In The Atmosphere And Beyond

Today I start with more views of the De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver that I showed you in an earlier post. A staging area set up on this side includes crates that would represent vital supplies flown in by air with bush planes like this, even today, in remote areas of Canada.

From a bush plane to the final frontier. The Museum also houses space artifacts as part of its mission. I start with this model of the Alouette I. Canada entered the space age in 1962 with the launch of its first satellite into space. Alouette I spent ten years studying the upper layers of the atmosphere. 

Here we have a model of a venture the Canadian Space Agency is a partner in- the International Space Station.

Panels and displays on the ground floor and the upper floor examine issues about space, as we'll see in coming days.

For today I'll leave off with one artifact that has pride of place here. The Canadarm was first developed here in Canada as a robotic tool for dealing with payloads in space during the space shuttle program. Officially it is called a Shuttle Remote Manipulator System. Its successor, Canadarm 2, is part of the ISS.

This is the Canadarm that flew into space with Endeavour. It is now on permanent display here.

A Shearwater Angel And BCATP

The Sikorsky S-55 HOA4S-3 is close by the two helicopters I showed you yesterday. This class of helicopter was in production for more than a decade starting in 1950, for both military and civilian purposes. This one spent its active career with Canadian navy ships, its crews distinguishing themselves in rescue missions and the helicopter taking on a nickname- the Shearwater Angel. Its most famous rescue occurred on November 17th, 1955, when its crew rescued 21 crew members (plus the ship's dog and cat) of a Liberian freighter after it ran aground off Cape Breton. This Sikorsky has been in the Museum collection since 1970.

There is an area here with several planes in yellow that is designated for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). This was a program that was a legacy of the Second World War, when training young pilots in Canada before sending them over into the fight was an initiative as part of the war effort. The same initiative was done in Australia and New Zealand, as well as similar ideas in other parts of the old Empire. Canadian bases for the purpose ended up training over 130 000 pilots and crew during the war. The artifacts here include a flight simulator. Among the planes here (though one that I didn't photograph in full) was a Harvard II, one of the training planes used for the program.

This is the Avro Anson, one of the planes used for the program. A twin engine plane suited for the job, this continued to see service through the war, but were soon phased out afterwards.

This is the nose section of a Lancaster. A staircase is set up to allow the visitor to ascend and have a look into the cockpit. Looking at the map layout of the Museum, I believe the yellow wing below at left is the Harvard, while above that is the right wing of the Anson.

Here we have a look across at the Douglas DC-3, the X-01, and the Challenger.

Something on a smaller scale- toy planes. These are equipped with wheels for toddlers to have a go with around the paths. I saw several kids with these.

The Bomarc, Labrador, And A 47G

This is the furthest point in the Canada Aviation And Space Museum from the entrance. It is used as a demonstration area. What stands at the background is a Boeing CIM-10B Super Bomarc. This was an anti-aircraft missile used by the American and the Canadian military from 1962-72. Never used in combat, they could be outfitted for nuclear warheads, and once obsolete were used as target drones for more advanced weaponry. This Bomarc was transferred to the Museum in 1972.

Here we have a wider view of the path.

It includes the rear view of the Hornet. Alongside it is a contemporary unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

I return to the Labrador, the CH-113 helicopter used for search and rescue. This one came online in the Canadian Forces in 1963 and saw a long service life, the final of its class to serve. It was retired in 2004 and given to the Museum.

Beside it is a Bell HTL-6 (47G) helicopter. First developed in Texas in 1945, this is the first commercially licensed helicopter and remained in production for three decades. It has been used both in military and the civilian sectors. This particular one served out its career with the Canadian navy before joining the collection here in 1967.

Fighter Jets With Some Odd Names

Returning to the formal part of my series on the Canada Aviation And Space Museum, I have more of a military theme today. The CF-188B Hornet is a product of McDonnell Douglas. The US military initiated a new fighter program in the early 1970s, and Canada put in an order for these fighters as well, also designated the CF-18B. This one is the first of the line produced for the Canadian Forces. It started operational service for the Canadian Forces in 1982 and ended its career with a landing here at the Rockcliffe Airport in 2001 to join the Museum collection. It seems that an arresting device was used to allow the fighter to land on the short runway, which is usually used by small aircraft like Cessnas.

The Hornet is positioned beside something else, a part of Canadian history.

The Avro Arrow project was a program of the 1950s, ultimately scrapped. In 1952 the government called for a Canadian designed supersonic interceptor. The design that came out was the Arrow, an aerodynamic wonder first unveiled in 1957. Five models were built and tested- and then a new government, the Diefenbaker government, cancelled the entire initiative. The completed aircraft were destroyed, with only surviving elements here and there, such as this nose section, still on display.

On its other side is the Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter. An American fighter that was only used briefly in the United States, this modified version saw more use in the Canadian military. This one has been in the Museum collection since 1968.

Vertical take off and landing (VTOL) is a military term for planes that can take off like a helicopter. Driven by concerns that long runways were vulnerable to attack, the concept of these planes drove the creation of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, a versatile combat jet. This one was flown by two United States Marine Corps attack squadrons from the 1970s into the 1980s.

Today I leave off with one more fighter jet. The McDonnell CF-101B Voodoo is part of a NATO fighter development program that started in the 1950s and were in service until 1984. A variant of this one, the 101F, is on display over at the War Museum, mounted high above Lebreton Gallery.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Yellow

The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. For April, that theme is Yellow, and you can see how others are interpreting the theme right here.

My first takes were from February and Winterlude, the annual celebration of winter in the national capital region. Over on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River, Jacques Cartier Park is turned into a winter playground. Yet there was colour to be found, such as this oversized Muskoka chair.

Nearby is playground equipment, and the yellow of this tunnel fit the theme.

Here in Ottawa, an area around the Byward Market and beyond is designated the Arts, Fashion, and Theatre District, thanks to some of each present in the area. Utility boxes here have colourful, dazzling fashion designs on them. This one, with yellow accents, is among their number.

Down at Lansdowne Park in the Glebe, the Aberdeen Pavilion stands. This exhibition hall is nicknamed the Cattle Castle, which refers to its time as quarters for the old Central Canadian Exhibition agricultural shows. It dates to 1898, and is the last surviving Canadian example of the Victorian exhibition hall style. This first take, from the south side, shows the cream walls of the building bathed in morning sunlight.

These shots, taken some days later, were in afternoon light. Here we have the west side.

The Cattle Castle nickname can be seen in the odd sculpture atop that pole.

Here we see the southwest corner.

And this is the view on the east side. The building is extensively used for events, including a farmers market each week.

I finish with two shots from the Canada Aviation And Space Museum. I am in the midst of doing a series on the national museum, which I'll be continuing with tomorrow. One of the artifacts in this place is this Boeing Vertol CH-113 Labrador helicopter. The Canadian military has used these for search and rescue. This one was presented to the Museum in 2004 by the Canadian Forces.