Calgary, AB, Canada - July 2013
On July 11, WestJet again hosted their Silver Dart Day in Calgay. The day's activities began early with the arrival of the first of 17 aircraft. Ken L. arrived in his Beech Bonanza... (Trevor McTavish)
...and had a friend follow along with his Piper L-4 Cub. (Trevor McTavish)
Several years ago, Ken's L-4 was flown to Oshkosh, WI. After sitting inside it I can tell you there's not a lot of room and puttering across the northern United States at 90mph must have been quiet the exercise in patience. (Trevor McTavish)
Scott D. arrived in his beautiful Boeing Stearman - arguably the ultimate fair weather flying machine. (Trevor McTavish)
I even managed to convince Paul M. to pose with his homebuilt Vans RV-8. You have every right to be proud of your handy work Paul. (Trevor McTavish)
Viewers of my Encore galleries will know I like to snap some unusual items while I'm waiting. This time I opted for some Restricted Area signs. (Trevor McTavish)
Lloyd B. brought along his attractive 1968 Mooney M20G. When vintage airplanes look this good it's hard to convince people they're looking at something that's 45 years old. (Trevor McTavish)
As I walked past, I noticed the various geometric shapes on the Mooney's nose bowl and thought it would make an interesting shot. I call it Circles (spinner, alternator, starter and landing light) and Squares (carburetor and oil cooler). (Trevor McTavish)
No one ever snaps a photo of themselves working on their airplanes, so I made sure Randy T. had a couple shots that showed the contribution he's made to Vintage Wings of Canada over the last couple years. (Trevor McTavish)
One of the Vintage Wings' plane that Randy had been working on was their North American P-51D Mustang. (Trevor McTavish)
Of course the warplanes get all the attention, including that of Shelley F. (Trevor McTavish)
William W. brought his Pitts S1S to the show. Many observers were surprised to see the towering William climb out of the cockpit of the tiny biplane. (Trevor McTavish)
Bruce E. showed up with his North American T-28. The Trojan was an imposing sight on the ramp, especially as it towered over all the other airplanes. (Trevor McTavish)
Another imposing airplane was the bright red 1944 Stinson V77 Reliant belonging to Soren C. and Ross A. of Okotoks. (Trevor McTavish)
Hmmm. I wonder how it got its nickname? (Trevor McTavish)
"The Aircraft Standard of the World" claims the slogan in the Stinson's logo. Antique airplane enthusiasts would have a pretty vocal argument that would include names like WACO, Beech and Spartan. (Trevor McTavish)
Albatros Aircraft Corp. brought out their beautiful Augusta A109S helicopter, and while the exterior was flawless... (Trevor McTavish)
...the interior was even better with its leather upholstery and, can you believe it, gold plated seatbelts? (Trevor McTavish)
Many of you know how much I loathe those red airport security trucks because they show up in the background of so many photos. I know they'll never go away, but maybe they're trying to appease me by switching to smaller vehicles? (Trevor McTavish)
Again, another shot of Vintage Wings' P-51 Mustang. You have arrive early to shoot the airplanes without crowds of people in front of them. (Trevor McTavish)
Ken and Liz L. pose with their little Piper Cub. It's for sale by the way. (Trevor McTavish)
Everyone enjoyed the sunshine, whether it was while they looked at the airplanes or ate lunch. (Trevor McTavish)
Some people even asked questions about the airplanes that were on display. (Trevor McTavish)
Randy T., Rob B., Jim S. and Michelle B. were all responsible for getting the airplanes where they needed to be on the ramp, and finding the manpower needed to help move them when it was needed. (Trevor McTavish)
Rob B. even had a chance to relax for a few minutes. Rob's also been volunteering his time helping to keep the Vintage Wings airplanes flying. (Trevor McTavish)
Ken's Bonanza is attractive by itself, but people love seeing the 1/6th scale radio controlled model that he brings along for displays such as this. (Trevor McTavish)
Ken's wife had the model built as a surprise gift. Not surprisingly they call it the Baby B. (Trevor McTavish)
The only vendor at the event was Vintage Wings, who had a wide assortment of clothes to sell. Since the last Silver Dart Day, it's become official that Vintage Wings would establish a western base. (Trevor McTavish)
Unfortunately the day's events have to finish before 3pm; because Calgary Air Traffic Control wants the small VFR airplanes (many without transponders) are clear of the airspace before the afternoon rush of IFR flights. (Trevor McTavish)
Scott D.'s son smiles as he waits for his father to fire up the Stearman's engine. Almost as if I was looking back through time, I see myself in this picture, smiling as I leave another airshow or pancake breakfast with my own father. (Trevor McTavish)
Normally Thomas T. has his beautiful Beech D17S Staggerwing on display (and who can blame him), but this year Thomas brought out his latest acquisition, a freshly restored de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver. (Trevor McTavish)
Originally build for the Ghana Air Force, Thomas T.'s Beaver spent most of its life in Australia as a crop duster and as float-equipped air taxi in New Zealand. Thomas brought it back to Canada in the fall of 2012. (Trevor McTavish)
Don K. flew out his friend's CH-801 homebuilt. (Trevor McTavish)
Although it's ungainly in its appearance, the CH-801 wasn't meant to be pretty. It does however have some impressive short-field performance. (Trevor McTavish)