Departure

We would like to remind everyone of the phone numbers below which are to be used to report suspicious activity. In NO WAY should these numbers be used maliciously or in hopes of gaining favourable advantage at Pearson Airport.  Remember to treat all security officials with respect and obey their instructions. Please be sure to state your name and membership number when reporting any incident.

416-776-3033  Emergencies ONLY
416-776-3055 Non Emergency

Enroute

National & Local Airport Watch Update:

The Airport Watch concept has proven to be quite popular as more and more airport authorities across Canada are recognizing the merits and benefits of having an organized program.  Readers will recall that Edmonton, Vancouver, and Montreal were slated as the latest additions to the National program and join Ottawa, Toronto, and Calgary.  We're happy to report that meetings were held in Vancouver and authorities there are onboard.  Montreal is also in the organizational process and should be up and running very soon. Of note, authorities at Edmonton Int'l Airport are very eager to start an airport watch. If you are interested in being involved as an organizer at YEG, please contact us and we'll will provide you with the contact information.

At a recent airports council meeting in Vancouver, authorities from Victoria and Kelowna also expressed an interest in Airport Watch.  All in all very good news for enthusiasts.  For links to the respective groups website, visit our links page here.

On the local front, YYZ Airport Watch continues to grow.  Our current membership stands at 142. The most recent 17 attended the sign up meeting on April 28th where their paperwork was processed according to procedure.  The committee, on behalf of all members would like to officially welcome our newest members.  Our next sign up meeting will take place in October 2007.

The Airport Watch committee continue to have regular dialogue with Peel Regional Police, GTAA, & RCMP. We're happy to report there are no outstanding issues at this time.

YYZ Airport Watch featured in Toronto Life:

YYZ Airport Watch received some positive attention by way of a feature article in the August 2007 issue of the Toronto Life magazine.  Some members will recall that we met with author David Wilson last year who was preparing a story about aircraft spotting.  Airport Watch members and all interested parties are encouraged to pick up a copy of this magazine at their local book store.  You can view a PDF version of the article by clicking here.

Airport Watch onboard Air Canada's first B-777:

On Thursday, April 5, 2007 two of our Airport Watch members got up early in the morning to be out at Terminal 1 in time to catch the 0700hrs Rapidair flight to Montreal. While that is not unusual by itself, the real reason was to catch a ride on the very first revenue flight of the new Air Canada Boeing 777-333ER (C-FITL/FIN731)

Airport Watch member John Hill took his seat in the last cabin of economy class while Brian Dunn was checking with the gate desk.  The gate agents insisted that I give up my economy seat and asked me to take a seat in Executive First class.   After much arm-twisting and persuasion I reluctantly agreed to do so...only to see John Hill walking up the aisle into "J" class as well.  An agent had to go on board and find him sitting in economy class and persuaded him to move up front as well.   They said it had to do with weight & balance.

After getting settled in the luxurious new cubicles with the seats that turn into lie-flat beds and playing with all of the buttons and AV equipment the pilot came on the PA to advise that we would be a few minutes late leaving due to some "security issues".   Push back was at 0713hrs followed by short taxi over to the central de-icing area where our flight lined up behind an Air Transat A310 on Pad 2.  After a few minutes the automatic signaling system told our pilot to move forward and then positioned us right in front of the de-icing trucks.  Didn't take too long for them to spray the wings and tail surfaces and then we began our taxi to the threshold of RW24R. Our flight was airborne at 0755hrs with minimum take off thrust from the GE90 engines.  What a beautiful sound!   Climbed to FL370 briefly before beginning our descent into Montreal just west of Kingston.  Most of the trip was overcast skies so we were unable to track our progress by looking out the windows.   The approach into Montreal was cloudy with snow flurries as well and we touched down on RW24R at YUL at 0846hrs and after a short taxi we arrived at gate 50 at the newly modified terminal at 0851hrs.

Mr. Dunn and Mr. Hill disembarked and proceeded into the terminal for the departure lounge for flight AC405 back to Toronto.  This flight was supposed to leave at 0900hrs, but due to the delayed arrival of flight 400 we pushed back at 1007hrs and were airborne again at 1025hrs off RW24R to Toronto.   By the way, did I mention that the gate staff at Montreal insisted that we be upgraded again into "J" class for our return trip?   Something about that "weight & balance" again.   This time, neither one of us put up any resistance to the idea.  For the ride back to Toronto we were both seated in the second cabin of "J" class which put us a few rows in front of the engines.  How sweet the sound again of those powerful GE90's at take off.   We climbed to FL360 for what seemed like a brief period and then began our descent back into Toronto.  This time lined up for runway 23 and touched down at 1113hrs and we were "on-blocks" at gate 141 by 1122hrs. 

A very memorable day and several "firsts" went into the flight log book.  Air Canada is expected to have eight 777s of both the -300 and the -200 model by November of this year and more due in 2008.  By late in 2008 it is expected that Air Canada will become an all twin-engine aircraft fleet when the final  Airbus A-340s are returned to their lessors.

Flagship Detroit DC-3 visits YYZ:

Between June 11 and June 14, Flagship Detroit was a guest of the GTAA and rested her wings at Pearson International Airport. She is a Douglas DC-3-G102, serial number 1920, and delivered to American Airlines as NC17334 on March 2, 1936. In 2004, the Flagship Detroit Foundation purchased the aircraft from a crop sprayer and began a meticulous restoration to original passenger configuration. In partnership with American Airlines, she makes Station Visits to airfields that have historical importance to American Airlines and Malton Airport was one of them.  Members of the public as well as numerous Airport Watch members were able to get a close up look at the aircraft during a public display at the central de-icing facility at YYZ on June 13.  Among them was Airport Watch member Parr Yonemoto who also took part in a one hour sightseeing flight aboard Flagship Detroit during her stay in Toronto.  Parr has prepared a fantastic journal of this historic visit to Toronto.  To read the journal, please click here.

NATO E3A fly by at YYZ:

Pearson Int'l Airport had a very rare visitor on Thursday July 12.  A NATO E3A AWACS (registration LX-N904499) did two fly-bys in the early afternoon.  The aircraft is here in Canada taking part in several air shows out west.  The E3A departed CFB Trenton on the morning of the 12th and performed multiple approaches at London and Kitchener/Waterloo airports before its 2 approaches at YYZ.  Of particular interest is the fact that the Captain on this day is a Canadian forces pilot currently serving with NATO forces.  This was his first NATO flight to Canada and one that we're sure he is very proud of.  For a photo of the aircraft, please click here.

Tours & Events:

Since our last newsletter members have been out and about enjoying the warmer weather and participating in organized tours of various facilities throughout the Southern Ontario region.  For a recap and journal, please visit the following links.

Goderich Aircraft Inc - (temp offline)
Bombardier Aerospace
GTAA Firehall 2

We would like to thank Peel Regional Police, RCMP, and the GTAA for their continued support.

ALL RULES AND REGULATIONS AS PER MEMBERS HANDBOOK MUST BE OBEYED.


Until next time, your continued support is much appreciated.

E-mail:  admin@airportwatchcanada.com

Ph: 416-674-5959 - Mr. Andrew Cline

Website:  www.airportwatchcanada.com