Time for another silly little post and here it’s a few random photos captured at the Red Deer Airport in Central Alberta. We came to document a vintage transit bus (teaser photo below) but in the end, found the background to our subject so interesting that we kept on shooting after it was gone. Turns out “YQF” is a hot spot for strange old planes and amazingly many of them still work for a living. It’s no museum!
Evening is upon us and it’s old metal…with wings.
Forest fires raging across Western Canada and the US made for the extreme smoky conditions seen. There in the sky it’s an eerie orange glow with the sun a little ball of fire and it’s as though a nuclear apocalypse is upon us. Later that weekend it cleared up, but here it was like being on set of Mad Men. Poor Connie and her asthma.
Smoky Times @ Red Deer Airport – random stuff under strange skies. With Chris Doering and Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)
This article was made possible by a gift from (our own) “Johanna (Connie) Biggart” and for that, we send her love ‘n’ thanks. Do the same…
Before anything else: Red Deer Regional (YQF), was once part of a military base (RCAF Station Penhold, later CFB Penhold) and is located south of the city near (you guessed it) Penhold. There’s no scheduled flights utilizing the facility although in the past there were, so mainly you’ll see personal aircraft flying out of here.
Scroll down for photos and to comment.
Still, there’s a couple charter/contract firms based at the airport and they got some some big, old stuff that’s super interesting. At Buffalo Airway’s maintenance centre, there’s an eclectic mix of aircraft, including World War Two era Douglas DC-3s for cargo use, plus Canadair CL-215s in the role of water-bomber.
Buffalo also has vintage Lockheed L-188 Electras, some equipped with tanks for firefighting and others outfitted as freighters. When built in the late 1950s/early-1960s period these were passenger liners. A number of non-flying examples are seen on the apron and these get scavenged for parts to keep others in the air. One Electra sits inside the hanger – well partially – with the tail section too tall to fit and sticking out.
Buffalo Airways famously appeared in the TV series Ice Pilots NWT.
A smaller Aero Commander functions as a spotter (bird dog) during forest fires and is one of the “newer” aircraft seen in these photos (so from the ’70-’80s period!). Its job is to get close to the action and orchestrate the water drops.
Air Spray, who’s business is aerial firefighting, is a couple buildings down from Buffalo and also operates Lockheed Electras. With their protruding belly tanks, a number can be seen in the background in the one photo. Interestingly almost all the Electras still flying today, and that’s in the entire world, are based out of Red Deer Airport.
A Piper from the late 1960s is also in that same scene. Yes, there’s quite the collection here.
Mounted at the entrance to the air terminal, it’s a Harvard from the 1950s. This one was built at a factory in Ontario and has been hanging around Red Deer since at least the 1960s. That same factory, incidentally, produced the old buses seen here: A Tour of Sandon BC.
Made by the thousands (US and Canada) from the late 1930s and into the mid-1950s, the Harvard was a well regarded training aircraft.
The strange looking satellite dish thingy (a technical term) comes from the Penhold radar base that was once located about twenty minutes to the east. A product of the Cold War this antenna would have sat inside a protective dome and as part of the Pinetree Line network, was entrusted to watch the skies for enemy (so Soviet) aircraft and missiles.
Radar Domes? Cold War? Curious? Take a look at last extant Pine Tree Line installation to know more. But with that comes a warning that it’s a deep rabbit hole: Canadian Civil Defence Museum’s Alsask Dome.
Both the Harvard and the radar unit belong to the Harvard Historical Aviation Society.
Reluctantly the road calls and it’s time to go. Ahead it’s a busy weekend documenting all manner of historic things, including this place: Rocky Mountain House Historic Site. Stay tuned for the article on that bus as well…it’s old, it’s ex-Calgary Transit, it’s mean and it’s green (yes green)! Oh, and it was AWESOME!
Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: contact us!
Date of Adventure: September, 2020. Location: Red Deer Airport (YQF) @ Springbrook Alberta near Penhold. Article references and thanks: Red Deer Regional Airport, Canadian Civil Defence Museum, Harvard Historical Aviation Society, Buffalo Airways, Air Spray and finally AirLiners.net.
We used to do something called the "pointless challenge" 🤪 and miss those days. It was so much silly fun and often frustrating as heck. In these we'd invite people to send in random photos of obscure locations, but not give any information, and then we'd track where it was and shoot something similar.
Most of these came from old family collections, as was the case here. Anyone up to resurrecting the series?
In hindsight, why didn't we pose someone in our shot?
Pointless: “Devoid of meaning (or) senseless” Merriam-Webster.
If you like what we do and want to support this ongoing project (12 years now), go here: https://www.BIGDoer.com/help-the-society/ Thanks to Connie for making this post possible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: ca1970 and 2014. Posted by Connie.
Captured on a cold, cold day many years ago. We've been passing this old house for decades and it's little changed in that time. At some point we expect to drive by and it'll be gone.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
When retired old railway cars usually get cut up for scrap. Sometimes, however, they find their way into the hands of the general public or whomever. Flat cars make good bridges, and boxcars can be transformed into storage buildings and the like. Case in point here. We see them used like this often enough and in this case, it's part of a corral.
Incidentally, this boxcar dates from 1950 and this was found by tracing the old road number, which is still visible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
This central Alberta racetrack was never a commercial operation but instead just a fun place for car enthusiasts in the area to get together. Early '70s or thereabouts and it only lasted a few years. Even thought it's been abandoned for that long, there is no doubt what was here.
You know we like the the obscure stuff and this one fits the bill perfectly. Found by accident while backroad cruising and the history comes thanks to local car guy Mike.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
On top of little Myrtle Mountain in the Kimberley (BC) Nature Park.
There's some good wilderness fun to be had here and nice views as you can see, but the real reason we came is mining history. The whole area near the ski hill was extensively worked over a century ago and we were looking for evidence of this. We didn't find much in the area searched, but it's a big chunk of property and we hope to return to cover more ground again soon. Of all the subjects we cover, mining related is a favourite.
Still, it was a good hike and that can't be bad. Look to the comments for more info 👇.
Exploring nature and history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
It's a strange curiosity in south Kananaskis, there on a hillside and we have no idea who created it. We asked around and no one's completely sure about its history. In the past it showed the Canada 100 logo from 1967 but in 2017 someone changed it to reflect the country's 150th.
That's our friend Emily from DanOCan.com having a look.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
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So fascinating!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Very interesting story.
Appreciate it!
Awesome
Thumbs up!
Neat!
Short but sweet.
Love it!
Glad to hear.
Nice photos!
Thank you!
Cool!
I know!
Awesome finds!
Thank you sir!
The stories those old planes could tell….
I bet they’ve seen some action!
Only a few miles from my home
Oh yeah!
Yeah!