May 2024
Heritage and Aviation News Roundup
May 2024 Heritage and Aviation Round-up
provided by Paul Squires, CAPA-ACCA Contact, Wetaskiwin, Alberta
May 31 – BBMF cancels flypast for D-Day following Spitfire crash
Battle of Britain planes will not take part in D-Day events (bbc.com)
May 31 – Last known survivor of “The Few” interview
John Hemingway: ‘There was two of you – one of you was going to be dead at the end’ (bbc.com)
May 31 – US Army Aviation Museum (OK, I love the Otter photo)
U.S. Army Aviation Museum connects the past, present and future (msn.com)
May 30 – Canadian National Soaring Championship cancelled after death of pilot
Respected Calgary glider pilot died after parachute failure in mid-flight emergency | CBC News
May 30 – Sweden giving radar surveillance aircraft to the Ukraine
Ukraine war briefing: Sweden donates vital ASC 890 surveillance planes | Ukraine | The Guardian
May 30 – Background of Ed Dwight, the 8th man of the Mercury 7
Ed Dwight: A space pioneer who finally became an astronaut (bbc.com)
May 30 – Airliner pushed from gate by high wind
Texas: Strong winds push parked plane away from airport gate (bbc.com)
May 29 – Appeal to families for DNA for project to help identify dead of the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War, including 96 Canadians of the Mac-Paps.
New research raises hopes of exhuming foreign Spanish civil war dead | Spain | The Guardian
May 29 – RCAF pilot training to be done in Kelowna
Kelowna’s KF Aerospace part of $11.2 billion deal to train military pilots – Kelowna News – Castanet.net
May 29 – Alaska Aviation Museum completes flying restoration of Grumman Goose.
Alaska aviation museum gets vintage plane back up in the air (alaskasnewssource.com)
May 28 – Latest update on ‘Just Jane’ restoration
Lancaster NX611 ‘Just Jane’ – Restoration Update 221 (vintageaviationnews.com)
May 28 – Website of old aviation photos
Flash from the past – Fire Aviation
May 27 – Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft grounded after fatal accident
Battle of Britain planes grounded after pilot killed in Spitfire crash (bbc.com)
Family pay tribute to RAF pilot killed in Spitfire crash (bbc.com)
Red Arrows pay tribute to Spitfire crash pilot (bbc.com)
May 27 – Oldest serving flight attendant dies, worked since 1957!
Bette Nash: World’s longest-serving flight attendant dies at 88 (bbc.com)
May 27 – DND to use 2024 funding for purchase of 16 F-35 aircraft
Canada purchasing 16 new fighter jets out of current budget, minister says | CBC News
May 25 – RAF Battle of Britain Flight suffers fatal Spitfire crash
Pilot dies after Spitfire crash in Lincolnshire field (bbc.com)
Spitfire crash: Tributes to pilot killed at Coningsby (bbc.com)
May 24 – Remains of old air crash spotted due to low water in Fort Smith region
This N.W.T. man was on a survey looking for birds. Instead he found the wreckage of a plane | CBC News
May 25 – Flying the Martin Mars
Pilot Report: Flying In The Martin Mars (vintageaviationnews.com)
May 24 – Flying the C-130 in the RAF
I flew the best military platform ever built, here’s why I loved it | Hush-Kit (hushkit.net)
May 24 – Coulson now converting B.737-700s for tanker work
Coulson starts on newer 737 – Fire Aviation
May 24 – Richard Bong’s P-38 found
Pacific Wrecks’ Led Expedition Finds Richard Bong’s P-38 in South Pacific (vintageaviationnews.com)
May 24 – Canadian airports in Hydrogen fuel study
Canada’s Biggest Airports to Collaborate on H2 Fuel Study – Canadian Aviator Magazine
May 23 – Latest on proposal to purchase Alberta Aviation Museum Hangar after arson loss of Hangar 11
Aviation museum pleads for Hangar 14 ownership in wake of arson fire (msn.com)
Alberta Aviation Museum working towards ownership of Hangar 14 | CTV News
Alberta Aviation Museum lobbies to take over historic Hangar 14 at Blatchford (msn.com)
Aviation: Alberta Aviation Museum wants to take over Hangar 14 ownership from City of Edmonton | Alberta Aviation Museum | Head Topics
May 23 – First in-flight photos of the new B-21 stealth bomber
US Air Force releases first in-flight photos of B-21 Raider, newest nuclear stealth bomber (msn.com)
May 23 – And celebrating one of it’s oldest designs still in front line use
Confessions Of A C-130 Hercules Pilot | The War Zone (twz.com)
May 22 – CF-104 Afterburner Run (In Norway. There are more CF-104s in Museums in Europe than in Canada! But as a ‘D’, this was actually Lockheed built).
Norwegian CF-104D Starfighter Performs Afterburn Test Run (vintageaviationnews.com)
May 22 – Obituary for Aviation artist Roy Cross. Interesting to note that the Airfix art presented of the Sunderland and the Wellington are both RCAF aircraft (422 and 425 Squadrons). So was the Canso (PBY), but oddly enough neither of these kits mentioned the RCAF or Canada at all!
Obituary: Roy Cross, the Artist Who Infused Airfix Boxes with Excitement During the Golden Age of Modeling (vintageaviationnews.com)
May 22 – Westjet CEO looking for used airplanes, and advocates doe no user fees for airports
WestJet turning to used plane market to offset Boeing delivery delays: CEO (msn.com)
Got thoughts on flying in Canada? The Competition Bureau wants to hear from you | CBC News
WestJet CEO calls for federal review of how airports, aviation infrastructure are funded in Canada | Globalnews.ca
May 22 – Russia launches anti-satellite weapon? War in Ukraine enters space?
US says Russia likely launched space weapon (bbc.com)
May 21 – Best article on the influence of climate change on turbulence I have found
Climate change is making turbulence worse, although deaths are still rare, experts say | Radio-Canada.ca
May 21 – Flight Innovation Company set up in Montreal
Boeing invests $240M to create Montreal-area aerospace innovation zone | CBC News
Boeing anchors new $415-million ‘innovation zone’ in Montreal area | Montreal Gazette
Boeing Announces Major Quebec Investment – Canadian Aviator Magazine
May 21 – Hawker Sea Fury flying in HMCS Magnificent markings
Sanders and the Argonaut (vintageaviationnews.com)
May 20 – King Charles now Royal Patron of RAF Museum
King Charles Becomes Royal Patron Of The RAF Museum (vintageaviationnews.com)
May 20 – Over 50 years of Canadair water bombers in Spain
Spanish scoopers: a major defense against European wildfire – Fire Aviation
May 20 – “Trillion Dollar Trainwreck”, an opinion of the F-35
Trillion Dollar Trainwreck: How The F-35 Hollowed Out The U.S. Air Force – interview with author Bill Sweetman | Hush-Kit (hushkit.net)
And some ‘ideas’ on how to avoid it
Bill Sweetman shares 10 ways GCAP can avoid the hell of the F-35 project with little or no effort | Hush-Kit (hushkit.net)
May 19 – Monument planned for site of 1972 Beech 18 crash in Winnipeg that killed students returning North (I used to live 2 blocks away, and this occurred 3 days after we moved).
Winnipeg committee to vote on 1972 plane crash memorial | CBC News
Residential school plane crash victim memorial a step closer (thespec.com)
May 19 – Rénald Fortier looks at French aviation and rocketry pioneer Louis Damblanc
“I preferred to be a cutting edge engineer” The most important rocketry pioneer you have never heard of, the French engineer and inventor Louis Damblanc, part 1 | The Channel (ingeniumcanada.org)
“I preferred to be a cutting edge engineer” The most important rocketry pioneer you have never heard of, the French engineer and inventor Louis Damblanc, part 2 | The Channel (ingeniumcanada.org)
May 19 – NASA DC-8 makes final flight
NASA’s DC-8 Completes Final Flight (vintageaviationnews.com)
May 15 – Has China built the world’s first drone aircraft carrier?
China Builds World’s First Dedicated Drone Carrier – Naval News
May 15 – The Avro Canada Jetliner, the view from south of the border
The Avro Canada C-102: The World’s Second Jetliner? – New York Aviation History (metroairportnews.com)
May 15 – A new book on secret helicopter projects and research, a neglected study
Secret Projects & Cutting Edge Technology: Westland Aircraft & Rotorcraft (book review) | Hush-Kit (hushkit.net)
May 14 – Boeing on the hook again for fatal MAX-8 crashes
Boeing broke deal, subject to prosecution in 737 MAX crashes, U.S. says | The Seattle Times
May 13 – Air test of unjammable quantum navigation system
Unjammable quantum navigation tech gets first airborne test in UK (bbc.com)
May 12 – An in-depth look at the Mig-23
10 facts about the mad Mach 2.6 MiG ‘Flogger’ fighter aircraft | Hush-Kit (hushkit.net)
May 11 – US fleet of B-2 bombers now just 19 aircraft
U.S. Air Force Loses Second B-2 Bomber After Accident: Fleet Down to Just 19 Aircraft (militarywatchmagazine.com)
May 10 – B.737-200 ‘Gravel Buster’ based in Edmonton
Nolinor Bases 737-200 In Edmonton – Canadian Aviator Magazine
May 7 – Air France flight makes emergency landing in Iqaluit (Air France flies Boeing! Who knew!)
Air France plane makes emergency landing in Iqaluit | CBC News
May 7 – PC-12 force-landed at Rankin Inlet
Plane goes down near Rankin Inlet, 3 people on board believed ‘safe’ | CBC News
May 6 – Time Air Historical Society seeks Aviation Exhibit in Lethbridge
Group advocating for aviation exhibit in Lethbridge | Lethbridge News Now
May 6 – Boeing 787s undergoing re-inspections
Boeing faces new probe over 787 inspection doubts (bbc.com)
May 5 – Dick Rutan, of the round-the-world Voyager flight dies
Dick Rutan, co-pilot of historic round-the-world flight, dies aged 85 | Air transport | The Guardian
May 5 – Emergency landing on a beach
The moment pilot makes emergency landing on US beach (bbc.com)
The moment pilot makes emergency landing on US beach – BBC News
May 4 – new Boeing passenger space capsule ready for first launch
Astronauts are ready to test out Boeing’s new spacecraft — and a Canadian will be talking them through it | CBC News
May 4 – Optional Pilot Black Hawk for fire-fighting
“Autonomous” helicopter shows off possible wildfire response – Fire Aviation
May 3 – Dawn of a new Space Race
‘We’re in a new era’: the 21st-century space race takes off | Space | The Guardian
China to launch ambitious mission to far side of the moon amid Nasa ‘space race’ concerns | China | The Guardian
May 2 – Second Boeing employee who testified about safety concerns dies
Second Boeing whistleblower dies after raising concerns about 737 MAX (msn.com)
Who Was Joshua Dean? Second Boeing Whistleblower Who Accused Supplier of Ignoring Safety Flaws Dies Suddenly from Mysterious Infection (ibtimes.sg)
Second Boeing whistleblower dies after short illness | Boeing | The Guardian
April 30 – Old time fire-fighting images, including Beavers and Twin Otters
Nostalgia: DC-3 photos from Rick Freimuth – Fire Aviation
April 30 – Timeair Fokker 28 returns to Lethbridge
Fokker passenger jet makes triumphant return to Lethbridge – Lethbridge | Globalnews.ca
Historical passenger jet returns to Lethbridge (lethbridgeherald.com)
Historical society brings Fokker jetliner home to Lethbridge | CTV News
April 30 – Painting a modern fighter in an old paint scheme
How I designed a D-Day paint scheme for a £90 million Typhoon fighter aircraft | Hush-Kit (hushkit.net)
April 28 – Meteorite that missed a ship in the Atlantic
“Halloa! There’s something strange going on up there;” Or, How an aerolite the size of a house narrowly missed a passenger-cargo ship in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean in August 1907, part 1 | The Channel (ingeniumcanada.org)
“Halloa! There’s something strange going on up there;” Or, How an aerolite the size of a house narrowly missed a passenger-cargo ship in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean in August 1907, part 2 | The Channel (ingeniumcanada.org)
April 27 – Russia jamming GPS signals affecting flights to Estonia
Second Finnair flight turns back from Tartu due to GPS interference | News | ERR
March 1 – Missed this, OPAS celebrates 100th Anniversary
Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) Celebrates a Century of Aviation Innovation at the Bushplane Museum – Wawa-news.com
OPAS Centennial Celebrations This Summer – Canadian Aviator Magazine
JFK’s Digital Newsletter, interesting historical section (see Jetliner article above.
More:
Hope for the Best, Prepared for the Worst – New York Aviation History (metroairportnews.com)
Transcontinental by Air Throughout the Years – New York Aviation History (metroairportnews.com)
The Roaring Eighties at Newark International Airport – New York Aviation History (metroairportnews.com)