News
50 Headline Grabbing Aviation News Stories from 2014

50. Military fighter jet report puts the ball in Ottawa’s court
The ongoing debate over which aircraft will be selected to replace the aging CF-18s is turned up a notch when a new report is released by the Canadian Forces. Is it going to be the F-35 or a completely new option?
Read more…

49. Severe weather causes chaos at Pearson
Canadians have to deal with all kinds of horrible weather in the winter and so do major airports. Winter weather conditions were so bad in Toronto in the first week of January that Canada’s largest airport was forced to temporarily suspend operations due to frigid conditions. The situation caused chaos for travellers and GTAA PR types.
Read more…

48. Bombardier CSeries delivery delays expected
Arguably one of the most important aerospace endeavours in Canadian history suffers a blow, when analysts suggest the vaunted CSeries is headed for delivery delays.
Read more…

47. Tim Jones, North Shore Rescue Team Leader, passes away
B.C.’s North Shore Search and Rescue (SAR) team loses its leader when Tim Jones collapses after a rescue. Jones was instrumental in driving the organization and promoting SAR in Canada.
Read more…

46. Beechcraft marks 50th Anniversary of King Air
The reliable, dependable Beechcraft King Air is a staple in Canada’s aviation landscape and 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the King Air Model 90.
Read more…

45. Boeing reveals “the biggest biofuels breakthrough ever.”
Airlines have been seeking alternate fuels for years, and 2014 saw key advancements in biofuel development.
Read more…

44. New strategy revealed for Canadian military procurements
With a spotty track record at best for recent military procurements in Canada, Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Service, introduced a new procurement strategy to help eliminate some of the snafus.
Read more…

43. London Air Services first Canadian operator of Lear 75
Bombardier’s new Lear 75 has found its first home with B.C.’s London Air Services, opening up new business opportunities for the firm.
Read more…

42. Canada’s new space program aims to inspire: Moore
Canada’s once admired space program has seen better days, and in an attempt to give it a much-needed shot in the arm, the Canadian government announces a renewed commitment to the space race.
Read more…

41. Search continues for missing Malaysia Airlines jet
The saga of Malaysia Airlines MH370 begins, as the Boeing 777 en route to Beijing with 239 people on board, including two Canadians, simply vanishes over the Indian Ocean. The jet is never found, and it becomes the biggest international aviation story of the year.
Read more…

40. TSB report completed in First Air crash
Two and a half years after First Air fight 6560 slammed into a hill in the Arctic, the TSB releases its report. It suggests poor weather played a significant role in the disaster.
Read more…

39. B.C. government, AIAC Pacific to boost B.C. aerospace
In an effort to unite the B.C. aerospace community, the AIAC and the B.C. government join forces to boost the sector in the province.
Read more…

38. Bombardier’s Learjet 85 takes flight
The newest member of Bombardier’s Learjet family blasts into the sky with Captain Ed Grabman at the helm.
Read more…

37. Canada’s northern airlines enter merger discussions
Two of the nation’s largest northern airlines, First Air and Canadian North, announce that they are working to join forces. After several months of discussion, a potential deal fails to materialize.
Read more…

36. A great day for Canadian aerospace: CARIC launches
The highly anticipated Consortium for Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC) is born, with a goal of bringing aerospace researchers from coast to coast and uniting them with industry.
Read more…

35: Are cuts at Transport Canada compromising safety?
An Abacus Data survey on behalf of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association (CFPA) shows some alarming safety trends in the Canadian air space.
Read more…

34. New fuel tax will hurt Ontario’s jobs, economy: IATA
A new fuel tax proposed by Ontario’s provincial government is met with severe criticism from industry players in a variety of sectors.
Read more…

33. Canadian survey aircraft crashes in the Andes: two dead
A twin engine Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft registered to Regina, Sask.-based Oracle Geoscience International crashes in the Andes, killing Peter Moore, the company’s co-founder, and Neville Ribeiro, the plane’s pilot.
Read more…

32. P&WC celebrates 30 years of the PW100 turboprop
Iconic Canadian aerospace leader Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) kicks off its year-long celebration of its iconic PW100 engine.
Read more…

31. Bombardier unveils its Global 7000 mockup at EBACE
The Canadian aerospace giant makes a splash at the show at EBACE with the introduction of its Global 7000 mockup.
Read more…

30. P&WC Canada launches PW307D to power new Falcon 8X
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) continued it’s prowess in engine development by introducing the new PW307D turbofan engine to power the new Dassault Falcon 8X.
Read more…

29. Air Canada celebrates deliver of its first 787 Dreamliner
Canada’s national airline becomes the first airliner in the Great White North to fly the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Read more…

28. Dassault Falcon adds extra long-range 8X to its fleet
French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Falcon added to its impressive business jet offerings with the introduction of the new Falcon 8X.
Read more…

27. First production Cessna CJ3+ rolls off the line
Cessna Aircraft celebrated its first CJ3+ aircraft in production, just months after it was first introduced.
Read more…

26. Air Canada’s Rovinescu named new IATA chairman
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) names Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu chairman of the IATA.
Read more…

25. Bombardier investigating CSeries engine failure
The bad news at Bombardier continued in 2014 as an engine failure in June led to another hitch in the development of the CSeries.
Read more…

24. New report questions validity of F-35 decision
The federal government’s decision to go with the F-35 as a replacement for the aging CF-18s comes into question once again when the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives releases a report that the F-35 is too dangerous for the Canadian military.
Read more…

23. A Father’s Day treat: trotting down the new YYC runway
Families celebrating Father’s Day turned the new runway at YYC into an 11,000-person strong pathway, the perfect way to spend day.
Read more…

22. Souped up Dash 8 helps RCMP capture Bourque
The RCMP has tapped aviation for a number of uses over the years and it was at it again in June, as a souped up Dash-8 helped nab Mountie killer Justin Bourque.
Read more…

21. Cascade seeks injunction against striking workers
A strike at the offices of B.C.’s Cascade Aerospace is taken to a new level when the company seeks an injunction against the striking technicians, clerks and office staff.
Read more…

20. WestJet to cross Atlantic, eyes expansion
WestJet’s expansion into Europe kicked off in June as the Calgary-based carrier expanded to Dublin, Ireland from St. John’s.
Read more…

19. Air Force chopping two Challengers from fleet
The RCAF chopped the size of its executive jet fleet used by the prime minister to free up money for SAR operations.
Read more…

18. F-35A remains grounded following fire
The F-35A was supposed to headline the Farnborough Air Show in the U.K., but instead was grounded after catching fire during takeoff. All F-35 models are grounded shortly thereafter before resuming flights later in the year.
Read more…

17. HondaJet takes to the skis with successful first flight
The much-anticipated (and slow to market) HondaJet achieved its first flight in July, moving it one step closer to production.
Read more…

16. Wings and Helicopters name Top 20 Under 40 winners
Finding top talent in aviation and aerospace is always a challenge, but here are 20 outstanding under 40 up-and-coming leaders who are on the fast track.
Read more…

15. Aspiring airline CanadaJets on capital hunt Fledgling new airline CanadaJets announces plans to raise $10 million and list on the TSX Venture Exchange.
Read more…

14. Boeing forecasts demand to 36,770 planes at $5.2 trillion
Boeing released its current market outlook (CMO) in 2014 and the numbers were staggering: 36,770 planes at $5.2 trillion over the next 20 years.
Read more…

13. Malaysia Airlines flight shot down over Ukraine
In a terrible twist of fate, a second major airline disaster in months strikes Malaysia Airlines as a Boeing 777 – MH17 – is shot down over the Ukraine.
Read more…

12. Bombardier CEO retires amid restructuring
Bombardier president and CEO Guy Hachey announces his retirement in late July amid massive restructuring at the company.
Read more…

11. Bombardier to debut Challenger 350 at LABACE
Bombardier announced that it was debuting its new Challenger 350 business jet at LABACE in Sao Paulo in August.
Read more…

10. CSeries resumes its test flights
The embattled CSeries resumed test flights in September, setting its sights on a 2015 entry-into-service date.
Read more…

9. Wings magazine names top Canadian FBOs
The country’s top FBOs are honoured in our annual FBO survey
Read more…

8. P&WC’s PurePower PW800s to power G500, G600
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) announced at NBAA2014 that it will power the new Gulfstream G500 and G600. Gulfstream announced the new aircraft just prior to the NBAA’s annual tradeshow.
Read more…

7. Sexual images in cockpit worse than Air Canada admits
A female commercial airline pilot says Canadian flight decks are rife with pornography and she spoke out to defend another pilot who was offended by the situation.
Read more…

6. Virgin Galactic setback won’t deter space tourism: experts
The crash of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, while a setback for the space tourism industry, does not stop president and CEO Richard Branson from forging ahead with the program.
Read more…

5. Celebrating 100 years of commercial aviation
Some 100 years ago, commercial aviation was born and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Read more…

4. Air Canada Jazz passengers describe fear of crash landing at Edmonton International
The propeller of an Air Canada Express Q400 rips through the fuselage and seriously injures a passenger during a crash landing at Edmonton International Airport.
Read more…

3. Canada will buy at least four F-35s: Pentagon brief
Back channel discussions reveal that the Canadian government secretly discussed the early delivery of four F-35s to the RCAF.
Read more…

2. Phenom 100 crash: Pilot had history at Maryland airport
Michael Rosenberg, CEO and founder of a North Carolina clinical development company Health Decisions, is among six people killed when the Phenom 100 he is flying crashes into a house in a suburb of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Read more…

1. AirAsia QZ8501: 40 bodies recovered by search teams
The year comes to a deadly end with another major aviation disaster. AirAsia flight QZ8501 goes down off the coast of Borneo with 162 aboard. Despite the accidents in 2014, it remains one of the safest years on record according to the IATA.
Read more…