by Karina Hunter

More experienced pilots advised others as to landing in smaller airports and dealing with troublesome weather systems. Here, the plain above had 'talked down' the one landing it was quite impressive from the ground.

What may be the largest group of non-military aircraft ever to fly together in Canada lifted off from suburban Vancouver airports Friday  for a cross-country journey to mark the centennial of flight in Canada. More than 100 small planes, from First World War replicas to vintage bush planes and a two-seater jet, will be part of the Century Flight, the brainchild of Vancouver TV producer and pilot John Lovelace.

Manitouwadge residents may remember Lovelace as the producer and host of Wings Over Canada which filmed an episode about Manitouwadge in 2004.  When I welcomed Lovelace off his plane in Marathon, he was quick to remember Manitouwadge fondly, in spite of the swarm of attention his crew received having finally touched down more than 5 hours later than originally expected

John Lovelace & crew approach the runway in Marathon, Ontario.

The private planes cruising at an average 200 kilometres an hour were to make eight official stops along the way before arriving at Sydney, N.S. and on Tuesday, July 21^st Marathon, Ontario was one of those stops. More than 200 Northshore residents came out to watch as throughout the afternoon, 52 aircraft touched down in spite of a severe weather pattern between Dryden and Thunder Bay which nearly prevented the group from leaving Dryden at all.

Spectators, who were bused from Marathon Centre Mall, gathered along the fences of the airport with lawn chairs, blankets and even small tents in anticipation of the arrival of what should have been 127 planes.  Pilots from Marathon and the surrounding area who had registered to fly along for a portion of the flight slowly touched down throughout the afternoon however, by 1400 these had been fueled and parked and the crowd who had believed the planes would be flying in at 1 minute intervals throughout the afternoon were growing increasingly concerned as to the whereabouts of the aircraft. at 1430 a call was received that another dozen or so aircraft which had managed to get out of Dryden early in the morning, had gassed up in Thunder Bay and would begin landing shortly.

One of the fuelers proudly gets John to sign his shirt, completing his collection of the days VIP's such as the COF crew and various pilots.

At 1500 those of us in the control room, heard as John’s unmistakable voice boomed out his call sign over the radio, announcing that he and 30 other planes were airborne and estimated to arrive within the next two hours. Marathon pilots who had volunteered as marshals for the day went out to announce the good news to spectators. 

By 1515 more than a dozen planes had arrived and been parked on the lawn next to the runway and marshals cordoned off the area to open the fence and allow the public access. People flowed in, grateful for the chance to stretch their legs and get a closer look.  Meanwhile, the group which had called from outside Thunder Bay landed with 5-10 minute intervals.

At approximately 1720 yet another plane roared overhead. Immediately it was recognized as Lovelace’s twin-engine Piper Navajo.  Lovelace who spent a decade hosting Wings Over Canada, flying in to remote communities in every corner of Canada showed his experience as he landed on Marathon’s 1200 meter (3933 feet) runway using just ½ of the length, pulling directly into the public apron where Marathon pilots, organizers and myself welcome him, and his crew off the plane.  Some of the organizers were instantly star-struck and John found himself in the midst of autograph signing just moments after stepping off the plane.

I reached out to shake his hand, uncertain if he would remember my assistance when he filmed in Manitouwadge and he quickly pulled me in for a bear hug, diving into questions about Manitouwadge.  I was mindful of the task at hand and quickly fell back to photographing as introductions were made between the flight crew and organizers/volunteers who had worked countless hours in the months precedent to ensure Marathon’s place in the history of such an important flight.

The stream of aircraft continued landing for another 2.5 hours, incredibly impressive especially when 2 or 3 would queue up to land. They joined the fleet parked on the lawns of the airport, tired pilots patiently answering questions from media and interested members of the public who had waited most of the day for the opportunity.

A fish fry, originally planned as a private supper for just the pilots and there passengers at Penn Lake had been relocated to the Marathon Moose Hall. Organizers worried of the possibility of inclement weather.  But the stream of planes will still be impressive, especially as they queue up to land. I found John Lovelace, unostentatiously walking the grounds, checking in on pilots as they arrived. We spoke of the Century of Flight, the people involved and his plans for the future.

Lovelace explained that he began organizing the Century of Flight just one year ago. He had originally thought of crossing the country with just his crew but a few pilots asked about tagging along, then a few others and the idea blossomed. Lovelace said that “What we wanted to do was come up with a concept which we could involve the entire country and draw the entire country’s attention to it,” He has certainly done that! Lovelace had never been the in air flight marshal of such a large group of planes and told me he doesn’t expect it will ever happen again. When asked about the pilots of the other 126 aircraft, Lovelace became was clearly proud of those who had gathered, “There isn’t a bad apple in the entire group” explaining that among the 300 participants which includes pilots and passengers there was nothing but positive feedback, even with the difficulties they had experienced earlier that day in Dryden, Ontario.  He added that this was the trip of a lifetime for many private pilots, fodder for years of storytelling.  And on that note, I gathered his crew for one last photo and they were off to enjoy Marathon’s warm welcome at the fish fry.

Aside from Marathon, The Century Flight’s other official stops are Springbank Airport, near Calgary, Brandon, Man., Sault Ste. Marie and Brampton in Ontario, Sherbrooke, Que., Fredericton and finally Sydney, whose airport will hold it’s official renaming ceremony when the cross-Canada flight lands there on July 27^th. The airport will be dubbed the J.A.D. McCurdy Sydney Airport in honour of John McCurdy who piloted the first flight of the Silver Dart, off frozen Baddeck Bay in Nova Scotia one hundred years ago. Only a dozen or so planes will fly into Baddeck itself, which has nothing more than a grass landing strip, said Lovelace.

Congratulations to Marathon for a very successful day. There were many challenges in preparing to receive such a large group of planes (and people) at what is named the “Biggest Little Airport in Canada”, among them, making sure the 20,000 litres of aviation gas – a three month-supply at this small airport – was in place when the fleet swept in to refuel. It certainly was an important event in Canadian history and residents of the entire Northshore benefited from Marathon’s participation.

Video of the Century Flight will be turned into a documentary to be shown in the fall (2009) on History Television, Global TV and U.S. public television.

Submitted to The Echo, 07.22.09

Thanks to Robin Timms for editing assistance.