Standing under planes as they land is pretty much the best thing ever invented!!!!!!!!

And where do you get to see a plane merely 50 feet above your head? The parking lot of the Petro Canada on Airport Rd. is right in line with planes landing and taking off on Pearson’s North East/West Runway. It’s a great way to spend a lazy, sunny afternoon.

I’ve been in love with the Concorde since I was a kid. Yesterday was its 40th birthday. To me, the Concorde is the perfect example of 20th Century technological innovation.

However, it is the unfortunate loser of a critical fight for control of the skies. Boeing wanted to fly slower but fly more people with their 747. Aérospatiale and British Aircraft Corporation (with a ton of financial help from their respective governments) wanted to fly fewer but fly faster. Guess who won?

Check out this awesome site simply named Concorde Key Events for a nice listing of historic Concorde moments.

While with a client up at Pearson International Airport the other day I was lucking enough to watch an Antonov An-124 take off from the north runway from about as close as a spectator could safely get.

Big machines are so rad.

The Labour Day weekend is probably one of my favourite weekends of the year. I can’t help but look forward to it, even if it means that it’s the unofficial end of summer.

The weekend usually consists of a round of golf, a few BBQs, a trip to the Ex and, my personal highlight, the Canadian International Airshow. This year I caught the Sunday and Monday shows as well as Friday’s practice routines which are always a treat because the pilots will generally push the limits both height and speed wise.

Highlights of this year’s slow included:

- A Spitfire (My favourite plane)
- CF 18
- F 16
- The Ministry Of Natural Resource Water Bombers and Eurocopter (Amazing, bring them back next year!)
- Mike Wiskus (Please don’t turn your engine off anymore, it gives me a heart attack everytime you do it)
- The Snowbirds (Always fun)

I have to admit, I nerded out hard at the Airshow this year.

Next show, The Dubai Airshow. Or, if I can find time make it, The San Diego Airshow.