A small community in southern Saskatchewan is honouring one of its own with a piece of Canadian aviation history. Travellers who visit Birsay, Saskatchewan will be treated to a newly installed monument – a wing memorial dedicated to Captain Walter “Nemo” Niemi and all other pilots who lost their lives while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Niemi – originally from Birsay – served as a pilot in the RCAF from 1979 to 1989. His life was cut short when his CF-18 Hornet crashed into Seibert Lake on Jan. 11, 1989 while serving with the 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron at CFB Cold Lake. Niemi was serving as an instructor at the base at the time. He was 34. The memorial includes a plaque that recounts Niemi’s life and career as well as a portion of a wing from the iconic CF-104 Starfighter. The fighter was a staple of cold war aircraft design. A result of Lockheed Martin’s Skunkworks Division – the Mach 2.2 capable 104’s were built under license by Canadair and served in the RCAF until the mid 1980s. The second generation jet fighter was remembered by a plethora of nicknames including “missile with a man in it,” “lawn dart,” and the “widow-maker,” in reference to its high rate of crashes early in its service. The wing on display in Birsay comes from a CF-104 just like the ones Niemi accumulated over 1,000 flight hours on during his service at Cold Lake and Baden-Soellingen, Germany. According to accounts from 1989, Niemi was the last RCAF pilot to fly Mach 2 in the CF-104. The wing was officially unveiled on Aug. 29. The project has been an ongoing effort for Niemi’s family, according to its website. Going forward – Niemi’s family hopes to acquire an intact CF-104 to serve as the perfect memorial for the pilot from small town Saskatchewan.
