September 28, 2022:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I went downstairs for breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. Today I would be exploring Gander. There were no buses that I knew of and I didn’t rent a car so I would be on foot. I set out for the North Atlantic Aviation Museum.

 

            I took some back roads as a short cut. I stopped in front of Gander Town Hall as there were signs from “Come from Away”. There was also some steel from the World Trade Center on display. Newfoundland is the only place outside the United States to get steel from the World Trade Center. I took some photos.

 

 

 

This is a piece of steel from the World Trade Center.

 

 

            I kept walking and found myself by the main highway. I photographed a sign reading Gander.

 

 

            At least one other place in Newfoundland has its name on a sign. There is actually a town called Dildo. (Yes, there really is!) A major celebrity actually had a sign made for Dildo in the style of the famous Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles. Maybe it’s good that Gander had the large airport and not Dildo! If that was the case, I’m sure the people of Dildo would have been just as welcoming to the “plane people” as the people of Gander, but given Dildo’s name, the crude humor might have overridden the kindness of the locals.

 

            I then got to the North Atlantic Aviation Museum. I photographed a couple planes out front.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then went inside the museum and paid my admission. I photographed some exhibits from the early days of Gander’s airport.

 

 

 

            I then went to an exhibit from the golden era of Gander’s airport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            One exhibit showed that multiple famous people passed through Gander airport. They included Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Jackie Kennedy, Elvis, and John Wayne. Queen Elizabeth the Second also came through Gander in the late 1950s. The Queen had passed away days after my Sault Ste Marie Make Up trip earlier this month.

 

 

 

 

 

            I took some more photos.

 

 

 

            I photographed a DC-3 flight simulator showing an approach to Gander’s airport.

 

 

            I photographed some exhibits from Gander’s roll during World War 2.

 

 

 

 

            I photographed some model airplanes including a 737 belonging to the defunct airline Eastern Provincial Airlines. That airline would ultimately become part of today’s Air Canada.

 

 

 

 

            During the Cold War, Russian airlines also stopped at Gander to refuel on their way to Cuba. Even Fidel Castro came though Gander.

 

 

 

 

 

            I photographed a few more exhibits.

 

 

 

 

            I got to the exhibit about Gander’s roll following the September 11 terrorist attacks. There was one part where you could listen to air traffic control discussions on that day.

 

 

 

 

            I photographed a model of a Lufthansa Airbus A340. A Lufthansa Airbus A340 was one of the 38 planes diverted to Gander on September 11.

 

 

 

Here’s a real Lufthansa A340 as seen in 2019 in Detroit.

 

            I then photographed some more exhibits.

 

 

These views show how crowded Gander’s airport was following 9-11.

 

 

            Another plane diverted to Gander was an American Airlines Boeing 777 flying from Paris to Dallas. The plane was being piloted by Beverly Bass. Beverly was American’s first female pilot. Her life story was mentioned in “Come from Away”. I photographed some exhibits based on Beverly and her flight.

 

 

 

 

 

            In a documentary I watched, when Beverly had learned about the US Airspace was closed; she knew she would be landing in Canada. She determined her plane had the fuel to make it to Edmonton and asked to fly to Edmonton. She was denied and told to land in Gander. She did have to dump fuel though to reduce landing weight.

 

            I then photographed some more exhibits.

 

 

 

            I then photographed a biplane on display in the museum.

 

 

            Gander has had its own share of aviation crashes. The most recent fatal crash was in December of 1985 when an Arrow Air DC-8 carrying US military members from Egypt crashed shortly after take off killing all on board. The accident was ruled as an accident caused by snow and ice on the wings, but many people believe it was an act of sabotage.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then went to the museum gift shop. I bought a couple postcards showing the airport following 9-11 with all the planes parked on the tarmac spilling out onto a runway. I also took some photos.

 

 

 

This postcard shows all the planes at Gander Airport following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

 

            I then went outside and photographed the planes outside. I also photographed some airport equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then left the museum. I walked to a nearby store and bought a sweater and some candy. I then bought a Pepsi from a gas station across the street. I then walked back to my hotel. I went online for a few minutes. I then left and stopped at a candy store near my hotel. I then walked on past the local Wal-Mart.

 

            I had lunch at Rosie’s Restaurant. Beverly Bass the pilot had been photographed out front of the restaurant as well as some of the producers of “Come from Away”. I took some photos.

 

 

 

 

            I went to Xheight Zone, an indoor trampoline park. I figured after the trampoline park I went to in Sudbury, I’d check this one out. I photographed the building before I went in.

 

 

            I paid admission and went in. Their debit machine wasn’t working so I paid cash. This trampoline park was smaller than the one I went to in Sudbury and had much less things. I still had fun and I took a couple photos.

 

 

 

            I soon left the park. On my way back, I photographed a highway coach.

 

 

            I then looked inside the mall near my hotel but didn’t go in any stores. There wasn’t a food court there as well. I guess with several restaurants outside, it wasn’t necessary. I then kept walking and found another mall. I photographed a mural that seemed to depict Gander’s airport with all the diverted planes on the tarmac.

 

 

            This other mall didn’t have a food court. I left and photographed what looked like a statue of an airplane.

 

 

 

            I then headed back to my hotel. I watched Survivor. I also worked on this report and booked a cab to the airport tomorrow. I then went to Harvey’s for dinner. After dinner I returned to my hotel. I eventually set the alarm on my phone and called it a night.

 

Click to read about my flight home:             End of trip