24 hours to Ottawa

Just printed the boarding pass for tomorrow night.  Off to Ottawa (thank you Aeroplan miles!) and then to Gatineau Quebec.  Saturday, I’m helping out at Vintage Wings of Canada as they hold their open house.

VWOC is the brainchild of Michael Potter who years ago built a company called Cognos that created a business intelligence application which he later sold for a hefty chunk of change.  Potter, now with time on his hands, fulfilled his dream to obtain, restore and fly some of the great aircraft of the last 100 years. Spitfire, Hurricane, Mustang, Sabre – they have them all and they fly!

I visited their facility last year and jumped at the chance to help out when they sent out a call for volunteers.  Nothing glamorous – security – but it’s still a chance to see these beauties in flight.  Here’s a few pictures from my visit.

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Can’t wait!

Today in aviation history – September 17, 1959

X-15

The North American X-15 rocket plane makes its 1st powered flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California.  Carried aloft by a B-52, a single rocket engine generated 57,000 pounds of thrust.

In 1967 on it’s 188th flight, the X-15 piloted by Pete Knight reached a top speed of 4,159 mph, a record that still stands to this day.  Astronaut Neil Armstrong flew the X-15 in 1962.