Released in 1997, this $20 sterling silver coin is the fifth release in the RCM's second aviation series, Powered Flight in Canada: Beyond World War II. Celebrate Canada's aviation heroes and their groundbreaking achievements.

This piece honors the F-86 Sabre and Fern Villeneuve, a military jet fighter pilot who became the first leader of the Golden Hawks aerobatic team.

The Design

The reverse features the F-86 Sabre in the foreground with the Golden Hawks flying together in the background and a 24-karat gold plated cameo portrait of Fern Villeneuve. The obverse features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Dora de Pédery-Hunt.

The F-86 Sabre

The innovative Canadian aviation industry gained global recognition in the 1950s thanks to the world-renowned technology of the F-86 Sabre, a technologically advanced aircraft that became one of Europe’s premier military fighter jets. Selected for Canada's NATO fighter commitment, a team of these Sabres became famous as the Golden Hawks. Dressed in striking gold paint with a red and white hawk emblem, they captivated audiences everywhere with their spectacular aerial maneuvers.