Aviation and Heritage Roundup
January 2025
Provided by Paul Squires, CAPA-ACCA Contact, Wetaskiwin, Alberta
Feb. 2 – Remembering Leigh Light Wellington operations
100yo RAAF airman recalls hunt for WWII U-boats in Vickers Wellington – ABC News
Feb. 1 – Museums getting overwhelmed with donations
Museums are running out of storage. Donations may be making it worse | CBC Radio
Feb. 1 – Wartime London tunnels to be developed as a tourist attraction
Travel news: London’s WWII tunnels to become new tourist attraction | CNN
Jan. 31 – Progress at Pitt Meadows, new home of Canadian Museum of light
OUTLOOK: Pitt Meadows Airport cleared for an economic takeoff – Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News
Jan. 31 – Arizona becoming destination for those who want to see the stars (Commentary on light pollution)
Stargazing Along Tucson’s New ‘Astro Trail’ in Southern Arizona
Jan. 31 – Remembering the Boeing purchase of DHC
1/31/1986: Boeing Acquires De Havilland Canada
Jan. 30 – the Ultimate Archive, in Svalbard
Could an Arctic underground vault save our data?
Jan. 28 – Civil developed jet breaks sound barrier, test for development of a super sonic airliner
Civilian jet breaks sound barrier for the first time
and
This CEO Wants to Bring Back Supersonic Passenger Travel
Jan. 28 – The plans for expanding Heathrow, expect opposition. (Interesting observation, the passenger numbers are higher than the population of the UK before expansion)
Heathrow third runway: What’s the plan for expanding the airport?
Menwhile it seems Pickering is finally a dead issue, after decades.
Plan for Pickering airport dead after more than 50 years of debate, Ottawa says | CBC News
Jan. 27 – Storm Eowyn causes slight damage to Blackburn Beverley
Historic RAF aircraft Blackburn Beverley takes ‘flight’ in Storm Eowyn | News and Star
Jan. 26 – Edmonton survey calls for saving old Royal Alberta Museum building
Edmontonians call on province to abandon Royal Alberta Museum demolition: survey results
Jan. 26 – Removing history now part of US policy.
DEI ban: Air Force removes course videos of Tuskegee Airmen, female pilots | AP News
and
US Air Force will still teach lessons on black WWII pilots, the Tuskegee Airmen
Jan. 26 – Climate effects on USAAF Museum in England
WW2 museum in Thurleigh appeals for urgent repair funds
Jan. 26 – Dumfries Museum to be searched for ghosts
Ghost hunters set to scour Dumfries Aviation Museum in search of the spirit world
Jan. 25 – Imaging the 1925 eclipse in Canada (and other early efforts)
“Flying through an eclipse, from a flying point of view, is just an ordinary job of work;” Or, How the Royal Canadian Air Force captured the total eclipse of the Sun of 24 January 1925 – and some extra stuff about that event, part 1 | The Channel
and
“Flying through an eclipse, from a flying point of view, is just an ordinary job of work;” Or, How the Royal Canadian Air Force captured the total eclipse of the Sun of 24 January 1925 – and some extra stuff about that event, part 2 | The Channel
and
“Flying through an eclipse, from a flying point of view, is just an ordinary job of work;” Or, How the Royal Canadian Air Force captured the total eclipse of the Sun of 24 January 1925 – and some extra stuff about that event, part 3 | The Channel
and
“Flying through an eclipse, from a flying point of view, is just an ordinary job of work;” Or, How the Royal Canadian Air Force captured the total eclipse of the Sun of 24 January 1925 – and some extra stuff about that event, part 4 | The Channel
Jan. 25 – Sao Paulo flooding after severe storm (An airliner that will definitely need an electronics systems check).
Sao Paulo storm brings floods, chaos and lightning
Jan. 24 – New Museum will open in Oklahoma this September
El Reno Aviation Museum set to open in September
Jan. 24 – World’s oldest Bell 47
The Oldest Bell Helicopter: A Guide To The Bell 47 Helicopter
Jan. 23 – Storm winds push airliner over 800 mph groundspeed over Atlantic
Storm Eowyn jet stream causes BA flight to hit subsonic speed of 814mph
Not the first time this has happened.
How a Virgin Atlantic flight accidentally went faster than the speed of sound
and
British Airways Breaks the Record for Fastest Subsonic Transatlantic Flight
Jan. 23 – Some aerial images from the Los Angeles fires
Watch: Air National Guard brought in to tackle new LA fire
Jan. 23 – Planning for Spring Break in Edmonton
Alberta Aviation Museum to keep kids busy during spring break | Watch News Videos Online
Jan. 23 – Sons of British officer visit the new ‘Hump Museum’ in India, remembering those lost in the China-Burma-India airlift
Arunachal: Sons of British RAF officer flying across the Hump during WW-II, visits the Hump Museum in Pasighat
Jan. 23 – Making Oxygen on the Moon
Space exploration: How to make moon dust into oxygen
Jan. 21 – US plans mission to Mars
President Trump: “American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”
Jan. 21 – Company planning balloon tourist flights to edge of space being evicted
Space Perspective gets eviction summons from airport; company seeks investors for test flights
Jan. 20 – 1959, first flight of the Mighty Mudguard (Brings memories of Down East International)
1/20/1959: Maiden Flight of the Vickers Vanguard
Jan. 19 – Museum plans to rejuvenate, a look at addressing the problems of community Museums
Garden of the Gulf’s board embarks on plan to breathe new life into the eastern P.E.I. museum | CBC News
Jan. 19 – Museum of Northern History also planning rejuvenation
Reviving and reopening shuttered Museum of Northern History – North Bay News
and
Museum of Northern History set to re-open its doors Feb. 6 | Northern News
Jan. 19 – 1989 Canadian Airlines acquired Wardair (both now gone)
1/19/1989: Wardair Acquired by Canadian Airlines
Jan. 19 – Air Museum moving in Montana
Museum and education building coming to Glacier Park International Airport | Daily Inter Lake
Jan. 17 – Detailed look at air attack on the Los Angeles fires
Fighting LA’s fires from the sky – BBC News
Jan. 16 – Challenger 300 series history
The History Of The Bombardier Challenger 300 Series
Jan. 16 – Air Inuit sues over poor runway maintenance
Air Inuit takes Quebec government to court over maintenance of Nunavik runways | CBC News
Jan. 16 – First US military helicopter
Sikorsky S-47: A Look Back At The 1st Flight Of The 1st US Military Helicopter
Jan. 15 – A Twofer Moonshot
Japan, U.S. lunar landers go separate ways after being launched together from SpaceX rocket | CBC News
Jan. 15 – Discussion of impacts of new MoT regulations on Drone Use
Will more drones soon be whizzing past your window? | The Current | On Demand | CBC Listen
Jan. 14 – Interview with water bomber pilot from Quebec in Los Angeles
Quebec water bomber pilot describes turbulent missions over Los Angeles area wildfires | CBC.ca
Jan. 13 – Charlottetown Meteorite, triple lucky. Misses man, first recorded impact on video and first ever recorded on sound!
P.E.I. homeowner captures sound and video of meteorite strike on camera, and scientists believe it’s a first | CBC News
and
Meteorite strike captured in rare video from Canadian home’s doorbell camera | Canada | The Guardian
Jan. 13 – PLAY Airlines, Iceland, is leaving Canada
Icelandic discount carrier Play Airlines pulls out of Canada
Jan. 13 – Philippine Mars back at Sproat Lake for engine change
Philippine Mars Flies Back to Sproat Lake – Vintage Aviation News
Jan. 12 – video of drops on Los Angeles fire
Los Angeles: Emergency teams tackle fires from above
Jan. 11 – Museums in Capitol close in January for maintenance
Ottawa-Gatineau museums closing for maintenance in January
Jan. 11 – A moment in time from a teen in 1947 England.
World War Two: Child’s memoir found on door panel after almost 80 years
Jan. 11 – Airlines co-operate on sustainable fuel research
Airlines ramp up the hunt for sustainable aviation fuel | The Week
Jan. 10 – Plans for new Glenbow
Renovations promise to reimagine Calgary’s Glenbow Museum | CBC News
Jan. 6 – RCAF Pilot training to be done using private company and A-4 Skyhawks
Top Aces Training RCAF Pilots – Canadian Aviator Magazine
Jan. 3 – Ukrainian Su-27 pilots view of the war
Ukrainian Su-27 Flanker Pilot’s Rare Account Of The Changing Air War
Dec. 31 – A near collision between jet taking off and charter intruding into active runway in Los Angeles.
College basketball team’s jet nearly collides with plane
Dec. 30 – New rules for drones in Canada open up non-visual flights (I still recall when the Los Angeles police bought a folding airplane with a camera that could be used to check roof-tops for security. It was flown as a demo once, then the US FAA banned it’s use as dangerous. Times have changed indeed.)
Canadian skies open up to drones under new regulations | CBC.ca
and
Canada’s skies are opening to new drone rules in 2025 | CBC News
Dec. 30 – India launches rocket hoping to become the 4th country to conduct space-docking
India launches its 1st space docking mission | CBC News
Dec. 27 – Images of survivors climbing out of tail of Azerbaijan jet liner
Footage shows survivors walking from crashed Azerbaijani plane
Dec. 24 – details on the Wood Buffalo Military Museum work in Fort McMurray
One artifact at a time, this museum in northern Alberta is preserving Canada’s military history | CBC News
Dec. 26 – China flys new tailless fighter prototype
China Stuns With Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet’s Sudden Appearance (Updated)
Dec. 18 – Northwestern Air Lease, Fort Smith, ending scheduled flights, after 60 years.
As Northwestern Air Lease scales back operations, residents share gratitude and well-wishes | CBC News
and
Air Tindi planning its service for Fort Smith, N.W.T., once Northwestern Air Lease scales back | CBC News
Memories of the service
N.W.T. airline Northwestern Air Lease ends scheduled flights
Dec. 18 – New fighter concepts from SAAB
These Are Saab’s Concepts For Its Next Generation Fighter, Drones
Dec. 7 – Still searching for the missing diamonds from the Smirnoff Dakota
Revisiting a World War II plane crash off the Australian coast and its missing Dakota diamonds – ABC News
background
Death, deceit and the underdog: How a fortune of diamonds went missing in the outback during WWII – ABC News