Bennett Luke McCarty
1935-2019
Ben McCarty was born on April 7, 1935 in Sus, NB, son of
the late Bennett Arthur and Elodie (Hebert) McCarty. He joined the
Royal Canadian Navy in June of 1954 and served in the fleet air arm as
an aircraft technician, attended Naval Aircraft Maintenance School in
Dartmouth NS. After 15 years service he resigned and was employed by
Survair Ltd. in Ottawa, Ontario, maintaining DC-3, DHC-6, Douglas
A-26, and Aero Commander aircraft.
In 1970 he formed Woodlands Aviation Ltd. and operated his
company in Kingston and Ottawa, Ontario. In 1979 he moved to
Fredericton, NB and continued with Woodlands Aviation (NB)
Ltd. Woodlands Aviation provided aircraft maintenance for
several specialty operators in Canada. He also owned and operated
Tardi Aero Engine Ltd. engaged in the overhaul and repair of piston
engines. He was also the owner of Benella Holdings Ltd., an aviation
consulting and reality holding company.
Ben has been very active in the Aircraft Maintenance
Engineers Association being a founding member of the Atlantic Region
Association, serving as its President until 2014. He was instrumental
in getting the six regional Associations together and forming the
Canadian Federation of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers’
Association to suitably represent the AME’s at the national
level. He has served as the Executive Secretary of this association
several times. He also served on the technical committee of the
Canadian Aviation regulation advisory committee to Transport Canada.
He was very instrumental in having many changes made to proposals put
forth by Transport Canada in the development and implementation of the
new Canadian Aviation Regulations which resulted in improved rules and
procedures that are enjoyed by Canadian AME’s
today.
Ben has been honoured with many awards during his aviation
maintenance career including the Order of Canada 2019, The Standard
Aero Award 1982 for outstanding aircraft maintenance performance
presented by the Atlantic AME Association, The Canadian Owners and
Pilots Association President’s Award 1999 for outstanding
contributions to private aviation in Canada and The Glen Goslin/Joe
Price Memorial Award 2000 for outstanding service to the AME,
Associations. Ben also received The NAASCO award 2002 for the
outstanding AME presented at Winnipeg by the Central AME Association,
The Transport Canada Aviation Safety Award 2004 for exceptional
contribution to the promotion of Canadian Aviation Safety, and in 2005
Ben was inducted in the Canadian Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Hall of
Fame
Ben was a member of the Fredericton Garrison Club,
Fredericton City Club, and the John Albro Masonic Lodge, Dartmouth,
NS. He was also a member of The Luxor Shrine and was past president of
the Luxor Mini Car Unit.
Ben enjoyed golfing, fly fishing and the camaraderie of his
associates, friends and family. His main passion was his work and
dedication to the aviation industry.
Ben is survived by his loving wife, Ella (Urquhart); his son,
Ben Jr. (Denise) of Vancouver; daughter, Cathy of Tampa, Florida;
stepsons, Randy Shanks (Kathy) of Fredericton, Tony Shanks (Esther) of
Fredericton, Troy Shanks (Aya) of Japan, Mike McCarty of Halifax;
grandchildren, Benjie, Ryan, Tyler, Josh, Michele, Nicholas, Michael,
Luke, Amanda, Mary, Katie, Ben, Shannon and Melissa, and 15 great
grand children. Ben was predeceased by his parents and his daughter,
Debbie McCarty.
Visitation will be held at McAdam’s Funeral Home, 160 York
Street in Fredericton, on Tuesday, August 13, from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. A
funeral service will be held from the J.A. McAdam Memorial Chapel on
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at 2:00 pm with Rev. Peter Thomas
officiating. For those who wish, donations in Ben’s memory can be made
to the charity of the donor’s choice.
www.mcadamsfh.com
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Bennett Luke McCarty 19352019..
Décès pour la Ville: Fredericton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick