If you looked overhead this week, you may have seen one of Transport Canada's iconic red planes flying over Sarnia-Lambton.
The aircraft are part of the National Aerial Surveillance Program [NASP] fleet.
Sarnia's Chris Hadfield Airport Terminal Supervisor Mike Roberts said one landed at the airport.
"That's the aircraft you quite frequently see travelling up and down the St. Clair River," said Roberts. "It's a Dash 8 100 and there are other ones, there's a Dash 7 as well that does some surveillance work of the Great Lakes and waterways."
Roberts said they were pleased to welcome the crew.
"It's been a couple years since we've seen one land in Sarnia. They did frequently land in Sarnia prior to the pandemic, say 10 years ago they quite often used Sarnia as a rest stop. So, when they showed up, to our surprise, we were happy to have them take a rest in Sarnia and park the airplane here for the night," he added.
Surveillance done through NASP plays an important part in reducing the frequency of pollution in Canada, like oil spills, because polluters know their activities can be detected from above.
The fleet is also used to investigate marine shipping incidents.
"They came from New Brunswick and headed out into Lake Huron. I'm not sure, but maybe towards the Thunder Bay area they were heading next," Roberts said.
The program has grown quite significantly since it was launched in 1991, adding new aircraft, technology and staff.
The surveillance aircraft are equipped with cameras that can covertly monitor vessels from five miles away and at 20,000 feet altitude.
