Last airshow of 2011 and what a show

Posted on Sat,September/17/2011 by Ken

My last airshow of 2011 provides a memory to get me through the cold months to come. Courtesy of Vintage Wings of Canada and Canadian Warplane Heritage a sight that may never come again.

The CWH Lancaster flanked by Vintage Wings’ Spitfire, Hurricane, Kittyhawk and Mustang thundering across a perfect sky in Gatineau Quebec. The sound of all those Merlin engines is unbelievable and you can easily be transported back in time to when these aircraft ruled the sky and helped turn the tide in World War II.

Another 1000 pictures to go through this winter as I make the plans for 2012.

September is here and someone turned off Summer

Posted on Tue,September/6/2011 by Ken

Wow, that was some weekend. From feeling like 40 Celsius on Saturday to 15 yesterday. We always think of Labor Day as the “unofficial” end of Summer but there’s no reason for the weather to remind us what’s to come.

Had a great time working the Canadian International Air Show down at the CNE on Toronto’s lakefront. This is such an outstanding event with a 62 year history and I’m so pleased that I’ve been able to help out for 2 years now. Working Boss Control on Ontario Place’s West Island gives you the absolute best seat in the house with access to pilots, crews and event management and the perfect view as the show unfolds right in front of you.

The only criticism I have is the direction you face which makes lighting very, very problematic. The poor Nikon is challenged on every shot but this is such a small issue that I shouldn’t even mention it. The CIAS is just so dam much fun.

The picture above was taken on Labor Day. Dale “Snort” Snodgrass with the Heavy Metal Jet Team puts his MiG-17 through a low-level high-speed knife edge pass over Lake Ontario at 700kmh. An incredible piece of flying in a beautifully decked out classic fighter.

No air show this weekend? How did that happen????

Posted on Fri,August/26/2011 by Ken

A rare weekend off with no opportunity to go look at airplanes. Frankly, I could use the rest.

Next weekend is the Canadian International Airshow at the CNE in Toronto. Then it’s off to Niagara Falls New York for the Thunder Over Niagara military show. Finally, September 17 in Gatineau Quebec for the Vintage Wings and EAA show and fly-in.

That should be it for 2011. Looking at the 2012 calendar, I’m already seeing 7 that I’ll either be working or attending.

A great time in Waterloo

Posted on Mon,August/22/2011 by Ken

Had a wonderful weekend standing on the hot ramp at the 2011 Waterloo Air Show at the Region of Waterloo International Airport about an hour outside of Toronto.

Long days of standing on hot tarmac may not sound like fun but when you get to spend it close to aircraft and aviators you somehow forget about how sore your feet are.

The show had a great selection of aircraft from vintage to modern including Canada’s Snowbird team along with the Viper East F-16 Demo Team and the CF-18 Hornet Demonstration Unit.

These pictures come from an early morning photo op we arranged for the media on Saturday just as the sun was rising. Of course, I had to take a few shots of my own. By far my favourite is this one of the Snowbird #9 (Capt. Brett Glaseser) aircraft.

The air show tour continues

Posted on Tue,August/16/2011 by Ken

The calendar marches on and mid-August finds 3 more air shows on my to-do list. Two I’m working and one is just to watch.

First on this list is the Waterloo Air Show that takes place August 20-21 at the Region of Waterloo International Airport outside of Toronto. I’m working airside security at this one so there won’t be many photo opportunities but I’ll do my best to grab a few shots of what looks to be a fantastic group of performers and static displays including the Snowbirds and the CF-18 demonstration team.

The end of the month marks the unofficial end of Summer and in Toronto that means two things. The end of the CNE and the Canadian International Air Show, better known as the CNE Air Show. This will be my second year working in Boss Control on the Ontario Place island. Absolute best seat in the house to see a fast paced over-water show from the likes of perennial favourites the Snowbirds to the V22 Osprey making its first appearance and the Heavy Metal Jet Team who put on a great show at Oshkosh. Dates for this show are September 3rd, 4th and 5th.

September 16th marks probably what will be my last road trip of the year to watch airplanes. Vintage Wings of Canada and the EAA Canada chapters come together for Wings over Gatineau, a one day event which promises to see the skies full of birds- military, private, old and new. I’m a member of both groups but this one is strictly for pleasure and picture taking. Gatineau is located just across the Quebec border from Ottawa.

The Canadian air show calendar might be more compressed than the US but there’s lots to see in that time.

I’m honored

Posted on Thu,August/4/2011 by Ken

Many thanks to Dan Pimentel, editor of Airplanista Magazine for including one of my Oshkosh shots in the August issue. He chose one of my shots of the Red Bull helicopter flown by Chuck Aaron in its amazing performance.

It was a pleasure meeting Dan and we had a great time at a couple of Tweetups.

Oshkosh memories

Posted on Thu,August/4/2011 by Ken

It’s been four days since I got home from Oshkosh and the smile is still glued firmly to my face. Everything they say about experiencing AirVenture is true. Why else would I be making plans for 2012?

541,000 people made the trip to the sleepy little city of Oshkosh. A t-shirt for sale said it best: “Oshkosh a quiet little drinking town with a flying problem”. How they handle that many people tells you a lot about the people who come. Friendly, patient, accommodating crowds sharing a common passion – flight.

From precision jets to the world’s only flying B-29 bomber to a homebuilt single seater, Oshkosh is where the airplanes are. If it flies, it’s been to Oshkosh.

Why else would Boeing fly the 787 Dreamliner in for a day? Tens of thousands of enthusiasts stood in line for hours in sweltering heat to tour the aircraft. No one complains.

Legendary designer Burt Rutan is there and his aircraft arrive in droves including the iconic Boomerang and Beechcraft Starship.

At Oshkosh, he’s just another EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) member. Like “Sully” Sullenberger, Captain of US Airways Flight 1549 – The Miracle On The Hudson” who attended a number of events and was more than willing to talk for a minute or pose for the fans’ photos.

I’ll be posting photos for months but I’ll leave you with this one. The world’s largest airship. And I got to go for a flight.

How long to Oshkosh 2012?

Me and the Angels

Posted on Tue,July/19/2011 by Ken

In between

Posted on Sun,July/3/2011 by Ken

Closest airshow this weekend is in Battle Creek Michigan and there’s no way that I was going to fight border traffic on the July 1st and July 4th weekend (what a perfect storm this is). Catching up with chores around the house and just enjoying three days off.

Next weekend is Geneseo put on by the fine folks of the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum in Geneseo New York. This is a smaller show with plenty of vintage aircraft. Due to the distance, I’m staying overnight Saturday in Rochester and coming back early on the Sunday morning.

Down the 401 to St. Thomas

Posted on Fri,June/24/2011 by Ken

Great Lakes International Air Show in St. Thomas Ontario this weekend. About a 2 1/2 hour drive with fingers crossed that the weather improves greatly.

Looks like a good show planned.

Pictures are up!

Through The Mist Darkly

My head is in the clouds

Category Archives: Flying Is Fun