aviation history Archives

Why Almost Every Canadian Airport Code Starts With Y: The Telegraph Mystery Behind YYZ

Raymond on August 16, 2026

Toronto is YYZ, Vancouver is YVR, Ottawa is YOW – almost every Canadian airport code begins with Y. The reason is older than the airplane itself, buried in the two-letter Morse codes of a vanished railway telegraph network.

Speedbird 911: The Sightseeing Detour to Mount Fuji That Ended in the Sky

Raymond on July 28, 2026

In March 1966 a British airliner turned toward Mount Fuji so its passengers could admire the mountain. Minutes later, an invisible wave of air tore the aircraft apart over Gotemba. This is the story of Speedbird 911.