REFLECTIONS Extra – Interview with Gary Tinnes, “On the Air Planes” YouTube producer

We first learned about Gary through his Twitter account @nwa_airlines where he’s been expressing his admiration for the carrier (and helping us amplify our social-media messages) since November 2018. His inventive photography work with aircraft models further caught our eye, and some of his work will be heading pages for our forthcoming Aircraft Galleries pages (with an example above the headline here). With the launch of his YouTube series, “Final Destinations,” where the first three episodes track down the resting places of Northwest’s 727 fleet, we checked in to learn more:

REFLECTIONS: So how did you get interested in aviation and what led you down your career path? 

Gary: My interest in aviation was sparked at a young age when my grandpa would take me to Detroit Metro to watch planes land off of, at the time, runway 21R.  This was around late 80s to early 90s. As a bonus, his home was located next to the approach and departure path, so when not at the airport I was able to watch them all day.

I continued my interest in aviation as I grew up in Cambridge, Ontario, which is located close to Toronto Pearson International Airport.  My closest friend Paul and I would make trips to watch planes often and both wished we could work on the aircraft.  That dream came true for both of us when we started working on the ramp for a contract ground handling company.  After working at YYZ for 8 years, I left the airport but returned again in 2017 to become a station manager up in Northern Ontario, starting in Sault Ste Marie and now Sudbury Airport.

REF: For someone living outside the core markets served, how did you come to have a fascination with Northwest Airlines? 

Gary: I am certain my love for Northwest came while sitting at the end of the Runway in Detroit.  Back then, it was Northwest 727s, DC-9s, DC-10s, 757’s and of course the “Jumbo’s”, as my Grandpa would call them. I remember also seeing, Swissair 747s, Lufthansa A340s, American DC-10s, Delta 757s but none of them really caught on like Northwest did.

Northwest did service quite a few airports around my home city growing up, Cambridge is surrounded by London YXU, Hamilton YHM, Kitchener/Waterloo YKF and Toronto YYZ.  Toronto actually did have a Northwest ramp base. I unfortunately didn’t get hired there, but worked with many of their employees as they held multiple jobs and I am still friends with a few.

Interesting story, I did work on a diverted Northwest DC-10 and B747 on 9/11, I was working at YYZ on that horrible day. The Northwest staff was not trained or equipped to work on widebodies, so they contracted our company to handle the flights and I was part of that assigned crew.

REF: When did you start collecting diecast models? How big is your collection, and what are your favorites?

Gary: I have been collecting models since those first trips to the airport.  Like an airline though, I retired many for the newer and better productions.   My expensive model hobby started shortly after the short lived Schabek phase.  Dragonwings 1:400 scale B727 started it all. 

Since then, I started collected mainly Geminijets, Dragonwings 1:400 scale models, I was into the diecast chrome, I held many American Airlines models and others I serviced at YYZ.  When the 1:200 scale came out, it was then end of the 1:400 scale purchases, the 1:200 was larger and more detailed. The price was obviosuly more though and I slowed the purchases down to just very specific aircraft, such as ones I have flown on, or serviced. 

Around the time I started the NWA Twitter account in 2018, I realised I wanted to collect only Northwest now and sell the majority of other models I had.  I had just two 1:200 Northwest models in 2018 and now I have 36.  I also have about 15 1:400 scale Northwest still. My favorites are the Northwest Orient and classic Northwest as they have that excellent chrome effect on most. 

REF: What was your inspiration to start doing video reviews of diecast aircraft?

Gary: My attention to detail and the cost of models. The models being very pricey these days means the quality just needs to be there. There are some issues with models that most won’t care about, but to me, that general detail must the there.  The reviews I do are generally shorter, commercial-like but I get to the main points one should consider before making the plunge into the next model.  Diecast companies are competing more now for the market, so waiting for a better model, maybe some people’s preference and I hope if someone is wondering they can make a better decision from these videos. 

REF: How would you like to see the diecast aircraft industry evolve?

Gary: I would like to see more of the flaps-down style for sure, but maybe some option in weathering of the models for those who go for most realism.  For instance, Northwest was rarely polished it seemed, but the models always look “too good”. Weathering the chrome or some paint peeling looks might be neat for the right collector.  Someone who is talented, could turn that into a custom model business, or atleast as a hobby business. It exists for kit models, but I would like to see it more for diecast.

REF: And that brings us to the Final Destination series, which is unique in the #avgeek community. Where did the idea come from and how did you get started? Where did you need to hunt for each aircraft’s history and footage?

Gary: When I started working at the airport, I started learning more about aircraft. They are not as prestine as the models and pictures I grew up with. That was my first surprise, my second was learning about airlines operating planes that used to be with another company. As a huge Google Earth fan, I used to check out airports and see the aircraft parked. The photos were often clear enough to identify them.

Some years passed and I came across images of Northwest at Maxton Airport in NC, I checked it out in Google Earth and found it amazing that they were there for so long.  If I lived close by, I could have literally driven to the airport and viewed many the Northwest aircraft well after the airline was gone. 

The original idea was to feature just aircraft that didn’t end up in the desert, but then after careful consideration, I felt all aircraft should be included as the intent is to visually depict where they all went for those who may have made trips on those specific tails. The hope is that people may be able to make a road trip to see some of these aircraft before they are gone. Smyrna TN is one of the examples of where you can still see classic NWA 727s as of this year. 

The information is readily available on the net, however, it can take anywhere from 7-25 minutes to gather research for one aircraft, I do my best to verify the reports, select photographs, contact photographers, and insert into Google Earth.  I also try my best to confirm it with other reports to be as accurate as possible.  All my sources are listed in the video description and often in on screen credits.

REF: Where creatively do you want to go from here?

Gary: I would like to continue the Final Destinations series.  My other project this year is to start producing free-use footage and photos, that can be very hard to find, of older aircraft. It is a very hard to locate footage of some of the older planes, so creating visuals may be desired in the video community.