As far as Canadian war heroes go, Billy Bishop flies among the most famous.

The pilot, noted for his 72 victories in the First World War, is not also the namesake of the airport in the Ontario community of Owen Sound, where he was born, he is the subject of the musical, Billy Bishop Goes to War, which plays at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre for two performances Nov. 8.

The musical follows Bishop on his feats of daring down into the trenches, up to the skies, through the halls of Buckingham Palace and inside the human spirit as he struggles to reconcile the ecstasy of flying with the horrors of war.

“It’s a real-life roller-coaster ride of a musical,” said co-producer Damon Calderwood, who also plays the title role, along with 17 other characters (including two females ones), in the Ace Productions musical.

“His success comes at a great price as he narrowly avoids death on several occasions and is forced to deal with the grim realities of war first hand when almost all of his friends in the RFC (Royal Flying Corps) are shot down and killed.

“It shows war from a unique perspective: inside the mind of an aviator on his journey through the skies of France.”

Originally staging in Vancouver in 1978, Billy Bishop Goes to War was created, written and acted by Eric Peterson (of Corner Gas fame) as Bishop, along with writer John Gray, who played the narrator.

The musical went on to Broadway and London’s West End.

Taking on the narrator/piano player in Ace Production’s version is Gordon Roberts.

“The majority of the show spans the period of years from about 1913 to 1917, when Billy was 19-to-23 years old, said Calderwood. “From his days as a cadet at the Royal Military College in Kingston to his entry into the war as a lieutenant in the cavalry and his subsequent transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and his rise in rank to captain, then major, and lieutenant colonel.”

Bishop’s history before he found his wings, is just as interesting.

When he was 15 years old, he built his own airplane from a wooden crate and cardboard. After flying off a rooftop, the man who would become Canada’s flying ace, was reportedly pulled from the wreckage by his sister.

After a stint at the Royal Military College, Bishop continued his flight training at the Central Flying School in England, where he received his wings. After enlisting in the RFC, he was awarded the Victoria Cross for a single-handed offensive against the German aerodrome at Arras on June 2, 1917, and also received the Distinguished Flying Cross for the remarkable feat of scoring 25 kills within just 12 days as leader of the so-called Flying Foxes.

“I think people should know that the show is very historically accurate; what they are seeing is a very close approximation of what actually happened,” said Calderton, adding the musical has a little bit of everything: comedy, tragedy, drama, action, intimacy, and, of course great music.

Billy Bishop Goes to War is the second of six shows in the Performing Arts Centre society’s 2009-10 theatre series. It shows Nov. 8 at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors and $20 for students, at the Ticket Seller box office, 549-7469, www.ticketseller.ca.