May 17 – The Vickers Vedette
From Today in Canadian History by Marc Affeld and Joe Burima
May 17, 2026 · 8 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the first Canadian parachute jump by Colin Jack Caldwell from a Vickers Vedette in 1929, featuring an interview with Shirley Render.
On this day back in 1929, Colin Jack Caldwell became the first Canadian to save his life by parachute when he jumped out of a Vickers Vedette over Montreal on May 17th 1929. To learn more we spoke with Shirley Render, the executive director of the The Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg.
People in this episode
Hosts: Marc Affeld, Joe Burima
Guest: Shirley Render
Topics covered
- aviation history
- parachuting
- Canadian milestones
- 1929 events
- interviews
Keywords
- Colin Jack Caldwell
- Vickers Vedette
- parachute
- Montreal
- aviation history
- Shirley Render
- Western Canada Aviation Museum
- 1929
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Western Canada Aviation Museum
Products: Vickers Vedette
Places: Montreal
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