At 0700 this morning (Friday, July 17) the first group of the over 100 aircraft—ranging from a Lockheed P-3 Orion (a maritime patrol aircraft) to assorted Cessnas - took off from Boundary Bay Airport in a mass celebration of Canada’s 100 Years of Flight.

“I had no idea how big an undertaking it would be when I first decided to do it,” said organizer John Lovelace.

“We are making history,” he said, noting that it is expected to be the largest group of aircraft ever to fly across Canada and will represent most of the aircraft flown through Canada’s history.

“There is plenty of room in the sky for the aircraft, but not on the ground,” he said, referring to the logistics.

Over 300 aircraft were registered by the cut-off date in March, however airport landing space across the country determined the final numbers.

“I saw the 100th anniversary of flight in the USA pass with little notice,” observed noted TV pilot and producer Lovelace.

“Now, it’s our turn in Canada. We wanted to do something significant on a national level.”

The adventure will result in a documentary to be aired Global and the History Channel next winter.

Scheduled to touch down at 30 airports across Canada, the plan is to form a continuous “air” line more than 150 kilometers in length which is expected to take two hours to pass overhead at any given point.

Aircraft can be viewed en route at the major stop-overs of Calgary (Springbank), Brandon, Marathon, Sault Ste.

Marie, Brampton, Gatineau, Fredericton, and Sydney, with closing ceremonies at Baddeck, Nova Scotia on Tuesday July 28th. The aircraft will also touch down at 21 other airports across Canada.

“Many of us have flown across the country before, but none of us have done the flight with another 100 airplanes.” Lovelace pointed out.

This Canadian adventure snagged my own attention because of my own passion for aviation born in the African skies.

Though never a pilot, I did have the privilege of bouncing around central, east and south Africa in Wonderful Gooney Birds (DC3s), Viscounts, and a DC 6 with a perverse passion for breaking down in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia.

Memories of flying in to watch the Litunga—keeper, or king—of Barotseland in western Zambia move his people up and down the river between seasons, a flooded DC3 engine that demanded we dry-out for two extra days at the southern tip of Lake Victoria, welcoming on-board everyone from Kenneth Kaunda (President of Zambia), Joshua Nkomo, Robert Mugabe (now the notorious president of Zimbabwe), Dr. Hastings Banda (first president of Malawi) to spending a four-day Dak trip with naturalist Sir David Attenborough and his crew then making a BBC documentary on central Africa.

No less do I cherish my connection with Canadian aviation recalling my arrival at Malton Airport (Toronto) as a 6-year-old aboard a Trans Canada Airlines Super Constellation.

We had to make an emergency landing in Iceland (an overnight adventure), and I can claim my introduction to chewing gum ( a foreign substance in postwar Britain) on the same flight.

Little did I know I would eventually fly for Pacific Western Airlines, and work for Air Canada in assorted capacities in Britain and Canada.

Among aviation buffs many tales—true or embroidered—are recycled and endlessly enjoyed.

All become part of aviation history which began with the Wright Brothers and continues today in space with Canadian astro-pioneers like Robert Thirsk.

The legends not only live on, but continue to be born.

For updates on John Lovelace’s tribute to 100 years of Flight in Canada go to www.crosscanadaflight.com. You can also follow their progress on Twitter.

editor@CloverdaleReporter.com