Weather forces large Alaska-bound cargo plane to land in Whitehorse
CBC
Whitehorse residents passing the airport on Boxing Day afternoon may have noticed a large and unusual visitor.
This was a Western Global cargo aircraft that was forced to divert from its route to Alaska due to poor weather and land at the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport.
Simon Blakesley is an aviation photographer who was about to go for his annual Boxing Day walk around 1 p.m., when he heard the aircraft would be arriving on a radio scanner.
"I heard the Western Global call ... on the airport tower frequency, which, Western Global? I don't think they've ever come to Whitehorse before for any reason," he said. "So that just made my ears prick, that 'why would a Western Global freighter aircraft like that be talking to our control tower?' "
Western Global Airlines is a Florida-based air cargo transportation service.
Blakesley said once he realized the plane would be landing, he grabbed his camera gear — which he always keeps close — and headed straight to the airport. He said he missed the landing, but arrived in time to take some photos of the aircraft on the tarmac.
"It is one of the biggest that I've seen here," Blakesley said of the cargo plane.
Nigel Cripps, the airport manager, said Nav Canada was notified of the arrival about 30 minutes before the aircraft landed.
The cargo aircraft, known as McDonnell Douglas MD-11, was traveling from Seoul to Anchorage, Alaska.
Cripps said bad weather around Alaska meant it needed a different place to land.
As the aircraft was arriving internationally, Cripps notified border services. He said Air North ramp staff then assisted the arriving airplane with its landing.
As Whitehorse is on a popular flight path, Cripps said these types of situations can happen every few years.
"Generally as an airport, we're well equipped to handle most situations," he said.
The international status of the airport has added benefits for pilots who find themselves in any sort of emergency situation in the North, as it has a large runway that can accommodate bigger aircrafts — like the Western Global one.
Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney says he'd run a deficit to 'invest and grow' Canada's economy
Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney confirmed Sunday that a federal government led by him would run a deficit "to invest and grow" Canada's economy, but it would also balance its operational spending over the next three years.
The St. Anthony, N.L., Boys and Girls club is "starting to dream about what's possible to make the community even stronger" after its building was destroyed by a fire, said national CEO Owen Charters.
Groundhog Day: The Musical, based on the 1993 Bill Murray film, is having its Canadian premiere in Sudbury., following stints in London and New York.
A vacant north-end Halifax building that was previously described as an "immediate safety risk" by a fire inspector caught fire early Sunday.
This is part of a series called Ann's Eye, featuring the work of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey content creator. You can see more Ann's Eye pieces by clicking here.
Olivier Soumis's green canvas tent sits in the middle of the frozen St. Lawrence River, providing a stark pop of colour against the muted tones of the snow and the open water in the distance.
A debate over how to adjudicate Treaty 4 rights was at the core of a federal court hearing in Manitoba this week.
Kael Flynn is the scion of a Saskatoon fashion dynasty, but the 22-year-old is more concerned with perfecting his curveball than selling suits.
The Regina Humane Society celebrated its first year in its new building on Saturday.
Beekeepers in Alberta's Peace region are watching nervously as the threat of a trade war looms.
In a world of shrinking margins and shuttered breweries, the last thing the craft beer industry in British Columbia needs is a tariff pushing up the price of the humble beer can.
Hamilton and the surrounding area is under a winter storm warning as up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected to accumulate Sunday, says Environment Canada.
With snow hammering Toronto overnight Saturday, Environment Canada is warning that the heaviest snowfall is still to come and travel conditions could "rapidly deteriorate" Sunday morning.