[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 28, 2014)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E842] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING NANCY CANAVAN HESLOP ______ HON. TIM RYAN of ohio in the house of representatives Wednesday, May 28, 2014 Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker I rise today to honor my good friend, Nancy Canavan Heslop. Her work chronicling the amazing story of her father, Naval and Marine corps aviator Colonel Desmond (``Des'') E. Canavan, and his work with test piloting the remarkable military cargo aircraft, the Budd RB-1 Conestoga has been nothing short of incredible. One of her articles was recently published in American Aviation Historical Society Journal, under the title ``A Story of the Budd RB-1 Conestoga.'' Nancy's father, Colonel Canavan was a test pilot for many years, and also showed unparalleled courage while serving his country as a pilot during the Second World War. He was the first Marine Corps pilot to fly both America's first helicopter (Sikorsky HNS-1, BuNo 39034, March 30, 1944, and solo in BuNo 39046, November 2, 1944) and jet (Bell YP-59-A, BuNo 10002, July 18, 1944). He was stationed at the testing facility at NAS Patuxent River, MD, where he served as the test pilot for the Budd RB-1. Mrs. Heslop's article explains how the Budd RB-1 was plagued with many problems, and the many crashes it suffered during testing due to mechanical failures. Colonel Canavan himself was injured in one such crash. As a consequence of its poor testing, the Budd RB-1 never saw service in a combat theater during the war. However, its design led to numerous innovations that were later used in many other cargo planes. Out of the 17 Budd RB-1s that were delivered to the Navy, only one has survived. It currently is at Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, awaiting restoration. My friend Nancy Canavan Heslop is an amazing woman, and has worked tirelessly on writing the story of the life of her father. She has written Letters From Des: The Life of a Marine Corps Naval Aviator and Test Pilot and is currently writing Letters From Des: Korea. Nancy is a truly outstanding woman; aside from her recent success she has also been published in multiple local journals. In closing, I am thrilled to congratulate my friend on her great accomplishments. ____________________