Here's a little diversion if anybody wants to play along.

I live very close to the airport and took all of the photos below during a 15 minute walk last week.

You all know what that top plane is, don't you? We see a lot of them in Winnipeg.

The second one down should be easy for anybody who does just a touch of research. Again, quite common here but not seen in commonly in most other parts of North America.

The bottom two are from the local museum. Both are flyable. The yellow one just retired permanently to the museum after about 5 or 6 years on the airshow circuit. It's a bit tougher to guess. The white one is an old work horse...it's rare and almost never seen outside of Canada.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4678/airport2pv.jpg (http://imageshack.us/)

Well, if the top one isn't an Antonov 224, I don't know what it is.
The second is possibley one of the Fokker twins.
(Trying to do it without researching, obvously) :)

That second plane is from the Luftwaffe so you should know it, John :). But it entered service about 20 years after WWII.

Here's one for you, John.

I'm not thrilled about this photo because the poor plane is stuffed into the picture. The museum is overflowing.

I actually saw this airplane fly into Winnipeg in the early 1980's. However, at that time, it looked substantially different and had to undergo a significant conversion by Bristol Aerospace Limited to achieve this configuration. It's actually powered by a Rolls Royce Buzzard V-12, as it was when this version flew off the Red River in Winnipeg in the early 1930's. (Yes, it was a float plane).

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/1639/arm2ea.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Here's an oddity. Another AN-124 in town but check out the markings...especially the tail.

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/899/annie3pb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Looks like a factory demonstrator that they can fly around to show the plane off to potential customers.

Is that middle plane an AC-130 Hercules? Sure Looks like one.

Oooo...I'm sorry but that guess is going to cost you points.

The middle plane is a C-160 Transall flown by the Luftwaffe. Note the two engines instead of four. Strangely enough, there were FIVE Lufwaffe Transalls in town yesterday. I have to wonder if they are "related" to the An-124 in some mission to move equipment. That's an awful lot of heavy lift to be sitting on the ramp by pure coincidence. The Transall was developed jointly by France and Germany over 40 years ago (TRANSporter ALLiance....TRANSALL).

I have to post this. I took this picture last Saturday

Three, count 'em THREE An-124's in Winnipeg at the same time:

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/4083/antonovs0na.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

:eek:
.....

Three An-124s, including one that looks like a factory demonstrator? Methinks somone in Winnipeg is buying some biiiiiiiig Ruskie planes...

Oh my heavens! Canada is about to invade the United States! Run!:eek:

All hail the coming of the Great empire of the north! Comrade.

Dang...we tried to take them over when we left Britain...now they're returning the favor. Wasn't burning Washington enough???

Here's another plane pic that has an interesting story. Hey, interesting TO ME!

I was at the aviation museum again yesterday and found them doing work on this Lockheed 10A Electra. This plane is CF-TCC and it's one of the first planes ordered by Air Canada (then TCA). This is the actual TCC...not an aircraft painted to look like the original. It is the original. Every few years, it flies a few events on the airshow circuit.

They were prepping it to fly. I don't think it's flown since 2003. As I'm taking pictures, the guy doing the work asks if I want to take a look inside (yeah...I think so!). Then he yells, "Can you do me a favor? Crawl into the cockpit and turn the wheel lock-to-lock". Not a lot of convincing needed for that!

Well, seems this guy needed to adjust every control surface so I got to operate EVERY control in the plane including cranking the trim tabs. It's funny how airplane guys can instinctively recognize each other. When he told me to crank the elevator trim lock-to-lock, I instinctively reached for an overhead handle...which was correct...as if he understood that I would know where it was.

Well, that was all just a blast! BTW, this is very similar to Amelia Earhart's plane. This is a 10A and I think Earhart flew the 10E (more powerful engines).

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/6627/electra2dz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The modern radios kinda blow the mood, but waddayagonnado?

Ya lucky guy!

This is just getting way too weird. I took this picture today (two views of one plane).

These things are just showing up in numbers that defy explanation.

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/1328/antakoff1f8to.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

We've often assumed Russia would invade the US through Canada....

I see this Antonov on a overnight a couple times a month here in Dorval,Mtl (oups I should say PET airport). They carry aircraft parts to Bombardier (like fuselage parts). It's big I can tell ya but when you look at it closely, it looks like hell. The skin is in a terrible shape. Probably normal with all the stress it takes on takeoff. And the sound it makes on takeoff is LOUD..... The windows on my truck are shaking like hell when we have to wait at the runaway crossing lights. It's pretty impressive. But imagine an Airbus A380 right in front of you or on takeoff. THAT would be amazing.....

Oh...to bloody heck with the AN-124 or A380........try the rare AN-225.

HAT1701D

Nice photos!

Here's one you probably will not see as a real plane at any airport or museum !
(check the tail)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b228/PropMonster/ToyPlanes_TinPlate/MomoyaTCA1.jpg

:tongue:

FWIW, I will mention that our museum has what is generally regarded as the finest original Vickers Viscount in the entire world.

The Viscount maintenance was done in Winnipeg and, when the planes were retired, they were all lined up on the ramp. In fact, the Western Canada Aviation Museum building is the old Visount overhaul base.

The WCAM had it's pick of the finest Viscount with an original interior.

However, ours does not have a tail wheel!

It must really be a beaut. I know of a couple others in museums. I saw real ones in service back in the late 70s: British Midland and Dan-Air.

The plane in my photo is a fictional plane that is marked as a "Viscount." It also exists as a Pan American plane and as a triple-tailed Eastern Air Lines "Connie!"

Funny thing about that tin-plate airplane is that the markings are perfect. That's the best TCA representation I've ever seen. I can't quite make out the last letter of the registration but the "CF-TG[x]" series is absolutely correct for a large number of TCA/Air Canada Viscounts.

Here's a strange local story. When the Air Canada Viscounts were retired, they were put up for sale by the Crown Assets Disposal Corporation. One of them was bought by a small amusement park located just north of the city. It was towed to a wooded area where it was part of the attractions. Eventually, it had to be removed because it was unnerving passengers on regular flights who would look down and see a full size airliner sitting in the trees about ten miles from the airport.

Cool thread and great pictures! Now if you ever get to Ottawa you can get us some great pictures of what's left of the Avro Arrow. I'll have my kleenex ready for that one.

There are a few old planes down east too but certainly not in the numbers that Brent enjoys.


A town about an hour from here has an old DC-3 that flew in on its own power about ten years ago.
Another town has an old Hudson bomber.
The former Harmon US air base in Stephenville has an old jet up on a pedestal.
And Goose Bay Labrador has an old Vulcan bomber, the XL361. I had my picture taken under it years ago. That thing is big. Here is a link to the plane: http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/vulcan/survivorspics1.html#XL361
Perhaps those big Russian planes are stocking up on bacon and toques for the winter?

Huzz

Like all the planes!!!!

:thumbsup: ---Midnightrun--- :wave:

We would get those An-124s in here at Long Beach airport too. They were used to bring MD80/MD90/717 wings down here from Toronto I believe. We once got Brittania in here that had an expanded diameter fuselage, a la "Super Guppy" style! Luckily I had my camera with me that day and got shots of it parked in the McDonnell Douglas fuel pit area. It was so cool but I have no idea what it was built for. We also once had a Carvair parked here for a few days. I think it was one of the ones that was operated in Alaska. Got pics of that one too, thankfully I had my camera with me on that day too. Love those freaks!

Is that third one up top a Ford Trimotor?

I very strongly suspect that Britannia Super Guppy wasn't a Britannia at all. More likely than not, it was the Conroy Skymonster (check it at the link below) which was built from the Canadair Yukon. The Yukon was based on the Britannia. It was built by Canadair as a transport for the RCAF and had a lengthened fuselage and a swing tail. Jack Conroy modified it into a Guppy.

http://www.allaboutguppys.com/

Hotshot, do you mean that yellow and green plane? Well any way...I guess I did leave a couple unidentified. In that first post, the yellow and green plane is a Fokker Super Universal. It certainly has a Trimotor like front end but its only got a single engine (though you couldn't tell from that angle). That aircraft served in Western Canada circa 1928. It's fully restored and flew on the airshow circuit for several years until being retired to the museum this year.

The white plane beside it is the Fairchild F-11 Husky from 1946. It was Fairchilds attempt to produce an ideal bush/utility plane. It has some great features like a cargo door in the lower fuselage near the tail for loading things like sections of pipe. But it was slightly underpowered and had a wing which was more optimised for cruise than for heavy lifting. At least one was modified with the more powerful Alvis Leonides engine...that is the plane you see in the picture. Ulimately, it couldn't compete with the Beaver and only about a dozen or so (numbers seem in dispute) were ever built. Last one was built in 1948. The Husky here is airworthy and flew to the museum under it's own power.