London International Airport

[ldoto]

London airport lands museum to stow and show vintage jets

Sat, April 18, 2009

The Jet Aircraft Museum will be housed in a hangar at London International Airport



Dust is unlikely to collect on the exhibits in London's latest museum.

The first three "exhibits" blasted into town this week as the Jet Aircraft Museum set up shop in a hangar at London International Airport.

The CT-133 Thunderbird jets will soon be joined by three more in a new venture in which the vintage aircraft will be housed and maintained in London and also sent to air shows far and wide.

"It's all about saving heritage," says Rick Hammond, an executive member of the museum. "There are many air museums, but this is a unique one. We're going to try to have enough of these aircraft to go to air shows and do some formation flying."

The new organization is inspired by the 24-year-old, Tillsonburg-based Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, which has preserved the propeller-driven trainers.




Bob Hewitt of Woodstock, founding president of the association who also chairs the museum's board, picked up the first surplus Thunderbirds from the Canadian Forces in Trenton.

London was chosen as the museum's home because of the length of its runways, support from the airport authority and what Hammond calls "a great landlord" who owns the hangar.

The Thunderbird is a two-seat trainer built in Montreal by Canadair. It was the workhorse trainer for the Canadian Armed Forces for about 50 years. Thousands of them were built.

The museum has already acquired 11 spare Rolls Royce engines that power the aircraft.

The museum hopes to attract 500 members across Canada to pay the $100 membership fee. It's also on the hunt for aviation enthusiasts to be museum volunteers.

After the planes are made airworthy, membership and volunteer base established, Hammond said, steps will be taken to open the hangar to the public.

He said fees paid to appear at various air shows shouldn't cover only the costs of doing so, but should also raise money that can be set aside to upgrade the museum and help fund further acquisitions.

The first air show the museum's jets will fly to is the Canadian Aviation Expo May 1 and 2 at the Canadian Warplane Museum in Hamilton.

Further information on the museum can be found at www.jetaircraftmuseum.ca.

[sparky212]

Yay London got a air museum the 3 in ontario

[ldoto]

Yes and there’s more to come!!!!

[ldoto]

Update!!!!

London International Airport and Air Canada announced today the launch of new daily Air Canada service between London and Calgary starting June 1, 2009.

Check out the pdf link!!!!
http://www.londonairport.on.ca/news/...lgaryJan09.pdf

[Stevo26]

This is great news. Aircraft museums are always great tourist draws. At least in London's case, even a small aircraft museum would be light years ahead of that sad excuse for a tourist attraction we have now - i.e. Storybook Gardens.

As for daily Air Canada flights from London to Calgary, also very good news, but it's nothing really new, since Westjet has had practically daily service to Calgary since day one.

To my way of thinking, London International Airport has a better chance of becoming a major cargo hub than a passenger hub simply because Hamiltonalready fills that role well due to its proximity to Toronto. By the same token, increasing passenger flights out of London airport will definitely take the pressure off Pearson International Airport and provide economic benefit for London.

[SlickFranky]

Stupid question:
Does anyone know why the airport doesn't use the jet-ways? Why they use the rolling stairs, even on the bigger planes?

[MolsonExport]

aircraft museum: good stuff. London needs more attractions...there is practically butt-fuck all to do here when the weather is incliment. And Storybook gardens sucks dogshit.

[ldoto]

Airport plan may take flight

Fri, May 8, 2009

Shut out of government stimulus money, a bid to transform London's airport into a major cargo hub may fly with cash from another kitty.

A promised federal agency to help recession-hit southern Ontario, with $1 billion to spend, could be another way to try to tap money to get the $21-million project off the ground, the airport head says.

Steve Baker, president of London International Airport, said the airport is working with the city to come up with alternate funding for the bid to create a global cargo gateway.

"We're very confident the project will continue," he said after yesterday's annual general meeting of the civilian authority that operates the airport.

One option, he said, may be the Southern Ontario Development Agency, promised in the recent federal budget to help manufacturing-heavy southern Ontario in the recession.




"We're trying to come up with a new strategy for London," Baker said.

"There are so many displaced workers who need to find employment. This is an ideal opportunity to turn them into logistics supporters."

An economic gateway proposal -- airport expansion, plus highway and other upgrades -- had been the centrepiece of city hall's early thinking how to tap the rivers of government cash going out to help municipalities with public works amid this year's brutal economic downturn.

The idea was to take advantage of London's close proximity to key U.S. markets, the 400-series highway system and favourable tax rulings allowing cargo to transit through the airport between other nations.

But when push came to shove, the needed airport spending -- the project would have involved work on the airport site, and servicing up to its property line -- didn't qualify for federal money for municipalities and wasn't included on London's wish list of projects worth $137 million.

Still, with all three levels of government backing the project, the airport and the city are looking for other sources of funding, Baker said. "There's many opportunities to secure funding and we're pursuing those avenues," he added.

His optimism was echoed by Gabe Valente, who chairs the airport authority's board.

"We feel it would be an economic catalyst for the city and region, but we're confident we'll find a way to continue to develop here at the airport," he said.

Valente said he was concerned about some of the federal rules for the stimulus money, but had hoped that wouldn't be a deal-breaker.

At yesterday's meeting, Baker told the board WestJet will start direct daily service from London to Halifax and Vancouver Monday with planes that can hold up to 170 passengers. The flights will run seven days a week, all year.

Air Canada, meanwhile, will start direct daily flights to Calgary on a 140-passenger jet.

"We've really marketed our catchment area to all of Southwestern Ontario," said Baker, noting 55% of passengers on flights out of the airport come from outside the city.

[Snark]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

aircraft museum: good stuff. London needs more attractions...there is practically butt-fuck all to do here when the weather is inclement. And Storybook gardens sucks dogshit.

Don't sugar coat it, tell us how you really feel.
Your expertise is required in this field, especially since you've lived in this area what, 3 or 4 years?

There was a full reenactment of the battle of Longwoods last weekend involving hundreds of participants. Since you have not lived in this area for very long, I'll just add that this was a pivotal moment in local history - and it is a story worthy of a film in fact. And then there is the Shunpiker tour this weekend as well. Not good enough? Perhaps it's too "hick" for a sophisticate such as yourself.

And... Storybook Gardens is intended for 7 year-olds. For an adult to proclaim that it sucks is pretty lame on your part. What sucks is that 7 year olds no longer find any wonder in animals any more, and find only first person shooter video games worthy of attention.

If this town is so awful, as your constant posts repeat ad nausium, why don't you just leave southwestern Ontario? Really. You never have anything good to say about London or this part of the province, so why would you wish to live here? Is it just the job at the University and the money that comes with it?

I almost never read anything about how things ought to be improved, including a plan on how to do so - only complaining about stuff.

That's the difference between winners and losers.

[MolsonExport]

Snark, shove it. I am not getting personal with you; why do you always take any criticism against London personally? Or, are you really WaterlooInvestor under another guise?

Originally Posted by Snark

..

great post, by the way.

[GreatTallNorth2]

Hey guys...chill. I think that we as Londoners have to face the reality that our city has been in a rut for a long time and there is no hope in sight. We have no real attractions (sorry Snark), but London has no major draw that anyone would drive to come to. We have poor transportation and poor transit. We were once a thriving business centre and now we have lost many head offices. We have little to celebrate in nicely designed buildings. And lastly we have no one in sight with vision for our city. Our Mayor wants to become the next Hazel McCallium (or however you spell her name). If this happens, I fear for the future of our city.

[Rathgrith]

^You could start by changing the name of city from London. Whenever I ask someone where the are going and they reply "London". My first follow up is; the one in Ontario or England?


At least call it "New London" or something. Then maybe it could become somewhat unique...

[Stevo26]

I'm siding with MolsonExport on this one. He has a valid point. There is indeed a dearth of interesting things to do in London. I've been to the War of 1812 re-enactment; I've been to the Balloon Fest a few times. 'Seen it, done it, got the t-shirt', so to speak.

What I'm getting at here is that London is so uncreative when it comes to exhibitions and the like that what *is* on offer year after year is getting a little old.

Yes, I know there are concerts at the JLC from time to time, if you don't mind paying nosebleed prices for tickets to see mostly second and third-line acts. I didn't say 'third rate'; these are acts that were big fifteen, twenty and even thirty years ago but can no longer command enough ticket sales to get into bigger-name places like Toronto's Air Canada Centre. So they have to play smaller venues like the JLC instead.

The minute TD Canada Trust and London Life moved their head offices out of the downtown core, London promptly became somewhat of a backwater locale. And truth be told, it always has been so to a greater or lesser extent. Canada Trust's decision to set up its head office here in the early 1970's promised to change that reputation, but the promise was snuffed out before it had a chance to really blossom.

Pinning downtown revitalization hopes on the JLC alone and the London Knights is not going to be enough to pull the city out of its cultural slump. But that is exactly what has happened; and city council seems to think the recent spate of downtown residential development is a vindication of their policies.

It's not.

Current housing development in the downtown core is being driven by two things. First, there are a lot of professionals like lawyers, dentists, psychologists, doctors and others who want to be close to where they work. They have the kind of money needed to live in places like the Harriston and the Renaissance Tower.

Second, we're running out of cheap oil, with the end result that living in the suburbs will soon be an untenable proposition. To get around that stark reality, public transit would have to be many magnitudes better than it is now. With the exception of Toronto and Ottawa, I don't see any Ontario cities even trying to realize 'magnitudes better' improvements in their public transit systems. The smart money says that it's better to live in the downtown core where you can walk just about everywhere and using public transit won't be as much of a hassle as it is in the 'burbs.

Plus there's a demographic shift afoot that will drive down the price of suburban housing rather dramatically and make 'burb living unattractive. Namely, an aging population that no longer needs big suburban houses with big yards, and a birth rate too low to maintain a suburban way of life. Not to mention that the few young people who are just entering the work force now can't get the kind of jobs needed to support such a lifestyle anyway.

And by the way, I've been living in London for over fifteen years now, so I know what I'm talking about. London is an OK place to live... its roads and public transit system suck, but it is quiet here and housing is affordable, unlike Toronto and a number of other Ontario centres.

[MolsonExport]

^Nicely said, and more eloquently put than anything that I have written on the subject.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Rathgrith

^You could start by changing the name of city from London. Whenever I ask someone where the are going and they reply "London". My first follow up is; the one in Ontario or England?


At least call it "New London" or something. Then maybe it could become somewhat unique...

The one in Ontario or in Connecticut?

[ldoto]

Update!!!!

WestJet Starts Daily Direct Halifax and Vancouver Service from London today more good info for the Airport. I seen it on the A channel London today!!!!!!


Read this
http://www.londonairport.on.ca/news/...ver%202009.pdf

[MolsonExport]

^this is very good news, as I regularly fly to Van, and loathe transferring in the centre of the universe.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Rathgrith

^You could start by changing the name of city from London. Whenever I ask someone where the are going and they reply "London". My first follow up is; the one in Ontario or England?


At least call it "New London" or something. Then maybe it could become somewhat unique...

New London CT.

How about Donlon?

[Rathgrith]

Donlon is better than nothing. New London would at least be less confusioning, unless a tourist from CT is in town.

I was thinking "Forest City", it could be "enchanted" like Zelda.... you could visit Laser Quest and then attempt to snap pictures at UWO like this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/phronk/73892829/

[MolsonExport]

haha! The Saugeen stripper! I can see Saugeen from my office window.