The NetLetter
For Air Canada Retirees
(Part of the ACFamily Network)
July 23, 2012 - Issue 1213
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First Issue published in October 1995!
(over 5,400 subscribers)
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NetLetter Past Issues
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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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Sponsors
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Greetings!
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Welcome to the NetLetter!
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!
Terry Baker and the NetLetter Team
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ACRA Upcoming Events- Compiled by Alan Rust
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 Retirees Welcome!
The following events are available for retirees through ACRA, the Air Canada Recreation Association.
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ACRA System Golf turns 50!
Just as Air Canada celebrates its 75 year anniversary this year, the employees who started the Air Canada Recreation Association over 50 years ago are also celebrating with their 50th Anniversary System Golf Tournament!
This is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone event that we hope you can attend.
Date: September 9 - 12, 2012
Where: San Diego, California
Venue: Sycuan Resort & Casino
Prizes: To help celebrate this event, Air Canada Vacations has donated a prize of a 7 Night all inclusive package for two to Mexico with Air and Hotel at the Gran Bahia Principe Coba in a Double Occupancy Junior Suite.
For further information and registration visit: www.acra.ca/events/system/golf.html
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| Star Alliance News. |
 United Airlines capped a bumper air show for Boeing Thursday July 12th with a us$14.7 billion firm order for 100 737 MAX aircraft and 50 737-900ERs. |
| Reader Submitted Photos - Compiled by Terry Baker |
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 Reader Submitted Photos - The photos and information below have been submitted to us by our faithful readers.
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 Alan Evans in South Africa has sent these two photos.
An A330 landing in Amsterdam with a dramatic backdrop.
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 Here we have Russia's AN225, the worlds largest aircraft. |
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| Our First 75 Years - Compiled by Terry Baker |
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 1940's - TCA operates Air Tours.
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 1941 - Schedule nr 12 issued effective June 15th.
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1943 - June 6th - Transcontinental service extended to Victoria. BC.
 1962 - April 29th - Announced the first and only daily jet service Vancouver to European to commence in June.
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 October 29th - TCA's first Quick Reference Timetable issued.
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 TCA's first bilingual Timetable issued.
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| TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker |
 Below we have musings from the "Between Ourselves" and "Horizons" magazine, Air Canada publications from years gone by, as well as various in-house publications. The NetLetter has been fortunate enough to have our readers donate vintage Trans-Canada Air Lines and Air Canada publications from as far back as 1941 to share with you. These have been scanned and are being prepared for presenting in a special area of the ACFamily Network for archival and genealogy research.
The family of Martin Betts kindly donated a box of memorabilia including magazines, photos and timetables to the British Columbia Aviation Museum located at Victoria Airport. We, at the NetLetter, are fortunate in that Dave Peters allowed us access to the box, and we were able to locate some of the "Between Ourselves" issues we were missing and we plan to have the usual extracts, and the photos, in the upcoming issues of the NetLetter.
(We, at the NetLetter, realize photos from earlier magazines are over 60 years old, but, perhaps, someone is into genealogy, and the photos may be helpful - eds)
Seen in the August 1962 issue of the "Between Ourselves" magazine
President announces all employees attaining 25 years service, will be eligible for a new 25 year service pin, a credit card, a special high priority pass and a four week vacation for each completed year of service thereafter.
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Issue dated - April 1976
From the "Horizons" magazine -
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Viscount Fin # 651 CF-TIG c/n 387 was withdrawn from service in March 1973 and its last trip was the roughest in its long history. Being towed from Winnipeg International airport to the Summerland recreational centre seven miles north of the city, the aircraft ran into several obstacles. The first happened on April fools day in 1976, and a chain link fence and two metal poles had to come down. The aircraft bogged down in the snow until it was towed out. A snapped hydro pole left several homes in the area without power. To avoid the same problem further down the road, five feet was cut off the wings. To traverse a narrow bridge, the aircraft was jacked up. The new owner, Tony Hamertling plans to put the aircraft on display and rumors at the time were that is was going to be turned into a hot dog stand. Here we have these three photos.
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 This photo from the Robert W Arnold collection is the sad fate of Fin 651. |
 Inaugural flight with Super Constellation equipment arrives at Brussels on April 2nd 1958. |
 Inaugural North Star service Toronto - Tampa arrives at Tampa on April 2nd 1950 under the command of Capt. Dal Woodward. |
 The mail goes aboard CF-BAF a Lockheed L10A at Vancouver as experimental mail flights commence in April 1939. |
 At Vancouver airport on April 1st 1939, Musqueam first nations view the departure of the first trans-continental passenger flight. |
 Crew of flight 875 prepare to leave Dusseldorf for the last time. The crew consisted of Capt. W.Lennie, F/O W.Rumley, S/O W.P.Cutsey, Navigator G.Paynter, Purser G.Brabant, cabin attendants R. Dugas, S. Seath-Smith, J. Hansen, and H. Schmitz with Sales Manager Christian Pugge to see them off.
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| Alan's Space - by Alan Rust |
 SouthWest Airlines - The Making of Florida One
(submitted by Vern Swerdfeger)This is an interesting video showing the making of a 737-800 for SouthWest Airline in fast forward mode. I like the painting process at the end.
For those eagle eyed aircraft buffs (not me) they may notice that the sequence shows both a 737-700 and a 737-800. Evidently the -700 has only one overwing exit.
For all of our train enthusiasts, I'm not sure what type of train is shown at the beginning of the video!
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| Southwest Airlines The Making of Florida One |
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Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc. People & Events
- Compiled by Terry Baker
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 News and articles from days gone by gleaned from various publications from C.A.I.L. and it's "ancestry" of contributing airlines. On May 4th 1959 CPAir's Bristol Britannia turbo prop aircraft launched the airline's transcontinental service.
The "Whispering Giants" served between Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The inaugural Westbound took 9.5 hours under the command of Capt. Harvey Johnston and eastbound took 55 minutes less commanded by Capt. J.K.Potter.
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Issue dated - April 1979
Extracted from the "Blue Skies" magazine -
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 Here are the CP Air Communications Advisory Group meeting -
BACK ROW: (left to right) Stan Sierpina, Larry Lehna, Jerry Kielmann, Jim Thirsk, Mike Gray, Observer; Tony Craig, Wayne Irving, Peter Partridge, Guest Speaker; Lome Paterson.
FRONT ROW (left to right) Val Tearle , Nina Morrison, Georgia MacFadyen, Tom Laurie, George McRobbie, Sherann Broder, Secretary; AI Bingham, Frank Healy, Jack Webb, Golfer Extraordinaire Cum Founder Missing from photo is Peter Golding, CP Air News Editor.
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Issue dated - August 1979
Found in the "CPAir News" magazine -
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 GROOMERS, MECHANICS and maintenance staff lake a step in the right direction outside the maintenance building. They are Peter Andrews, Enid Cutmore, Chawn-You Lee, Florence Heany, Raymond Gadoury, Wendy Heaton, Catherine Schmllz and Marcel Charron.
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 Where would we be without the ramp boys? YUL station attendants Pat Marteo, Kenny Graham, John Genio, Pierre Legault and Wally Bird pause briefly with a smile for our photographer then to get back to work.
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 They like to call themselves the 'good bunch' cause they handle the goods. Shown here outside their CP Air YUL cargo offices are Nick Petrella, Jacques Lacas, Alex Ella, Bert Mombourquette, Anne Mastine, Ian Lopez, Gaetan Bedard, Alan Bevan, Manuel Botleho, Andy Masse, Oswald Piccioni and Maggie Cotovio.
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| 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. Dave Ohlsson sends his comments and photos - Re Issue 1208 - June 12, 2012 of the NetLetter 1208 Management meeting pic Ste Agathe Hi There, My dad - John Ohlsson had attended TCA meetings there in Ste Agathe des Monts, QC. They took the train north out of Montreal to the Laurentian retreat in Ste Agathe. Although he was not at this particular meeting, he feels this was probably a district sales meeting from across Canada. The meetings were held at the Laurentide Inn on Lac des Sables.
The Inn is now gone and replaced by condos on the lake site, although the original gates still exist at the entrance to the condos.
Dad only recognizes the young person on the lower right sitting with the dark solid tie as possibly John Connelly of Halifax.
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 A post card of the Laurentide Inn. |
 A pic of dad - John Ohlsson with his meeting at the Laurentide Inn - he is middle row, 2nd from the Left with the light jacket & tie. where the two pillars are today. |
 A pic of the pillars for the original gates which are still there. |
 A view of condos on the water today. Cheers, Dave Ohlsson
We asked Dave if there were any dates here, this was his response:
Dad is now 88 yrs old, his memory is not too clear, but he says they had several different meetings throughout the year. He believes his 'management development meeting' in the pic was around 1954 or 1955. I noticed some snow on the steps in his picture - so not in June, July, Aug or Sept.
(A check on the "Between Ourselves" for around the dates did not provide any photos - eds)
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 When Jack Stephens saw this cartoon in NetLetter nr 1211, it brought back this memory:
It was a fine June day of 1957. The Trans-Canada Air Lines DC-3 from Vancouver, ended at the Victoria B.C. airport with the only "Plus" on board, a junior TCA mechanic named Jack Stephens. The Agent at the counter told me I was in luck, as there was one empty seat for the trip to Seattle. Boarding the aircraft, my window looked directly at the small terminal. The door closed, and the stairs rolled away as the engines started.
Suddenly, I saw the ramp door open and a guy running across the tarmac, coat waving under one arm, and a small bag in the other. With the engines still running, back came the stairs, as the Stewardess, called down the aisle, "Would passenger Stephens please identify himself." Scrambling up the slanted DC -3 aisle, amid somewhat perplexed eyes, I headed down the stairs, through the prop wash and into the terminal. It was a fine June day of 1957, when "KICK OFF THE PLUS" Stephens watched the DC-3 slowly climb on its way to Seattle. 'Till next time.
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Odds and Ends.
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 Sometimes we receive articles and information that just doesn't fit in our other areas. This is where it goes!
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Betty Draper was researching information regarding the Draper family who were involved the the Airport field.
I read it and I thought it must be the first implementation of radar at Regina; on the information written about the article says it was 1948.
The article was in the Regina Leader Post, part of which we quote here "Planes, ranging in size from TCA's. giant North Stars to small itinerant private craft, wing their way over the prairies through a blinding snowstorm or blanket of darkness confident their courses are straight and true. Delicate instruments in a brightly lit upstairs room in the Regina airport guide these craft over Western airways."
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 Here we found this souvenir envelope for London Heathrow Airport (LHR) issued 28th October 1974. |
Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker
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 Air Finland joins European carriers Malev, Spanair, Cirrus, Cimber Sterling, Skyway and Central Connect Airlines from the Czech Republic, which all ceased operations this year.
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| Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker |
As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.
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 From the CP Air "Blue Skies" magazine issued April 1979 by D.Fallwell (YXT)
(Anyone tell us the story behind the caption - eds)
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 This cartoon, by Jim Bruce, first appeared in "Between Ourselves" issued April 1957 and was sent to Jack Stephens who passed it along.
Radio transmission -
Mooney 432XX: "Santa Rosa Ground, this is Mooney 432XX with a request."
Ground: "Mooney 432XX, say request."
Mooney 432XX: "I'd like to change my taxi destination to the shade hangars. I see someone over there who owes me money."
Ground: "Change in destination approved. Good luck."
Ten seconds later, we heard:
Mooney 432XX: "Santa Rosa Ground, this is Mooney 432XX with a second request."
Ground: "Mooney 432XX, say request."
Mooney 432XX: "If a Citabria requests permission to taxi, please deny request."
Ground: "You're a Mooney; you should be able to outrun him."
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The NetLetter is an email newsletter published (usually) once a week 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 welcome your feedback 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!
We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!
Sincerely,
Your NetLetter Team
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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.
E&OE - (errors and omissions excepted) - The historical information as well as any other information provided here is subject to correction and may have changed over time. We do publish corrections when they are brought to our attention.
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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
- Stewardess - Lisa Ruck, Brooklin, 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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