A Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-130J Hercules from 436 Transport Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont. will conduct a flypast over the funeral service for Mr. George Stewart on Saturday, June 7, 2025. The flypast will take place over Beechwood Cemetery, in Ottawa, Ont., at approximately 11:00 a.m. EST.
The aircraft will fly at an altitude no lower than 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle on their route. Flypasts by Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft are carefully planned and closely controlled for public safety and are dependent upon weather and flying conditions.
Affectionately known as Mr. Alert and King of the North, Mr. Stewart embodied the meaning of dedicated service. He had a decorated and lengthy career in service to Canada—both military and public service—spanning 70 years. Of those 70 years he estimated he spent a decade working in Alert. George managed the logistics of vital airlift operations for Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert to transport supplies and personnel to CFS Alert. His forward-thinking approach and strong work ethic ensured the operations of CFS Alert ran efficiently and were improving over time—not an easy task given the extreme isolation and harsh climate conditions.
Through flypasts such as this, the Royal Canadian Air Force is proud to honour veterans like George Stewart, and their dedicated and courageous service to Canada.
The CC-130J Hercules is a four-engine, fixed-wing turboprop aircraft that is used for a wide range of missions, including personnel transport, search-and-rescue, tactical airlift and aircrew training.
