Aviation and Heritage Roundup August 2025
Provided by Paul Squires, CAPA-ACCA Contact, Wetaskiwin, Alberta
Aug. 29 – Searching for data on fire-fighting aviation effectiveness
Need for more data to determine aerial effectiveness – Australia – Wildfire Today
And in the States
Large Airtanker effectiveness research – United States – Wildfire Today
Aug. 28 – Latest update on NX611 Lancaster restoration
Avro Lancaster B.VII NX611 ‘Just Jane’ – Restoration Update 247 – Vintage Aviation News
Aug. 28 – New Aviation Museum planned for Belgrade
New look Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade to open in 2027
Aug. 28 – Remember the second jet aircraft to fly?
Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Caproni Campini N.1 – Vintage Aviation News
Aug. 27 – Unexploded WWII bombs another threat from fighting wild fires
North Yorkshire Langdale moor fire fighters face exploding WWII ordinance
Aug. 27 – Space X successful launch (finally) and stable recovery, which is perhaps more significant.
SpaceX pulls off Starship rocket launch in stunning comeback
Aug. 27 – Luna the Space Polar Bear
Winnipeg elementary school shoots for moon with stuffie design – Winnipeg Free Press
Aug. 26 – Looks like the Halifax Rescue project has just been ‘discovered’ by the Americans. Good detailed write-up though.
Halifax 57 Rescue Sets Out to Rebuild a Handley Page Halifax – Vintage Aviation News
Aug. 25 – The fight is on to keep the Shuttle Discovery at the Smithsonian.
KeepTheShuttle Tracks Key Congressional Actions to Keep Space Shuttle Discovery at the Smithsonian – Vintage Aviation News
Aug. 25 – A blog that highlights that old books and magazine collections are under threat of being discarded as having no value these days. This is a widespread problem that has built up over years. I recall one: a Museum library whose volunteer librarian had built up a wonderful collection of Aviation magazines, always ensuring he had two copies, when possible. When he was dismissed by a new board their new Library Member immediately began discarding titles that he did not see as useful, and all the extra copies “to save space”. The books were sent to a dumpster instead being offering to members or sold in the Gift Shop to raise funds. Likewise the Gift Shop was ordered to throw away art prints, including numbered and signed ones, as “no one bought those anymore”. This included prints that had been donated at no cost to raise money for the Museum. They had no cost beyond shelf space. I also know of another Museum gift shop that no longer sells books at all, because it decided, “no one reads”.
You may not recall that CAPA-ACCA was able to find a home for a very large library of rare aviation books and material a few years ago, but it was a close thing. And that collection was appraised at $2.5 million!
Old and uncollectible
Aug. 25 – BC Air Museum raising funds for new hangar
PHOTOS: B.C. Aviation Museum rallies support for new hangar in North Saanich – Peninsula News Review
Lottery will open for Hawaii Mars tour during BC Aviation Museum open house in North Saanich
Lottery for tours of Hawaii Martin Mars water bomber flight deck at B.C. Aviation Museum | CBC.ca
BC Aviation Museum to offer chance for tours of historic Hawaii Mars water bomber
Aug. 25 – Original restored flying DH-9 for sale
Historic Airco DH.9 G‑CDLI: The Only Airworthy World War I Bomber for Sale – Vintage Aviation News
Aug. 24 – Flying Weekend at Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon
Second World War aircraft take to the skies – Brandon Sun
Aug. 22 – Private companies planning orbital launches in Canada
Canadian companies race to launch rockets into orbit from home soil — a first | CBC News
Aug. 21 – Converting helicopters for fire fighting
Retrofitted firefighting helicopters swoop in to help in Newfoundland | CBC.ca
Aug. 19 – White House begins attack on Smithsonian
Trump threatens Smithsonian museums in escalating attacks on social media | CBC News
Aug. 19 – Why did the Beaver land on the Road?
Inaccurate fuel reading to blame for 2024 Fort Simpson emergency landing, TSB finds | CBC News
Aug. 19 – Independent British Space Agency scrapped.
UK independent space agency scrapped to cut costs
Aug. 18 – Balancing history, ecology and the demand for sand, now in world-wide shortage
‘Running riot through graves’: King Charles urged to protect Goodwin Sands from dredging | Kent | The Guardian
Aug. 17 – Coulson Aviation honoured for fighting fires back in BC
Coulson Aviation honoured to be fighting fires in its own backyard
Aug. 17 – Just Playing Through
Plane makes emergency landing on Australian golf course
Aug. 17 – Recalling Francis Gary Powers and U-2 shoot down (According to one source the parameters of the missile that hit him were based on the reported performance of the Avro Arrow and US F-108)
‘The aircraft spiralled downwards, tail first’: The CIA spy shot down over Russia in 1960
Aug. 15 – Tropic Beaver
A de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver in the Philippines – Vintage Aviation News
Aug. 13 – White House plans to review Smithsonian exhibits to make them culturally ‘correct’.
White House orders review of Smithsonian museums to ensure alignment with Trump directive | CNN Politics
Aug. 13 – A familiar story, and not always here in Canada
Former airport hangar in Jersey could become car park
Aug. 13 – Strange sighting over Quebec spent stage from Polar Orbital launch
Was it a plane? Was it a UFO? Bright light over Quebec captivates stargazers | CBC News
Aug. 13 – Drone Racing, what is it like?
Drone Racing: How it works | World Air Sports Federation
Luisa Rizzo: ‘Drones give you Freedom’ | World Air Sports Federation
Aug. 11 – Young pilot attempting record arrested in Antarctica, but charges dropped.
Charges dropped against teen pilot detained in Antarctica
American teen pilot detained on small island in Antarctica
Aug. 11 – Yorkshire Aviation Museum celebrates 40 years
Yorkshire Air Museum celebrates 40th anniversary with flypast
Aug. 11 – A short history of Wien Air Alaska
Wien Air Alaska: First in the 49th State – New York Aviation History
Aug. 10 – What might have developed if Avro Canada had been allowed to market the JetLiner
Today in Aviation History First Flight of the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner – Vintage Aviation News
Aug. 10 – Meteorite that hit home in June older than earth.
Meteorite that hit home is older than Earth, scientists say
Aug. 10 – Artifacts from Empress of Ireland related to passenger, examined by descendants.
He died in the Empress of Ireland shipwreck. A century later, his belongings found his family | CBC News
Aug. 9 – First breaking the sound barrier in Canada
Today in Aviation History: First Flight Past the Sound Barrier in Canada – Vintage Aviation News
Aug. 8 – First non-stop flight from Canada to England
Today in Aviation History: First Non-Stop Flight from Canada to England – Vintage Aviation News
As referenced, the flight was intended to be Canada to Baghdad, but technical problems put them down in England.
Wednesday to Thursday August 8-9 , 1934
James R. Ayling and Leonard G. Reid fly nonstop from Wasaga Beach, Georgian Bay, Ontario to London, England in the DH.84 G-ACJM, ‘Trail of the Caribou’, in 30 hours and 50 minutes (wikipedia; Closed Canadian Parks-Ontario; M.J.H. Taylor). The flight was intended to fly non-stop to Baghdad and create a new long-distance record, but problems with the throttles forced the crew to fly at full power, using too much fuel, and causing them to land in England. Three days later the aircraft was wrecked in a landing accident (R. Riding), preventing another attempt.
The first airplane to fly from England to the Canadian mainland was the DH Fox Moth G-ACRK, ‘Robert Bruce’, the previous July, in stages, a little recalled aviation event.
Saturday July 21, 1934
RAF Pilot John Grierson leaves London in his float equipped DH.83 Fox Moth G-ACRK,’Robert Bruce’. on his third attempt to fly to Ottawa. He flew to Iceland, then across Greenland (the first aircraft do so), then down the east coast of Baffin Island to the Hudsons Bay Co. post at Lake Harbour, NWT (now Kimmirut, Nunavut), then to Puvirnituq and East Main in Quebec before arriving at Ottawa in late August (D. Metcalfe-Chenail).
Wolfgang von Gronau had flown to Central Canada from Germany in stages as early as 1932 (flight itinerary below) in a Dornier Wal.
Round the World Flights
And Mollinson in 1932, but he only landed in New Brunswick because he couldn’t make New York.
Aug. 8 – Re-purposed Japanese spacecraft to intercept ‘dark comet’
The mysterious ‘dark comets’ prowling our Solar System
Aug. 8 – Possible planet at Earth’s closest neighbour
New signs found of giant gas planet in ‘Earth’s neighbourhood’
Aug. 7 – Preparing for first Canadian space launch in 25 years
‘Starsailor’ rocket lifts off from Cree territory — Canada’s first space launch in more than 25 years. | CBC News
Aug. 6 – Canadian military exploring drone technology
The Canadian drone industry is spinning up — with lessons from Ukraine | CBC News
Aug. 6 – And using drones to identify bombs at old Ottawa range
Mer Bleue Bog ‘filled with bombs,’ according to new drone scans | CBC News
Aug. 6 – Flight Safety Aussie Style (note, they didn’t get away with it
Matt Wright: Famous croc wrangler urged friends to ‘torch’ evidence, trial hears
Aug. 5 – Museums using the Canada Strong pass. Should you join the program?
Here are all the museums and galleries offering free or discounted admission under the Canada Strong Pass – CTVNews
Aug. 4 – Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre
Sask. aviation learning centre expands to address labour shortage
Aug. 3 – Memorials unveiled to 1944 Cape Breton Anson crash. Well written articles.
Ceremony held for RCAF pilot killed in Cape Breton crash while training in 1944 | CBC News
Aug. 2 – Children’s book will raise money for Search and Rescue unit
Author raises money for Channel Islands Air Search
Aug. 1 – Wounded Ukrainian soldier saved by drone delivered e-bike
Wounded soldier escapes battlefield using e-bike delivered by drone
Aug. 1 – UFO seen over Australia Chinese rocket boosters
Watch: ‘UFO’ spotted in Australian skies identified as Chinese rocket
Aug. 1 – CRJ-200 crash in Nepal in detail
How Not to Run an Airline: The 2024 Saurya Airlines CRJ-200 crash | by Admiral Cloudberg | Aug, 2025 | Medium
July 30 – Australia’s first Orbital rocket launch fails
First Australian-made rocket crashes shortly after lift off
July 29 – Planning the world’s largest airplane
The upstart company that wants to build the world’s largest aircraft
July 29 – Looks like a close call on a F-18 flypast on Spanish beach
Fighter jet swerves dramatically to avoid birds near packed beach
July 26 – Brandon acquires three Norsemen, one flyable
Wings of History: Norseman aircraft soon to soar at Brandon’s Air Training Museum – DiscoverWestman.com – Local news, Weather, Sports, Free Classifieds and Business Listings for Westman region, Manitoba
July 13 – Hirosawa City Aviation Museum, Japan, includes rare 2 seat A6M ‘Zero’, one of the aircraft stolen from Papua-New Guinea by “salvagers”
Hirosawa City Aviation Museum – Vintage Aviation News
