New Push for Airships – For Arctic Missions

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a Canadian non-partisan think-tank, has published a paper written by US Navy Lieutenant-Commander Cam Kovarek on the merits of using Lighter Than Air aircraft (LTAs) to secure the Arctic for both the […]

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Feds Loan $52 Million to Thompson Airport

The Canada Infrastructure Development Bank (CIB) announced this week that it has reached an agreement with northern Manitoba’s Thompson Regional Airport Authority (TRAA) to lend it $52 million for the redevelopment of the airport, including […]

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Some of this Week’s Other Highlights in Brief

The RCAF CC-150 Polaris aircraft that was involved in a collision with a French air force Airbus A400M in Guam last July after the un-chocked Polaris rolled into it (see 2023-09-16 Weekly Update) will be […]

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US Ambassador Puts Pressure on Canada to Buy Boeing

U.S. ambassador David Cohen has reportedly sent a letter to federal cabinet ministers urging them to continue through with the purchase of Boeing P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft to replace the aging fleet of Lockheed CP-140 […]

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Two Canadian Astronauts Given Mission Assignments

Pilot Joshua Kutryk has been assigned to crew Starliner-1, which will transport him and three other astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month mission, which is expected to launch in 2025. The […]

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Feds Invest in Aviation Training

Calgary’s Mount Royal University (MRU) is the recipient of a $3-million federal grant to expand the university’s flight training program. The funding will allow for the doubling of pilot training positions to 80 per year […]

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eVTOLs Could Support Rural Communities – Report

Horizon Aircraft, a developer of passenger-carrying eVTOLs based in Lindsay, Ontario, recently published a study revealing that Canadians are generally receptive to travelling in electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs). Citing Statistics Canada data […]

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Ice Keeps CF-18s Grounded – Again

Many Ottawans were disappointed when the flypast of four CF-18s scheduled for Remembrance Day ceremonies at the National War Memorial on Parliament Hill didn’t happen. The culprit, reportedly, was ice at their CFB Bagotville base. […]

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CFB Bagotville to Get New Facility

The construction of a $131-million, 15,000 square metre facility that will house the 2 Air Expeditionary Wing was announced earlier this week (Wed, Nov. 15) by the federal government. It will accommodate training facilities, classrooms, […]

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Minister Champagne Coy on Aurora Replacement

Federal Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne refused to confirm to reporters on Tuesday (Nov. 7) if the contract to purchase replacements for the RCAF’s fleet of CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft will be sole-sourced to Boeing, […]

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RCAF Remembrance Day Flypasts

The Royal Canadian Air Force has announced a series of flypasts across Canada to mark Remembrance Day 2023, in addition to its annual flight over Parliament Hill in Ottawa, which will be conducted with CF-18s. […]

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Helijet Orders eVTOLs

Helijet Airways, the helicopter airline based in Vancouver, has announced the order of a pair of ALIA-250 eVTOLs from Beta Technologies of Burlington, Vermont. Both Beta and Helijet hope the battery-powered aircraft will be certified […]

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Chinese Fighter Jets Intercept RCAF Cyclone

In a news release dated Friday, November 3, Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND)announced that last Sunday (October 29), two Chinese Shenyang J-11 fighter jets made three intercepts of RCAF CH-148 Cyclone helicopters while on […]

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Kitchener-Area Flight School Expands

The Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC), based at Breslau, Ontario’s Region of Waterloo International Airport, announced earlier this week that it has broken ground on a 3,300-square-foot (307 m2) expansion that will house its new […]

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Van’s Aircraft in Financial Stress

In an announcement posted on Van’s website Friday (Oct. 27), founder and principle designer Dick VanGrunsven cited a serious cash flow situation that will cause shipment delays and the suspension of kit orders, refunds and […]

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Lightning Disables Helicopter, 14 Land Safely

Lightning struck and severely damaged the tail rotor assembly of a Helijet Sikorsky S-76 helicopter midway between Vancouver and Victoria on Tuesday. The aircraft was cruising in IMC at around 4,000 feet ASL when lightning […]

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British Think Tank Critical of RCAF

In a study funded by Canada’s Department of National Defence, a highly regarded British think tank specializing in defence and security matters concludes that Canada’s CF-18 force “is in crisis,” citing low morale, high rates […]

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Airbus Criticizes Lack of Canadian SAF

“In a country like Canada, with the natural resources that it has, with the competences in the industry that it has, with the many players of the industry…it would be really bizarre in my view […]

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Six Cities Vie for Reno’s Air Races

Six cities spread across the western U.S. have submitted reams of supporting documents in their bids to be the new home of the National Championship Air Races (NCAR), previously known as the Reno Air Races. […]

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150th Bombardier Global 7500 Delivered

Bombardier made the announcement this past week at the National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) annual conference in Las Vegas. “It was like yesterday that we started the deliveries,” said Bombardier CEO Éric Martel on Monday. […]

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SSM Airport Gets Federal Funding

Northern Ontario’s Sault Ste. Marie airport is to receive $660,000 in funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor), the federal government’s entity used to channel funds for the economic development of […]

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Four East Coast Companies Honoured

Atlantic Canada Aerospace and Defence Association (ACADA) honoured four companies with 2023 Industry Excellence Awards. Black Arcs Inc., Duxion Motors, Genoa Design International and IMP Aerospace & Defence were recognized for their respective contributions to […]

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P&W Canada Obtains 200th Type Certificate

Pratt & Whitney Canada, the quasi-independent division of U.S.-based Pratt and Whitney, has recently obtained a type certificate for their new PW127XT-L, a turboprop engine designed for regional airliners. The first type certificate issued to […]

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B.C. Plane Crash Takes 3 Lives

A Piper PA-34-200 Seneca crashed near Chilliwack airport shortly after 2 pm PT Friday afternoon (Oct. 6) killing all of the three people on board. The crash site was about 300 metres south of the […]

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Bogus Parts Scandal Reaches Canada

The British-based firm AOG Technics has been identified as the source of aircraft engine parts with false certification that have found their way into airliners around the world and now in Canada. WestJet was informed […]

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First Grey RCAF Husky Revealed

The first of Canada’s new fleet of Airbus CC-330 Husky Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft to be painted in military grey has exited the paint shop – in Malta, a small island nation in the […]

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Celebrating the Life of Eric Dumigan

Submitted by Gord McNulty, Vice President, Canadian Aviation Historical Society Family and friends of renowned aviation photographer Eric Dumigan gathered at Tillsonburg Regional Airport on Sept. 23 to celebrate his life as he would have […]

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Winnipeg Jets to Honour RCAF

In 1948 the Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers won a gold medal in that year’s Winter Olympics in Saint Moritz, Switzerland. In honour of the RCAF and its upcoming centennial, the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets unveiled […]

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Air Canada Pilots Picketing at Toronto’s Pearson Airport

Pilots of Canada’s largest air carrier were walking an informational picket line at the country’s largest airport and Air Canada’s largest hub on Friday (September 29). They are demanding a better compensation package. The pilots […]

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Stolen Cessna 140 Crashes in Ottawa

A 1947 Cessna 140 was stolen at Ottawa’s Rockcliffe airport (CYRO) on September 14 but didn’t get far, crashing shortly after takeoff into two other aircraft parked on the ground. The thief has been charged […]

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