Frank H. Ellis was an early Canadian aviator and member of the Early Birds of Aviation

Early Birds of Aviation

The Early Birds of Aviation is an organization devoted to the history of early pilots. The organization was started in 1928 and ultimately accepted a membership of 598. Membership was limited to those who piloted a glider, gas balloon, or airplane, prior to December 17, 1916. The cutoff date was...

. He was born in Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

, England in 1896 and immigrated to Calgary, Alberta with his family in 1912. With Tom Blakely, he constructed and flew a biplane

Biplane

A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...

 designed after a Curtiss

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...

 model in 1914. He was the first Canadian to make a parachute jump

Parachuting

Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...

 from an airplane in Canada, in 1919. Ellis wrote extensively on the history of aviation, and was an avid aircraft model builder. He located several historic Canadian aviation artifacts and arranged for their donation to museums. In 1954 he published "Canada's Flying Heritage", the first major study of the History of aviation in Canada

History of aviation in Canada

The history of aviation in Canada was punctuated by the two World Wars. Development of the aviation industry in Canada was shaped by the interplay of Canadian national ambitions, national and international politics, economics, and technology....

. In 1972 he was awarded the Medal of Service of the Order of Canada

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

. He died July 4, 1979 in North Vancouver, BC

North Vancouver, British Columbia

There are two municipalities in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, that use the name North Vancouver. These are:*The City of North Vancouver...

.