Desperately, desperately… seeking a Clunk!

WE CAN NEVER forget the Canuck… for if we do, we have lost it.

Entirely.

As an air force?

No. As a nation—

The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (the "Clunk", as we Canadians loved to call it) …was not a bad design, nor, was it a great design.

But IT WAS our design.

Canadian.

Canada's first homegrown all-weather jet interceptor.

"But Arrow, ARROW… most Canadians don't know a lick about the Canuck!"

"They don't even know almost 700 were made right in Toronto."

Point taken~

"Then… really, there is only one thing left to do."

"What Arrow, what?"

Well, for them…

CN Tower. Observation Deck.

Gate open. Jump.


NOT WIDELY known: The Canadian Air & Space Museum located in Downsview Park, in TORONTO, at the former de Havilland Aircraft Company of Canada manufacturing plant is looking for a CF-100 to add to their Toronto aviation-themed museum.

So IF YOU have a Canuck, or can get one for them, call today: 416-638-6078

::::::::::::: The Key to Being…

… a CHEERLEADER is, having some cheer.

Call me crazy, but she doesn't seem to like having her picture taken. It can't be because she isn't attractive, 'cause she is…

MAYBE, MAYBE, she just found out about the Arrow! Yeah, that's it, that's gotta' be it!!

WHAT IF CANADA… had squadrons, and squadrons, of Arrows?

OH, BACK in ’59?

Well…… it might have looked like this–

And we would have achieved our rightful place alongside the Americans, the British, and the French ~

(Oh, heavy is my heart…)

One must always judge the strength and independence of a nation, by the industrial might of that nation.

And in the 50s, folks…

Canada.

Second. To. None—


CANADIANS, LOOK! LOOK!!

"Behold the work of
the Old…

Let your Heritage not
be lost…

But bequeath it as a
Memory, Treasure and
Blessing…

Gather the lost and
…the hidden!

And preserve it for thy
Children."

–Christian Metz


… found this wondrous poem on the CANADIAN WARPLANE HERITAGE MUSEUM site, and it applies both here and there —

NOTEWORTHY and OMINOUS: NO TWO ARROWS were ever photographed, together, in flight —

>>>>> RCAF Jet Lancaster!

THERE ARE ACTUALLY people who say, there never was a Canadian-made Jet Lancaster.

Now I expect that from Torontonians, where unless its something green… they don't know a thing.

But from Trentonians? C'mon.

They laugh, and slap their knees, coughing and cackling, telling me I'm too much!

Well.

That, sure looks like a Jet Lanc' to me!

RCAF FM209, a Mark X Lancaster, made originally, and modified entirely in Toronto. It flew as the Jet Lancaster for the first time on July 10, 1950… 59 years ago TODAY!!

I could tell them that the Jet Lanc' met an unfortunate end, in Toronto, at Orenda, and burned to the ground on July 24, 1956. That, and alongside about a hundred other stabled RCAF aircraft in Orenda's notorious experimental aircraft hangar. Historically, perhaps the worst fire in Toronto. That people ran for their lives from the burning hangar, and were blown to the ground, when... when…

Nah… guess all that didn't happen—

I could tell them about the engines that powered the Jet Lanc', that these were the secretive Orenda 1s… and for a brief time (one year) were the MOST POWERFUL jet engines in the world, at an incredible 6,000lbs of thrust!

I could tell them how the Jet Lanc' on its VERY FIRST flight flew across Lake Ontario right over Buffalo and was intercepted by P-47 Thunderbolts of the United States Air National Guard.

These US defenders had been scrambled to investigate the strange, high speed, intruder. The Jet Lanc' literally flew circles around the normally deadly Thunderbolts.

What a sight that must have been!

For those ANG pilots to see a very large, heavy bomber, darting about the sky like a Spitfire!

And just as quickly as RCAF FM209 had appeared within US air space, she was gone again… on her way back to Canada.

Doing barrel-rolls.

Those Avro Canada Jet Lanc' pilots eventually got their wrists slapped for that maneuver. Right after they had told the story, a few more times, for yet another straggler, who had arrived, mid-story.

BUT, the Jet Lanc' never existed, folks!

Apparently ~

Damn, no-nothings.

Oh, but it did exist. And it was a part of our incredibly great, and our distinctly CANADIAN aviation history. When for a flicker, when for a flash… CANADA was second to none in aeronautical research. Development. And achievement.

Put that in your pipe, and smoke it… 'cause… I'm, outta' here…

::: ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY ::::..

… comes by for a looksee.

Not really… BUT BACK in the day… it woulda looked like this!

Toronto’s LARGEST AIR DISASTER… Flight 621 "Galaxy" Promotional Items

39 YEARS AGO TODAY… Flight 621 crashed in Castlemore, on July 5, 1970.

As the inside cover of the matches state, "The Galaxy" was Air Canada's unique jet service between Eastern Canada and California. The airplane itself, a DC-8 Stretch, and promotional material carried the theme.

IF YOU WERE one of Flight 621 passengers… these are some of the "Galaxy" promo items on board the ill-fated Stretch DC-8 you would likely have seen.

If you didn't seen the Air Canada Air Route scheduler on board, you would certainly have seen them at the check-in counter. And the Air Canada Galaxy themed matches would have been given out with ashtrays, or would have been on coffee tables, in the small lounge areas that were on the DC-8 itself.

The "Galaxy" theme was spread throughout the aircraft. It was incorporated into the molded ceiling plastic of the Galaxy DC-8s so that when passengers looked up they would almost think they were looking at the stars, the very heavens above. The blue ceiling actually had sparkler bits crafted in, which would "dance" creating a mild optical illusion for the viewer. Silly now, when you think about it. But hey, this was 1970, and the pervasive cultural theme was "anything goes".

To be fair, this similar "galaxy motif" can be found on some of the new Super Jumbo A380s. I mean, I saw some examples that Airbus was considering for the interior design on their new gigantic airplano. These evolved Airbus interior motifs were a little more polished and elaborate, but the idea of "touching the stars" in flight and in the cabin remains a strong one. One, that aircraft producers return to.

One of the very last things that the passengers would have seen, most, if not all, would have been the Second Officer Don Rowland leaving the cockpit and coming into the passenger cabin.

Did he look at the terrified passengers, as he briskly made his way to the one of the passenger's windows? Did he shake his head, or sigh, or swear, when he saw that the starboard wing was now… mostly gone? On his way back to the cockpit, what was he thinking? He knew then, that it was over, that there wasn't any hope.

We do know that when Don got back into the cockpit, he announced that they'd lost a wing.

And almost as if fate was waiting for that announcement, once it was made, and had registered with the airplane's pilot, and navigator… the DC-8 lastly lunged downward. Spiraling now, it could no longer pretend to be an an airplane.

It went straight into the ground at over 400 mph.

Sadly, but indeed mercifully, all 109 passengers and crew died instantly leaving family and friends to mourn their loss from that moment on.

And Flight 621's First Officer, Don Rowland…never made it back to his seat.



Flight 621 In Memorium

Adams, Celine Fradette
Adams, Pierre J
Beaudin, Gaetan
Belanger, Mrs.
Belanger, Jacques
Belanger, Jean
Belanger, Roland
Belanger, Rosanne
Benson, Helen
Benson, Leonard
Benson, Mary
Benson, Richard
Bertrand, Ginette
Boosamra, Lynn
Boulanger, Guy
Bradshaw, Dollie
Cedilot, Robert J
Chapdeleine, Jeannine
Chapdeleine, Joanne
Chapdeleine, Mario
Charent, Jean Maurice
Clarke, Devona Olivia
Cote, Francine
Daoust, Yolande
Desmarais, Brigitte
Desmarais, G
Dicaire, Alice (Marie)
Dicaire, Gilles
Dicaire, Linda
Dicaire, Luke
Dicaire, Mark
Dion, Suzanne
Dore, Jacqueline
Earle, Lewella
Earle, Linda
Filippone, Francesco
Filippone, Linda
Filippone, Marie
Gee, Bernard
Goulet, Denise M
Grenier, Madeleine

Growse, Jane
Growse, Roger
Hamilton, Karen E
Hamilton, Peter Cameron
Herrmann, Ronald Alvin
Hill, Harry Gordon
Holiday, Claude
Houston, Irene Margaret
Houston, Wesley
Jakobsen, Vagn Aage
Labont, Gilles
Leclaire, Marie Rose
Leclaire, Oscar
Leduc, Henri W
Lepage, Claudette
Mailhiot, Claire Gagnon
Mailhiot, Gerald Bernard
Maitz, Gustave
Maitz, Karoline
McKettrick, Winnifred
McTague, John
Medizza, Carla
Mohammed, Dolly
Molino, Antonio
Molino, Michael (Michel)
Moore, Frederick T
Partridge, Andrea
Partridge, Carnie (Carnis) Ann
Partridge, Cyril Wayne
Phillips, Kenneth William
Poirier, Rita
Raymond, Gilles
Raymond, Martial
Robert, Aline
Robert, Georges E
Robidoux, Lionel
Rowland, Donald
Silverberg, Marci
Silverberg, Merle
Silverberg, Steven
Simon, Istvan
Simon, Mark
Smith, Dwight Lee
St. Laurent, Blanche
Stepping, Glenn Thomas
Sultan, Celia
Sultan, Jerald. M
Sultan, Robert. L
Szpakowicz, Borys
Szpakowicz, Serge
Tielens, Carmen
Tielens, Frederick
Tournovits, George
Tournovits, Soula (Athanasia)
Weinberg, Carla
Weinberg, S
Weinberg, Wendy
Whittingham, Jennifer
Whittingham, John
Whittingham, Reginald
Whybro, Mary Baker
Wieczorek, Hildegund
Witmer, Edgar
Wong, Ngar-Quon
Wong, Suzie
Wong, Wong (Mansing)
Woodward, Dallas J

FOR MORE on this UNBELIEVABLE STORY in our day, and age, see:
FLIGHT 621

::: CANADA DAY.:.:.:..

:::: Luck Holds Out… for OUR Lancaster… Emergency landing in Hamilton!!

The MUCH AWAITED Heritage Flight was nixed today on Father's Day.

The North American B-25, the Fairey Firefly, the Avro Lancaster and the new-member-to-the-club Westland Lysander were supposed to meet up in the sky, and do a together, heritage flypast over the skies of Hamilton—

Didn't happen.

What did happen is that shortly after takeoff, a hydraulic warning light went off in the cockpit of Victory Aircraft Canadian-made (made in Toronto… dontcha' love how I emphasize where it was made) Lancaster.

The Lanc' pilot executed a cautionary move, left the Lanc's gear down, thereby deciding not to chance raising them… since he might not get them back down for landing and broke ranks from the Heritage fly-past formation.

He immediately swung the gentle giant around, lined her up (see above), and made an emergency landing amidst a sea of fire-trucks!

The other three WW II aircraft followed through with a flypast, the Lysander taking up the rear to launch herself into a solo effort for the public on her first public day out. The Lysander WAS ALSO made in Toronto!

Good news… there was no resultant damage for the Lanc' upon landing. The Lanc' will now get an intensive look over to fix any problems and to ensure she is flight worthy… ASAP!!

(Long distance photo)

::: LYSANDER STEALS the Show!

FOUND IN a Manitoba's farmer's field, in 1980.

Restoration began earnestly in Hamilton, at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in 1993, when the project was taken over from the "Friends of CWH" who had been working on the Lizzie since 1983.

Completed last year.

Flew for the first time earlier this month, and IS NOW making public flying appearances for the first time. Here is the second flight for the day.

Trainer aircraft, target tug, and spy plane… the "Lizzie" did it all in an imposing way!

A ridiculous looking aircraft… it looks like a flying high-chair but you'll fall in love with it. Toots through the sky at an impressive clip… and was the first aircraft produced at the Malton facility then known as National Steel Car, in 1942 under license from Westland Aircraft Ltd. of the UK.

Made in Toronto, in 1942, folks!

The camouflage paint scheme represents an aircraft of No. 400 Squadron "City of Toronto", folks!