Gimli Glider

cwyckham

cwyckham

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
535
Location
Victoria, BC
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cwyckham
One of the guys I work with at Viking Air was on the Gimli Glider! I just talked to him about it today. He was actually working for Air Canada as a mechanic at the time and was riding back home from a job on the Gimli Glider when it suddenly got very, very quiet. He said the most amazing thing was that nobody paniced. Everybody stayed really calm throughout.

I was so excited when I found out this guy I've worked with for a year and a half had been on the Gimli Glider. I feel like I just met Madonna or something.

Funny enough, he's also been on another plain crash. A DC9 that went off the runway. Lucky guy.

Chris
 
DO NOT get on a plane with him. :nonod:
 
chris thats cool. i think i saw in the news that they finally retired that airframe a few months ago.

and good to see you again! been wondering where you've been.
 
tonycondon said:
and good to see you again! been wondering where you've been.
Click to expand...

I haven't really flown in a couple of years. Just got some dual to shake off the rust and am now flying a Katana out of Victoria, BC (CYYJ).

Last landing on my first solo flight in almost two years was pretty interesting. The controller had two Cessna 172s lined up on the runway. One had landed and he held short of a crossing runway about one third up my runway. The next he gave a "line up and wait" command from a taxiway near the start of the runway. Meanwhile, I was on (very) short final.

So he gives the first aircraft clearance to take off, waits about 5 seconds and gives the next guy clearance to take off, waits another 5 seconds and gives me clearance to land. Crazy! I've never seen anything like that before. I was actually pretty close to going around, but it worked out ok in the end. I also have pretty crazy short field performance landing a Katana solo, so the Cessnas didn't have to get to far gone before I had room to land behind them.
 
I was transiting Toronto a few years back and went over and struck up a conversation with one of the AC pilots. I asked if he ever flew the Gimli Glider and he didn't fly it, but had dead-headed in it several times. It developed a reputation as a good solid plane in later years. Most guys were sad to see it put up.
 
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