 The NetLetter
For Air Canada Retirees
(part of the ACFamily Network)
October 1, 2011 - Issue 1181
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First Issue published in October 1995!
(over 5,400 subscribers)
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Donation Information
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Send cheques payable to "ACFamily Network" to:
ACFamily Network
#800 - 15355 24th Ave, Suite 523
Surrey, BC V4A 2H9
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Pay by Credit Card
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| Greetings! |
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
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| CAHS Upcoming Events - Compiled by Alan Rust |
 The CAHS (Canadian Aviation Historical Society) has returned with its regular meetings in Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Manitoba, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, New Brunswick and PEI. If you are at all interested in Canadian aviation history, then we encourage you to attend a meeting. You can get more information by visiting their web site at: www.cahs.ca |
Pionair Meetings and Events - Compiled by Alan Rust
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 The Air Canada Pionairs have ongoing Coffee Club Meetings in the following Districts; Vancouver Island, Vancouver, Okanagan, Edmonton, Calgary, Man-Sask, SW Ontario, Central Ontario, Ottawa, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia - P.E.I., Newfoundland, UK - E.C. and the USA - Caribbean. For full information, click here.
Meetings provide an opportunity to meet old friends, learn the latest news regarding Air Canada and your pensions or hear a variety of guest speakers speaking on topics of interest to retirees.
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| Our first 70 years - Compiled by Terry Baker |
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1951 - June - Company took over maintenance of RCAF aircraft in Winnipeg.
1955 - October - Toronto - Mexico route exchanged with CPA for Quebec routes.
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| Reader Submitted Photos - Compiled by Terry Baker |
 Reader Submitted Photos - The photos and information below was sent to us by our faithful readers. If you would like to send us some old photos you have lying around. we will consider them for publication in a future NetLetter. We prefer good quality airline related photos, with descriptive text included with the submission.
Carol Vickers sends us this message -
Thank you for keeping us informed and bringing back memories. I am a retiree and think we had the best of times. These photos were taken before I joined the company in 1965. All I can tell you about them is how they got to me. The info in the attached email must have been researched by him.
I moved a few years ago in to a new condo building in Bolton, ON. With my love to travel, I go as much as possible and my neighbours are aware I worked for Air Canada. This particular neighbour phoned the other day to tell me he and his wife were going through some family photos they wished to share with me. I don't even know their family so wondered what it was all about. I was absolutely thrilled with what my neighbour brought. My father's first trip overseas was on a Super Connie. |
 Here are two of the L1049 Super Constellation taken in 1954 at Malton. |
 Also, on the same day at Malton a photo of a Bristol Freighter. |
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| TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker |
 Musings from the "Between Ourselves" and "Horizons" magazine, an Air Canada publication from years gone by, and various in-house magazines.
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Issue dated - November 1st 1956
Pickings from the "Between Ourselves" magazine -
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LAST month marked the first anniversary of our Quebec services, and although just one year-old, it's no longer a babe-in-arms.
A year ago we exchanged our Toronto-Mexico City service for Canadian Pacific Airline's Quebec and Northern Ontario routes. This permitted the inclusion of Quebec City, Saguenay, Seven Islands, Val d'Or, Rouyn/Noranda and Earlton in our national route pattern.
This, our major route development for 1955, was an important move in our expanding company and added to the progress of the airplane into the North country. Through this extension, air service was provided between Quebec City and the Maritimes for the first time.
To begin with we had five daily round trip flights operating between Montreal and Quebec City, with both North Star and DC-3 equipment. One of these flights continued beyond Quebec City and terminated at Seven Islands, thus serving Chicoutimi, Jonquiere, Arvida, Kenogami and Port Alfred. Another of the flights proceeded beyond Quebec City to serve Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton.
In addition to this, Northern Quebec was linked to Montreal and Ottawa by one daily flight operating into Val d'Or, Rouyn/ Noranda, Earlton and North Bay.
Since taking over these routes from CPA, we have increased the frequency from one to two daily flights to Rouyn/Noranda, and also increased the frequency of flights into Quebec City.
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 Handling Operations duties in Quebec City are from the left, top row: Eric Lambert, John Doutre, Gislain Tremblay, Andre Gagnon and Leonard Tardif.
Bottom row: Albert Jobin, Marcel Courtois and Phil Leroux.
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 Our Quebec City sales staff are from the left: Guy Piquette, Jocelyne Montminy, Jean Terroux, Grazellia Longo, Pauline Demers, Bob Allen (now with TCA Paris), Ghislaine Simard, Anita Milfe, Rene Bilodeau, Bob Gobeil, Jean Dozois, Paul DeLarminat, Gertrude Laflamme, Guy Chiasson, Georges Theriault, Hubert Dansereau and Rita Pinsonnault. (Note the clock indicates overtime or a hard task master? - eds) |
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 BAGOTVILLE'S Airport, hub of our activity in the Saguenay area, was the scene for this group photo of our Operations staff there.
They are from the left: Jean-Rach Gobeil, Station Attendant, Lionel Comeau, Dennis Kerwin, Jacques Vernier,Roger Gallant and Alfred Leblanc, Operations Agents, and Gaston Yanasse, Station Manager.
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 The three man staff of our Rouyn/Noranda station in Northern Quebec is,
from the left: R. Brady, Station Manager, with A. Walsh and L. Gauthier, Operations Agents.
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Issue dated - May 1974
Found in the "Horizons" magazine -
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 Planning the EPA project
A 40-man team drawn from various Branches of the Company was used in preparing the way for Eastern Provincial Airways to "plug-in" to the Company's ReserVec II reservations system.
The project team, which involved personnel from the Eastern Region, Computer & System Services, Transportation Services, Marketing, Purchasing & Facilities, and Payload & Operations Control, worked in excess of 130 man-months on the program.
Shown are some of the programmers and System design staff who worked full time for many months in the development and implementation of the EPA project.
From the left, seated: Programmers Anne Froats, Sylvia Hennig, Marnie Rosettis, Tom Ferizis, and Mike James.
Standing from the left: Sol Glatstein, Programmer; Dave Thomson, Programmer Analyst; Dave Trumbo, Programmer; and Dennis Bells, Project Coordinator.
Missing from the photo were Programmers Lynne Jordan and Dave Goff, and Programmer Analyst Kay Thacker.
EPA, which has leased the ReserVec II facilities on a five year and eight month contract, is the second Canadian carrier to make such an arrangement with the Company. Pacific Western in Vancouver began a similar service in the spring of 1973.
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| Alan's Space - by Alan Rust |
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| Alan Rust |
Remember when flying was fun? - submitted by Cathy Barker
Photos from Life Magazine - 1968 - Part 1)
On the heals of the new Pan Am Series that has screened two episodes so far, I have some older photos from Life Magazine from 1968 that mirrors this series (showing Sunday nights on ABC).
Except for the backdrops, aircraft and scenery I haven't been too impressed with the series though. Although interesting, It is targeted to a female audience and I find myself drifting away from the story line. I'll give it a few more weeks though and see if anything developes.
Please click on the individual images below for larger Life Magazine photos. I've included four photos below. I'll place more in future issues of the NetLetter.
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White-Glove Service
Fifty years ago, flying had a certain glamour: the luxurious seats, the doting (and beautiful) flight attendants, the gourmet meals... Today, most of the majesty of commercial air travel has been scrapped thanks to cutbacks and tight security.
Miss the old days? LIFE looks back at what it used to mean to fly commercially. Pictured: In 1968, two Pan Am flight attendants embrace before their first transatlantic flight from New York to Moscow.
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 More Bubbly, Sir?
This giant double-decker Boeing 747 seems light-years away from the cramped, leg-crunching cabins of today.
Pictured: A Pan Am stewardess serves champagne.
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 Hot on the Job
Women all over the world aspired to be fight attendants ("stewardesses," as they were once called). On Southwest Airlines (pictured), the motto was "sex sells seats" - and, for better or for worse, the attendants' outfits were fully in accordance.
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Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc. People & Events
- Compiled by Terry Baker |
 News and articles from days gone by gleaned from various publications from C.A.I.L. and it's "ancestry" of contributing airlines.
On April 26th 1981 the following routes were inaugurated by Pacific Western.
- Edmonton - Whitehorse.
- Edmonton - Vancouver.
June 1st the following were introduced
- Kelowna - Victoria.
- Calgary - Vancouver.
- Calgary - Brandon - Toronto.
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 August 20, 1960, while CF-CPA, a Lockheed Lodestar L18-56A was performing aerial photography, it suffered from fuel starvation and belly-landed 100 miles north of Schefferville, Quebec.
The aircraft was built in 1943 c/n 2177 fin # 261 registered by CPAL on June 30th 1943 sold to Hollinger Ungave Transport. More information on the history of this aircraft and the recovery project at www.cp-cpa.ca
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 September 29th 1955, PWA York CF-HMV had a rather undignified landing at Thoa Lake. |
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Issue dated - September 1983
Extracted from "PWA Flightlines" magazine -
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 Pictured are 25 years awards,
from the left: Tom Cary, Ted Graves, Don Moyle, Bill Vos, John Lonsdale, John Bosman, George Ferguson, Robert Pascoe, Vi Halicki, Leif Poulsen.
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 Pictured here are Pacific Western retirees who were honored at a Retirement Party held in Vancouver May 6th.
From left to right: George Irving, YVR Mail Room; Arnie Johannesson, YVR Purchasing; Mhari Gharlick, YVR Reservations; George Riley, YVR Accessory Shop; Hilda Christie, YVR Credit; Fran Burgess, YVR Revenue Accounting; George Taylor, YVR Maintenance; Wayne Van Horne, YVR Maintenance Control. Sandy Moors of Administrative Services gave a belly-dancing demonstration, and can be seen to the right of the photo.
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 Here we have this photo of a popular group of employees - Payroll section. Back row, left to right: Sue Bruerkens, Anita Potentier, Penny Smith, Pat Dawson, Jean Kilgallon, Dilys Ellison, Candy Bangen. Front row, left to right. Georgina Gunn, Helen Walters, Val Sangster. |
 Remember when?
Stranraer flying boat in service with PWA 1955 - 1957. This is pictured from the docks of the Fraser River in Vancouver B.C. |
| Reader's Feedback - Compiled by Terry Baker |
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.
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Odds & Ends - Compiled by Terry Baker
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 Sometimes we receive articles and information that just doesn't fit in our other areas. This is where it goes! NetLetter subscriber Graham McLeod, whose 'nom de plume' is Russ Graham, is pleased to  announce the publication of his second mystery novel, SHADOWS ON THE FLAG.
For information on this and his popular first novel, DEADLY DIVERSIONS, please check out his website. www.russgrahamnovel.com |
Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker
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| Terry Baker |
Ireland has cut their travel tax. The euro3.00 travel tax has been abolished in an attempt to attract more tourists.
The Value Added Tax on restaurant, hotels, cinemas, sports fixtures and other attractions is being cut from 13.5% to 9%
Belfast International Airport has introduced a new tax by charging smokers a gbp1.00 for lighting up cigarettes prior to boarding their flight. After check in, passengers are now allowed to smoke in a designated area, but have to put a gbp1.00 coin into a machine to access the special zone located near the duty free area.
Air Canada has recently announced the introduction of a $25.00 charge for the first checked piece of luggage for travelers to the U.S.
Here are some other revenue producing opportunities available -
- The bathroom facilities (already implemented by Ryanair)
- A credit card for purchases (already implemented by British Airways)
- Magazines and newspapers - the safety card and enRoute will be free however.
- Personal sickness bag.
- Pay per view of all video and music entertainment.
- Individual reading light and/or air vent.
- Issuance of boarding passes at check-in.
- Destination labels for luggage.
- Electric conveyance for challenged passengers in and around the terminal.
- Cost of handling luggage when transferred between airlines, other than Star Alliance members.
Here's a deal from Caesar Airway Interline
Norwegian Epic 13-night transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Miami from $499*
Sails Oct. 23, 2011 HOT!
This deal, for the first 100 cabins booked only, includes $150 shipboard credit per cabin -- making the effective nightly cost just $33 per person, including accommodations, meals and top-of-the-line entertainment.
The deal includes:
- $499 sailing on the Norwegian Epic (debuted in 2010)
- Sailing from Barcelona, with stops in Ponta Delgada, Azores and St. Thomas before docking in Miami
- $150 in shipboard credit per cabin
- An upgrade to the best-available cabin within the same category (at the time of booking)
- Balcony cabins for $679 per person
Call Today 1-800-422-3727 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 6 pm CST www.caesarhotels.comemail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker
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As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.
Taken from "PWA Flightlines" magazine issue dated September 1983
FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS!
Just to give you an idea as to how drastically air travel, and the passenger's attitude towards it have changed over the years, the following article consists of extracts from a pamphlet distributed by Imperial Airways Ltd. (United Kingdom) in 1927.
It was designed to explain the normal movements of an airplane in flight, hot to travel with the greatest comfort and any precautions to be taken in case of emergency.
1. Every airplane is fitted with an emergency exit in the roof of the cabin. It is clearly marked as such and will open by pulling the ring attached to it.
2. Passengers need have no cause for concern when hearing the engines slowing down: this is only an indication that the pilot is preparing to land and that he wishes to reduce speed or that he desires to fly at a lower altitude, which may, in his opinion, be advisable owing to calmer weather or better visibility, etc.
all Imperial Airways machines are of British design and manufacture and are flown by British pilots! The Company is British throughout and, in fact, Imperial Airways is an amalgamation of all the British Air Transport companies.
3. Special clothing is not necessary for air travel; clothing suitable for a motor-car journey is acceptable.
4. Maps of routes can be obtained free at the various stations before departure.
5. Do not be concerned if the machine on starting taxis slowly towards a corner of the aerodrome. An airplane always starts and lands head against the wind.
6. We recommend passengers to, place cotton wool in their ears to deaden the noise caused by the engines.
7.Slight deafness is sometimes caused by atmospheric pressure and immediate relief can be obtained by either just blowing your nose with the nostrils pinched together, or when landing, by going through the action of swallowing.
8. All Imperial machines flying on the Continental scheduled services have lavatory accommodation at the rear of the cabin, and passengers can freely move about the cabin without affecting the balance of the airplane.
9. Drinking water and glasses are carried on all Imperial airplanes.
10. It is prohibited by Government Regulations to smoke or light matches in the airplanes.
11. Nothing whatsoever should be thrown out of the windows of the airplane..
12. In case of necessity, passengers can communicate with the pilot through the aperture in front of the cabin.
13. Your pilot is in constant touch with his Terminal Aerodrome by means of wireless telephony. He receives reports regarding the weather conditions at frequent intervals and can ask for any information he needs at the time.
14. In order to turn, an airplane banks, one side is raised above the horizontal and the other side lowered. This is a perfectly safe movement.
15. Air Pockets" do not exist, and when "bumps" occur they are caused by upward and downward currents of air, which have a similar effect upon airlines as waves have on ships.
16. Dizziness as experienced by some people when looking down from a high building is unknown in airplanes as there is no connection with the earth.
17. Air sickness affects fewer passengers than sea sickness; several of the proprietary remedies are efficacious. Cuspidors are provided for the use of passengers. Experienced passengers say that the finest cure for sea sickness is fresh air.
18. The windows of the cabin can be opened or shut as desired.
HAPPY FLYING!
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Disclaimer: Please note, that neither the NetLetter or the ACFamily Network necessarily endorse any of the airline related or other "deals" that we provide for our readers. We would be interested in any feedback (good or bad) when using these companies though and will report the results here. We do not (normally) receive any compensation from any companies that we post in our newsletters. If we do receive a donation or other compensation, it will be indicated as a sponsored article or link.
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We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!
Sincerely,
Your NetLetter Team
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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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