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Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

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T H E                    _| TCA |_
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N E T L E T T E R   >  CANADA   <
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( For retirees of the new Air Canada family)


Number 787  Sept., 13th., 2003. We first published in October 1995.
Circulation: 2700+
Circulation: 2700+


Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson   -      Co-pilot  - Terry Baker


To get in touch with either editor/pilot our  email address is
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Air Canada News:
Air Canada to launch new services to Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires,
Argentina, and consolidates position as leading carrier linking Canada and
South America. On Sept 4th., Air Canada announced that it will launch
non-stop flights between Toronto and Santiago, Chile, with convenient same
plane one stop service continuing on to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Flights
will depart Toronto on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays beginning Dec 2.
With a southbound flight time of 11 hours, travellers will save a minimum
of two hours off alternate best routings. Flights have been timed to offer
customers convenient connections at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport
to and from many of the cities served throughout our network in Canada, the
United States, Europe and Asia.

Dorval Aircraft Display on Sept. 10 - and you’re invited. On Sept.10
Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer will be at the Dorval base, entrance
five, to display their 70 -110 seat aircraft for future consideration.
Between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Sept.10, all active and retired employees
will have a chance to get up close and personal with the aircraft before
anyone else. You’re welcome to invite up to four members of your family or
friends. You will be required to present a valid Air Canada identification
card. This is a great opportunity for you to visit the aircraft, ask
questions and provide feedback. Employees based outside of Montreal, who
are interested in attending, are welcome to do so. However, you will have
to arrange your own time off with your manager. To encourage your
participation, the Dorval Hilton at (514) 631-2411, is offering an employee
discount of $89 Cdn for a one-night stay. So, come out and look at what
could be in store for our future. On Sept. 11, the aircraft will be on
display to all Air Canada executives, customers and other invited guests.

Air Canada News:
The Red Cross and British Columbia families benefit from Air Canada’s
support. To date, more than 30 families, whose homes were destroyed by the
forest fires in British Columbia, and 27 Red Cross relief workers have
taken Air Canada up on its offer of complimentary travel. This offer of
support was made on Aug. 28 to individuals who have suffered the
devastating loss of their residence in order to allow them to be with
family and friends who may reside elsewhere in the country. As an update,
Air Canada’s coordination with the Red Cross is a success. The company
continues to fly relief Red Cross staff to the areas affected by the fires.

Air Canada boosts service to sun destinations this winter offering
unprecedented choice and convenience with over 660 weekly flights. Sept
12th, we announced a wide ranging improvements in scheduled services to
many of our sun destinations just in time for planning vacations this
coming winter. Overall, we will increase the number of seats between Canada
and the tropical destinations we serve by 19 per cent compared to last
winter, or 148 more weekly flights. In addition to more flights and better
connections than ever before, highlights of our winter schedule include
brand new services to San Jose, Cost Rica, Ixtapa and Cozumel in Mexico as
well as Kona, Hawaii and Daytona Beach, Florida.
Employee Communications

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Re the first female flight attendant as mentioned in the Sep 03 Netletter:
" First female flight attendant was Nellie Diender, working on Swissair
Curtiss Condo in 1934."
Were you speaking of female flight attendants in Europe only? I note that
Helen E. McLaughlin reports in her book Footsteps in the Sky, published in
1994, that the first female flight attendant was Ellen E. Church, flying
for Boeing Air Transport (later United Airlines) on May 15, 1930. She was
one of eight women who began flying the 20 hour route between Chicago and
San Francisco.
April Tredgett
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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. From W.A.C.A. -
The Executive Committee of the World Airlines Clubs
Association (WACA)
met recently in Vancouver , Canada as guests of the
Vancouver Interline
Club to chart new directions for the 37 year old
organisation. The
association had been battered by the same storms that
buffeted the
airline industry , with members losing jobs , suffering
wage cuts and
even retirees losing travel privileges as airlines they had
worked for
dissappeared.

President Maga Ramasamy of Air Mauritius said at the
opening of the 2
day meeting at the Executive Plaza Hotel at Vancouver
Airport , that
WACA will have to make the same kind of painful and radical
changes
that their employers had to do and are continuing to do.
Among the
decisions were :

* to conduct a study to upgrade and transform
communications in WACA
through effective use of portals to handle internal and
external
communications ,carry bulletins and newsletters , handle
finances in a
paperless manner , vote on issues , conduct meetings and make
decisions.

* an approach to IATA to consider an industry employee and
retiree card
so that employees and retirees can apply easily for rebated
travel on
other airlines.

* to use WACA's considerable resources to help the airline
industry
organise , coordinate and consolidate interline cultural ,
social , sports ,
recreational and community service events.

*to review its Youth Exchange Programme to see how it can
continue to
be relevant in an environment of heightened security.

* to get more airline corporate clubs to join as corporate
members and
facilitate the integration of the industry in areas that
WACA is strong in
such as sports and recreation. The more immediate task was the
organsing of a 7 day cruise out of Tampa , Florida in
October 2003. The
cruise , open to all travel industry members, was an
attempt to show
support to the travel industry and lift the sagging spirits
of an industry in
turmoil. More than 200 have signed on and more requests
keep pouring
in. Delta Airlines had graciously offered rebated travel
for all participants.
Beyond recreation , the cruise will have meetings on issues
affecting the
industry and the association and collection of money and
material to
deserving units in Belize. More details about WACA and this
cruise are
available in its website at www.waca.org.

. News from the districts -
From the Vancouiver Island & Gulf Island district -
just a reminder for the airline people in greater Victoria the next
coffee meeting will be held this next Wed.10th at Smitty's Rest. 2302
Beacon Ave in Sidney.
Hope to see you there. Bob Walker


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. Captain John Gallagher who worked at Air Canada from 1951 - 1991 sends
this request -
Subject: WW II radio operator

My friend is writing a history of her family. She asked me the following.
Hope some retiree can help.
My aunt was Rita Beatrice Schefter and she was born Sept. 16, 1919

Rita worked for TCA as a radio operator during World War II and afterwards
until she got married in 1949. She trained in and worked mainly at Malton
and also went to London, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. She married a farmer
near Lucknow and Goderich Ontario.

1. Where in Toronto would she have trained? Malton? She went in the evening
as she had a day job.

2. What would the training have consisted of and approximately how long
would it have lasted?

3. What did a radio operator in TCA's communications dept. do during the
1940s?
Thank you
"Capt. Gallagher" <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>

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. Found by our chief pilot - Vesta -
SKYWRITINGS
Hot Wings
Although not as well-known as the Blue Angels or the Snowbirds, there are
other military demonstration aircraft that fly in air shows throughout North
America. The Canadian Air Force's F-18 Hornet is one of them, and this one
has a feline paint job.

FAST FLIER MAKES A SLOW FAREWELL
As supersonic passenger travel comes to a close -- at least for the time
being -- British Airways is planning a North American farewell lap for the
Concorde. Special "celebration" flights to Boston, Toronto, and Washington,
D.C., are scheduled in the weeks prior to the aircraft's retirement date on
October 24. First stop on the tour is Toronto, on October 1, followed by a
stop in Boston on October 8 and to Dulles International Airport, near
Washington, D.C., on October 14. Want to book a seat? Fares start at $7,999,
to fly subsonic to London and return on the Concorde.

AIRBUS ON FINAL AT 3300-FOOT STRIP?
Canadian officials are wondering how an Air Canada Airbus A319 crew on a
perfectly clear August day appeared to set up to land at a tiny municipal
airport in British Columbia, instead of their real destination. The
Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is investigating the incident in which the
A319, with its gear down and flaps partly extended, lined up for the
75-feet-wide by 3360-feet-long Runway 23 at Vernon Regional Airport. The
crew, which descended as low as 780 feet over the city of Vernon, apparently
realized its mistake and went looking for Kelowna International, about 30
miles away. The flight from Toronto carried 87 passengers and five crew. TSB
spokesman Bill Yearwood told the National Post, "The pilots descended low
enough that, for all intents and purposes, they appeared to be lost, and
that's a concern.

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. Star Alliance news -
A team of Air New Zealand pilots, cabin crew and engineers left late
last week for the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France where they will
undertake the final preparations for the delivery of the airline's first
new A320 aircraft. The aircraft will be handed over at a special ceremony
in Toulouse on 15 September

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. Found on the internet.
Ryanair, Europe's No.1 low fares airlines, on 4th September 2003,
announced 100,000 FREE seats to celebrate the 3.5 million passenger to date
at Brussels-Charleroi Airport. All you pay are the taxes!

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. Terry's travel tips.
Great interline specials for airline employees. If you’re a member of
ID90.com, a worldwide interline discount resource available exclusively for
airline employees, they have a really great deal available for the month of
September. Their newest travel partner Hyatt International Hotels and
Resorts is offering unbelievable rates starting at just $40 US a night –
includes breakfast for two. This is the first time the Hyatt has offered
rates this low, so hurry because the offer ends Sept. 30. For more
information, or to become a member, log on to ID90.COM’s website at
www.ID90.com or call 888-895-2510.

Visiting the Seattle area?
When it comes to building airplanes, the men and women at The Boeing
Company build them best. The twin-aisle assembly plant in Everett, Wash.,
showcases this talent for the visiting public five days a week at the
Boeing Tour Center. The tours allow visitors to see how Boeing assembles
its huge passenger jets that lead the way in innovation, manufacturing
processes and design.

Interline World Vacations -
For information and reservations, please call 1-866-279-8480
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PANAMA CANAL
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Princess cruises aboard the Coral Princess
14 night Panama Canal Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale
Sailing Sep 16, 2003
Price Inside $699
Los Angeles , Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Puntarenas, Transit Panama Canal,
Cartagena, Aruba , Ft Lauderdale
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CARIBBEAN
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Carnival Cruises aboard the Destiny ---- DEAL OF THE WEEK
7-Night Southern Caribbean - San Juan return
Sailing Sep 14, 21, 28 2003
Price Inside/outside / Balcony $199 ONLY
San Juan , St. Thomas, Martinique, Barbados, Aruba, San Juan
INTERLINE FRIENDS AND FAMILY IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THIS SAILING JUST $40 extra
per person
Princess cruises aboard the Sun Princess
10-Nights Southern /Eastern Caribbean - Ft. Lauderdale return
Sailing Nov 1, 11
Inside $599, Outside $799, Balcony $999 (Only Nov 11 )
Ft Lauderdale, Princess Cays, Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas), Philipsburg, St.
Vincent, Bridgetown (Barbados), St. Johns (Antigua), Ft Lauderdale
The Yachts of Seabourn aboard the Seabourn Pride
7 Nights Caribbean Cruise sailing from Barbados to Ft Lauderdale
Sailing Dec 13, 2003
Outside $1225
Barbados, cruising the Caribbean Sea, Gustavia, Virgin Gorda, Charlotte
Amalie, cruising the Atlantic Ocean, cruising the Great Bahama Bank, Ft
Lauderdale
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CANADA/NEW ENGLAND
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Cunard Cruise lines aboard the QE 2
12 Night Canada/New England Cruise - New York return
Sailing Oct 7, 2003
Inside $999, Outside $1199
New York City, Halifax, Sydney, Corner Brook, cruise the Saquenay River,
Quebec City (overnight), cruise Gulf of st.
Lawerence, St. John, Newport , New York City
Princess cruises aboard the Golden Princess
7 Night Canada/New England Cruise - New York return
Sailing Sep 28, 5 - Inside $399, Outside $499
Sailing Oct 12 - Outside $499
New York City , Halifax, St. John, Bar Harbor, Boston, Newport, New York City
Holland American cruise Lines aboard the Rotterdam
20 Nights Canada/New England Cruise sailing roundtrip from New York
Sailing Sep 17, 2003
Price inside $999, Outside $1199
New York City, Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown,
Scenic cruising Saguenay Fjord, Quebec City, scenic cruising St. Lawrence
River, Montreal, Scenic cruising St. Lawrence River, Quebec City, Scenic
cruising Saguenay Fjord, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Boston,
Newport, New York City
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*PORT CHARGES INCLUDED. Government taxes extra. All prices are in
US dollars, based on double occupancy for new bookings only and apply
only to eligible Airline Personnel and their certain family members.
Proof of employment and/or relationship to employee required. Certain
terms and conditions may apply
For information and reservations, please call
INTERLINE WORLD VACATIONS AT 1-866-279-8480 toll free
or (604) 279-8482

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Important reminder, for all new articles, submissions and or comments
for the "The Netletter" please send to:
Our joint e-mail address is:    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
please add to your Address Books.
This e-mail address has been set up so that both of us (exclusively)
will get an automatic copy and so we can keep up with the continuity of
news for the NetLetter.


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