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Vesta's Jump Seat
 Why not allow the NetLetter be your platform, and opportunity, to relive your history while working for either TCA, AC, CPAir, CAIL, PWA, AirBC etal. and share your experiences with us!TSA ADDS HURDLE TO RECREATION OF EARHART FLIGHT? Grace McGuire, now 59, is still pursuing her decades-long dream to finish Amelia Earhart's final flight flying the same model aircraft with the same instrumentation and parts. The journey has already taken McGuire from her home in New Jersey to the Central Coast of California, where she says it was almost derailed by TSA regulations. Having acquired an original Lockheed L-10E in 1984, McGuire eventually had the aircraft shipped in sections to Santa Maria Airport where it was to be rebuilt, made airworthy, and readied. The plan was to fly it to Miami, down the East Coast of South America to Dakar making every effort to fly a route nearly identical to Earhart's ... "except the outcome -- I'm coming back," McGuire told a local CBS news affiliate. Unfortunately, the TSA requirement that each airport tenant provide an airport issued-I.D. card put the project that's already faced considerable financial and logistical hurdles, "in shambles," according to McGuire. At Santa Maria, airport tenants are required to provide a filled-out application and proof of identification. In McGuire's case, where numerous specialty mechanics were needed to reconstruct the aircraft, the task was proving difficult. But now, the San Diego Air and Space Museum has stepped in. |
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Air Canada - our first 70 years
 1939 - March First official air mail and air express service between YUL-YVR, passenger service commenced April. 1941 - May 9th The first female passenger agent ever employed by TCA was Grace of Winnipeg. 1942 - May 1st The first scheduled TCA flight to Newfoundland 1944 April 1st YVR celebrated the 5th anniversary of transcontinental passenger service with the arrival of flight 6 Capt. Gordon Haslett, F/O Bill Peters .. and stewardess Florence Perkins, were the crew. |
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Air Canada News
 New Travel Discount Program for employees, retirees, family and friends. Creative Juices at work. Using a promotion code will discount Canada and U.S. fares by 10% and all other routes by 15%. Each promotional code can be used for one booking of up to six passengers. The offer is available on flights operated by Air Canada and Air Canada Jazz and is valid for all one-way or round-trip tickets purchased on www.aircanada.com from August 26 until December 15, 2009. Obtain codes as of August 26, through the Employee Travel site. So pack your bags, tell your friends and get ready to "Go AC". |
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TCA/AC People Gallery
 Over the past months we have been publishing various photographs from earlier "Horizons", should any photos prompt a memory in seeing one of them, feel free to send us your comments and thoughts.Norm Stoddart has dug up some back copies of "Between Ourselves" from the YYJ library which he has kindly donated to us. These will be scanned, and we will extract some of the information. (We realize these photos are more than 60 years old, but, we feel they may be of interest to anyone with long memories or with genealogy aspirations - eds) From the issue dated March 1944 This month saw the launch of the Suggestion and Award Plan. The first two winners were Bill Westwood and Bud Allen of Revenue Accounting who each won $100.00. A 5 year pin has been designed as being awarded accordingly. The pin is in 10k gold, with no number on it.The little threaded spike on the reverse is also made of 10k gold, therefore care will have to be used in affixing the award. The reason for the gold is due to the fact that steel was not procurable due to the war effort. On February 17th, the Toronto TCARA held their mid winter dance. The inaugural dance of the Moncton TCARA hosted 50 couples. In May 1941 TCA operated a service between Charlottetown and Summerside with flights 42 and 43 under the command of Capt. Bert Trerice who dubbed the service "Blueberry Bullet". together with Capt. Jack Holly and F/O Jack Collett.. Issue dated May 1944. Under the guidance of Steve Sime, Bob Gifford, Claire Houlton and Alf Devonish the Halifax T.C.A.R.A. group was formed, with its first official event planned for during May at the Nova Scotian Hotel. The first passenger Service Conference ever held in the Atlantic Division convened at Moncton on April 5th. The three day event was held at the Brunswick Hotel. 15 employees attended. Issue dated Midsummer 1944  Here we have this photo of a flight crew at Gander. Left to right D. A. Balfour, radio operator; psger agents J. I. Edwards, B. P. Kemp, F. 0. K. Moreland; Capt. Griffith; Stewardess D. Gilmour; D. Weir, station manager; B. V. Wilcox agent i/c CF-TCW unloading outside the Gander Admin building. The "new" Torbay administration building. The first scheduled flight to Newfoundland was May 1st 1942 crewed by Capt. Tretrice, Stewardess Reid and Capt. Walt Fowler. Here we have this photo of unloading 200 pounds of mail. (There is a newfie joke here somewhere but it escapes us - eds)June 12th saw the formation of the TCARA at Vancouver. |
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Alan's Space
 Thomson Safety Video
THOMSON have enlisted their youngest "cabin crew" yet to demonstrate safety procedures on flights. In a UK aviation industry first, the safety film is presented by Alice & Co - a group of children taking passengers through the ins and outs of emergency exits, oxygen masks and lifejackets. The new safety video is proving effective, with Thomson's own research revealing a massive 333 per cent increase in the number of passengers who engaged with the video. Alice & Co will feature on all short and mid-haul Thomson flights from Monday and all long-haul routes from September. See: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjHCc6TZhaM or click on image below.  |
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Canadi>n/CPAir/PWA, Wardair, etc. Events & People
 Over the past months we have been publishing various photographs from earlier in-house magazines, should any photos prompt a memory in seeing one of them, feel free to send us your comments and thoughts. CF-CPY has finally made her move over to the front of the Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse.From the "CP Air NEWS" issue January 1979  Some staff photos - John Al Leger and Nancy Wood in Fort St. John Sue Sawyer and Bob Dawson in the res office at Whitehorse. Marlie Field also in Whitehorse but in Ops. In Prince Rupert are Janice Wyllie and Brian Walsh. Terrace has Grant Casper working there. Watson Lake has Brent Nixon, Doreen Wiedmark, Vic Cheropita and Don Honeywill. From the "INFO:CARGO" issue October 1991  Here we have a photo of the ramp at Iqaluit formerly Frobisher Bay. This is the Comox B.C. Time-Air teamL to R John Gibson, Donna Perrault, Ken Godfrey, Len Smith, Don Sorenson, Keith Johns |
 Dave Welham sends this memory. Re: NetLetter #1083: AC - our first 70 years. 1967 - Nov 1st Direct YULMIA service commences. It was still going strong 10 to 20 years later when I was there, and we got used to those "final call" announcements for "Mee-A-Mee". For agents meeting the northbound it was the "Wheelchair Express", with often at least 10 WCHR's needed per flight, especially at high holidays and end of winter. But bless those dear ol' snowbirds, they kept the flights full long before seatsale fares began and helped keep the route profitable. Dave Welham In NetLetter nr 1080, we published information about a book written by Gerald A. Archambeau author of "A Struggle to Walk with Dignity" The true story of a Jamaican-born Canadian. When clicking on the book cover the web site offered was incorrect and Gerald would like anyone interested to visit the web site www.bluebutterflybooks.ca and then click on the book cover for the new information. Carol Bell (nee Folkes) has sent us this information regarding a photo in NetLetter nr 1080. I am replying to the picture sent in by Jack Stephens of the 1960 Training Class in hgr 2 in YWG. I believe the last man in the back row on the RH side is my father Chas Folkes. He was in the Training Dept. in YWG before he transferred to YUL in December 1960. He continued in the Training Dept. in YUL until the mid 60's or early 70's and then moved to the Publications side of things where he stayed until his early retirement in 1976. Sadly he passed away in 2003. It was great to see his picture! Please keep up the good work, Carol Bell (nee Folkes) |
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Terry's Trivia & Travel Tips
 Terry's Travel Tips Last spring, your co-pilot took a tour of north and southern Ireland as a package tour with Trafalgar coach lines - here is the first segment. IRELAND TOUR May 2nd thru May 13th., 2009 Saturday May 2nd We left home at 11.00 and our friends took us down to Woodgrove Shopping Centre to catch to bus service to Vancouver Airport via the BC Ferry at Duke Point. Arrival at YVR was 15.30 and departure of our KLM MD11 flight for Amsterdam at 18:30. We were well in time to check-in. We both had a carry-on bag and a smaller bag. KLM restriction is one bag only with any smaller bag, purse, lap top etc to be allowed but included with the overall weight. One total was just over the limit, but the agent let us through with the caution that the flight crew may insist that the carry-on be checked. However, nothing was said and, looking around the lounge we noticed some carry-on's far in excess of what looked like both size and/or weight. Our seats were comfortable, and each seat was equipped with a small screen in the seat back ahead, which was controlled by a control in the arm rest. The aircraft was full, and the food was excellent for airline fare. After take off, we had an offer of anything to drink, including free liquor. Pillows, blanket and earphones were supplied. A menu was supplied and we had beef hotpot with carrots for supper. The crew were very attentive. Just prior to arrival, we were offered a hot breakfast which included scrambled eggs, yoghourt, tea/coffee/juice and muffin. Sunday May 3rd We had two hours before our next flight to Dublin which was to be on Aer Lingus Airbus A320. We went through customs with no delays and went down to our next gate, which was quite a route march from our arrival gate. There were just a few other passengers waiting in the lounge, so we joined them. Later, when the check-in agents arrived, we were all asked to vacate the lounge, as everyone is required to go through security again. While we waited outside the lounge, the check-in agents searched the lounge for anything terrorist related, they looked under every seat, behind the window blinds even the chairs that the agents would use. We assumed the security check was due to the fact several passengers had entered the lounge prior to the agents arrival, but we notice that this was the mode of operation at all the lounges. Then we were allowed to go through the security. Our flight was almost full, and very comfortable. There is nothing free on this flight. The seat pocket had the "bill of fare". Tea/Coffee or water cost euro2.50 (ca$4.00), Beer euro4.00 (ca$6.40), Wine or sandwich euro5.00 (ca$8.00), KitKat euro1.50 (ca$2.40), soft drink euro2.00 (ca$3.20). A packaged breakfast went for euro9.00 (ca$14.40). The A320 flight was just 1 hour and 15 minutes, not including the 20 minute taxiing time. We were met at the "meeting point" after immigration/customs, which was a breeze now that we are in the European Union member state. We had a long walk to the van and were the only passengers to be taken to our hotel. The driver talked incessantly, mainly complaining about the high cost of operating into Dublin airport which is driving foreign airlines away, including Air Canada. Our hotel was the Mespil Hotel. After checking in and going to our room to freshen up, we went down to meet up for the Welcome drink with the rest of the tour group. We joined a group and started talking with a couple for a while, before we realized this was the wrong group - they we "Sisters of Mercy". We removed ourselves and went to the bar, where we found another group. One of the group came over, introduced himself as David from Wisconsin USA and invited us to join him and his wife Betty. The Tour Manager introduced himself, Bernard Creegan, to the group of 49 tourists, and offered a welcome drink or two, and distributed an informational folder and a road map. The proceeded to tell us the rules of the tour ... be on time for the coach, people will be rotated to different seats each day according to a pre-planned roster, use the onboard toilet at your peril, no food or drink on the coach except water. Due to our own late arrival, we had missed a short optional tour of the Guinness plant and store. Supper in the hotel was euro22.00, but we were not all that hungry, only tired, and elected to buy a sandwich euro3.75 (ca$6.00) and a kit kat offer of 3 for euro2.00 (ca$3.20) and turned in as we had to have our luggage outside the door by 07:00 and boarding of the coach by 08:30 after breakfast. Gas price was euro98.9 per litre (ca$1.58) (More next time - eds) |
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Smilie
 From "Between Ourselves" issue March 1944.  ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL BY HELICOPTER CAUSES CONSTERNATIONFourteen-year-old Joseph Sutherin got the memorable first day of school he hoped for, when his father dropped him off in the schoolyard in a Hughes 300 helicopter early Monday morning. But his father Bart got more than he bargained for, when school officials "freaked out", and called the sheriff and the FAA. An FAA official said it didn't appear that any regulations had been violated. Sutherin, a father of three, is certified to fly the helicopter and landed in a clear area away from students. |