That's a lotta airplanes!

NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN BUSHPLANE HERITAGE CENTRE

*************************** Cross Canada Century Flight

Pilots and film crew come to the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre

Pilots from across Canada are answering the call to join a record breaking flight planned for take‐off on July 17, 2009.

91 airplanes and approximately 200 pilots have already signed up for the Cross Canada Century Event, virtually assuring that organizers will reach their 100 airplane target.

These 100 airplanes represent one aircraft per year of flying in Canada.

The flight is believed to be the biggest congregation of aircraft to fly from coast to coast in Canadian history.

The brainchild of pilot and COPA President's Award recipient John Lovelace, the flight will unfold over two weeks in a cross country odyssey from Boundary Bay airport in British Columbia to Sydney and Baddeck, Nova Scotia.

The flight is a non-profit event and it will stop at 14 airports along the way, including eight official stops for celebrations of the 100 year anniversary of flight in Canada.

"As soon as we looked at the logistics of this flight, we could see why a flight this size has never been done before," said Lovelace, who is best known for his television work on the series Wings Over Canada.

"To get 100 airplanes into the air at each leg, will take more than two hours and refueling them will take as much as five hours. Right from the start we knew we could do nothing about the weather but we identified many factors we could control. So we have divided into teams, headed by a committee member to coordinate flight briefings, coordination with government agencies, ground handling, hotel accommodation, security, ground activities and a dozen other things," said Lovelace.

The flight itself is a celebration of 100 years of flight in Canada.

There will be over 40 different airplane types, covering the entire spectrum of general aviation today.

About 150 pilots will be on board, including recreational pilots, bush pilots, flight instructors and even senior airline pilots.

It is expected that there could be twenty thousand spectators attending the open houses at the airports we visit along the way.

In Sault Ste. Marie, there will be an opportunity for the public to view the aircraft on July 22, with the aircraft arriving between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and being parked at the airport for the remainder of the day.

This event will also give the participating airports an opportunity to wrap their centennial celebrations around the draw of a national event.

Several organizations are already planning events and displays to coincide with our visit including Boundary Bay, Calgary, Brampton, Fredericton, Sydney and Baddeck.

It is difficult to image the overall scale of a flight of 100 airplanes.

If someone was standing on the ground during the flight it would take more than two hours for the planes to cross overhead.

When parked at an airfield wing-tip to wing-tip, the airplanes would form a line one kilometer long.

Just the billeting alone of 250 pilots, family and friends, support staff and TV and media crews is a huge job, a task that has to be repeated several times.

"It's almost like planning eight conventions in a row," said Lovelace.

Major stop‐overs are planned for eight locations: Delta, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Brandon, Manitoba; Sault St. Marie, Ontario; Brampton, Ontario; Fredericton, New Brunswick; Sydney, Nova Scotia and Baddeck, Nova Scotia. Alternate fueling stopovers are being planned at another seven locations including Kelowna, British Columbia; Regina, Saskatchewan; Kenora, Ontario; Thunder Bay, Ontario; Kingston, Ontario; Gatineau, Quebec and Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Don't worry about missing the live event when it lands at your local airport because it will be coming to your television too.

Two film crews will be documenting this historic event from day one in BC.

Veteran television producer John Lovelace sees the story of the flight, including the people behind the flight and the communities along the way, as a compelling story for television audiences.

He has assembled a television crew from both Toronto and Vancouver, and the entire show will be presented to the backdrop of stunning aerial photography shot from coast to coast.

"I think we will do our part in helping out the economy in this recession," quipped John Lovelace. "Some are saying that the total economic spinoff for the communities could be in the millions of dollars."

Also, Lovelace hopes that the interest and attention towards general aviation will have a positive effect on the communities, as well as the airports across the country for some time after the event.

"I hope it will be a real shot in the arm for the general aviation sector gliding in to the second one hundred years of aviation."

The Canadian Heritage Bushplane Center will be hosting the pilots and their guests for a private reception on July 22.

Pilots wishing to fly in and meet other pilots from across the country are welcome.

Please call 705-945-6242 or email [email protected], so that the Bushplane Museum might help pilots make arrangements.

Special thanks to Tourism Sault Ste. Marie, Banrock Station, Waterfront Inn, National Car Rental, and the Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corp. and Mara Tech Aviation for their support of this event.

Please visit the website www.johnlovelace.com for additional information on the event.

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