Gander Airport Historical Society
@gahsyqx.bsky.social
Showing the history of Gander airport. The airport that stated up transatlantic air travel. Visit our website http://www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/
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A town originating from the remains of military bases at WWII’s end, for the startup of transatlantic travel, ‘Gander: The Airport That Became A Town’ telling this story, has just been released & is available at bookstore locations in NL, plus Chapters, & Amazon in soft cover or digital form
Jan 11 1938, Doug Fraser & his Fox Moth VO-ADE at Nfld. (Gander) Airport. Flying by, he dropped in to see how progress was going at this new airport they were building, not knowing he would be flying the first airplane to land here. ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_thirty...
November 12, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Jan 11 1938, Doug Fraser & his Fox Moth VO-ADE at Nfld. (Gander) Airport. Flying by, he dropped in to see how progress was going at this new airport they were building, not knowing he would be flying the first airplane to land here. ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_thirty...
Gander War Grave Cemetery is the only CWGC in North America & probably the smallest with 100 war graves. Every Nov 11 a Remembrance Day ceremony is held at this cemetery. To view cemetery info ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Wa....
November 10, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Gander War Grave Cemetery is the only CWGC in North America & probably the smallest with 100 war graves. Every Nov 11 a Remembrance Day ceremony is held at this cemetery. To view cemetery info ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Wa....
The coffee counter in the terminal lounge at Gander during the 1950's. Flight crews would frequently get a refreshment here as they await their aircraft being serviced. A 1958 statistic showed that 9723 aircraft landed Gander airport carrying a total of 407,197 passengers
November 8, 2025 at 8:39 AM
The coffee counter in the terminal lounge at Gander during the 1950's. Flight crews would frequently get a refreshment here as they await their aircraft being serviced. A 1958 statistic showed that 9723 aircraft landed Gander airport carrying a total of 407,197 passengers
A view of the airport town of Gander from 1945 till 1959. There were no airport noise abatement procedures & yet every bedroom in the town was less than a 1/2 mile from a runway. www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/l...
November 6, 2025 at 11:16 AM
A view of the airport town of Gander from 1945 till 1959. There were no airport noise abatement procedures & yet every bedroom in the town was less than a 1/2 mile from a runway. www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/l...
A collage of a few excerpted entries from the Gander International Airport guestbook. Chuck Yeager, Queen Elizabeth, President Jimmy Carter, Sylvester Stallone, Nelson Mandela, Henry Kissinger and the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.
November 4, 2025 at 10:38 AM
A collage of a few excerpted entries from the Gander International Airport guestbook. Chuck Yeager, Queen Elizabeth, President Jimmy Carter, Sylvester Stallone, Nelson Mandela, Henry Kissinger and the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.
WWII airplane wreckage can still be found near Gander airport to this day. To view a documentary showing the various wrecks ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_multimedia/..., & great historic aviation reading here planecrashgirl.ca
November 2, 2025 at 2:20 PM
WWII airplane wreckage can still be found near Gander airport to this day. To view a documentary showing the various wrecks ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_multimedia/..., & great historic aviation reading here planecrashgirl.ca
TWA B707 at Gander c.1973. TWA was one of the first companies to use Gander airport in 1946 on a scheduled basis. TWA had an ops office at the airport with a full compliment of dispatchers & AMEs stationed in Gander to service their North Atlantic fleet.
October 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
TWA B707 at Gander c.1973. TWA was one of the first companies to use Gander airport in 1946 on a scheduled basis. TWA had an ops office at the airport with a full compliment of dispatchers & AMEs stationed in Gander to service their North Atlantic fleet.
Because of its history in aviation pioneering, Gander airport was given the honour to have its name assigned to a 39 Km crater on Mars by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) . View of crater on Mars by NASA
October 29, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Because of its history in aviation pioneering, Gander airport was given the honour to have its name assigned to a 39 Km crater on Mars by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) . View of crater on Mars by NASA
The Bug, owned by the airport in 1938, transferred to the RCAF in 1941. Without a road system, Gander's answer to a poorly scheduled train service to outlying towns, was a bus designed to operate via railway tracks, during the airports early days. ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/RC...
October 27, 2025 at 7:50 AM
The Bug, owned by the airport in 1938, transferred to the RCAF in 1941. Without a road system, Gander's answer to a poorly scheduled train service to outlying towns, was a bus designed to operate via railway tracks, during the airports early days. ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/RC...
Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin (in uniform), the first human to travel into space to orbit the earth, makes the only time he entered North America at Gander 1963. His flight landed for servicing while on his way to Cuba.
October 25, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin (in uniform), the first human to travel into space to orbit the earth, makes the only time he entered North America at Gander 1963. His flight landed for servicing while on his way to Cuba.
The Concorde used Gander airport as a test bed for their North Atlantic service startup in 1974, to establish operational supersonic ATC procedures and passenger service requirements. www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_trans/...
October 23, 2025 at 12:50 PM
The Concorde used Gander airport as a test bed for their North Atlantic service startup in 1974, to establish operational supersonic ATC procedures and passenger service requirements. www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_trans/...
Gander Control tower 1953. The individual in the photo later assisted in the setting up of computers developed to streamline air traffic operations plus the automatic transfer of flight data between Gander and Prestwick control centres in 1968. www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/C...
October 21, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Gander Control tower 1953. The individual in the photo later assisted in the setting up of computers developed to streamline air traffic operations plus the automatic transfer of flight data between Gander and Prestwick control centres in 1968. www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/C...
The image shows the famous WWII Gander airport crane, named 'Paul Bunyan', at work. See the slide show of the rescue of a Seaboard Western DC4 at Gander in 1955. www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/S...
October 20, 2025 at 9:34 AM
The image shows the famous WWII Gander airport crane, named 'Paul Bunyan', at work. See the slide show of the rescue of a Seaboard Western DC4 at Gander in 1955. www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/S...
We are not aware if the B24 discovered at the bottom of Gander lake in 2022, will be retrieved. The B24 crashed into the lake in 1943 & still has bodies of RCAF crew on board. This story plus discovery info. ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Ga...
October 17, 2025 at 11:13 AM
We are not aware if the B24 discovered at the bottom of Gander lake in 2022, will be retrieved. The B24 crashed into the lake in 1943 & still has bodies of RCAF crew on board. This story plus discovery info. ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Ga...
A class act by Sir Richard Branson. As a tribute to the several towns in NL assisting 9/11 passengers, Virgin Atlantic flew a B747 into Gander, invited their children for a tour of London including Buckingham Palace, each child accompanied by 1 parent.
October 15, 2025 at 9:39 AM
A class act by Sir Richard Branson. As a tribute to the several towns in NL assisting 9/11 passengers, Virgin Atlantic flew a B747 into Gander, invited their children for a tour of London including Buckingham Palace, each child accompanied by 1 parent.
Gander Airport WWII. The runways widths at Gander, built in 1939, were R 09-27 at 365 M (1200ft) the other 3 at 180 M (600ft). All runways lengths were approx. 1500 M(5000ft). It is assumed engineers didn’t know the accuracy of landing aircraft's approach under adverse weather conditions
October 13, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Gander Airport WWII. The runways widths at Gander, built in 1939, were R 09-27 at 365 M (1200ft) the other 3 at 180 M (600ft). All runways lengths were approx. 1500 M(5000ft). It is assumed engineers didn’t know the accuracy of landing aircraft's approach under adverse weather conditions
During WWII the RAF was the service of choice for many Nfld. men & women. RAF 125 (Newfoundland) Sqn memorial to Nfld RAFers lost in WWII, at Gander. Royal Cooper, RAF/EPA pilot & Gander Mayor, was behind organizing this memorial. Cooper's story ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_trans/...
October 11, 2025 at 8:50 AM
During WWII the RAF was the service of choice for many Nfld. men & women. RAF 125 (Newfoundland) Sqn memorial to Nfld RAFers lost in WWII, at Gander. Royal Cooper, RAF/EPA pilot & Gander Mayor, was behind organizing this memorial. Cooper's story ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_trans/...
A vintage 1955 image of the ramp at Gander showing the activity on a typical day for the airport. During 1959, just as the first jets started to fly the North Atlantic, 9,723 airplanes landed at Gander carrying a total of 407,197 passengers
October 9, 2025 at 10:47 AM
A vintage 1955 image of the ramp at Gander showing the activity on a typical day for the airport. During 1959, just as the first jets started to fly the North Atlantic, 9,723 airplanes landed at Gander carrying a total of 407,197 passengers
In 1954 an Air France L1049 slid off a wet runway into a drainage ditch while landing at Gander. Although the airplane was a write off, the only injuries to passengers & crew were minor. The use of aircraft's reverse thrust wasn't as advanced as it is today
October 7, 2025 at 7:05 PM
In 1954 an Air France L1049 slid off a wet runway into a drainage ditch while landing at Gander. Although the airplane was a write off, the only injuries to passengers & crew were minor. The use of aircraft's reverse thrust wasn't as advanced as it is today
The log cabin on Deadmans Pond, Gander. Built during WWII by the military to provide a R&R facility for airport staff. Demolished by the airport authority in the mid 50s to reduce local activity at the pond to make way for a water aerodrome. ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/d...
October 5, 2025 at 10:52 AM
The log cabin on Deadmans Pond, Gander. Built during WWII by the military to provide a R&R facility for airport staff. Demolished by the airport authority in the mid 50s to reduce local activity at the pond to make way for a water aerodrome. ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/d...
General Mark Milley's, the 20th chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, both grand parents were from Nfld. His great-grandfather served in the Newfoundland Regiment at Galipoli in WWI. In 2023 he attended, in St. John's, a ceremony to the memory of fallen WWI Newfoundland soldiers .
October 3, 2025 at 11:22 AM
General Mark Milley's, the 20th chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, both grand parents were from Nfld. His great-grandfather served in the Newfoundland Regiment at Galipoli in WWI. In 2023 he attended, in St. John's, a ceremony to the memory of fallen WWI Newfoundland soldiers .
Feb 20 1941, Sir Frederick Banting was killed when the Hudson bomber he was on board, crashed here, near Musgrave Hr. NL after leaving Gander. The photo is of the actual crash scene. The saga of the crash, heard around the world, is told here ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Si...
October 1, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Feb 20 1941, Sir Frederick Banting was killed when the Hudson bomber he was on board, crashed here, near Musgrave Hr. NL after leaving Gander. The photo is of the actual crash scene. The saga of the crash, heard around the world, is told here ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Si...
The airport's town of Gander 1945. Airport workers & families moved into the now civilian airport, living in renovated WWII military buildings, becoming an airport town. Later in 1958, a new modern present day town was completed. This story ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_trans/...
September 29, 2025 at 7:53 AM
The airport's town of Gander 1945. Airport workers & families moved into the now civilian airport, living in renovated WWII military buildings, becoming an airport town. Later in 1958, a new modern present day town was completed. This story ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_trans/...
This lovely young lady in 1947 became Nfld.'s first female pilot, Phyllis (Penney) Gault employed with KLM Airlines at Gander received her private pilots license on Aug 10 of that year. The @TheNinetyNines tells her story
www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/P... plus a great video
www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/P... plus a great video
September 27, 2025 at 9:18 AM
This lovely young lady in 1947 became Nfld.'s first female pilot, Phyllis (Penney) Gault employed with KLM Airlines at Gander received her private pilots license on Aug 10 of that year. The @TheNinetyNines tells her story
www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/P... plus a great video
www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_4658/P... plus a great video
The people in the community of Dover NL, rushed to rescue the crew of a RCAF Digby that crash landed into the sea after departure from Gander WWII. They later assisted in pulling the Digby ashore. A typical Newfoundland hospitality story ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Th...
September 25, 2025 at 7:47 AM
The people in the community of Dover NL, rushed to rescue the crew of a RCAF Digby that crash landed into the sea after departure from Gander WWII. They later assisted in pulling the Digby ashore. A typical Newfoundland hospitality story ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Th...