331 michael lawrence higgs Michael was born in Rugby, England the son of schoolteacher Thomas and Phyllis Higgs. At age eleven, Michael won a placement at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital School in Bristol where he won awards for his writing talent. To avoid playing rugby at school, Michael joined the Air Cadet squadron making his first solo glider flight at fourteen. During those minutes of silent soaring, Michael found his calling. Soon after school completion, Michale joined the Royal Air Force and began training at RAF Digby. He first flew the Tiger Moth and took courses in “Air Experience” learning how to avoid air sickness induced by aerobatics. Michael was selected for training in Canada and during the fifteenhour transatlantic flight from London to Montreal decided he would make a career in long haul passenger transport. Along with a cohort of cadets in Course 38, Michael arrived at Claresholm Alberta on the 1 April 1952, fittingly the anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Air Force thirty years before. Michael trained for nine months on Harvard’s and forged lifelong friendships with some of the other cadets. Nicknamed “Count” Michael was described in the course graduation magazine as aristocratic in appearance, intellectual in outlook, and dormant in energy! After graduation Michael returned to England to complete his Advanced Flying course at Merryfield in Somerset where he flew the DeHavilland Vampire jet. In 1953, following two years of national service, Michael returned to Vancouver, Canada to look for new opportunities to fly. He joined 442 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force where many lasting friendships developed. When some members of 442 created a “social/investment club.” Michael was nominated as “president for life” due to his amusing speeches and encyclopedic recall of hundreds of Air Force drinking songs! During his first month in Canada, Michael rekindled a romance with Brenda Lloyd who still living in Bristol. They were married on 16 March 1957 and the next year their first daughter Julia was born, followed by Melanie in 1959 and Jessica in
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