Results tagged “aviation”

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 and are used only when someone has set off the metal detector. The subject's body is scattered with terahertz radiation, which—unlike X-rays—are believed to be harmless to human tissue. A technician reviews the scanner results in a windowless room, and the resulting images are anonymous, incredibly unflattering, and decidedly unerotic. Images can't be stored, faces are obscured, and cameras aren't allowed in the viewing room. Still, opponents say that peering at nude bodies is even too extreme for already-excessive security theatre, and may even run afoul of child porn laws. According to a spokesperson from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, however, 95% of travellers in the Kelowna, B.C., trial preferred it. If approved by Transport Canada and the Canadian privacy commissioner, the high-tech peepshow could be coming to Toronto airports soon.

              

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 and cutting-edge technology. For many, it was an exhilarating chance to see big, loud machines do their thing; for some, it was a tacky glorification of weaponry; others are just happy about the return of quiet skies.

                     

Not only is the Canadian International Air Show a spectacular demonstration of piloting skills, it's also a lesson in aviation history. Many of the aircraft have been lovingly restored and refurbished, alluding to their heydays of technology, conflict, and design. Here, stunt planes and vintage fighters sit quietly at the City Centre (Billy Bishop?) Airport yesterday evening as they await this weekend's showcase.

                            

One hundred years ago, on February 23, the first powered heavier-than-air flight in Canadian history took off across Baddeck Bay in Nova Scotia. To celebrate the centennial, some of Canada's most legendary aircraft will be flying the skies over Toronto this weekend. CAF Colonel (retired) and astronaut Chris Hadfield will be piloting "Hawk One," a refurbished RCAF Canadair F-86 Sabre jet. Sabres played significant roles in the Korean War from 1950–1953 and in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Established in 1959 to celebrate fifty years of Canadian flight, the Golden Hawks were a noted Canadian aerobatic team until they disbanded in 1964. "Hawk One" has been restored under the original Golden Hawks livery, and the fifty-five-year-old jet has been appearing across the country this year with its five pilots and ten-person maintenance crew.

                            

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.

                                   

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 passenger aircraft—in person, and Toronto is currently the only city in the Americas where the airline flies the plane. For the VIPs gathered, the excitement also came with some stern words for the federal government.

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 of offering Torontonians a chance to fly.

At daybreak on the morning of August 10, 1930, His Majesty's Airship R-100—the British airship that had arrived in Montreal from England on August 1—made a surprise visit over Toronto. She hadn't been expected until 9 a.m., but just before dawn the faint droning of motors announced her presence over the harbour. Milkmen stopped their carts mid-route, diners and staff emptied from restaurants, and night-watchmen all gazed skyward to marvel at the ghostly sight of the airship against the moonlit sky. Ship whistles greeted the airship and woke its passengers. Across the city, people in pyjamas rushed outdoors to witness the history-making event.