry’s responsibility was more mechanical, [Interviewer: Ok]. So he, he would talk to the pilot, the mechanic, he would find out if they needed anything, did they have trouble in the flight getting to Newfoundland before they hopped off to go across the Atlantic.

HS: And then the pilot and the mechanic would generally go to Aunt Rose’s hotel for food and rest, and Uncle Harry would stay with the plane and he would be doing what needed to be done according to the needs of, specifically the pilot, but he would also be consulting with the mechanic. Then when the plane took off he would be doing the same thing. He’d be consulting with them, providing local knowledge, local weather, previous history of flights, etc. So he was….an integral part of the Airport Trust.