Mayfield Park, located at 10941 – 161 Street, was established in 1982 in the Mayfield neighbourhood, once part of the Town of Jasper Place. The neighbourhood was named in a contest in 1954 to commemorate the legendary pilot, “Wop” May, whose “rough airstrip where his pioneering efforts commenced in 1919 was located in a farmer’s field near this site.”1, 2
Wilfrid “Wop” May was born in Edmonton, Alberta on April 28th 18873. He had a passion for flying from an early age and was determined to become a pilot. After studying aviation at the Curtiss School of Aviation in Hammondsport, New York, May became Canada’s first licensed aviator in 1912.
May’s career as a pilot served him well during the First World War. He enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps and flew dozens of reconnaissance and bombing missions over enemy lines1. For his brave service, May was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
After returning home to Edmonton after WWI, Wop May became a commercial pilot and went on to make history when he completed the first air mail delivery in Canada on June 24th, 1919. May also set several records for altitude, speed, duration and distance travelled – all of which were achieved in his very own plane.
May’s aviation accomplishments didn’t stop there. He was instrumental in establishing the Edmonton Flying Club, which offered memberships for pilots wishing to learn and gain experience. He also aided in the formation of Canada’s first non-military air force, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
1Denny May in this issue of SPURR explains, “The Mural on the west wall of the A.T.B. branch at 156th Street & Stony Plain Road was sponsored by the Edmonton Riverview Rotary Club (Wop was a Rotary Club member)in 2003 and painted by renowned artist Dave Carty from Devon, Alberta. …. The painting depicts “Wop” May on the left and to his right his encounter with the “Red Baron” on April 21st 1918. Below is the May Airplanes Ltd. Curtiss “Canuck” EDMONTON doing a low pass over May Field. May Field was located on the west side of the St. Albert Trail at 122 Ave” [Reproduced with permission]. For more information, Denny May suggests wopmay.com.
2Edmonton Historical Board, “Wilfrid “Wop” May Site – Mayfield Park,” Edmonton Maps Heritage, n.d.
3“Wop May,” The Canadian Encyclopedia [Retrieved Feb. 16, 2023].
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