Lt. Col (Ret.) Joseph Armand Gerard Fernand "Fern" Villeneuve was born 2 July 1927 in Buckingham, Quebec, Canada. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1950 and was the first leader of the RCAF's Golden Hawks aerobatic team. He flew for 32 years as a military jet fighter pilot Villeneuve was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006.