Vignettes


Precision Navigation
In the early 21st century navigating from one part of the earth to another can be as simple as entering a few numbers into a computer device and following the simple directions provided by it. In the early 20th century it wasn’t that simple.

Home Built
Born on Forest Road, St. John’s in 1905, Ches Mills was perfectly positioned by the 1920s to see and participate in the burgeoning aviation scene. Several early flyers kept their airplanes at nearby Quidi Vidi Lake, there being no established airport at the time.

Newfoundland’s first female pilot
One of Phyllis Penney’s fondest memories was that of a school holiday given immediately, when news was received of an aeroplane landing. The children were all permitted to run, walk or be driven to the airport to join in

The Newfoundland Aero Club
1938 and a bored but determined young man hoped a future in the skies would lift him out of the poverty of Depression era Newfoundland. With a group of kike-minded friends and sponsorship …

Gander’s Transatlantic History
Gander. The name is known to virtually anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of aviation. Built just prior to the outbreak of World War Two, the site became, at one time, the largest …

Eric Blackwood’s “Bush” Airline
In 1949 Newfoundland businessman and pilot named Eric Blackwood conceived an airline to serve some of the remotest parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. Starting as a so-called “Bush” …

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