Over the last few months, our Tiger Moth has undergone quite a bit of restoration. Last summer, during the installation of a fuel transfer pump, a keen-eyed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) spotted some corrosion on the fuselage tubing. Further hole-punch tests revealed a few more soft spots, and the decision was made to ground the aircraft until appropriate repairs could be made. This was easier said than done; the repairs
required that the fuselage fabric be completely removed in order to provide welding access to the corroded parts.

Over the winter, the …

Fleet 16 Finch update

The summer of 2011 for the Vintage Wings Fleet Finch was a great success. After being trucked out to Manitoba to join the Yellow Wings tour, it flew down to Oshkosh and back to Ontario visiting many former BCATP airports.

But some serious restoration work was done last winter in order to get it ready to visit its old stomping grounds. The entire 28 foot long upper wing was completely rebuilt along with one of the lower wings. This included splicing together a new spar and creating new ribs.

A modification has been made recently …

By Course Instructor Rob Kostecka

A new year has begun – and Vintage Wings’ popular Warbird U ground schools are back for another season. It is always a privilege when veterans join us, to provide first-hand recollections of the aircraft that they flew.  We are delighted to announce that F/O Bob MacDonell, DFC – who earned his wings on Harvards here in Ottawa at No. 2 Service Flying Training School (SFTS), Uplands – will be attending the Harvard
Ground School on January 28/29.

Bob MacDonell is an enthusiastic, long-time supporter of …

Originally posted by B. Reid on the VW main site.

When the Vintage Wings Tiger Moth was rebuilt by the previous owner, his
intention was to fly it across Canada upon completion. Therefore an auxiliary
fuel tank with a capacity of 10 Imperial gallons was installed at the very front
of the forward cockpit (it is a de Havilland part number) along with a
wind-driven generator. This is in addition to the 19 Imperial Gallon fuel tank
located as part of the upper wing. A fuel line runs from the aux tank, to the
aft cockpit where a hand pump from what is believed to be a …

Although the snow is not yet flying here at the Vintage Wings hangar, we are already deep into our winter aircraft restorations and refurbishments.

This past summer we found corrosion on the Tiger Moth during installation of a fuel transfer pump. Repair to the steel fuselage tubing necessitated removal of the fuselage skin. The Tiger Moth has since been recovered, and is currently in the paint shop getting her old  yellow glow back.

The Finch has her engine removed for overhaul.

The Stearman is getting a new shade of blue. Volunteers, using electrical sticky tape, have been lovingly and painstakingly removing the old electric …

By J. Marc Gagnon

When I left the suburb of Orléans on Wednesday morning, 7 Sep, I saw three pairs of yellow wings flying in formation across the river and heading for Pendleton or, should
I say E.F.T.S. # 10.

Even though Vintage Wings had a plan to celebrate those “yellow wings” in 2011, our real celebration date should actually be on September 1st 2012, the 70th anniversary of the first day of full training operations of E.F.T.S. #10 in Pendleton.

It is also …

Seems only yesterday that it was springtime, when the leaves and pilots around the hangar were new, young, and green.

Four months, four airplanes, hundreds of flights, and thousands of miles later, the BCATP fleet has crossed the country, turning heads, piquing interest, and spreading Canada’s rich aviation heritage at every stop.

If you missed out on an opportunity to get up close and personal with the Harvard, Cornell, Finch and Stearman, don’t fret – you still have one more chance to come out and see what the Yellow Wings tour is all about.

This Saturday, …

Deb and I departed from Greenwood on Friday morning to transit the Harvard up to the fly-in at Stanley, NS. After a week of operating from 7000+ foot paved runways, the prospect of landing at a 2600 foot grass runway in a very heavy Harvard gave me some concern. At the risk of revealing a secret, I felt the need to practice enroute; making a stop-and-go at the lovely Waterville airport near Wolfville. The landing seemed serviceable, so it was off to Stanley.

Nothing could have prepared us for the warm welcome that awaited us in this sport aviation heaven! Stanley …