VIDEO: Vintage military plane gets towed from Chilliwack to Greater Victoria

Grumman CP-121 Tracker鈥檚 eventual home the British Columbia Aviation Museum on Vancouver Island

Eric Welsh
Jan 25, 2021 11:46 AM Jan 25, 2021 12:00 PM

A piece of Canadian military history in Chilliwack made its first move on the weekend towards its final destination at the British Columbia Aviation Museum on Vancouver Island.

Crews hooked the large Grumman CP-121 Tracker to an Aggressive Towing truck late afternoon on Saturday (Jan. 23) at its location near the University of the Fraser Valley by the Vedder River.

While being filmed by a Discovery Channel crew, the plan was to move the plane over approximately seven hours from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have power tools to cut some street signs as we go, and we鈥檒l weld them back together afterwards,鈥� said Dean Fraser from the Canadian Military Education Centre (CMEC) in Chilliwack. 鈥淲e鈥檝e notified Telus and Shaw and we鈥檒l have flagging crews that are watching for traffic at each intersection that it goes through.鈥�

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The destination for now, is a lumber yard on Industrial Way near the Fraser River. That鈥檚 where it will spend the rest of the winter before moving on to Victoria in the spring.

鈥淲hen the water level is high enough, the guys from the B.C. Aviation Museum have a barge and a tug lined up, and it鈥檒l be sent over to the Island,鈥� Fraser said.

For years, this airplane was displayed near the Vedder Bridge. Visitors to the CMEC gawked at its massive near-70 foot wingspan and marvelled at the way its wings could fold up, like arms reaching 30 feet into the air.

Crews with Discovery Channel film as an Aggressive Towing driver moves a Grumman S2F Tracker aircraft around a 90-degree turn from its compound and onto the road on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. It was the 聯most difficult聰 part of the move for the airplane, one organizer said. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress) — Crews with Discovery Channel film as an Aggressive Towing driver moves a Grumman S2F Tracker aircraft around a 90-degree turn from its compound and onto the road on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. It was the 鈥渕ost difficult鈥� part of the move for the airplane, one organizer said. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

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24018985_web1_210125-CPL-Airplane-Moves-From-Compound_2 — Crews with Discovery Channel film as an Aggressive Towing driver moves a Grumman S2F Tracker aircraft around a 90-degree turn from its compound and onto the road on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. It was the 鈥渕ost difficult鈥� part of the move for the airplane, one organizer said. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

24018985_web1_210125-CPL-Airplane-Moves-From-Compound_4 — Crews with Discovery Channel film as an Aggressive Towing driver moves a Grumman S2F Tracker aircraft around a 90-degree turn from its compound and onto the road on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. It was the 鈥渕ost difficult鈥� part of the move for the airplane, one organizer said. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

24018985_web1_210125-CPL-Airplane-Moves-From-Compound_5 — Crews with Discovery Channel film as an Aggressive Towing driver moves a Grumman S2F Tracker aircraft around a 90-degree turn from its compound and onto the road on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. It was the 鈥渕ost difficult鈥� part of the move for the airplane, one organizer said. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

About the Author: Eric Welsh

I joined the Chilliwack Progress in 2007, originally hired as a sports reporter.

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