- We reported last December that Bombardier received an order for 12 Challenger 3500 jets. Last week, the Montreal-based aerospace company reported that it had delivered its 100th 3500, which is based on the company’s Challenger 350 model. The 3500 entered service in 2022. “The entire Bombardier team is proud that our super-mid-sized jets have been the category’s bestsellers for more than a decade,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Executive V-P for aircraft sales.
- Applications for the 6th edition of the Air Canada and CAE Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship are now open. There will be up to eight scholarships awarded to young Canadian women studying to become aircraft maintenance engineers or commercial pilots. “As we go into our sixth year of the Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships, I am proud to see that past recipients are now first officers and flight instructors from across Canada,” said Air Canada’s first female captain. “Meeting scholarship recipients at the Northern Lights Aero Foundation gala each year is the highlight of the evening for me. These young women are the future of aviation.”
- Bell Textron Canada has donated around 1,800 aircraft components, valued at $6.2 million, to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), an Indigenous educational institution. The parts, generally obsolete, will enhance AME training. “This donation reflects our commitment to advancing education and skills within the aerospace industry and supporting Indigenous youth and communities in their pursuit of careers in aviation,” said Michael Nault, Bell’s GM for Canada.
- October 8 saw the wrap-up of the CAF Snowbirds 2024 season, the 53rd show year for the iconic air demonstration team. This 100th anniversary year saw the team perform over 40 displays at 20 locations in Canada and the United States. Also notable this year was the collaboration with other air demonstration teams, including the US Air Force Thunderbirds, the Italian air force’s Flecce Tricolore, the British RAF Red Arrows and the US Navy Blue Angels.
- The RCAF Band put on a special concert in Winnipeg last Friday (Nov. 1) in a tribute to the force’s 100th anniversary. The concert was titled We Remember: 100 Years of Air Innovation. Orchestra participants included members from the Land, Sea and Air Elements of the Canadian Armed Forces. For our Newsletter subscribers, see this week’s featured video, a slickly produced musical production by the RCAF.
- Retired NBA star Vince Carter was honoured with, among other things, a special paint job on an Air Canada Airbus A220 featuring his silhouette, signature and the number 15, representing his retired jersey from the Toronto Raptors for whom the Florida native played from eight years. “Air Canada” was a nickname given the Carter, who was recently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.