Gimli Glider - Air Canada FIN 604 memorabilia parts prepared for display at Gimli Museum(submitted by Tony Walsh)Below are sequential photos of the 3-window fuselage panel off Fin 604 at Mojave MHV that was display-finished to our specs by a third-party aviation display company in Illinois, our only source in conjunction with the current aircraft-parts salvager owners of Fin 604 and other AC B767-233s at Mojave that have been parted out and the only few remaining to be cut-up for alloy recycle, Fin 604 among them. This 3-window fuselage panel arrived at Gimli on August 11, 2015 to local admiration about the quality of the finishing work and celebrations of the return to Gimli (for a second time) of a touchable part of 604 to be held for a future Gimli Glider Museum or display in Gimli. This museum will commemorate not a negative event, but a safe, successful and inspiring landing at Gimli despite the extreme circumstance, attributed primarily to Flt. 143’s crew superb skills and indirectly to Air Canada’s flight and cockpit management training and company culture. Please click on the thumbnails below for larger images. More news and further developments are coming regarding this project and a special web page is being built to present this project properly with more photos and information.
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| The display finished 3-window fuselage panel from Fin 604 was shown to the municipal officers and staff on its arrival Aug. 11 and to the people of Gimli on Sunday / Aug 16, 2015. It was received with enthusiasm and emotion. In this photo I received from the project leader in Gimli, are RC aircraft model pilots attending the Gimli Model Airplane Festival, who insisted on touching it and having a group photo with this actual piece of the Gimli Glider. A similar reception occurred everywhere the fuselage panel went. One resident said that the hair stood up on his neck and arms when he touched this real piece of Fin 604, on its second Gimli arrival 34 years later.” | |||||||||
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We'd like to thank Tony Walsh who was instrumental in making this happen and provided the photos above. Although he is a Delta, BC resident and does not live near Gimli, he states - “I am motivated to help the people of Gimli in this endeavor in memory of the late Rick Dion – Air Canada AME and close friend who as most of you know was on board Flight AC143 on July 23,1983 and in the cockpit for most of the glide to Gimli.” Tony Walsh / Retired AC – Mgr – Airport Operations Services – Western North America & Pacific Rim – YVR based |
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If you would like to support this endeaver, then please send a cheque marked GIMLI GLIDER FUND to the address below. You’ll receive tax receipt in mail later from the Rural Municipality of Gimli: RM of Gimli, Tel: (204) 642-6650 (# needed if sending express) Anthony Walsh will be keeping a tally of donators, and there will be a posted list of donors at the future Gimli glider pavilion, so please advise amount when you send off the cheque. Anthony Walsh |
