Calgary, AB, Canada - November 2012
Imagine my surprise one morning when I discovered ex-CAF CC-109 Cosmopolitan 109151 sitting on the ramp in front of the hangar. This airplane has been sitting derelict on the Calgary International Airport for 17 years. Since its rare for such forgotten machines to return to the skies, I grabbed a camera and recorded the process.
Originally built as a Convair 540, the Cosmopolitans were retrofitted with Allison 501 turbines, making them (externally) similar to Convair 580s. (Trevor McTavish)
(Trevor McTavish)
Winter's morning sun casts a beautiful golden glow over the old Cosmo. All that's happened is her cowlings and entry door have been opened but already, she's seen more attention than over the last decade. (Trevor McTavish)
After 17 years of inaction the first thing on the long list of things to do is replace the engines and propellers with airworthy parts. (Trevor McTavish)
Climbing into the rafters gives a unique perspective on airplanes when they're parked inside the hangar. Just watch your head on the heating units and pipes that invariably dent my skull. The two white "slugs" in the background are former 737s that have been chopped down and converted into flight attendant trainers. (Trevor McTavish)
With the help of a large mobile crane, the first replacement engine gets hung on the wing. Apparently the units going on to this Cosmo had already made a ferry flight back from Panama. (Trevor McTavish)
Once the new engines and propellers had been hung, attention was given to getting the other systems working. The cockpit had been stripped of its instrumentation and the landing gear needed a complete servicing, including new wheels and brakes. (Trevor McTavish)
Work continued on the Cosmo for about three weeks. Considering that she'd been parked outside for almost two decades the exterior was in pretty good shape. Sure the paint was faded, but most of the wear appeared to have been done when someone sanded off the Canadian Armed Forces markings. (Trevor McTavish)
What a glorious sight for an old propliner fan - the first engine run in 17 years. (Trevor McTavish)
Boy is she loud. Considering how the interior had been stripped of everything (sidewalls, insulation, floor panels, etc.), I really hope those guys had some top of the line noise-cancelling headsets. (Trevor McTavish)
She begins to roll... (Trevor McTavish)
...and heads off from some high power engine runs. Farewell old girl. (Trevor McTavish)