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Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

The NetLetter #1143

The NetLetter
 For Air Canada Retirees


December 4, 2010 - Issue 1143

 
First Issue published in October 1995!
(over 5,400 subscribers)
In This Issue
Donation Request.
Save our Pensions - Part 2
Our first 70 years
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery
Alan's Space
Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc
Reader's Feedback
Terry's Trivia
Smileys
Web Site

The NetLetter Web Site
www.thenetletter.org
Sponsors
ACFamily Network
ACFamily Links
ACFamily Airlines
Air Canada
Trans-Canada Air Lines
Jazz
Zip
Tango
Air Alliance
Air BC
Air Nova
Air Ontario
Northwest Air
Canadian Airlines
Canadian Air Canada
Inter Canadian
Time Air
Canadian Pacfic
CPAir
Pacific Western
Eastern Provincial
Nordair
Quebecair
Wardair
 
Greetings!
Terry Baker

We welcome you to allow the NetLetter to be your platform, and opportunity, to relive your history while working for either TCA, AC, CPAir, CAIL, PWA, AirBC, Wardair. etal. and share your experiences with us!

The NetLetter is an email newsletter published every weekend and contains a mixture of nostalgia, current news and travel tips. We encourage our readers to submit their stories, photos and/or comments from either days gone by or from present day experiences and trips. If we think that the rest of our readers will enjoy it, we will publish it here

We also This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in regard to anything we post here. Many readers have commented with additional information, names and personal memories from the photos and articles presented here.

The NetLetter, which is free, is open to anyone that wishes to subscribe but is targeted to retired employees from Air Canada, Canadian Airlines and all the other companies that were part of what Air Canada is today. Thanks for joining us!

Terry & your NetLetter Team
Donation Request
Donation LinkWe want to thank the many readers that responded to our Donation drive this year. 

This will be the last NetLetter asking for donations until November 2011, but we will keep a donation link in the side bar and on the web site if any of you feel the urge to help us out between now and then.

If you haven't already donated to us then now is the time on this last call. Please note that a donation is not required in order to receive the NetLetter. It is our pleasure to publish this each week for our many readers.

If you would like to donate (any amount) then please click on "Donations" image above or the PayPal image below to donate by Credit Card. You can also send a cheque made out to the ACFamily Network to:

ACFamily Network
#800 - 15355 24th Ave
Suite 523
Surrey, BC V4A 2H9

To pay by credit card or PayPal, please click the "donate" button below.
Donate to the NetLetter

Thanks for your generousity,

Terry, Alan, Bill - Your NetLetter Team
Save our Pensions - Part 2 - Compiled by Alan Rust
Save our Pensions - Part 2
The time has come to make our collective voice heard in Ottawa once again.

The last reminder to our elected officials resulted in an impressive number of AC employees, retirees, and especially Pionair members responding. However, the numbers could have been much higher. 

Hopefully, we can improve upon that number to let our Politicians know that we want them to act on our behalf. The Pionairs's Pension & Benefits Sub-Committee needs your help to get that message across.

In order to assist their members and others in contacting Parliament the Pionairs Pension and Benefits Sub-Committee has created three pre-made letters that hopefully will reflect your views. They are now on-line on the ACFamily Network.

Please read about this latest initiative by following this link, or clicking on the Pionairs/ACFamily image above.
 
Our first 70 years - Compiled by Terry Baker
Trans-Canada Air Lines/Air Canada


1961 - The largest deficit in the company history is recorded.
1978 - Pionairs organization founded
Air Canada Related News - Compiled by Terry Baker
Air Canada News




Due to heightened security measures the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has placed restrictions on cargo shipments to the United States.

Until further notice Air Canada and Jazz employees (or retirees) will not be permitted to send shipments to the United States with Air Canada Cargo.
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker
TCA/Air Canada LogoMusings from the "Between Ourselves" magazine an Air Canada publication from years gone by.

Issue dated - May 1978
Musing through the "Horizons" magazine -
pionairsMore than 250 retirees, spouses and widows attended the founding meeting of the Pionairs at the Sheraton Hotel in Miami Beach recently to formally adopt a set of bylaws organizing an association of Company employees in retirement.

The group enjoyed themselves to the fullest, in the business sessions, at the ocean, around the pool, at the receptions and banquet, but more particularly in renewing old friendships and making new acquaintances.

The meeting also elected its first executive naming Martin Betts as President. The others are Bill Spratt first V.P. Denny Brendon second V.P., Dave Clark, Secretary and Scott Bradell, Treasurer. All reside in Vancouver. Martin Betts reported that in the year since work began on its formation, there were 842 members swelling to 1700 including wives and widows who all have a vote at any annual meeting.  Above is a photo of the first executive.


Issue dated - April 1962
Extracts from the "Between Ourselves" magazine -

The company recorded its second deficit in the past 11 years with a loss of $6,450,082.
grouptravelThe first group travel tickets issued by London UK Regent Street CTO was issued to 36 Salvation Army bandsmen.
Five agents took 16 hours to write up 180 tickets. Here we have this photo.
From the left: Audrey Blencowe, Jill Whiston, Brian Crombleholme, Ralph Walker.

dusstaffDUSSELDORF SALES STAFF gather in their new offices located at Konigsallee 58 in the heart of Dusseldorf's business district for this photograph.
From the left are Passenger Agents (sitting) S. Sawallich, M. Weicker; U. Schulte-Moenting and S. Schrepper, Junior Clerk.
Standing, from the left: W. O Witte - Sales Manager; J. Lange, Clerk-Stenographer, H. Peetz, Passenger
Agent; U. Bauer, Cashier; H.R. Weller, District Manager; T. Thoneick, Office  Supervisor; W.Ch. Pugge, Sales Representative.

freightersAN AIR FREIGHT Sales Training Conference was held late in March at Halifax for the Sales staff of and the Eastern Region. A similar two-day session was held for DSMs and Sales Representatives at London earlier in the month, and a third began April 3, in Calgary for personnel of the Western Region. Pictured are, front row, from the left: Guy Piquette, Peter McCarthy, Bert Dansereau, Basil Vokey, Al Ward, Ken. G. Denman, John Connolly,  Leo Poquette. Back row, from the left: Ralph Wilcox, Dick Gormley, Stewart Sime, Jean Terroux, Wendell Cook, Paul Emmerson, Donald McLean, Ken Horton, Keith McDermott Claude Bastien, Dave Murdock.


Issue dated - July 3rd 1972
Musings from the "Horizons" magazines -
sewerPassengers may not realize it, but a sewer pipe is what they walk through when leaving the Rapidair lounge at Montreal on the way to the aircraft.
Getting the passengers from the lounge to the planes was one of the problems facing the Facilities Properties group, and they solved it in this unique manner. The steel pipe insulated with expandable polystyrene, is finished with mauve carpeting, chrome handrails, and is heated by electrical units near the floor.
The ceiling was sprayed with plastic fiber giving a white stucco the exterior of he pipe is identified with the Company logo and painted in the traditional aircraft colors. Assembly was done on the ramp, and the pipe hoisted into position in one piece. where it rests on concrete supports. The whole Rapidair project from design through to the finished product was completed in the record time of two months.
Grad-1Maintenance grads
On completion of five years of training and development, 49 Dorval Maintenance apprentices graduated from the Learner and Junior Mechanic Training Program. Bill Norberg, Vice President-Maintenance, and Derek Bone, Director of Aircraft Maintenance presented diplomas to the graduates and pointed out they had now acquired a solid foundation in 'basic aircraft" on which to build higher academic and practical qualifications in aeronautical know ledge. It was emphasized that the apprentices, through a willingness to participate and diligence in the classroom and on the job, had demonstrated they are ready to face the challenges of the future. Other graduates not shown in the photos are: Sudarshan Nayak, Glenn Story, Michel Vidal, Roger Boutin and Richard Palmer.

Back row, left to right, are:
Bill Norberg, Vice President - Maintenance; Keith Kelly, Chairman, Union Training Committee; Chris Jensen, Instructor; Lawrie Banfield, Instructor; Bill Palmquist; Les Edge; Andy Tiltins, Jeff Barkes, Georg Fuelscher; Ted Cordwin, Supervisor, Maintenance Apprentice Training.
Middle row, from the leftAlex Nikoleav, Michel Couillard, Jean Marc Bercier, Ernie De Vos, Jeff Habberfield.
Front row, same order, are:
Rich Troiani, Claude Lacoste, Jean Marc Allard and Gary Holden.
grad-3Back row, from the left, Emile Cousineau, Harold Luekefield, Jim Botham, Jacques Gagne, Barry Wilson, Michael Tutty, Michel Rochon,
Center, from the left, are:
Derek Bone, Director, A/C Maintenance; Keith Kelly, Luc Parent, Gabriele Gatto, John McGinnis, Lou Mourant, Instructor; Ted Cordwin,
Front row, from the left, are: Rick Tougas, Gaetan Brazeau, Pierre Ledoux, Fred D'Onofrio, Wayne Pollock, Lloyd Bravo, Clive Bebbington.

grad-3Back row, from the left are: Chris Jensen, Michel Dufresne, Serge Malo, Brian Sherstone, Bill Simpson, Gilles Lapointe, Lou Mourant.
Center, in the same order, are: Keith Kelly, Lawrie Banfield, Andre Hetu, Barrie Brock, Doug Anderson, Derek Bone, Gerry Wolfe, Technical Training Manager.
Front row, in the same order are: James Mooney, Len Martin, John Bailey. Michael Jackman.

Alan's Space - by Alan Rust
Alan's Space
Alan Rust
Maverick Flying Car at Oshkosh - (from Al Watson)

October 13, 2010 - Steve Saint of I-TEC drove his road-legal flying car from Florida to Oshkosh this summer. Since then the FAA has also issued the Maverick a S-LSA aircraft airworthiness certificate. I-TEC hopes to be in production by EAA Oshkosh 2011. Click on image below to view video.
  

 

Flying Car
Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc. People & Events
- Compiled by Terry Baker
CAIL TailsNews and articles from days gone by gleaned from various publications from C.A.I.L. and it's "ancestry" of contributing airlines.
bellanca-aircruiser A few more photos of old aircraft operated by CPAL and sent in by Art McCarville -
Bellanca Aircruiser CFAWR first flown 1935 owned by Canadian Airways damaged beyond repair 130 miles N.E. Sioux Lookout Ont on January 24th 1947 due to fuel starvation.
stinson-travelair Stinson Travelair CF-AEJ built as a float plane Jan 1929 acquired by R.W.Starratt's Northern Transportation Company in 1933. Taken over by CPAL July 1st 1942. Sold to G.W.Campbell, Red Lake, Ont. May 31st 1946.
junkers-52 Junkers JU-52 CF-ARM first flight October 13th 1930 and was the last built. Owned by Canadian Airways on October 26th 1931 Withdrawn from service 1943. There is a replica in the W.C.A.M in Winnipeg.




Bill Wood sends us this information -
December 27, 2008 - Some of the early aircraft of C.P.A. and it's evolution into Canadian Airlines International.
Memories of the good times. ORANGE  IS  BEAUTIFUL

CPAir History video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5M0oDd7VKs

Check out the other U-Tube sites re CP when you open the above.

Bill
Reader's Feedback - Compiled by Terry Baker
Reader's Feedback
Every week we ask our readers for their stories or  feedback on what they have read here in previous issues. Below is the feedback we have received recently. 

luau-1In NetLetter nr 1142 under Canadi>n events we had this photo and asked for some identifications.

Hilton Whittiker has sent us this-
Left is Irene Barrett  F/A based in Hawaii. The tall guy is her husband 1st officer Mike Barrett YVR based....Cheers, Hilton


winnipegrampJack Stephens in Calgary has been emailing with Jim Bruce and sent us this exchange -

Hello Jack,
Found this great photo. Had a small snapshot and looked through my 35mm   B/W negatives and located the neg.

Turned out to be nice and sharp and shows the terminal well: a SAS DC-7C; Northwest DC-7C; TransAir DC-4  CF-JEA; TCA North Star CF-TFB Freighter (202). There's also a PBY in the  background. I may be able to track down which Viscount this is.

There's no number on  the nose; but I may have it in the background of other aircraft photos.  The date on the photo is June 9, 1959. I must have taken it from a  building across from the ramp. Also have other shots of the terminal and ramp that I haven't scanned yet.  Stay tuned! My old Minolta 35mm fixed lens camera had a great lens! Cheers Jim

(Jack Stephens is the Canadian researcher for the Viscount aircraft featured on web site www.vickersviscount.net, and Jim Bruce was the author of a series of drawings and articles featured in past issues of "Between Ourselves".- eds)
Hi Bruce....yes indeed it is a great photo. Perhaps you recall when SAS began flights over the Pole! I think it was 1955? Their slogan was "First Over the Pole". Winnipeg was the mid-point on their flight to Los Angeles. I recall one SAS DC-7C incident. While taxiing the left main wheels dropped off the edge of the tarmac. Even though the ground was frozen , the wheels sunk, and jacks were used.

The spot was just a few feet left of the nose of the NorthWest aircraft in your photo. Identification of the PBY would be interesting as TransAir flew one for awhile.The building where you took the photo from was the Trans-Canada Air Lines Purchasing and Stores building. Hopefully you will be able to I.D. the Viscount, as it just might be one of those that we do not have on the Web Site. I shall be glued to my monitor awaiting more shots!
Thanks so much....'til next time....Take care...Jack

The mention of the "Connoisseur" service in NetLetter nr 1139 brought back this memory from Trev Trower -

Hello everyone,

The mention of "Connoisseur service" brought a wonderful feeling of awe and good wishes for what was then the finest airline in the world. I was a purser in those days, an in-charge flight attendant.  my experience of elegant dining was limited to serving our customers in first class, and a days training in connoisseur service in Toronto by my old friend Frank St Hilaire.  The food was created by the executive chef of Cara, and our Director at the time Mr W (Bill)  Fabro.  The menus were on a white parchment roll signed by the chef and the Purser. Many of the customers kept the menu as a souvenir of a great experience. After the cocktail hour, white linen table cloths were placed on the tables, and the fine wines were ready to be served,  the menu read like a feast from the best restaurant in Paris. there in those days was :
- Turtle soup
- Crab meat on scallop half shell or lobster
- Beef wellington, pheasant under glass
- Melody of vegetables
- Tossed salad

Amazing desserts:  Crocembouche (the favorite dessert of Marie Antoinette) baked Alaska, etc. fruit cheeses coffee liqueurs and of course the finest wines and champagne were served. Also sherbert and hot scented towels, exotic chocolate and cigarettes..   my a banquet at thirty five thousand feet. 

I served Bill Cosby one day and got a smudge of cream on my blue mess-jacket, he asked me if that was part of my uniform, what a funny man. I could go on, but I do remember that the atmosphere on the plane was most positive and many passengers were reluctant to get off at their destination.  

Trev Trower  FSD retd.
Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker
Terry Baker
Terry Baker
Vern Swerdfeger found this little gem -
This little video is a "hoot"..........the expressions on the faces of some of these people is priceless!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a8jGVXOMsw
sunsetatyyzBrian Dunn, webmaster of www.yyznews.com, sent us this photo.
 



Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker
Smileys
As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.

Here we conclude the story we started in NetLetter nr 1142 -

Old pilots never die -

 At worst the ashes are sucked back into the cabin blinding and choking the pilot resulting in loss of situational awareness with, as has happened more than once, loss of control, catastrophic destruction of the aircraft with fatal injuries to all on board.  Many methods were suggested on the internet but most proved at best only partially successful moreover; it was also illegal in some cases.

It was the ingenuity of my short crewman, looking every one of his scant inches, like an ancient mariner, who came up with a successful contraption that had confounded so many others.  He used a one gallon plastic fuel container, cut a four inch hole in the bottom and attached a six foot length of sump-pump hose to the spout using the screw cap which came with it to make an air- tight or should I say, ash-tight seal. He fed the ashes, a large scoop full at a  time, into the four inch hole until the container was full, then covered the opening with a large sponge covering the hole completely. Fortunately he was short; the small cabin was very cramped making the reach down to the bag of sticky grey ash at his feet with the scoop, then up to the hole in the bottom of the upside-down gas container, a real challenge. Inevitably some ashes spilled onto the floor. The pump hose was fed out the open side window. By manipulating the hose in the slipstream he learned that at one certain sweet-spot all the ashes were totally sucked out. It took several scoops for each drop but in the end:
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!.......well almost.

Back at base by the time we had secured the aircraft in the rapidly vanishing twilight it was too dark to see inside the cabin very well even with the flashlight I always carried in my flight bag. I had forgotten to check for fresh batteries and at best all I got was a rapidly fading, pale glow. Even with fresh batteries my cataracts would have dimmed any signs of ash spillage inside the cabin. I ran my hand along the side of the fuselage. I could sense rather than actually see a thin film of greasy fine grey ash which blended nicely with the thankfully faded paint work going all the way back to the tail. The aircraft was normally tied down outside, so signs of our deceit were nicely camouflaged by bird droppings and bug guts.

Hopefully the owner of the rented plane and the regulating authorities whose famous mantra is," Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help you", would be none the wiser.

While my elderly co-conspirator, a veteran of D-Day in WWII and I savored a cold beer to debrief the mission; we toasted our dear friend whose remains we had mostly just spread to the four winds over his beloved lake. I know he would have been pleased and at the same time highly amused by the keystone-cop antics of his two aging, blundering, fellow members of the mostly honorable, brotherhood of aviators. We had tried to give him a worthy pilots farewell, nevertheless, I did have a feeling my good friend would be sticking around spiritually and literally, to soar the friendly skies in that sorry old 172 for some time to come. There were no tears, regrets or recriminations instead we did what our friend would have wanted us to do. We ordered another beer.

Anonymous.
Epilogue: It answers the question as to why aviators, after spending most of their lives in the air, seldom wish to have their remains spread to the four winds from an aircraft.

Delivery system plans are available upon request.

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!
 
Sincerely,

Your NetLetter Team
 
First published in October, 1995
  • Chief Pilot - Terry Baker, Nanaimo, B.C.
  • Co-pilot - Alan Rust, Surrey, B.C.
  • Flight Engineer - Bill Rowsell, Londesboro, Ontario
To contact us, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

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