Toronto City Centre Airport
1 September 2006
Located adjacent to the air display area, or 'box', the Toronto City Centre Airport is home for a few days to the warbirds, light aerobatic aircraft and more moderate performance aircraft participating in the show.
Basking in the early morning sun, Sean D. Tucker's bright red Pitts S2 Oracle
Challenger III, N260SP, waits for the
day's activities. The CIAS, in addition to the extensive military hardware
on display this year, also included in its schedule three outstanding solo
aerobatic pilots - veterans Sean Tucker and Julie Clark and Rick Volker who has
joined the air show circuit more recently.
Texas-based North American B-25 Mitchell Pacific Prowler comes to a stop on its early morning arrival from Toronto/Pearson IAP. Built as a
B-25J, N1042B has a most interesting past including service with the US Air
Force until 1958 and as a camera platform for the filming of some of the great
'aviation' movies produced from the 1960s to the '90s.
North American Harvard Mk.II C-FRWN from the Canadian Harvard Aircraft
Association at Tillsonburg, Ontario is framed by another Harvard prior to an
early morning formation flight. The CHAA has, since 1985, been in the
business of keeping alive memories of the Harvard in Canadian service and
currently owns six Harvards, a De Havilland Tiger Moth and a nearly-restored North American Yale.
Three associated Harvards are flown by the Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team.
N113YK is a Yakovlev YAK-52 and, though not participating in the CIAS, was on hand to fly
media photographers seeking air-to-air photos of Rick Volker and his Sukhoi SU-26M
aerobatic aircraft.
Representing 'silent flight' is this well maintained example of a Schweitzer
2-33A, C-GFMN, one of many operated by the Royal Canadian Air Cadets across
Canada in their large cadet familiarization flying and glider pilot training programs. It was in an Air Cadet
glider that Aviation eBooks' Phil Tachauer first experienced powerless flight at
Canadian Forces Detachment Mountain View, Ontario in July 1973.
Rick Volker runs up his Sukhoi SU-26M, N308DB, prior to a late afternoon flight.
Like the many purpose-built aerobatic aircraft of western origin, the type was designed and built specifically for high performance aerobatics as
can be seen by the small airframe, large engine and generous amount of aileron provided.