Calgary International Airport History during my aviation career at CYYC
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- Опубликовано: 19 дек 2021
- YC Airport History.
I put together this video of the history of the Calgary Airport dated from 1956 to mid 2010. The few black and white photos were available to me from an aerial photographer I flew back in 1959 and the 1960’s. Possibly some were taken during the time I was flying him. The remaining photos I took and signed. The added music is Apples free-music in iMovie.
For those interested in my background, I started flying in 1954 at age 17 in Edmonton. At age 19 in 1956, I started training for my Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) and it was my first time to the Calgary airport on my solo cross country.
After two years flying in the Canadian north, I applied for and trained in Air Traffic Control. My first posting was Calgary Tower in 1959. To keep my CPL current I flew part-time while off duty from the tower as a Flight Instructor and Charter pilot. I also worked part time aircraft refuelling and as a hangar attendant. I flew from, refuelled, and worked as a hangar attendant in most all the hangars on the Calgary airport during these years. So I was quite familiar with all the hangars, the interiors and those employed at the various companies renting hangar space.
After a few relocations in ATC and back at Calgary Tower, I took an early retirement after 27 years. Having flown an Aerial-Photographer over a 10 year period, I was familiar with the cameras and composing aerial photos so I opened my own aerial-photo business. I did Scenic-Oblique Aerial Photo for more than a decade throughout southern Alberta and BC.
After retiring for the second time, I donated over five thousand negatives and positive slide film to the Glenbow Museum in Calgary as these photos are historical. The glenbow.ucalgary.ca now archive my images and have fourteen hundred of my photos up on their website for public viewing.
I wrote a book of factual stories from my experiences over 27 years in the Towers and my 52 years of flying. The hard copies of my book are sold out but the electronic version of “Tower Tales” is available on Amazon.ca
My hobbies now include Drone-Photography and playing on my MacBook and doing RUclips videos for my RUclips channel....
..... All photos are mine taken over many decades and are now historical.
All stories relating to my videos are of my experiences as I lived them over just the dates indicated.
If I include a photo that is not mine, I was either the pilot for the photographer, and /or have the rights to use the photo, and where practical I will indicate it.
To ensure authenticity to my work I do not write, publish, here-say stories, photos, or information received from the internet, or other individuals as they may be fictitious.
JH
Those with questions may contact me (Jim Hall).
Enjoy...
Thanks Jim. I have admired your aerial collection from Glenbow Archives. I shared them since discovering the some 7 years ago. I m administrator of nostalgic Calgary a Facebook group. Wishing you well. Thanks for sharing 👍
What a great video. I have just started working at the airport and knowing the history of this airport makes the job more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing
I wrote a digital book and published it two years ago.
It’s factual history on Calgary airport while I was on shift in ATC and factual stories that happened during my 52 years of flying…
It is now available on. …. “Amazon.ca … Tower Tales by Jim Hall”
Jim.
Hi Jim, what a great video. Currently in training to work in Calgary TCU, now located at Edmonton ACC. This was a great look into the history of the airport!
Hi Matt.
I’m pleased that you enjoyed it. This link below will take you to my website and a page that
has more history on the Calgary International airport…
sites.google.com/view/jimhallsphotosite/aviation-history
In fact, if you click on the link below it will take you to my RUclips Channel with 24 videos, mostly on aviation. One of my videos is on the Springbank Airport. Once you are in my channel, make sure you click on the “Video” link in the upper Menu-Bar to see and select all 24.
www.youtube.com/@jimhall1864/videos
And, if you want more on history in aviation in the Western Region, click on this “amazon.ca” link below.
I wrote a book. All 90 short stories are factual of events that happened to me while working in ATC and stories of my flying experiences. Its all factual aviation history in Canada. I sold out within a couple months so I put it on “amazon.ca” for digital reading.
When you are in amazon, click on the link below the the Tower-Tales photo that reads “Free Sample” for free reading of the first 3 chapters, with no commitment.
www.amazon.ca/dp/B08814549P
Keep in touch and let me know when you get checked out.
Cheers, Jim.
Interesting video!! Thank you!
I’m pleased you enjoyed it.
Thanks for the video
Howdy and Great Vid, I was a weekend hangar rat in the Gateway hangar, I still remember climbing the stairs to the tower, and till now, new it was a control tower just not the first! Sliding the hangar door segments to the side (each with it's own persomality. And being sent for a bucket of prop wash.
Thank you for your interest. It’s a pleasure to write a short historical story and know that others are going to enjoy it.
I was also caught with the prop wash tour while taking my CPL back in 1956 at the Edmonton Flying Club.
My first time at Gateway / Foothills Av hangar was in 1959. I was also there the day it burned down, about 1981-or 1982?
If you enjoyed this video, you may enjoy my video on the “ATC Towers of Calgary”. I have a RUclips Channel with 20 videos, mostly on aviation that you may enjoy
This is the url… www.youtube.com/@jimhall1864
When you are in it, go up to the menu-bar and click on “Videos” to see all 20 of them.
Enjoy.
Cheers, Jim.
@@jimhall1864 Howdy again, I have a question, Gateway was divided and Macobar drilling fluids was in the south side with another company?????? There was a Dornier DO28 twin there as well, what was the other co.? oil related. It's driving me nuts.
Thanks.
@@katemdegrood4580 In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, Hangar #1 with the first ATC Tower on the NE corner, had Gateway Aviation and Foothills Aviation, which were the two bigger companies and they both had their company names written across the upper portion of the hangars exterior.
I forgot which was which, but one of them was the Cessna Dealer and the other was the Charter Company. (Don’t quote me but I think Gateway was the Cessna Dealer and Foothills the Charter Co.)
- Gateway had a DC3 and a HS748 based in CYXD and both spent time in CYYC.
- There was a Drilling Mud Co that had a C-180 in #1 hangar.
- I believe the Dornier DO28 was Flint Rig, (engineering), Pilot George Kelly (retired RCAF) and was in hangar #1 for a short time, then went to hangar #2 for a short time. (I flew Harvards with George in 1961).
- Spartan Air Service had an office and a DH98 Mosquito Bomber in hangar #1. It flew Mapping of Canada’s north. The pilot Jim Lapinski (nickname - JL). Jim later went to helicopters. 20 years later, on occasion, Jim
was my pilot when I was retired from ATC and doing Aerial-Photo as a second career.
- There were also many aircraft that were based in other hangars that spent time in hangar #1 when they were having maintenance done on them, as Gateway and Foothills Av had AME’s that did outside maintenance as well.
JH
I have a correction to make, re-yesterdays story… I just thought of the correction in the middle of last night. The Dornier DO28 Geo Kelly flew was not owned by Flint Eng. It was owned by FINA Oil and the registration was CF-INA. I should have remembered that, it was my wife’s first name, Ina.
JH
@@jimhall1864 Howdy and thanks for the reply. FINA that's the one, Magcobar and FINA, Whew I can sleep tonight. Positive rate......gear up! Traveling.
Thank you so much for this insight! There seems to be a plethora of the history of Calgary's main areas available online, but not so much of specific areas or businesses that aren't as populated with enough information. There might be a few photos (as you indicated in the video), but without enough context, it's hard to fully grasp the photo's contents. This is why I appreciate you commentating on these pictures, and giving a history that's going to be difficult to track down. Calgary is my home city, but I'm far away from it, so I can't even attempt a visit to the Glenbow Museum in person to find information that they don't have on the internet. 👍👍
DJ...Thank you very much for the positive comment. Because of your interest it encourages me to continue with many more historical slideshow video’s.
Of all my over 5K negs and slides of southern Alberta and southern BC over a 14 year period that I donated to the Calgary Glenbow Museum, which are now on file and displayed at the University of Calgary Campus, I have a personal experience of and can add my short story. With my future videos I will endeavour to provide a little more of my story information with each photo of the site, but only enough to keep the viewers attention and not boredom.
Unfortunately the Glenbow Museum and the U of Calgary do not have the staff, time or the volunteers to put stories to my thousands of images. Because of my having personal and hands on knowledge of these historical sites I thought I would add a short blurb of information and display them on RUclips.
I will then make Glenbow and U of Calgary aware of these informative videos of mine and hopefully they can transfer my info and image to their own in-depth story of the site.
Please take note that in my understanding, the Glenbow U of Calgary, provides access to all my images to the public for viewing. Through prior arrangement they will also accommodate group sessions to attend on site viewing of my images in a theatre setting.
I am presently working on a couple dozen aerial photos of all the Olympic Venues I shot of the before, during and after, the “Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games” for my RUclips channel.
Thanks again for your interest.
Cheers, Jim.
This is amazing. Thank you for giving us this amazing piece of history. I also want to ask; Didn't Tower #4 have a major fire from it back in the early 2000s? Causing it to go out of service?
Hi YYC Filmer.
Not Tower #4, but I can see where the confusion may exist.
There was no way out if there was a fire so Tower #4 was built with fire prevention in mind. I took the grand tour not long after it was built and the only thing that would burn there was the toilet paper.
Now Tower #3 was a fire waiting to happen. It was constructed of steel girders and all exterior levels were covered in Ply-Wood then painted blue and white as you see in the photos. All levels were exposed steel with no interior walls and I can’t remember seeing any insulation.
Now where you might be getting the #4 is, of the first 5 hangars built during WW2. Number 5 hangar burned first. Then, if my memory serves me correctly, #3 hangar was the next to burn down. Then # 2 hangar burned. So up to now that means 3 hangars burned down, (#’s 5-3-2).
The 4th hangar, (out of the initial 5 built), to burn down was #1 hangar. The #1 hangar was the hangar with the first ATC Tower on it and this was the 4th hangar to burn down. So this may answer your question.
The day #4 burned I had a C-206 aircraft parked outside #4 hangar. I had just left the airport and received a phone call from Executive Flight Centre hangar, which was across the taxiway. They informed me that when they fist saw the fire start one of their employees jumped on a Tug, rushed across the ramp and my aircraft was the first they towed away from the fire before everything else was destroyed.
I worked on the airport when Hangar #'s - 1-2-3-5 burned down.
JH
@@jimhall1864 ah yeah that makes sense! Thank you for this info amazing content!
Your correct Julio. I wasn’t aware of that.
I agree with your suggestion and we will name it Terminal Tower #3.1. You never know when tower #3.1 will have to be used again and it now has a Title number.
JH
Nice video, but please don't use "your". Thanks
Do you still have the Pentax 6x7? I still use Mamiya RB67 to shoot 6x7 negatives today. I was happy to find your photos of Oakridge from the 70's.
When the first consumer digital camera came out I sold the Pentax 6x7, when I retired from aerial photo. But nostalgia set in and I did keep and still have my Leica R4 35mm with lenses, if I decide to try film again.
At present I use the latest iPhone and update to the next model whenever they update the camera.
I did most of the Calgary subdivisions. Contact U of Calgary / Glenbow and they will arrange for you to view over 5K of my negs thumbnails.
@@jimhall1864 I would love to see the negs at higher resolutions than the ones available to see online. Those 6x7 shots need to be taken full advantage of. This one of the reasons why I still shoot them today, even my modern Canon digitals cannot remotely compare.
@@goldenhourkodak Conner… there are 1400 of them up on the “ glenbow.ucalgary.ca “, (digital collection) website. As you can see they have not been scanned or Colour-Cast corrected. They have all been scanned by volunteers that have done the best they could. Without volunteers museums as we know them wouldn’t be available.
There are another 4K negs and slides of mine sitting in their climate controlled vaults for storage to preserve the negs. They could only accommodate 1400 of them up on their website at the time.
The story I heard, they updated their photo technology machinery to the latest and greatest and there was no space at the downtown Glenbow, so they assigned a specific building on the U of Calgary Campus that had the space to store and display these images that were donated.
From what I understand, now in their new building at the U of Calgary campus, if visitors contact the U of C and arrange a single or group visit with a prearranged site location of what and where they want to see, they will set up all the negs and slides and now with this new updated fancy machinery they can magnify, sharpen and colour correct these images to a theatre size screen for viewing.
My favourite neg film for aerial was Fuji 120, NSP-160ASA, as it favoured blue and green and would highlight the blue in the sky and green of the foliage below. I seldom used Kodak neg-film that favoured red and yellows.
For 35mm slide positive film I used Fuji for aerials. I always used Kodak Kodachrome 64asa slide film for most all photos on the ground.
Just after a shoot I would inspect the negs with a photographers-loop (google-it) and at 1K feet above the ground I could distinguish the colour of shirt and pants the person on the ground was wearing and extremely sharp.
When I did these aerial photo images throughout the 1980’s into the early 1990’s I did the flying and shooting, if I was over a populated area I was at least 1K feet above the the ground, (or buildings) as required in the air-regs. Depending on the size of the area to be included in the photo required for subdivision development, I would shoot up to altitudes of 10K feet above ground level. All the low level aerial photos I did was with a pilot and out of a helicopter.
I still have scanned digital copies of all my negs and slides that I donated to the museum.
My plan over the next few months is to make Contact-Sheets sheets of these images that are not on the UofCalgary website and display them on my website… sites.google.com/view/jimhallsphotosite/home ….. (on the Photos - Link).
Any questions on the above… contact me at … jimrhall1@gmail.com
At 17:42 of the video, it is stated that; “The tower on terminal building #3 was never used as an air traffic control tower.” This is not correct! That tower on top of Terminal building #3 was in fact used for air traffic control purposes for a very short time while the blue and white Control Tower #3 was being renovated. To the best of my recollection, this took place over a two week period during Christmas 1980 / New Years 1981. We had to get out of Tower #3 temporarily while asbestos was removed; Ceiling panels, interior lighting, heating / cooling upgrades, and new consoles were then installed. The tower cab on top of the terminal building was not ideal for air traffic control purposes, as it was nowhere near tall enough to see the runways and taxiways at the south end of the airport properly. As far as your tower numbering system Jim; Does this tower now become #3.1?
Glen Gross. (Julio)