It was in 1939 that the first air traffic control tower was built in Canada, and Nav Canada is celebrating its 85th anniversary at the Saint-Hubert airport. Within a year of its opening, the tower’s workload increased dramatically in 1940 as the airport in the Montreal suburb was made into a military training base to support Canada’s Second World War effort. The airport has marked several milestones over the years, including the hosting of a stopover in 1985 for the Paris to New York air race. Transport Canada had just built and opened a new control tower. In 2004 Transport Canada ownership o ..read more

AF-2, Major Eskil “Taz” Amdal, Ferry From Eielson, Alaska To Edwards AFB, Ca., 8 March 2018 While much of the country was focussed on the total solar eclipse sweeping across central and eastern Canada last Monday (Apr. 8), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accompanied by Defence Minister Bill Blair and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, announced an updated defence strategy, the previous one having been issued in 2017. The press conference took place at Ontario’s CFB Trenton. With a focus on Canada’s North (the strategy document is titled “Our North, Strong and Free”), there were many mentions o ..read more

The Royal Canadian Mint this week unveiled a coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The 99.99 percent pure silver coin has a nominal value of $20 and a retail price of $109.95. Featured on one side are images of a Sopwith Camel, a Supermarine Spitfire and an F-35 Lightning II, representing fighters of the First World War, the Second World War and Canada’s future fighter aircraft. The opposite side features a portrait of King Charles III. The coin is available for purchase directly from the Royal Canadian Mint. Nolinor Aviation of Quebec has announced subs ..read more

“It’s a head scratcher, for sure.” Global News reported the comment by former CSIS senior analyst Phil Gurski upon hearing about a five-year contract Air Canada signed last September with aircraft maintenance company HAECO Hong Kong. According to HAECO’s press release published on Feb. 28, the company “…will become Air Canada’s exclusive base maintenance provider for their Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 fleet, comprising eight Boeing 787-8 aircraft, 30 Boeing 787-9 aircraft…and 18 Airbus A330 aircraft. The comprehensive scope of the contract includes C checks for both the Boeing 787 and Airbus A3 ..read more

Icon Aircraft of Vacaville, California filed this week for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code, meaning it can continue to operate with protection from debtors while it seeks to reorganize. The company says it is seeking a buyer. “We plan to continue to produce and sell aircraft and provide first-rate service, training and support to our customers,” CEO Jerry Meyer said in a press release. The company cites pandemic-related supply chain issues as one of the factors among its financial challenges. The amphibious LSA aircraft was recently selling for north of U$200,000. Alt ..read more

One of the few product lines Bombardier retained after its divesture of various aircraft divisions a few years ago was Global Express series of business jets. One of its latest iterations is the Global 7500 and it continues to set industry records in the speed and range categories. A recent flight by a Global 7500 from Farnborough, England to Muharraq, Bahrain is currently being certified by the FAI, but it is claimed to be in excess of the previous record the aircraft has held since 2019 for a flight from Sydney, Australia to Detroit, Michigan, a distance of 8,225 nm. That record holds the st ..read more

CT-155 Hawks on the apron at Collingwood airport (CNY3). Photo: Rob Cooper – CTV News As we reported two weeks ago, the RCAF has retired its fleet of CT-155 Hawk training jets. Several of the aircraft were recently spotted at the Collingwood Regional Airport (CNY3) in Ontario and will reportedly be transported overland to CFB Borden, a distance of about 43 km, where they will serve for training maintenance technicians and mechanics at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering. According to a press release issued Friday (March 29) by the Air Line Pilots Association (AL ..read more

CARs Part 9, which regulates Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), a category that includes drones and was implemented in 2019, is pushing some radio-controlled (RC) model airplane operators to abandon their hobby, according to one long-time hobbyist. Given the proliferation of drones in the past few years and the rapid advances in RPAS technology, more restrictive regulations have been introduced. Caught in the regulatory evolution are the operators of RC model aircraft, who used to be more or less self-regulated by following safety codes developed by the Model Aeronautics Association of ..read more

The Greek parliament this week approved the purchase of seven De Havilland DHC-515 water bombers. They will replace older versions of what is known in Europe simply as “Canadairs”, a reference to the design’s original manufacturer. Greece will share the aircraft with other E.U. member countries when required. Deliveries are expected between 2027 and 2030. The contract is valued at € 361 million ($534 million). Check out this week’s featured video on the “Canadairs”. RE-10048-1 17 May 1957 Photo of Crew in front of Lancaster Aircraft. RCAF. A Canadian-built Avro Lancaster, previously housed ..read more

CF-18 Hornet cockpit. Arcfield Canada Corp. of Calgary has been awarded a $211.6-million contract by the Department of National Defence to provide ongoing avionics support for the RCAF’s fleet of 89 CF-18s. Sub-contractors include Raytheon Canada, L3 Harris, software company Palitronica and Terranova Defense. The contract continues on from an expiring contract initially awarded to an Arcfield predecessor company in October 2010 for fleet sustainment. The new contract is for five years plus five one-year extension options, to carry through until the RCAF’s new fleet of 88 F-35s becomes operatio ..read more