Torontoist » aviation

2010 Hero: The Human-Powered Ornithopter Team

In the increasingly absurd quest to round out every conceivable aviation feat, one deceptively simple invention has eluded us—the human-powered ornithopter. Mythologized in the myth of Icarus, and sketched by Leonardo da Vinci, the idea of a wing-flapping, human-propelled flying mechanism has captivated the minds of aerialists for millennia.

Polling Booth: Exhibitionist Airport

It turns out that technology once only dreamed about in the back of comic books is now a reality: T-ray scanners may soon be deployed at an airport near you, and they know what you look like naked. Transport Canada is now reviewing a six-month trial of the security scanners, which are currently only voluntary [...]

Canadian International Air Show 2009: Airborne

Photographer Hamish Grant has been documenting the Canadian International Air Show for Torontoist, and in previous installments, we’ve explored some Canadian history, featured the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, and offered a closer look at some vintage fighters and contemporary stunt planes. In our final gallery, the planes take flight over Lake Ontario, showcasing mind-boggling aerobatics [...]

Canadian International Air Show 2009: Time to Fly

Every September, Torontonians are enthralled by the sounds and sights of jet aircraft overhead during the Canadian International Air Show. Hamish Grant will be documenting some of the airborne events for Torontoist. Not only is the Canadian International Air Show a spectacular demonstration of piloting skills, it’s also a lesson in aviation history. Many of [...]

Canadian International Air Show 2009: Canadian Pride

Every September, Torontonians are enthralled by the sounds and sights of jet aircraft overhead during the Canadian International Air Show. Hamish Grant will be documenting some of the airborne events for Torontoist over the next few days. One hundred years ago, on February 23, the first powered heavier-than-air flight in Canadian history took off across [...]

Canadian International Air Show 2009: Blue Angels

Every September, Torontonians are enthralled by the sounds and sights of jet aircraft overhead during the Canadian International Air Show. Hamish Grant will be documenting some of the airborne events for Torontoist over the next few days. Here, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron arrives today at Pearson International Airport ahead of the [...]

We Like Big Jets and We Can Not Lie

As Emirates flight 241 approached the runway on its inaugural flight into Toronto yesterday afternoon, a few audible gasps could be heard from the crowd gathered against the windows of Terminal 1. There was no debate: this aircraft was enormous. For most, it was the first time they had seen an Airbus A380—the world’s largest [...]

Vintage Toronto Ads: Be Free As a Bird For a Fiver

Source: Toronto Life, July 1968 Last week, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority announced that it would end a $1.5 million subsidy to Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport. This move has prompted Toronto Airways, who has operated the airport since the early 1960s, to consider reducing hours or closing the site entirely after more than forty years [...]

Historicist: “The Pride of the British Empire”

Every Saturday morning Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. His Majesty’s Airship R-100 with crowd visible on adjacent rooftop, August 11, 1930. City of Toronto Archives, TTC Fonds, Series 71, 7920. At daybreak on the morning of August 10, 1930, His [...]