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Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

The NetLetter #1148

The NetLetter
 For Air Canada Retirees
 


January 8, 2011 - Issue 1148
 
First Issue published in October 1995!
(over 5,400 subscribers)
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Reader Spotlight
Pionairs Related News
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
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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
Upcoming Events - Compiled by Alan Rust

Vancouver - January 11, 2011: *** The January meeting presentation will be a slide presentation by Keith Wade on flying boats and amphibians. Note: may be cancelled if it snows. If it does, call Jerry Vernon to confirm at (604) 420-6065


Calgary - January 20, 2011: *** Alan H. MacDonald Memorial Lecture ***
"Aim for the Sky and Hope for Money: The Canadian Aircraft Industry, 1909-1929" by Dr. Stéphane Guevremont


Ottawa - January 27, 2011: Rob Erdos, Chief Test Pilot for the National Research Council of Canada, shares his test pilot insights and personal experiences flying Vintage Wings of Canada's recently restored Westland Lysander.  Join us for what promises to be a most interesting evening.


Toronto - February 12, 2011: Alan C. Dares,   B.A, C.T.M, A.T.P.L. will be speaking on "Light Sport Aircraft (LSA's) in Canada"


Reader Spotlight - from Lyse Mousseau
 

lyseMy name is Lyse Mousseau. I retired in 1994 after working on RES III in Dorval and after working for 28 years in Sales and Customer Services in Montreal.

This picture of me in 1967 was taken to be published in 'La Presse' to let the public know that Elvis' guitar had arrived from LA and was to be displayed at the American Pavilion during Expo '67.

That day, I was working at the ticket counter at Dorval airport and my supervisor Claude Nadeau came to me and said to put my hat and gloves on and to come with him and the 'La Presse' photographer.

As you can see on the picture, the aircraft is a Vanguard and AC425 written on the panel and as we all know this flight was a Toronto flight but only airline employees would know not the public. The caption in 'La Presse' which I don't have unfortunately, said that the guitar had just arrived at the airport directly from Los Angeles.
I just thought that I'd send it for this website as it must mean something for those who worked at the airport during that time.

Lyse Mousseau

 

(Do you have a special photo where you encountered your 15 minutes of fame? Send it to us with a write-up and we'll publish it here.)

Pionairs Related News - Compiled by Terry Baker
 
janetOn December 12th 2010, the U.K. Pionairs held their Christmas luncheon at the Burnham Beeches Hotel which was very well attended. Eroulla Stavrinou took some photos, and here we have three of them. The National Pionairs President Jannet Tricarico was in attendance and here is a photo with her husband Thomas and Diane Hyde.
oatleyNext we have a photo of John and Jane Oatley. Jane helps Jack Morath with the organization of the events we do including the Christmas lunch.
morath and finally one with Jack Morath and Chris Grey.
 
Our first 70 years - Compiled by Terry Baker
Trans-Canada Air Lines/Air Canada


1972 - July 20 - Halifax Flight Dispatch Center closed.
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 and other interesting people and places.

Issue dated - December 1962
Extracts from the "Between Ourselves" magazine -
dusstaffCOINCIDING WITH THE COMPANY'S 10 years service between Canada and Dusseldorf is the anniversary of Ursala Schmitt also 10 years with the Company.

The staff at Dusseldorf gave her a small celebration in honour of her being the first continental European notional employee to complete 10 years with Air Canada.

Shown from the left are
H.D Werner, Passenger Office Mgr; D. Remy, Station Operations; H. Peetz, P.A.; W.Weicker, P.A.;  S. Sawallich, PA.; H.R. Weller, District Manager; Ursula Schmitt, Office Clerk; T.Thoneick, Office Services Supervisor; W.O. Witte, Soles Manager; R. Kramer; A. M. Stiegler.

The company has disposed of all but three of the Super Constellation aircraft from the fleet. The Super Constellations were retired from scheduled service on January 1962. Two aircraft were returned to Lockheed Aircraft Corp under a buy back arrangement while four were taken by Douglas Aircraft Corp in an arrangement connected with the purchase of four DC-8F Jet Traders. Three were sold to California Automotive Corp, Burbank, CA and one to Mr. Allen Poulson of North Hollywood  CA.
germanfairGerman speaking promoters of the Company at the ninth annual German-Canadian Christmas Fair in Toronto assisting visitors to complete forms for the lucky draw of 260 seats on two DC-8 fam flights. Left to right: Margitta Uebe, Arthur Berger, Reingard Mueller, Helene Milne.
yellowpagesSorting Yellow Pages in the Montreal International Airport baggage room are from the left: Jo-Anne Williams, Florence Masse, Audrey Carrothers, Marie-Paule Aersenault of Bell, Jocelyn Rene.

Issue dated - August 1972
From the "Horizons" magazine -
rampbrewJuly 20th the Halifax Flight Dispatch Centre was closed. Responsibilities for the Flight Dispatch operations are now concentrated at YVR for the West, YYZ for Central, YUL for east and LHR for Europe.
 
A refreshing note was added to the Toronto Ramp operation during the July heat wave when 5,000 kegs of beer arrived from Belgium.Customer demand for the refrigerated kegs of draft beer was such that the distributor had to air-lift the units.
the records. Oktoberfest representative Monica Hoffman offers a sample of the heady brew to Bruce Fendley, Roger Wildfong, Art Williams, D. Eweles, Bruce Smith and Rick Leavens. Alas, it was just for picture purposes, for she then dumped the contents on the tarmac. Here is the photo.
(We did not show the pouring away of the brew as it was too distressing - eds)
Alan's Space - by Alan Rust
Alan's Space
Alan Rust
Telephone and/or Email Scam
As reported by Air Canada today:
There currently is a random, old-fashioned telephone scam being conducted in Canada to obtain credit card numbers and other personal information from the general public.

The most common approach is for an individual to receive a phone call, sometimes computer-generated, advising him or her that they have won a trip, vacation or other sort of prize from Air Canada, or another well-known company.  The individual is then asked to provide a credit card number and/or other personal information.
For complete information click here 
(I actually received a call from a machine saying that I won 10,000 AirMile points and to press 1 to continue... I hung up)

Hybrid Air Vehicles - submitted by Christy Kiloh
Revolutionary Aerospace Solutions for Transport, Surveillance and Telecommunications in the 21st Century - Hybrid Air Vehicles is one of the world's leading exponents of 'Lighter-Than-Air' (LTA) technology, with the world's most experienced team specialising in designing, building and certifying LTA systems.

The growing world demand for raw materials and the increasing threat of global terrorism is driving the need for novel solutions to the requirements for heavy lift transportation and surveillance / communications with the minimum environmental impact. Hybrid Air Vehicles' products directly address all of these requirements in a cost effective manner. You can see a video of their test flight by clicking here.
Hybrid Air Vehicle
Illustration of Hybrid Air Vehicle

Click here or on image for more information
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.
cf-btwHere we have two more photos Brian Johannesson (ex-Winnipeg, ex-Montreal, now living in Kitchener) has sent us. We had others in NetLetter nr 1147- CF-BTW Bellanca.

transairtwinMy father took this picture sometime in the early 1960s, the slide had no date on it.  At the time I believe TransAir had a regular float service from somewhere in northern Manitoba to Winnipeg.  Note the boat made with two aircraft pontoons at the dock in front of the plane.  The floating dock was brought on shore every October and then relaunched in April after the Red River opened up again and the flood gates at Lockport were closed, allowing the river to rise to its normal summer level.
Transair Twin

Again, my father took this picture sometime in the early 1960s.  For some reason the aircraft seems tail-heavy, the backs of the floats are nearly under water. For more information about them or to see more of the collection go to my website at www.rareaviationphotos.com

Issue dated - August 1998
Excerpts from "Canadia>n Flyer" magazine
mcconachieKevin Benson turned the sod on June 15th for a new corporate headquarters at Calgary airport..

New product called "Premium Package Service" launched on July 15th.
 
Widespread improvements to be made to the YVR Ops Center for this fall. Here we have two of the employees involved.

Cleaning the exterior of the Ops Center we have Wayne McConachie.
millerSenior Property Manager Rick Miller.

payneCDN/CRA employees give "Ideas Plus" a kick start. Here we have a photo of one of the recipients.
Left to right: John Ford Program Manager, YVR-based mechanic Russ Payne and analyst Andrea Hirschbold.

taiwanCanadi>n's team in Taiwan have helped grow the Taiwan travel market through aggressive marketing tactics. Here we have this photo with Derek Galpin, General Manager Taiwan & Malaysia.
(Sorry ladies you were not aggressive enough in making sure you were identified - eds)

bangkokBangkok Blitz
CDNs Bangkok staff held a sales blitz on Songkran Day, April 1 3. The Thai holiday marks the change from the hot season to the wet season. The team delivered 800 gift sets to travel agency staff around BKK.
Front (left to right): Charnchai Khongsrithong, Nlongyao Labsrivivat, Nuchaporn Srisajjakul, Doreen Hazell, Country Manager, Thailand, Greg Schoenbaechler, Sukanya Rattanawadee, Prapapun Singhaphahu, Nonglak Yenchaisit, and Lynette Gould.
Back (from left)  Naowarat Hakimee, Ninlawan Piriyasatit, and Netdao Boonjaroenraj.

mexicodinnerGala dinner in Mexico City
Participants at a gab dinner sponsored by CDN and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce are (from left to right): Dulce Mejia, Executive Assistant; Telesforo Reyes, Mexico Base Accountant; Ana Hermnandez, Manager of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico; Andres Darvasi, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico; Cristi Vazquez, Country Manager, Mexico & Central America; Jon Salvatore, Montreal airport Concierge; Leticia Gonzalez, Mex Commercial/ Sales Manager; Daniel Rosas, Commercial/Sales Rep.
mexicoBienvenido from Mexico City.
CDN employees in Mexico City roll out the red carpet for Alex Pittman, the new General Manager of Latin America. Alex is on the far right and is standing beside Cristi Vazquez, Country Manager, Mexico & Central America. (Sorry, we have no other identications - eds)

macinnesJerry MacInnes supervises the boarding of a Maritime Central Airways DC-3  c1955 at one of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line stations he helped to establish.
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.

Peter Rose sends us this message referring to NetLetter nr 1145
- Thank you for publishing my reminiscences of Saunders-Roe. The jet "boat" fighter was originally designed as a lagoon based aircraft for the war in the Pacific but the need was gone before the aircraft went into production so it was scrapped. The jet plus rocket fighter was, I think, designated the S-R 53. In the article under "Odds and Ends" Jim Griffith mentions Jay Fancott. Jay and I were on the same course at Claresholm "5603".

Robert (Bob) Boudreau tells us "he was there" - referring to the Viscount belly landing -
I reported in for afternoon shift that day,and with several of my co workers ,were assigned to recovering the acft.that was on training flt. On that touch and go gear was still up on landing. We blocked and jacked to a level that allowed us to drop the gear.Then towed acft. to L/M 3 hangar.The big hard ship was fending off mosquito's, weather that evening was hot and humid. Robert (Bob) Boudreau

Janet Carten recently joined out readership and sent us this short bio -
Just wondering if you could put me on the list for issues of your news letter. I am an "old stew" in every sense of the word as I was with Trans-Canada Air Lines about 100 years ago, (well, 1943-1944). I was based in Montreal, flying to Moncton and Halifax and in the latter part of '43 we flew into Sidney as well. Great times to be flying.

Thanks for putting me on the reader's list. I'll be interested to see if I find any familiar names. (My name was Kennedy when I was with TCA.) We did 3 weeks training in Winnipeg starting in January and flying back from there to Toronto we landed in Kapuskasing (or was it Armstrong?) where the temperature was 52 below zero. A record for me!! Janet

Aubrey Winterbotham sends in this memory -
It was interesting to see 'Hamble' mentioned in one of your recent Netletters. I attended Air Service Training in Hamble, Southampton from 1952-1954. It was an aircraft engineering school that prepared you to write the Air Registration Board license exams. In fact, it was my license that enabled me to get a job with Trans-Canada Air Lines in 1959. The Avro Arrow program had just been canceled in Toronto so the employment market was awash with experienced aircraft people. I was interviewed by Ralph Thatcher and worked on the Super Connies even though I had never been close to one. I retired from Air Canada in 1992 after 33 years of service. I returned to Hamble last April just for old times sake but everything had changed after all this time.

Really enjoy the stories from the past, keep up the good work.
Aubrey Winterbotham.

wardairgalsAlan Evans sends us this information -.
I enclose an old picture some people might remember. Its the Wardair C/A publicity photo. The girl in the centre is Bobby Williams.third from top is I believe Sandy Flood and my wife Josie Forbes (nee Evans) is second top. All three of these girls were with Pacific Western as after Josie was head hunted by Max Ward they joined her in 1968. Josie was ex ANSETT Australia where she met Sandy an American and between them they left Ansett to tour the USA where Josie had won the best C/A in Ansett and given a publicity trip to California.

They joined PWA enroute in 1966. She was transferred to Toronto in partnership with Peter Highfield who managed the cockpit crew and she the Cabin attendants. We married in Oct 1969 so she left Toronto and Wardair to live with me in Antigua. She later trained C/A for Calypso Airlines in Barbados and continued to fly as check C/A with me in LIAT. Leaving the islands she did not fly again until 1989, 19 years later when again Max Ward asked her to help out in hiring C/A for  his Airline. When Wardair went under she finally left the industry and died of cancer in 2001. She had two sons Scott now with a Toronto airline and Grant a ships broker.

I am sure there are many C/A who remember those early days with PWA and Wardair.

Regards  Alan Evans

morewairdairgalsHeather Johannson sends this follow up -
Upon reading the article from Alan Evans, I pulled up my Wardair class of 68 pictures, and the Toronto based girls.
I can't remember all the names but I am sure someone will remember or see themselves. I lost touch with Josie after she married Alan and moved to Antigua, 
based in Toronto.

Left to Right back row Judy Unwin, ?????, Sharon, Josie Forbes, Heather Nelson, front row ?????, Bobby, ?????

I stayed with Josie, Bobby and Sandy while we did our training in Edmonton. Oh! we did have fun times.

Heather Johannson

Later, Heather, referring to Alan's information says, but third in top row is not Sandy Flood but Sharon, I think Roberts, but not entirely sure. Sandy wasn't in that photo as I don't remember her being based in Toronto. I think she and Bobby Williams stayed in the west, either YEG or YVR. I went from Wardair to PWA as inflight and that was in the days when if you got married they retired (fired) you.... so I went to CPAir but in reservations, from there to cargo where I happily stayed until the AC takeover and since the union I was in wasn't in AC Cargo so I had to go to YVR Airport where I stayed until retirement in 2005.   Heather.
Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker
Terry Baker
Terry Baker
BRITISH MILE HIGH FLIGHTS GROUNDED BY CAA
Founder Mike Crisp says his air charter's bed-laden Cessna Grand Caravan has been grounded "because of some prudish snobbery on the part of the CAA."

The CAA disagrees. Crisp's business, Mile High Flights, operated for two years out of Gloucestershire, England, giving couples (and one threesome) the opportunity to join the mile high club. Now, the CAA says the company has failed to meet safety criteria and the regulatory agency will not renew the company's operating license.

The Mile High Flights Caravan has been fitted with a few seats and a bed separated from the flight deck by curtains. According to a CAA spokesman, "We cast no moral judgments on what people do in their planes, that's not our business." Safety is, and the agency claims that's where they have discovered problems. Exactly what those problems are have not been widely reported but said the CAA has suggested in-flight activities on these special flights could prove distracting for pilots.

Crisp says he's not giving up. According to Crisp, his work has proven to be "a very popular business idea." He says he invested more than $15,000 in equipping the aircraft with fire-retardant sheets, upholstery and bedding. The flights had offered Brits their chance at amorous airborne encounters starting at about $1,000. Crisp says the business attracted patrons of all (legal) ages, and from all walks of life. The CAA says Mile High Flights failed to offer safety chiefs the necessary assurances and otherwise the agency has "no issue" with the company's business.
milehighcabin(Safety? Surely the couples used approved birth control methods - eds)

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.

On a recent flight, a controller instructed myself and another pilot of each others position and had us make the required adjustments. The controller was quite jovial and introduced himself as "Bruiser," warning us that he didn't want to see a repeat of the incident that earned him his nickname.

A few moments later, the other pilot came on the radio asked Bruiser how he got his nickname. The controller chuckled and told us that he and another controller had both been looking down while walking toward each other in the hall once and had bumped heads.

Bruiser received six stitches, and the other controller received four. I couldn't help myself and asked how these controllers managed to keep airplanes apart. A second later, a Comair flight checked in at FL290, adding that he too was "a little nervous now." Bruiser at the center didn't miss a beat. He replied, "Don't worry, fellas. I'm using my good eye today."
 

christmastravelHere is an appropriate cartoon from "Between Ourselves" issue December 1968.


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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