Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Way We Were ::: 1914 ::: CANADA

That’s the Sanyo blimp moored at Toronto Island Airport at the farthest point of the southwest side, near Hanlon’s Point.

A couple of years ago.

Not 200 feet from…THAT SPOT where once stood a baseball stadium.

AND IN 1914 when everyone was watching… BABE RUTH hit his FIRST professional HOME RUN into the waters of Lake Ontario!

The ball landed in these very waters, shown in the picture before you!!

The historical baseball WAS NEVER found.

A PLAQUE memorializes the incident on Toronto Island.

The Way We Were ::: 1940 ::: CANADA

PORTER AIRLINES and the BOMBARDIER “Mighty” Q 400 are the principal Toronto Island Airport residents today (as seen above).

But it wasn’t always so.

No?

No.

By April of 1940, the Nazis had invaded NORWAY.

Already anticipating being attacked at some point, Norway had ordered dozens of American aircraft to help in their resistance to Herr Hitler and his eventual blitzkrieg. Some of these aircraft arrived, but were in crates at a Norwegian shipyard when the Nazi onslaught began. Other aircraft were assembled, but not armed or tested.

The unfortified Royal Norwegian Air Force took to the air anyway.

Against a vastly superior German Luftwaffe, and against all odds, the Norwegians engaged their enemy in the skies above their beloved homeland. Surprisingly, the Royal Norwegian Air Force took out as many aircraft, as they initially lost to the Nazis!

But the writing was already on the wall.

And so abruptly, thereafter in June, just two months later the Norwegian royalty fled the country, and made their way safely to England.

And the Royal Norwegian Air Force, with nowhere else to go to train their countrymen, their future fighter and bomber pilots… came thus to Canada.

Toronto.

Toronto Island Airport, which had only opened in 1939 as the “forgettable” Port George VI Airfield, was now turned over to the Norwegians and the RCAF went to Camp Borden.

By November of 1940, Toronto’s “Little Norway” was opened for “business” and had dispatched its first all-Norwegian fighter squadron alongside a fully trained ground crew, to England, in June 1941.

Government of Norway aircraft orders placed with American aircraft factories such as Fairchild, Curtiss, Douglas and Northrop before the fall of Norway were immediately diverted, and delivered to Toronto Island’s newest residents.

LITTLE NORWAY turned out a steady stream of Norwegian ground and aircrews who returned to Europe to fight and successfully distinguished themselves alongside their Allied compatriots.

By 1942, a second ground crew and aircrew training camp was opened in Gravenhurst, Ontario at the Muskoka Airport to accommodate the increasing Norwegian war effort.

© 2007 Special Projects IR
© 2007 Paul Cardin

::... MUMS the Word ::..:.


CANADIAN WARPLANE HERITAGE: One question.

Everyone wants to know.

When. Will. She. Fly?


Duane at the controls…

The Lysander, pictured above, was made in Toronto in 1942 and was one of the 225 that were made in Canada, at Malton. Only 1660 in total were built worldwide.

A LYSANDER can take-off or land in 300 feet! Very handy to drop off spies!!

The Lysander’s unique wing trailing edge flap and leading edge slat arrangement is a precursor to those highly complicated computer-controlled systems that are standard on virtually every high performance commercial and military aircraft today. At the time of its introduction, however, it was unheard of.

The camouflage paint scheme represents an aircraft of No. 400 Squadron "City of Toronto" This "Lizzie" was used as a target tug during World War II. (CWH)


© 2007 Special Projects IR
© 2007 Paul Cardin

CFL Eastern Final 2007




… this photographer gets a kiss unexpectedly from a Toronto Blue Thunder cheerleader.

CFL Eastern Final… the ONLY bright spot… the cheerleaders.

HEY TORONTO where was your running game?

… that victor's week off… killed your momentum ~

BUT AT LEAST the babes came out to support the Argoooooooosssssss!

(hey give me back my zoom)


© 2007 Special Projects IR
© 2007 Paul Cardin

PINBALL ::: The Real Mayor of Toronto


Get rid of David (dud) Miller as mayor of TO; this is the guy Torontonians SHOULD HAVE.

Pinball" has already told us he won't be a career coach for the Argos.

Pinball, it's time…

Your city needs you!

C' mon, who do you want to represent Toronto… looking forward?

Who would be THE better ambassador FOR Toronto?

Pinball… HANDS DOWN!!

© 2007 Special Projects IR
© 2007 Paul Cardin