Saturday 29 November 2008

Last night I gave a presentation at the Royal Military College here in Kingston. An enjoyable experience. The venue was the Senior Staff Mess. I hope the Aeronautical Engineering Department students, faculty and staff enjoyed the "light hearted" break just before their exam period! Thanks to RMC for the opportunity to pontificate on the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, voted one of Canada's top ten Engineering Achievments.

Thursday 27 November 2008

The other day I received some comments and images from Robert Hagge. Here is a view of the 156th Avn. Co. (RR) Flight Line at Can Tho during the Vietnam War. He mentioned that they had 16 or 17 RU-6A Beavers. He has provided a list and also some of the names carried by these aircraft. I'm working on this list today.

Photo:Totter © via Robert Hagge

Patch photo: © Robert Hagge

A view of the interior of a de Havilland RU-6A Beaver in action.

Photo: Robert Hagge © January 1971

Wednesday 26 November 2008

Here is a cropped snap of George Neal (with poster!) enjoying his Birthday Bash at TAM. For more pictures of the great event click here. Amongst the many test pilots there was Bob Fowler, the other gentleman that I had the honour of drawing a portrait of for the DHC-8 $20.00 coin this time.

Photo: Kenneth I. Swartz © 22 November 2008

Monday 24 November 2008

Tonight the website had unique visitor 666,666 which is two-thirds of a million! Thanks to retired Otter driver Normand Denis for catching the magic number! Merci Norm!

I have a couple of items today, as I continue to suffer from a bad back! Hence lack of Beaver additions!

The first is this great snap on the cover of Dan Willink's AMCAR this month. For those interested in registrations, this is a great quarterly publication from Luxembourg. I worked with Dan on the Beaver Production List a few years ago.

Photo: AMCAR Cover December 2008 edition - © Thabet Aviation

Also this wonderful shot from a Viking Promo PDF - 21 x DHC-6 at Male with Maldivian Air Taxi!

Photo: © Viking Promo

Thursday 20 November 2008

I was guest speaker this evening at the Kingston - Frontenac Rotary Club. Spoke about my "interest" in the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver. Spreading the Gospel, so to speak ;-) Two had flown in Beavers in their careers, and one member was a retired Military Air Traffic Controller.

Tuesday 18 November 2008

Put together some images today for the Toronto Aerospace Museum for the party which will be happening this Saturday. It is to honour test pilot George Neal on his 90th birthday. I shot an image of the coin I designed for the Royal Canadian Mint. Shown with it is my original sketch which the engraver worked from. Happy Birthday George!

Photo/Sketch: Neil Aird © 2008 & 1999

.Saturday 15 November 2008

Today I found a New ! Beaver amongst my image bank waiting to be added. 53-7937 (752) was one of many United States Army L-20/U-6 Beaver aircraft that went through the IRAN (Inspect and Repair As Necessary) program at SABCA at Brussels, Belgium.

Thursday 13 November 2008

On this dreary November (wet and windy) day, I just had to add a nice "Beach" shot by my friend Kihei Kitagawa. I think I may have been instrumental in him going to Whitehaven Beach...can you blame him? Here are two shots taken by two guys with but one single mission, albeit three years and four months apart. We even sat in the same seat in Beaver VH-AWY (1444)! Someday we will actually meet.

Photo: Kihei Kitagawa © 20 September 2008

Photo: Neil Aird © 01 May 2005

I'm constantly amazed by the coverage of interest in DHC-2.COM ! Here are the last 1,000 US visitors to the website. Snap taken this morning. Are you there?

Oh yes - Danie made it safely to Delhi and was met close to midnight by her "taxi wallah" who drove her into town. He had actually called me here in Canada to find out how to spell her name. He spoke very little English! She has already completed her first day of fund-raising purchases . . . while fighting jet-lag! She was recognized by one of her KLM flight attendants when out today!! On a previous visit, in a back alley in Delhi a young man came up to her and inquired - "Are you Robin Aird's Mom?" A small world. He was happy to have her experienced guidance around town that day.

Tuesday 11 November 2008

Tonight my wife Danie is off on another trip overseas, this time she will be relying on PH-KCF (48560) MD-11 KLM Flight KL672 which will be off the ground in a few minutes from Montréal en route to Amsterdam. 6:21 flight time. She will be looking out at the moon, which I can see clearly too. 19:10 EST. She is almost over Québec City already!

Photo: Neil Aird © 11 November 2008

From the BBC today, a distant image of XP820 (1483) and an Auster AOP over the QE2 at Southampton doing a "poppy drop" . Nostaligic for me as the ship was built on the River Clyde very close to where I was born, has been in service about the length of time I have been in Canada, and I sailed from Southampton to New York on the R. M. S Queen Mary in 1949!

Photo: BBC TV © 11:00 a.m. 11 November 2008

Photo: Getty Images © 11:00 a.m. 11 November 2008

Monday 10 November 2008

A couple of items of interest for you all. First is a shot of master model maker Harald Mueller's wonderful r/c Beaver on display at a show in Friederichshafen. She now has her floats. They will be painted shortly and then a test splash!

Photo: Harald Mueller © 31 October 2008

My friend, real DHC-2 Beaver Master Builder, Bob Kobsey of Sealand Aviation, sent two snaps of the Airport Facility . . where else can you see eight (count 'em) Beavers in various stages of "construction". Thanks Bob!

Photos: Bob Kobsey © 06 November 2008

Friday 07 November 2008

Bart Hoekstra from The Netherlands, sent me an image of his latest screensaver . . . some of you might recognize the "content". . thanks Bart.

Photo: Bart Hoekstra © November 2008

Tuesday 04 November 2008

Yesterday I received an envelope containing some great black and white images from the William Haines Collection. Many thanks who sent them. I don't have a return address or e-mail to thank you! Can't read the signature. From the postal code I think you are in Toronto, Ontario? I will be adding these images gradually, a great addition to the site.

Sunday 02 November 2008

The only clouds today have been "man-made"..here's what one B77W from Tokyo to JFK left behind...

Photo: Neil Aird © 02 November 2008

Saturday 01 November 2008

Today I received a thankyou from my friend and retired Beaver engineer, Sippo Nevalainen in Finnish Lapland. Here are the images he sent along with the e-mail. I knew the stamps would be appreciated! Thanks Sippo - quite a collection. They travelled well.

Photos: Sippo Nevalainen © October 2008