Cedarjet From United Kingdom, joined May 1999, 7702 posts, RR: 55 Reply 2, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 9604 times:
I would love to fly on that plane. I visited Winnipeg in June and my buddy who lives there picked me up from the airport and said, "What do you think will be the first stop on your tour of Peg City?" he asked me. Er, Ukrainian Returned Servicemens League drinking establishment? "Gimli!" Oh boy, this guy knows me inside out. It's about an hour's drive north of the Peg, in wide open country, it's as flat as a patio (the joke is, you can watch your dog run away from home for three days) and the race track is sitting there, still used for race meets etc, and part of it is actually a GA airfield, there were half a dozen Cessnas etc parked there, windsock, don't recall a tower. There's no actual sign or anything commemorating the near-disaster that made history there, but then again, from the road is a sign that simply says, "Gimli Racetrack" with an arrow, what more do you need? I'd recommend a visit if you're ever in the Peg, to stand there and imagine a seven-six swooping right over you without any sound except the airframe against the air, holy crap.
I just discovered that an Iberia Caravelle crashed about 200m from where my Dad lives in Surrey, near London, in a surprisingly unknown crash, the plane was flying from Malaga to London and apparently both pilots misread their altimetres by 5,000ft or so (still about 40 miles from LHR, maybe more) and flew into a hillside, killing all 70ish aboard including some British stage actress. I think it was 1966. Me and Dad went there at the weekend for a brief look - nothing to see, it's all covered in woods and there's 3ft of leaves on the ground. I might have a potter about this summer, a DC8 crashed in the suburbs of Toronto in 1970 and apparently people still find loads of small pieces in the ground. Not that I want to find a souvenir or a skull (ho ho ho) or something, it's kind of historical. Don't they do WW1 battlefield tours and they find loads of bullets, shrapnel, soles of shoes etc? That's weird. But this Iberia crash site reminded me of Gimli, spooky to think it happened where I was standing in the English countryside - with a much more tragic outcome than Gimli, of course. (Have to say, in sincere tribute to the victims, if I could choose the manner of my demise, instantly and painlessly sent into the afterlife from some of the most lush countryside on the planet...in a Caravelle = not bad result. It really is a beautiful neck of the woods.)
fly Saha Air 707s daily from Tehran's downtown Mehrabad to Mashhad, Kish Island and Ahwaz
ScrubbsYWG From Canada, joined Mar 2007, 1486 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 9291 times:
Quoting Cedarjet (Reply 2): would love to fly on that plane. I visited Winnipeg in June and my buddy who lives there picked me up from the airport and said, "What do you think will be the first stop on your tour of Peg City?" he asked me. Er, Ukrainian Returned Servicemens League drinking establishment? "Gimli!" Oh boy, this guy knows me inside out. It's about an hour's drive north of the Peg, in wide open country, it's as flat as a patio (the joke is, you can watch your dog run away from home for three days) and the race track is sitting there, still used for race meets etc, and part of it is actually a GA airfield, there were half a dozen Cessnas etc parked there, windsock, don't recall a tower. There's no actual sign or anything commemorating the near-disaster that made history there, but then again, from the road is a sign that simply says, "Gimli Racetrack" with an arrow, what more do you need? I'd recommend a visit if you're ever in the Peg, to stand there and imagine a seven-six swooping right over you without any sound except the airframe against the air, holy crap.
well, it DEFINATELY is flat flat flat here. Its quite extreme. The only hills we have in this city are former garbage dumps they made into parks.
Pnwtraveler From Canada, joined Jun 2007, 2046 posts, RR: 12 Reply 7, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 9121 times:
I have flown on 604 a number of times on the Rapidair routes and once to Vancouver. Historic it may be but the interior is quite tired and worn. The panels seem to rattle a lot. Had her cycles not been so high a total refurb would likely bring her back to snuff. But funds haven't been spent on that with her many immanent retirements .
MattRB From Canada, joined Apr 2005, 1624 posts, RR: 11 Reply 8, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 8995 times:
I saw her last week parked here at YYZ out at gate 122, getting ready for an outbound flight, so she's still out there. I'll keep an eye out for her tomorrow.
Aviation is proof that given, the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.
Mcamargo From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 129 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 1 day ago) and read 8838 times:
Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 11): I was talking about a Recreatec video like "mayday series"
They're on there... oddly enough, I was just viewing them yesterday. They're split in six sections though. If you do a search, you should be able to find them, though, under the episode title.
ZBBYLW From Canada, joined Nov 2006, 1922 posts, RR: 7 Reply 16, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 23 hours ago) and read 8657 times:
Quoting ZTagged (Reply 15): That's what I'm thinking myself.. She has to have some kind of emotional or historical value to AC for them to keep her going..
I've been inside of her and to be honest she is a little worse for wear inside. Saying that however I feel that she is doing a GREAT job to this day doing the YVR-YUL YVR-YYZ YYZ-YUL flights. Its what she is good at gives AC the capacity they need on the flight during busier hours and they do not need to use her beyond her capacity being a non-ER. I say keep her, if not just at least put her in a museum somewhere, paint her up in her old livery and put her in a museum.
BHXDTW From Eritrea, joined Feb 2005, 1086 posts, RR: 6 Reply 18, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 8392 times:
could someone kindly recap the story for me... I want to relate it to my younger brother as he has never heard it and its the kind of thing that I think he should know !!
CodyKDiamond From Canada, joined Nov 2006, 537 posts, RR: 1 Reply 19, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 8068 times:
Quoting BHXDTW (Reply 18): could someone kindly recap the story for me
On July 23, 1983, Air Canada flight 143, a brand new Boeing 767-233 (C-GAUN) was cruising at FL410 to Edmonton from Montreal. There was a fuel problem on the number 1 but they could still keep flying. Then, the same problem occured on the number 2 and diversion was necessary. Peg was the diversion point and the descent is begun, when suddenly the left engine fails. It is followed by the other, leaving the 767 as a listless glider gliding toward it's almost inevitable demise. No fuel is on board at this point. It was impossible to reach Peg, so the crew (Captain-Glider Pilot, F/O-Former RCAF based in Gimli, Manitoba) select an old RCAF base, little did they know family day was being held on it. Flight 143 greased the runway and it's front unlocked ldg. collapsed, stopping short of family day. How did the 767 run out of fuel? Canada was converting to metric measurments and and the 767 was to be calibrated by Boeing to use that system. However, the ramper mistakenly used pounds, which gave the image of having sufficient fuel when they really had about half. Fin 604 was patched up and is proudly still gracing the Canadian skies today.
Blackbird1331 From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 1892 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 7555 times:
There is a made-for-tv movie titled "Flight 174". Full of mistakes but it tells the story. Stars Robert Devan, I think.
Cameras shoot pictures. Guns shoot people. They have the guns.
Dvincent From United States of America, joined Jan 2007, 1719 posts, RR: 12 Reply 21, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 7441 times:
Quoting ZBBYLW (Reply 16): I say keep her, if not just at least put her in a museum somewhere, paint her up in her old livery and put her in a museum.
BeechNut From Canada, joined Apr 2004, 708 posts, RR: 9 Reply 22, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 7390 times:
Quoting ZTagged (Reply 15): That's what I'm thinking myself.. She has to have some kind of emotional or historical value to AC for them to keep her going..
More likely, they need the capacity as they cycle other planes through their XM makeovers, and the bird still has some time/cycles left on her before her next major check. Once that time runs out, so too will the chances of ever seeing her fly again, except maybe on a ferry permit to the desert. I suspect this one though, will be broken up at YUL like others before her.
KELPkid From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 5929 posts, RR: 4 Reply 24, posted (5 years 4 months 3 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 6756 times:
I've said this before in other threads on the subject, and I'll say it again:
AC themselves probably aren't interested in preserving a monument to their own near-disaster. If the Gimli Glider gets preserved, it will most likely be due to the efforts of someone from outside air Canada. I think she stands a pretty good chance of preservation if she ends up down in, say, Tucson...
Celebrating the birth of KELPkidJR on August 5, 2009 :-)
26 Xtoler: As long as it lands under power this time. I could have sworn whe was retired a few months back. Good to see her still flying. But it would be nice f
27 YVRLTN: Last I heard was she was due to be retired at the end of November, but this has now been pushed back until January. I see her very alive and well most
28 BeechNut: Gosh, I remember my first flight on a 767 when they were brand new; I think it was in late '83, YYZ-YVR. Now they're headed off to the bone yard. I fe
29 CodyKDiamond: I would love a hop on 604, does anyone know the schedules? Thanks for all the imput.
30 Skydrol: I have to disagree with the comments of the interior of 604 being worn out. I have flown in her twice over the last few months and the cabin is in exc
31 Threepoint: I'd be surprised, but it does seem an odd coincidence. Absolutely. Not as a monument to the incident, but to the fleet itself. I imagine the plane on
32 Viscount724: Minor correction. It was en route from Ottawa to Edmonton. The flight originated in Montreal and made a scheduled stop in Ottawa.
33 CodyKDiamond: Whoops! Thanks for the correction!
34 Viscount724: As a sidenote, 24 years later AC still uses the same AC143 flight number for a YUL-YOW-YEG flight with almost the same departure/arrival times as the
35 ZBBYLW: I flew this flight last spring in J on a 762, though I believe it was 634 (I am not 100% sure it was 634 just every time I am on a 762 I look to see
36 CodyKDiamond: Does anyone know when it is actually scheduled to be retired?
37 BeechNut: If it was 634, it was a 767-300ER, not a 767-200. Beech
38 Ferengi80: The Captain was Captain Bob Pearson, and the F/O Maurice Quintal. It was actually William Devane, who played Captain Pearson. It also starred Scott H
39 A332: She is still in service at the moment, I seen her departing YVR for YYZ on December 28th.
40 Olympus69: I'm not familiar with that title. I thought it was something stupid like "Falling from the Sky". Anyway, in one scene one of the flight crew has shou
41 PGNCS: Emotion plays scant little role in airline managerial decisions, sorry to say. If it did, I would still be flying the L-1011.
42 Threepoint: You're absolutely correct. Except in this case, AC would have very little cost or difference in their bottom line if they made a one-time donation of
43 Pnwtraveler: Unfortunately during this time of high metal prices and thieves stripping wiring out of unguarded new houses to sell to recyclers of the copper, I hav
44 Ferengi80: Yes, the Captain also had a mismatched pair of epaulettes! The TV film was called "Falling from the Sky", however it was released on video (and recen
45 Olympus69: Thanks for clearing that up for me. John.
46 SafeFlyer: Nope. There is absolutely zero restoration work being done on that machine. It's in it's period livery with the now old (green maple leafed) interior
47 Threepoint: You're correct, I shouldn't have spoken in the present tense. I understand not much has been done to it to date. Perhaps I should clarify my statemen
48 Jamincan: Boeing's data (Page 51) seems to indicate that an empty 767-200 would need approximately 1100m of runway length without thrust reversers. Rockliffe's
49 BeechNut: Capt. Pearson is a past-President of the Montreal Soaring Council based in Hawkesbury Ont. Perhaps with a very strong headwind on a cool day, but I d
50 SafeFlyer: No, absolutely, I never meant to imply you said that either. What I meant was that If it's ever donated (and that would be fairly surprising for reas
51 Threepoint: Nope, wasn't you (if your photos and age in your profile are accurate). The guide I talked to was an older (than you) black gentleman, very fast-talk
52 SafeFlyer: Aaah, I see. I know exactly who you're talking about. As for being a good ambassador, well from a visitor's perspective, it's always good to hear you
53 Threepoint: I did enjoy my visit, but to be honest, I much prefer the more laid-back, less-enthusiastic one-on-one approach wherever possible. I did feel hurried
54 YVRtoYYZ: The use of thrust reversers would significantly decrease the amount of runway required to land, thereby permitting more room available to bring the a
55 Viscount724: Here's the museum website list of their aircraft collection. The links contain details on the specific aircraft and its history etc. http://www.aviat
56 Threepoint: Note that these are the aircraft on display in the main museum itself. The storage/restoration hangar (located adjacent the museum) is home to many m
57 SafeFlyer: I can certainly snap a few pictures but I wonder If I could post them online. For the usual visitor, that usually wouldn't pose a problem as long as
58 MEL: Sad news, FIN 604 has been removed from service as of today, and is planned to go into storage shortly.
59 Threepoint: Set up the arresting cables in Rockcliffe and get it in there before the desert claims another victim.
60 ZBBYLW: Its to bad to see such a lovely beauty go. Anyone know how much time is on her before her next major inspection, if she is being sent down to the des
61 Pnwtraveler: Is C-GAUN now at YUL? The plans were to put it in storage there. Which is usually the first step to being dismantled/broken up there.
62 ScrubbsYWG: i dont know if i would call it sad, but it sure is somewhat unfortunate a plane with such history is now 'history'. Living so close to where the whole
63 Absimilliard: Fin 604 is parked since a few days at the AC YUL hangar. Regarding its interior, I groomed it a lot in the last month and its "average" for the non XM
64 Ferengi80: Can we not get a fund started and offer to buy the aircraft? Maybe donate her to an aviation museum or try and get her on permanent display at Gimli?
65 KELPkid: Hope she doesn't become Molson cans...
66 Absimilliard: Sadly, the Gimli Glider was retired on january 2nd and is being prepared for storage at YUL right now. It is parked at the AC base, near the old Star
68 Pnwtraveler: The engine may have been a newer replacement with some good hours left on it. This wouldn't jive with her being broken up soon. One can only hope.
69 Rikkus67: I think it would be great to see AC donate this airframe, as they did the DC-9. What has always impressed me more than the Gimli incident, is the fact
70 Bennett123: Does anyone know how much it would cost to buy the B767, or who would give it a home.
71 MattRB: Her retirement flight to MHV is taking place on Thursday (Jan 24) at 9AM. The flight deck crew (Capt. Robert Pearson and F/O Maurice Quintal) will be
72 KELPkid: Is there a museum at MHV? I know that if she had been sent to Tucson, the Pima Air Museum probably would have snatched her up for their collection...
73 CodyKDiamond: I will not say the name, but somebody told be that C-GAUN will be saved!
74 FlagshipAZ: I certainly hope you're right about this. There's alot of sentiment attached to this bird. But being rational here...it's also a business tool. If th
75 KELPkid: As a kid who grew up in the '80s (class of 1990 in High School), I find it shocking that we're already talking about pickling a 767, the most modern,
76 Jamincan: Maybe if this were any other 767, I'd be shocked, but there is quite a bit of sentiment attached to this bird.
77 Richierich: Based on the fact they are already taken pieces of her away, I'd say it doesn't look good. Please understand that I hope she can be saved... if there
78 Olympus69: What pieces have they taken away? As the ship is flying to MHV tomorrow it can't have been anything too critical.
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