134 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Is there a river from Sproat Lake to the ocean?

[spanky123]

Maybe they could 3D print a 100:1 scale model and call it a day!

[Victoria Watcher]

Kenneth Lett, who flew Spitfires during the D-Day landings and was in the cockpit of Canada’s first supersonic jet fighter ­during the Cold War, has died at the age of 100.

Lett, who flew from 1941 to 1989 and also ran one of the country’s most successful aviation businesses, died last week in Victoria.

Lett was the guest of honour last July when the B.C. Aviation Museum in Sidney took possession of one of the last remaining CF-104 Starfighter jets — the first aircraft to hit Mach 2, twice the speed of sound.

He spent “thousands of hours” in the Starfighter and, as ­squadron leader, trained ­dozens of other pilots in the nuclear-capable jet during the Cold War.

“It’s wonderful and so good to see it again … it always was a beautiful airplane,” he told the Times Colonist last summer as he looked down the nose of the CF-104 Starfighter.

https://www.timescol...old-war-8822469

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 25 May 2024 - 01:03 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Hidden gems of the BC Aviation Museum will be on display on Aug 3 and 4, hoping to raise money for various upcoming projects, including the arrival of the Martin Mars Water bomber. 

 

"We are very excited about the arrival," Emma McGugan, BC Aviation Museum administrator, said.

 

Some of the items on sale will include barbecues, books, and artwork, McGugan said. Museum community members are asked to donate any unwanted objects in lieu of a donation.

 

 

https://www.vicnews....rd-sale-7453873

 

 

So far, two people have registered to volunteer.  A community member had the initial idea for the yard sale.

 

 

 

 

That's a start, I guess.

[Victoria Watcher]

Hawaii Martin Mars flies for first time since 2016 as preps continue for final flight next week

https://www.cheknews...t-week-1217332/

 

 

“Next Sunday is exciting,” added Coulson. “We deliver the plane into its final resting spot in Victoria and will be escorted by the Snowbirds. They’re going to be joining us and taking us in for our final flight so that’s really exciting for the crew.”

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 August 2024 - 05:36 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The famous Hawaii Martin Mars water bomber is taking to the skies one last time before landing at North Saanich’s BC Aviation Museum (BCAM), where it will become “the crown jewel” of a growing exhibit showing aircraft used to fight wildfires.

 

The red and white Martin Mars’ final flight is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 11, and the museum is inviting the public to spectate the landing, which it calls a “once in a lifetime” event that will feature the Snowbirds flying alongside the plane.

 

 

 

https://www.cheknews...aanich-1217859/

 

 

 

 

Anybody VV members going to go spectate the landing?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 August 2024 - 12:05 PM.

[Ismo07]

 

Anybody VV members going to go spectate the landing?

 

 

 

 

This is cool.. 6pm - 6:30pm... 

[Victoria Watcher]

“(It’s) like seeing the space shuttle launch

 

 

 

 

Hopefully not the Challenger or Columbia.

[Victoria Watcher]

The water bomber is expected to leave its home base on Sproat Lake on Sunday afternoon and arrive at Patricia Bay between 6 and 6:30 p.m., depending on the weather.

Coulson Aviation, which donated the Martin Mars to the museum, isn’t announcing the exact takeoff time for safety reasons, hoping to avoid attracting crowds of boaters seeking one last look before the aircraft leaves its long-time home.

The final flight plan will include circling flyovers at several Island towns, likely Port Alberni, Campbell River, Powell River, Courtenay, Nanaimo, Duncan, Ladysmith and Crofton.

At Crofton, the Martin Mars will be joined by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds — coming from the Abbotsford Air Show — and escorted in style to its final landing at Patricia Bay.

All nine Snowbird planes will take part and are set to do a flypast over Greater Victoria.

https://www.timescol...-bomber-9322573

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 August 2024 - 10:21 AM.

[Nparker]

It is great to see this stalwart of Canadian fire fighting history being honoured during its final flight.

[Victoria Watcher]

I hope it makes it!

[lanforod]

I wanna know if I can see it from home, or should go somewhere...

[Mike K.]

The Split Rock lookout on the Malahat would be perfect for watching it come in, only if it’s using runway 090, though.

[Sparky]

^ It’s going to land on the water in Patricia Bay.

[Mike K.]

Oh I see, then they’ll tow it to the museum?

[Sparky]

Yup.

[Mike K.]

Ok then, so the lookout at Split Rock is the place to be! Or anywhere down along the water at Mill Bay, too.

[Benezet]

Oh I see, then they’ll tow it to the museum?

The linked article has that info, and additional interesting details about the entire operation.

[Blair M.]

I'm somewhat obsessed with getting decent photos of this event, so bear with me!

 

Any spot on the Malahat proper will be too far south for viewing.

There is no indication online that the Mars will fly any further south than Pat Bay, and winds are predicted to be light today, so their flightpath will likely see them landing from the north.

Mill Bay might be an "OK" viewing spot, although it's over four miles away from Pat Bay so binoculars or a zoom lens would be a must. It's also far enough away that you won't hear the engines on the Mars.

Unfortunately, in the name of "safety", Coulson and/or the Museum are not making a detailed flight plan available, rather it's just a general list of towns they will fly past, and generally out over the water.

 

You will be able to trace the flight on Flightaware or Flightradar24 (look for CFLYL after they turn on their transponder, which will probably be after they've left Sproat Lake).

There's always limited parking in and around Pat Bay, and the RCMP have noted that they won't allow any parking on either West Saanich Road, or Mills Road during this event - so pick your viewing spot wisely and stick with it.

 

I think the key to note is that, for safety reasons, the plane will stay over the water for the majority of the flight, and that they won't fly further south than Pat Bay.

For Victoria viewers, you may get good viewing on the west side of Sansum Narrows (mainly Crofton) due to how close Saltspring is to Vancouver Island at that point, but south of the Narrows things widen out quickly and the potential flightpath starts to get pretty far away for viewing from the west side of Saanich Inlet.

In fact Sansum Narrows is so narrow at Maple Bay (with relatively high mountains on each side), I question whether their flightpath will move to the east, over Fulford Valley on Saltspring, after they get to the south of Crofton?

 

The Snowbirds and the Mars fly at vastly different speeds, so the landing process won't be anything fancy.  My guess is the Mars and the Snowbirds will be together only a short period of time, and the Mars will come in to land directly from the north, quite close to Pat Bay, after which the Snowbirds will apparently continue south on their own for a Victoria flypast.

[Victoria Watcher]

The museum’s Facebook page ­(facebook.com/BCAviationMuseum) will provide live flight details prior to arrival, and its website (bcam.net) will have a map of the best water viewing sites for the ­public to see the final landing, and also show the closed areas.

 

 

https://www.timescol...-escort-9335374

 

 

The roar of the plane’s massive 10,000-horsepower engines will be hard to miss. But the Martin Mars can also be tracked on Flightradar24.com using the aircraft registration code CFLYL.

 

 

______________

 

The Hawaii Mars had its last fire season in B.C. in 2015 and is being moved to the B.C. Aviation Museum in North Saanich, where it will be put on display. The grand opening of the exhibit is set for Sept. 28.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 11 August 2024 - 08:19 AM.