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Archive Photos of the Day: Biplanes

Comments 4 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Vancouver is spectacular from almost any angle but I really love getting above it all when I’m taking a seaplane flight, helicopter ride, or am fortunate to do a ride-along with a traffic plane. There’s quite a bit of aviation history here in BC, as you can find in the Canadian Museum of Flight and just across the border at the Heritage Flight Museum in Bellingham. Today I found some aerial gems featuring biplanes thanks to the City of Vancouver Archives:

Archive Photos of the Day: Biplanes


1912. Wright biplane in Hastings Park. Archives# Air P47. Photograph concerns the first parachute drop from an aeroplane in Canada by “Professor” Charles Saunders.


1919. First international mail flight from Vancouver to Seattle. W.E. Boeing of Seattle leaving Vancouver. Archives# Trans P44. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.


1940. A Supermarine built “Walrus” seaplane in flight. Archives# CVA 371-356. J. Howard A. Chapman Commercial Photographer.


Between 1940 and 1948. Biplane over the Lions Gate Bridge. Archives# CVA 1376-712.


1937. Biplane of the Lions peaks. Archives# CVA 1376-713.


Between 1940 and 1948. Biplane boat stationed at Jericho. Archives# CVA 677-380. Photographer: Philip T. Timms.

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4 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

  1. RandallWednesday, January 15th, 2014 — 1:27pm PST

    RE: 940. A Supermarine built “Walrus” seaplane in flight.
    Er, are my eyes deceiving me me or is that a person perched on the plane’s upper wing?

  2. MikeFriday, January 17th, 2014 — 6:56pm PST

    The Walrus seaplane is not in flight. The picture appears to have been taken from the deck of a ship and the plane is in the process of being lifted by crane, by a cable, which the fellow on the top wing is hanging on to. Many of these old seaplanes could be deployed from a ship. Perhaps they are lifting the plane by crane onto the ship or lowering it from the ship to the water.

  3. MikeFriday, January 17th, 2014 — 6:57pm PST

    I forgot to mention – terrific photos!

  4. Bruce RamsayTuesday, June 3rd, 2014 — 5:53am PDT

    You’re absolutely right of course Mike. The Walrus (aka Albatross in the RN) was planned as an artillery spotter for capital ships. Although it wasn’t used much in that role once radar was developed it found a (WWII) use in communications, air-sea rescue and so on.

    I noticed this mistitling a while ago and sent a note to the archives. They don’t seem to have done anything about it.

    wbr

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