Billy Bishop Visits Windsor **Feb8** Multi-Cache
Billy Bishop Visits Windsor **Feb8**
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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One beautiful summer evening in 1939, some of the residents of Windsor noticed the unusual sound of an airplane approaching the area. As the sound grew louder, a Grumman Goose aircraft came into view and proceeded to descend and land on the shallow water of the Avon River. The airplane had a special passenger on board, World War One Canadian flying ace Billy Bishop, who was being flown back to Ottawa after attending to official business in Halifax. En route, the pilot detected a minor engine problem, and decided to make a stop in Windsor to check it out. The crew waited for the tide to recede, and then made their way to the shore, having to walk through the slippery brown mud of the river bed. After consulting with the mechanic at a local garage, it was apparent that they would have to stay overnight at the nearby Victoria Hotel in order to allow time for repairs to be made and the tide to rise again. That evening many people living in town stopped by the waterfront to take in the sight of the Grumman Goose stuck in the mud at low tide. The next morning, as the plane floated above the mud flats, the twin engines were started up and tested, and the aircraft made its take off to continue the journey back to Ottawa.
At the coordinates given above, you can view the front door of what was once the Victoria Hotel, where Billy Bishop stayed. The door that you are interested in faces straight out to Water Street and is directly under the “T” in “HOTEL”. (Look straight up to the very top of the building and you should see what remains of the letters “VICTORIA HOTEL” painted on the upper brick front facade of the building.) Make note of the civic address on the door (a two digit number “XY”).
The coordinates for the cache are N 44° 59.ABC W 064° 08.DEF, where
A = X-4
B = Y-1
C = X-6
D = Y+1
E = X-2
F = Y-5
This winter friendly cache is a camoued 1 kg. peanut butter jar containing a log book, pencil, stash note, and various airplane themed swag items. There is also a FTF prize hanging next to the cache, consisting of a camouflage duct tape bag containing a small Nieuport 17 model aircraft kit. The Nieuport 17 was the very same plane that Billy Bishop flew during World War One, helping to end German dominance of the air space over France at that time.
References include the book “Images of our Past – Historic Windsor” by Garth Vaughan, and the web sites “The Incomparable Billy Bishop: The Man and the Myths” (visit link) and "Billy Bishop vs. The Red Baron" (visit link)
Thank you to Mayor Anna Allen and the Windsor Town Council for allowing this cache to be placed.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Onex pnzbh.