I had an unexpected opportunity this past weekend to get down to Toronto Pearson International Airport to take a look at some planes landing, something I hadn’t had a chance to do in some time. The excuse list is long and mostly ligit. Weather, unreliable vehicle, a two year old’s love of trains, life, etc…
Instead of the usual, popular spots, I chose to sit a little away from the airport. Down Dixon Road, not quite to the cheapest Park ‘N Fly lot and the 401, there is a bundle of fast food in a strip mall. Attached to a tiny drive-thru only coffee shop (the name I no longer mention but it’s named after a hockey player who died in a single car crash while intoxicated) is an large, unused parking lot.
This is a great spot to grab a lunch, watch some planes and even possibly see some shady goin’s-on. In not much longer than it took for a two year old to eat a burger and fries from Harvey’s, I caught 14 airliners on film. See below for images and details. Also, note that all 14 will be put into our Airliner Directory with additional images.
Westjet Boeing 737-700
You will never, never, ever avoid seeing a WestJet Boeing 737 landing or taking off from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Oddly, this was the only one out of the 14 I saw that did belong to WestJet.
With the registration number C-GWJO, this Boeing 737-7CT was inbound from Vancouver, British Columbia (YVR). Note the registration on the underside of the wing. Airlines hadn’t been doing that for a time but a good percentage of planes I saw on this day had the numbers in the old-timey spot. Certainly makes it easier for plane junkies.
Air Canada Express CRJ-200
An Air Canada Express Canadair CRJ-200 inbound from Atlanta, Georgia -ATL. The registration number is C-GGJA but was not located on the underside of the wing.
Air Canada Jazz Bombardier Dash 8
C-GONW – Air Canada Jazz Bombardier Dash 8 Q100 inbound from Timmins, Ontario (YTS). This was the only plane that passed over to the left of us instead of to the right. It was also the only one of the 14 that had propellers.
Air Transat Boeing 737-800
F-GZHD – A Boeing 737-8K2 belonging to Air Transat inbound from Orlando, Florida (MCO). This is a plane I hope to be on in the near future, although hopefully going somewhere a little farther south than Florida. Officially, the airline is Transavia France.
Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190AR
Inbound from St. John’s, Newfoundland (YYT), this Air Canada plane is an Embraer EMB-190AR with the registration number C-FHJT.
Air Canada Airbus A320
Slightly behind the competitor, this Air Canada Airbus A320 (C-FXCD) is inbound from Vancouver, British Columbia (YVR), the same as the WestJet 737 in the first image above.
Sunwing Boeing 737-800
This is a pretty plane with a bit of a story. Belonging to Sunwing Airlines, you would expect that this Boeing 737-8Q8 (C-GVVH) is inbound from sunny southern resort destination. Well, that’s sort of right. It had dropped off sun seekers in the Caribbean but spent a couple nights in Ohio on the way home.
On January 29, this Sunwing 737 stopped at Wilmington, Ohio (ILN), an airport somewhere northeast of Cincinnati. The airport is a former hub for DHL and is now in limbo. It turns out that Sunwing is getting their planes upgraded there with Split Scimitar Winglets that are to help with fuel efficiency.
Afraid of flying? You might want to check out this book by Captain Tom Bunn. Soar: The Breakthrough Treatment For Fear Of Flying is the leading resource to help people overcome their fears and get on the plane.
We will be covering Soar and Captain Tom in an upcoming article. The basic premise of his teachings is that knowledge is king. Among other things, I believe that the simple act of sitting in a parking lot and watching plane after plane land safely can help. Seeing first hand the great number of planes that land safely despite the varying weather conditions and knowing how rare an incident is can only increase confidence.
Stay tuned for more on Soar. If you want to order the book, we’d be grateful if you ordered through Amazon. Right next to you is an affiliate link that will take you directly to the product on Amazon (where you can read reviews from previous readers) and will earn us a small amount of money if you buy the book – money that will go to keeping this website alive. Thanks in advance!
However, according to everything I read, this plane does not have those winglets installed yet. As for the pretty paint job, it’s an image of Los Cabos, Mexico. Above the cabin windows, out of the picture, it reads ‘Los Cabos – Ready As Ever’.
Air Canada Boeing 767
C-GHOZ – Air Canada Boeing 767. One of three of the 14 inbound from Europe. This plane started out in Milan, Italy (MXP).
Air Canada Express Bombardier CRJ-700
C-FKJZ – Air Canada Express Canadair CRJ-700 inbound from Minneapolis, Minnesota (MSP).
Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Part of what I feel is the triple crown of commercial planespotting in North America. Along with the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is a treat to watch. This one (C-GHPQ) belongs to Air Canada and was arriving from Paris, France (CDG).
Air Canada Airbus A321
Folks coming back from their Caribbean cruise. This Air Canada Airbus A321 (C-GITU) was returning from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (FLL).
United Express Embraer ERJ-145LR
I’m pretty sure it was this plane – it wasn’t caught in a crosswind but it sure looked like it for a bit. The passengers had to be wondering what was going on as this plane tipped it wings pretty hard in both directions just before passing over us.
This is an Embraer ERJ-145LR (N15983) belonging to United Express and is inbound from Newark, New Jersey (EWR).
Austrian Airlines Boeing 767
OE-LAW – A Boeing 767 belonging to Austrian Airlines and inbound from Vienna, Austria (VIE). It says ‘China’ below the cockpit window and ‘operated by Tyrolean’ between the front two passenger door.
Air Canada Express Embraer ERJ-170
C-FEKI – Air Canada Express Embraer ERJ-170SU inbound from Washington, DC (DCA).
