Through The Mist Darkly

I’m currently in Montreal on business and I’m still recovering from the Wings and Wheels Festival at Downsview on the weekend.  Long hours on my feet tired me out but it was a great event.

I was most impressed by the guys and gals from the Canadian Armed Forces who brought their toys out to play.  They’re very friendly and a credit to Canada.

The CF-18 flew in on Thursday and spent the weekend in the hanger so everyone could get a really good look at this awesome fighter.  This shot was taken just after the doors were closed to the public.  The gentleman standing is “Cherry” the pilot and peering into the cockpit is the aircraft commander of the CP-140 Aurora.

I’m still trying to process all the pictures I took and they’re being uploaded to this Flickr set.

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Off on vacation this week but it’s hardly a rest.  For the last 2 days I’ve been hard at work helping prepare for this weekend’s 3rd annual Wings and Wheels Festival at Downsview Park in Toronto.  This is the major fundraiser for the Toronto Aerospace Museum.

Lots of displays of classic and modern aircraft, automobiles and motorcycles.  Today was media day and the professional photographers asked for a grouping to show the idea behind the festival without the need for words.

While walking from the museum to the main display hanger, I heard a semi rumble up behind me.  Imagine my surprise when I turned to see this.

A Canadair CT-144 “Tutor” jet in the distinctive Snowbirds colours.  Seems the Canadian Armed Forces sent this trainer down from Camp Borden with a crew to put it together for display.  The Snowbirds are known the world over for their incredible aerobatic displays performed in aircraft that were built in the mid 60’s.

The crew of 5 along with a local crane operator spent all day unloading and assembling the Tutor inside the museum and they were still at it when I left this afternoon.

Tomorrow (Friday) will be just as busy as more aircraft arrive including the massive C-177 Globemaster transport.

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I haven’t seen the movie but I like the idea of the “Bucket List”.  A list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket. Yesterday, I got a chance to cross one item off mine.

My love for the venerable old Boeing 747 is well known.  I love looking at them and I love flying in them.  On the flights home yesterday, I got to fly one of British Airways 747-400s on the London to Toronto leg and my seat was in the upper level.  Seat 61J to be exact.  This has to go down as the quietest flight I’ve ever had.  The engines are behind and quite a ways below you and it’s incredibly peaceful up there as you hurdle through the sky on the fastest cruising commercial aircraft ever built (next to the Concorde of course).  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the window seat but I’m not complaining.

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This morning I had nothing to keep me in Rapperswil so I had to make my way to Kloten where I’m staying tonight in preparation for the flight home.

With nothing but time, I opted to take a ferry up Lake Zurich instead of grabbing a train.  The 2 hour cruise was spectacular!  Lots of pictures over at Flickr (link at right).

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Dear British Airways.  Thanks for the lovely flight.  Nice seat and the “sleeper” flight is a great idea.  Heathrow Terminal 5 is gorgeous.  Very light and airy.  The flight to Zurich was smooth and on time.

Just one little thing.  How about finding my luggage?

Rapperswil is a pretty town.  Very picturesque.  The Hotel Jakob is fairly comfortable and it’s easy to get around.

UPDATE 1: They found my bag!!  Just waiting to hear exactly where it is and how they’ll get it to me.

Update the last:  Bag was waiting in my hotel room when I got in last night.  All is good.  Thank you BA and Zurich airport.

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Tomorrow night it’s off to Switzerland again for more meetings.  Flying on the British Airways “Sleeper” flight which leaves at 11:30pm.   By the time I arrive at my hotel it will be about 6:30pm Swiss time.

This trip involves a couple of firsts.  I’ll be leaving for Zurich from BA’s new Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow Airport.  We’ve all seen the horror stories about the opening of T5 but it appears that they’ve worked the bugs out.  Here’s hoping.

I’ll be staying in the town of Rapperswil on this trip.  Rapperswil lies at the other end of Lake Zurich from the city itself.  Googling shows that it’s called the “Rose City” which is interesting because Brampton is known as “Rosetown”.  I imagine Rapperswil will look better than Brampton.

When I get back (a week tomorrow), we start a week of vacation but it won’t be much of a holiday.  As soon as I get over the jet lag, it’s off to the museum for the annual Wings and Wheels festival.  I’m working the show office during the actual festival (May 24 and 25) but they need help a couple of days ahead in preparation.

This is the 3rd annual Wings and Wheels and it gets bigger every year.  A collection of modern and historical aircraft as well as vintage cars and motorcycles are lined up and it promises to be a great time.   If you’re in the area and want to drop by,

here’s more information.

Some highlights on the aviation side will be:

• Canadian Armed Forces CP-140 Aurora
• CAF CF-18 Hornet
• C17 Globemaster III
• Twin Otter
• Air Canada’s Lockheed Electra
• Hamilton’s Avro Lancaster
• the Museum’s Avro Arrow replica

plus lots of other aircraft.

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Went to the museum yesterday for the annual general meeting.  Democracy is a wonderful thing until personalities get involved.  It was, to put it mildly, a rather tense gathering. But that’s not the reason for this post.  The first thing that caught my eye was something that finally made its way out of storage.

The Canadair CL-41A better known as the Tutor trainer.  Made famous by Canada’s Snowbird precision aerobatics squadron, the Tutor taught thousands until it retired from active service in 2000. 

Our Tutor, registration 114618 went into service on the 8th of January 1971 and spent most of its working life with the 2 Canadian Forces Training School at CFB Moose Jaw Saskatchewan.  I’d heard we had one but it has been tucked away in a remote storage building that we’ve been asked to vacate. 

One of the most distinctive features of the Tutor is the nose mounted anti-collision light.  Years ago, when we had a cottage on the Trent River near Campbellford, we were treated to a display by the Snowbirds as they practiced overhead.  I’ll always remember one particular manoeuvre that had them flying low in formation with all their noselights on.  Never thought I’d get this close to one.

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