Vintage Wings now has video!

It’s new! It’s here! It’s fantastic!

Vintage Wings now has video embedded on our main website. With the simple click of a mouse, you can bring your favourite aircraft to life!

Just pick an aircraft from the drop-down menu on the main page (www.vintagewings.ca), and click on the Cinema link on the left side of the page. A window will pop up, allowing you to see, hear and if you try really hard, even smell, the aircraft in flight.

Enjoy!

Note: this is still a work in progress – some aircraft are not yet available.

 

“Tulip festival will feature vintage aircraft flyover”

 

By TONY LOFARO, The Ottawa CitizenApril 20, 2012

 

A Tiger Moth is one of the planes in the Vintage Wings of Canada collection that will take part in the Canadian Tulip Festival flyover on May 13, 2012.

Photograph by: Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA — A commemorative flyover of the city featuring airplanes from the Vintage Wings of Canada collection is one of the new events of this year’s Canadian Tulip Festival.

The flyover will take place May 13 at 1:30 p.m. over the region from the Gatineau airport, and will feature up to 20 vintage aircraft. The participating Second World War aircraft belong to the Michael Potter Collection, which is maintained and operated by Vintage Wings of Canada.

Some of the aircraft include the “Bill McRea” Tiger Moth, “Hart Finley” Fleet Finch, “Archie Penny” Fairchild Cornell and the “William Harper” Spitfire. The aircraft are significant to Canadians and show their close relationship with the Netherlands since the Second World War when Ottawa provided a safe refuge to the Dutch royal family and Canadian soldiers were involved in the liberation of that country.

The planes will fly from Gatineau. pass over the ByWard Market and then continue to the Chinatown area and Dow’s Lake area before returning across the Rideau Canal. David Luxton, chair of the Canadian Tulip Festival, said the flyover is a preview to the Vintage Wings of Canada’s annual air show, which takes place Sept. 15-16 at the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport.

The festival is also presenting Electrik Tulipe, an evening of music featuring some of Europe’s top disc jockeys. The “Swedish House Mafia” Steve Angello and Dutch DJ/producer Nicky Romero, along with Size Records DJ Third Party, are performing at the event to be held May 18 at the Ottawa’s new CE Centre. Tickets range from $39.50 to $49.50.

The festival runs May 4-21. More events are to be announced shortly.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Tulip+festival+will+feature+vintage+aircraft+flyover/6493814/story.html#ixzz1t4IjYJw5

Our Cornell is Flying

By B. Reid

Our Fleet Cornell is flying. Our Cornell is also smiling. She was not particularly happy for a while. How can you blame her when her annual checkup involved several talented maintenance personnel with cold hands poking a prodding her during the dreaded annual inspection. And then being forced to stand for weeks on end while only partially clothed in public waiting for some replacement parts to finally arrive.

But now her certificate of airworthiness is signed off and it is good for one full year, so now she can show off the shiniest paint scheme in the Vintage Wings Fleet. Sure she says, some of her hanger mates fly higher and faster but she, the Cornell has the brightest, glossiest paint job.

A brand new vacuum pump has brought relief to her internal air discomfort. Her voice is much clearer now that the excessive amount of lead on her spark plugs has been removed along with one of the intake valves being staked to remove carbon build up, restoring pressure to that cylinder. And those early morning start-ups are much easier now that the primer works. The original leather seals in it were replaced with rubber as it was getting annoying to have to pump the throttle for engine start. Despite these touch-ups, everyone remembers last year’s almost snag free Yellow Wings tour from Ottawa to the west coast and back via Oshkosh proving that she’s a low maintenance girl.

Our Cornell’s birth certificate shows June 29, 1943 as the date of first flight with her official maiden name of FC213(serial number). She has taken up several other names over the years. The RCAF gave her the nickname of 10712 while she spent her early years giving pilots elementary flight training in Regina during WWII. It was a glorious time of youthful exuberance, filled with adventure. Sometimes it is easy to reminisce about the good times while forgetting the hard work that was done day in and day out for the war effort. It went by so fast and before she knew it, it was all over.

After spending some lonely years, post WWII, considered as surplus, her hopes of re-living those glory years grew again when she was moved to and  purchased in Quebec. A lot of tender loving care was received from Paul Durand as she was brought to civilian standards along with several similar types Mr. Durand had purchased. She loved their house where she was restored and got on well with the family, but being young and a free spirit, she moved on and ended up in nearby Beloeil with a new name reserved  from Transport Canada of  CF-YAY, although it was never officially taken up. Unfortunately, that relationship was abusive with most of her years spent in a barn due to the excessive frugality of her acquaintance in avoiding airport fees. In 1998, she finally parted ways and moved to Albany, New York, having a brief fling with a insurance agent. However, she was quickly dumped and ended up with a group of Cornell enthusiasts called the Vintage Aircraft Group in nearby Albion, New York who renamed her N226PT and did some fixing up of her. But being dressed with the same outer covers as the group’s similar types was frustrating. When Vintage Wings made the moves on her in 2010 and swept her off her feet, she knew that this was the one and has finally settled down for good by returning to her roots in Canada and taking a new name of CF-YQR in honour of her early BCATP airport home in Regina.  As well, she has been given a complete makeover to restore her as to as close as can be to the way she looked back in her glory days of the BCATP when young men made her the centre of attention and spent countless hours studying her every detail.

As the days get longer, she can’t wait for this year’s Yellow Wings east coast tour with another summer of travel to faraway places with her four trainer friends, gossiping and showing off her sexy curves to her new audience. No doubt she’ll be playing hard to get, but if you have the desire, and are willing to make a commitment of at least one year with a Vintage Wings membership, you can spend quality time with her by sponsoring her for a flight. She promises you won’t be disappointed.

The Vintage Wings of Canada Cornell sits proudly on the ramp at the Ottawa International Airport, with canopies open awaiting her next sponsored flight. Both canopies are kept open for takeoff and landing to prevent them from being jammed closed in the unlikely event of rollover incident. There is no speed limitation for canopy operation.

The Cornell uses expander tube brakes operated by toe brakes on the rudder pedals, a great improvement over the heel brakes of the Finch or the hand brake of the Tiger Moth. Nine pucks operate against a drum. The ring is used on a regular basis for towbar attachment. When manouvering the aircraft on the ground, make sure that the control locks are off to prevent damage to the tail wheel lockpin when it attempts to swivel.

The tail wheel is backwards as the aircraft has been pushed back into this position. However, it is in the perfect position for jacking the tail up. You can see the jacking point just to the right of the tail wheel unit. All our landing gear have the standard canvass boot cover designed to keep the area free from dirt. The boot is darker at the front due to oil accumulation from the engine. The yellow rod that is exiting the fuselage area from the left is attached to an arm that actuates the rudder. Another arm on the other side of the rudder attaches to a rod running forward to the curved horn on top of the tail wheel unit for steering(difficult to see due to a yellow aircraft in the background). Above the tail wheel unit is the attachment fitting to the elevator from its green pushrod.

With the wing to body fairing removed, you can take a peek into the interior and see a bit of the steel  tubular structure. The lower brownish canvass boot is a cover over a rod that extends from the cockpit flap handle. It operates down to the left side flap. Another arm angles down and then forward to the front seat flap handle and the bar going across to the right crosses over to operate the right side flap simultaneously. Meanwhile the black walkway, is a reinforced area with an extra layer of wood on top and beefed up internal wing structure. At the front portion of the walkway is the original external power plug and engine fire extinguisher handle.

 

Looking inside the aft fuselage toward the tail. The central tube extends back to operate the elevator. You can see at the front end how it attaches to the top of a bell crank which pivots about a point on a fuselage cross member which attaches at its lower end to another tube running toward the control stick. Meanwhile, the control rod on the left attaches to a different style of bell crank which pivots across the upper fuselage frame to actuate a rod on the right side aft to the rudder. The cable operates the trim tabs.

 

A good view of the splined shaft for our Sensenich wooden propeller. The vertical tube houses a vertical driveshaft that is gear-driven from the crankshaft. It connects, as seen in the picture. to the camshaft drive gear. Part of the intake manifold can be seen on the right and part of the exhaust manifold on the left with the front cylinder in the center. The circular cover plate at the front of the exhaust would likely be removed when the intensifier tube for cockpit heat is installed.

 

Close-up view of the bottom of the engine with the gear-driven camshaft at the front operating the cam rollers further aft as part of the rocker arms. Unlike the inverted Gipsy Major engine, the Ranger engine on the Cornell has no pushrods due to camshaft location adjacent to the rocker arms.

Looking through the cooling air intake at the spark plug leads all lined up in a row for the 200 horsepower, 6 cylinder, inverted Ranger L-440 Engine. Earlier versions were 175 horsepower until domed piston heads increased it to 200. The inlet to the right provides air to the updraft carburetor through a filter, while the upper inlet ducts air to the oil cooler, if the pilot controlled flapper valve is open.

Mk XVI Spitfire and Original Service Engine Reunited

 

Wizards at Work: AME Andre Laviolette and apprentice Vanessa Lefaivre gently lower the Packard-built Merlin into the awaiting arms of the Spit.

Vintage Wings’ Mk XVI Spitfire recently underwent an engine change – but not just any engine change. The engine with which Spitfire s/n SL 721 was discharged from service has been found and, fresh from overhaul, has been reinstated to her former glory on her former aircraft.

It takes a lot of finessing to manoeuver a 1720hp supercharged V12 engine into place. Lucky for us, our Vintech Aero AMEs are “wizards with Merlins.”

 

For a complete history of Vintage Wings’ Mk XVI Spitfire, please visit http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/131/language/en-CA/Supermarine-Superstar.aspx

All photos HF.

A Visual Diary of Annual Recurrent Pilot Training

On Sat, Apr 14, Vintage Wings pilots came from far and near to partake in Annual Recurrent Training (ART) in Gatineau, QC. The chock-full day included talks on numerous topics, such as Flight Safety, Media Training and Awareness, how to log volunteer hours (all VW pilots are volunteers), Duties and Responsibilities of Pilots, and how to properly groom the aircraft.

The day ended with a BBQ and social gathering at the Director of Flight Ops house.

Sunday, Apr 15, was training for Yellow Wings pilots. Talks covered the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, an overview of last years program, and ground schools for the |Boeing Stearman, Fairchild Cornell and Fleet Finch.

In the afternoon the clouds lifted and the sun peaked through, allowing for some training to take place outside of the classroom.

Over 25 pilots crammed into our smaller-than-ideal boardroom.

 

Safety Officer Robert “Scratch” Mitchell gives a briefing on Situational Awareness.

Unfortunately.......

....Cleo the hangar dog found the discussion less than riveting, and even worse, no one could hear over her loud snoring.

 

Andrej Janik, VP of Maintenance, demonstrates marshalling signals.

 

George King and Dave Hadfield taxi the Cornell out into a stiff crosswind.

 

Joe Cosmano and John Sterchi sport the classic “Stearman smile” upon return from an open-cockpit biplane flight.

 

Photographic proof that around here, everyone has to clean their airplane after flying. VW President Rob Fleck and Chief Pilot Paul Kissmann wipe the greasy underbelly of the Harvard after their flight, while Blake Reid lends a hand.

All photos HF.

Vintage Wings Aviators Convene In Gatineau

Nearly 30 of Vintage Wings of Canada pilots meet for Annual Recurrent Training

On Saturday, 14 of April, the 2012 crew of highly experienced pilots came together for two days of recurrent training in everything from flight operation to media training to how to keep their aircraft shiny and polished on the road.  Led by Chief Pilot Paul Kissmann (second from left), Assistant Chief Pilot Heather Fleck (with Cleo the Springer Spaniel), President Rob Fleck (front right) and Founder Michael Potter, the team will fan our across Canada this year to further the mission of Vintage Wings - to Commemorate, Educate and Inspire Canadians.

New Pilot Check Outs

Joe Cosmano taxies out in the Hawker Hurricane

 

Around the hangar, springtime means training time. Take today for example; it’s a beautiful sunny day, with perfect, fluffy cotton ball-clouds in the sky, and just enough of a crosswind to make your feet dance on the rudder pedals.

Veteran VW pilots Rob Erdos, Joe Cosmano and Dave Hadfield spent the morning drinking copious amounts of coffee (that’s how you know you’re a real pilot) and briefing their upcoming Hawker Hurricane flights. In preparation for a busy season with Warbirds of the  Med, VW is increasing our roster of Hurricane pilots.

Joe Cosmano is a dedicated volunteer who, when not tooling around as a 737 Captain for Continental United Airlines in the US, spends every moment of his spare time in the summer helping out at Vintage Wings. Always keen and bright eyed, he has previously flown VW’s Finch, Cornell and Stearman (he is the Stearman Aircraft Manager) and is a fixture in the training world here at Gatineau. He has also helped out at numerous Warbird U ground schools  and already holds a type rating for the Hawker Hurricane. How does Joe feel about flying the only airworthy Mk IV Hawker Hurricane in the world?

“Extremely proud, happy and honoured. I just don’t know in which order!”

Dave  Hadfield is one of those rare breeds of men who can do it all; not only is he a talented pilot, but he also plays guitar, sings and records albums with his band. And to top it all off, he’s even a nice guy! Dave, brother to famed astronaut and soon-to-be Commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield (also a VW pilot), is known around VW as the “King of the Biplanes” for his knowledge and training expertise of vintage fabric biplanes. He is currently Aircraft Manager on both the Fleet Finch and P40  Kittyhawk. When not flying for VW, Dave flies for Air Canada as a 777 Captain.

And no summary would be complete without mentioning the leader of the pack, training pilot and Hurricane Aircraft Manager Rob Erdos. Rob has flown more types of airplanes than I even knew existed, and to say he is an aviation connoisseur would be a gross understatement. A Spitfire expert, Rob put in thousands of volunteer hours developing the Spitfire Warbird U, which he recently taught along with VW founder and fellow Spitfire pilot Michael Potter. For his day job, Rob works across the river as Chief Test Pilot for the National Research Council of Canada.

 

Dave Hadfield tries (unsuccessfully) to avoid the ritual first-solo soaking from VW President and DFO Rob Fleck.

Joe Cosmano sports his signature smile in the “Bunny McLarty” Hurricane.

Victory comes in threes! From L to R: Dave Hadfield, Joe Cosmano, Rob Erdos

All photos by HF.

Air Show kick-off: first meeting of the season has occurred!

On Fri, March 30, 2012, air show executives and volunteers gathered from far and near to cluster in the Vintage Wings board room for the first air show meeting of the season.

Tips and tricks from last year were reviewed, as well as lessons learned. Each team leader spoke about his/her plan for this year with any changes.

The major difference to the show this year is the transition to a two-day show: Sat, Sept 15 and Sun, Sept 16, will both see a breathtaking display above the Gatineau Airport.

As per last year, Vintage Wings will also hold a member’s-only  BBQ and Twilight Air Show Friday evening, Sept 14.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Wings Over Gatineau-Ottawa en vol air show, come on out to our Volunteer Training Day, Sat, May 12th at the hangar at 9:00am.

Until then, start crossing fingers and toes for spectacular weather in September!

Stearman Ready to Head West

 

Did you know that the Vintage Wings Stearman is headed west this summer? After a winter snug in hangar at Gatineau, undergoing annual maintenance and a few minor tune-ups, the Stearman is ready to fly once more.

As soon as the weather warms up enough for open-cockpit flying (and after a quick oil change), a crew will leisurely hop-scotch her through Ontario, across the Prairies and over to her new home in Springbank, AB. There will be many stops along the way, not just to refuel, but to share the magic of flight with eager Canadians; the Stearman will be available for sponsored rides to Vintage Wings members as she crosses this great country.

Alberta is a fitting new home for our Stearman, one of only 300 that flew in Canada in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), as she earned her keep in Bowden, just south of Calgary, over 70 years ago.

Spreading the word about the BCATP and the stories of the aircraft and people involved is all part of our mission here at Vintage Wings, and one that we plan on continuing this summer with the Stearman.

For more information on sponsored ride venues and air show appearances, please contact Todd at info@vintagewingswest.ca.

Photo by HF.

The ones that got away

By B. Reid

It seems in life that people come and go. Some stay briefly while others seem to hang around for what seems like forever and then are suddenly gone. Sometimes that is a good thing and other times one is missed very much. Some leave long-lasting memories, others are almost completely forgotten. Airplanes are no different it appears.

Vintage Wings of Canada has accumulated many aircraft over the years and while most have remained in the collection a few have gotten away. Three to be exact. Our 1972 Bellanca Citabria 7GCBC, the 1929 WACO Taperwing ATO and the 1943 Beech Staggerwing D-17S.

With a shift in the Vintage Wings theme to commemorating Canada’s veterans as well as to educate and inspire Canadians about their rich aviation heritage, these aircraft found themselves outside the main focus. As well, valuable hangar space was being used at a time when new purchases were arriving. However, their memories still live on at the hangar with their banners(created by Dave O’Malley) hanging proudly and their new owners delighted to have them in their possession.
The descriptions below of the Citabria along with the historic Staggerwing and Taperwing from the Vintage Wings website say it all for these machines.

The Citabria was designed and initially produced by Champion Aircraft Corporation, and was a derivative of designs the company had been building since acquiring the 7-series Champ from Aeronca in 1954. The company was then acquired by Bellanca Aircraft which introduced improved variants including the Decathlon.

When the Citabria was introduced, it was the only airplane being commercially produced in the United States which was certified for aerobatics. From the mid 1960s through the end of the 1970s, sport flying in the United States enjoyed great popularity. Pilots who flew for personal enjoyment were interested in the unusual and exciting, and aerobatics provided an avenue for this interest.

Created by Walter Beech, the Staggerwing is often referred to as the first true business aircraft. The project was considered foolhardy by many - a very fast, sleek and powerful biplane with retractable gear and fully enclosed cockpit designed to appeal to the executive on the go - at the height of the Great Depression. Setting the standard in comfort and excellence in private aircraft for years to come, the Staggerwing brought pure sex-appeal to aviation and was as much a symbol of a man's worth then as a LearJet is today.

The beautiful Staggerwing takes its name from the unique configuration of its two wings - the lower wing being set ahead of the upper wing contrary to all other biplane designs to that date. This rakish thoroughbred styling made it look fast just standing still on the ground. The interiors were just as beautifully finished in leather and mohair and capable of accommodating a pilot and four passengers in luxury. The Staggerwing doesn't just look fast, it is fast. Staggerwings were the darlings of the much-publicized air racing circuit of the 1930s. The Vintage Wings of Canada Staggerwing is a Model D17S which represented about 2/3 of total production and is painted in the spiffy Beech factory paint scheme of the day.

The WACO (for Weaver Aircraft Company) Taperwing is one of the true classics of the golden age of biplane flying, air-racing and barnstorming leading up to the Second World War. With elegant namesake tapered wings, large narrow wheels, classic open cockpit and rakish good looks, The Vintage Wings of Canada Taperwing ATO seems meant for air racing or aerobatic flying.

The Taperwing was one of the most successful of many models and variations designed and built by Advance Aircraft Company based in Troy, Ohio. A Taperwing was flown to victory in the 1928 National Air Derby by Johnny Livingston a well known aviator, WACO dealer, airline operator and daring air-racer of the day. While he is no longer a household name, Livingston is the namesake of Richard Bach’s unforgettable novel - Jonathan Livingston Seagull a story about the passion of flying.

Citabria was a bit of an odd choice for an aircraft name but it does spell Airbatic backwards and that is what it was primarily designed for although it makes a great tug for gliders.

The Citabria is a great aircraft on which to get ones initial tailwheel experience or initial aerobatic experience.

 Can you tell what type of Citabria this is? Obviously the 7GCBC as it has flaps and a 1 foot greater wingspan than earlier models. An upgraded version is still in production and known as the Citabria Explorer with metal replacing the wood spar and a slightly more powerful engine.

 Vintage Wings F-86 pilot and soon to be Space Station commander Chris Hadfield waves as he and Staggerwing manager Bob Childerhose taxi in at the Gatineau Airport, home of Vintage Wings of Canada. The airplane was initially described as the "negative-stagger Beech," but over the years the word "negative" was dropped and the term "Staggerwing" became its eternal name.

 Over 700 Staggerwings were manufactured in Wichita.  According to the Smithsonian Museum, the aircraft was technologically advanced for its time, and the negative staggered wing arrangement, which improved the pilot's visibility from the aircraft and the airplane's gentle stall characteristics, also contributed to the design's classic beauty.

 Wanna see what the inside of a Staggerwing looks like. The flight controls are an all metal affair. There were several engine types installed on Staggerwings including Jacobs and Wrights. The Vintage Wings model was a D-17S. The S means that it had a Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior installed. The D model has a lengthened fuselage, ailerons relocated to the upper wings to eliminate airflow interference with the flaps and improved braking.

 Underneath the usually beautiful bright red paint is a usually unseen structure that is just as pretty with a nice mixture of metal and wood. A large number were used by the American and British military in WWII as a light transport. The types relatively high speed allowed in to participate in many air races.

 With wing taper in full view, the Vintage Wings WACO does a beautiful flypast. The Taperwing can be operated on floats, if you can find a set.

This Taperwing used to be owned by an NBA player and had modified rudder pedals, but they were returned to original style for the regular folk. This Taperwing sports Wright Whirlwind engine driving a 9-foot adjustable propeller.

 The cockpit of the Taperwing is as beautiful as its exterior. The aircraft is said to be a delightful for  aerobatics.

 Hollywood meets Vintage Wings as Hillary Swank gets the privilege to sit in the Taperwing for the movie Amelia. It was partly filmed in southern Ontario. Famous race pilot, Jonathan Livingston was the first owner of this aircraft. He was an inspiration for the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

Why would I explain to you how the WACO aircraft codes work when you can just look at this. Make sense now?

A rare sight indeed at the Rockliffe airport but not necessarily the last time. These two aircraft have departed for Alberta.