Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse.

A380 cold weather trials at Iqaluit (YFB) February 2006.

(Source: blog by Larry Milberry, www.canavbooks.wordpress.com)

Early in 2006 John Graham, the airport manager at Iqaluit, gave me a heads-up that an A380 was coming to town for cold weather trials. This sounded like a great opportunity, so I organized a trip north from Ottawa on a First Air 737 for February 3, 2006.

The A380 was due on February 6, 2006, so I had time to cover some other aviation. On February 4, 2006, for example, I went over to Resolute Bay and back on a First Air 748. Next day I spent around town and the airport, then February 6, 2006 dawned as a fine, clear day.

John gave me the A380’s ETA, so I had time to set up at the arrival end of the runway. Here’s one of the shots I took as the mighty A380 (call sign “AIB501”) was about to touch down. This was the first ever A380 landing in “The New World”. 

The aircraft was F-WWDD sn004 (the 4th A380, now in a museum in France). Some cold soaking was conducted with “WDD” parked off the main ramp; see photo of it with the Lynden Air Cargo L.100 Hercules.

Does this look cold enough for you? “WDD” also made 1 or 2 test flights that week. In the other photos, “WDD” looms across the snow-covered ramp as a First Air BAe748 and ATR-42 await their next trips. Finally, a scene with “WDD” being de-iced for a test flight. 

After another wonderful Arctic trip, I finally got back to Toronto on February 13, 2006.