The NetLetter
For Air Canada Retirees
(Part of the ACFamily Network)
April 27, 2013 - Issue 1252
|
|
| |
|
First Issue published in October 1995!
(over 5,400 subscribers)
|
|
NetLetter Past Issues
|
 |
|
Donation Information
|
Send cheques payable to "ACFamily Network" to:
ACFamily Network
#800 - 15355 24th Ave, Suite 523
Surrey, BC V4A 2H9
|
|
Sponsors
|
 |
|
|
|
Greetings!
|
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
|
| Star Alliance News |
 SAS and Turkish Airlines begin code-sharing on six Turkish routes: Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman and Izmir from Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Gotenburg, Helsinki, Aalborg and Billund. Turkish will add its codes to more than 20 cities in Scandinavia and Finland. SAS also began 6X-weekly Copenhagen-Budapest and 3X-weekly Oslo-Budapest.
|
| Air Canada News |
 Air Canada Toronto-Dublin flights to be extended year-round in 2014 with introduction of Air Canada rouge service. Emerald Isle becomes fourth European destination in Air Canada rouge network. Today we announced that Air Canada's current seasonal service between Toronto and Dublin, Ireland will be converted to year-round service operated by Air Canada rouge, beginning in 2014. Air Canada will operate the route this year from May 17 through to September 30, 2013 and Air Canada rouge will commence year-round service starting May 1, 2014.
|
| Reader Submitted Photos - Compiled by Terry Baker |
|
 Reader Submitted Photos - The photos and information below have been submitted to us by our faithful readers.
|
 Jack Stephens has sent in this photo and memory: I received a few photos from a contact in Norman Wells N.W.T.
From May to August 1975, I worked up at Norman Wells, with Imperial Oil. The float plane nose hangar with the logos I thought might be suitable for the NetLetter, showing many airlines. The North Wright Air hangar at DOT Lake, Norman Wells, N.W.T. 2012.
All for now... Jack
|
| 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.
|
|
Issue dated - Mid - Summer 1947
Some items gleaned from the "Between Ourselves" magazines.
|
| On July 1st, seven cities received their first TCA mainline service. They were the two sets of twin cities, Saulte Ste. Marie in Michigan and Ontario, Port Arthur and Fort William. Saskatoon, Swift Current, Medicine Hat and Portquis Junction. The inaugural DC-3 service into the Lakehead was under the command of Captain J. B. Higham and Captain Al Edwards. Stewardesses were O. E. Paetsh and Phyliss Harding, who had received a head-dress from Chief Wasagawan as she became Princess Kijigigoquwe (Maid of the Skies). |
At Saskatoon, the inaugural DC-3 service was under the command of Captain E. D. Sherman. The inaugural DC-3 westbound service into Swift Current was commanded by Captain D. Brady, and First Officer J. Grant. Crew for the first scheduled eastbound flight into Medicine Hat and Swift Current were First Officer J. R. Martin, Captain C. R. Fogel and Steward G. Lancaster.
With all plans finalized and everything in place for the inauguration of the DC-3 service into Torbay on May 1st, old man weather decided to take the situation in hand and hold up the works for a few days. However, on May 5th the first DC-3 was "in" at Torbay under the command of Captains E. E. Jokinen and A. Wilton with stewardess Gagnon in attendance.
An article in the Mid Summer 1947 edition of "Between Ourselves" tells about the preparations for the inaugural arrival which was due on May1st. We found these two photos are from "Between Ourselves" issued May 1946. |
|
|
| |
 STEWARDS GRADUATE AT WINNIPEG
In June, the lecture rooms at the Winnipeg, Training school held a number of "students" quite different than any they had seen before. The students were attending the first Steward training class conducted at this base. Now full-fledged airline Stewards, they are dispensing TCA's high standards of passenger service on the new prairie flights that stop at Swift Current and Medicine Hat, and on the local service between Toronto and Kapuskasing. The photo shows the graduating class with their Instructress, Flo Perkins. Left to right: G. Thompson; A. C. McLean, A. E. Mann, G. J. Sheppard, Stewardess Instructress F. A. Perkins, L. H. Latremouille; G. Lancaster, F. A. M. Anderson. W. H. Lane. |
 On a point of land a few miles from a lonely Hudson's Bay post on Lake Merlville, Labrador was probably the most unique hotel in the world. To meet the transient needs when flights in Goose Bay were delayed, eight international airlines operated this travellers hostelry in Labrador's rugged wilderness. Participating in the plan, in addition to TCA, were BOAC, Air France, American Overseas Airlines, SAS, TWA, KLM and PANAM. All had equal access to the hotel and used it as required.
|
 Some of the Staff at Edmonton. LAST ROW: A. R. Harris, Carl Peterson, Jack Hill, Earl Gerow, George Wispinski, Frank Hein, G. W. Thoms, George Gilbert, Sid Willis. THIRD ROW: Len Rachuk, Doug Stewart, Johnny Lees, Gerry McHale, Charlie Tilbrook, Fred Domreys, Sid Pierce, Ken T. Jones, Jack Burgess. SECOND ROW: Stan Stanton, Gus Carnahan, Joe Chomlak, Peggy Campbell, Doreen Blakely, Elaine Maclachlan, Marian Slater, Ruth Krull, Mona Adamson, Carl Davidson, Jack Charles, Fred Kirkman, Bob Livingstone. FIRST ROW: J. M. Jackman, Harry Slater, Ada Bradley, Vera Herbert, Joyce Carlson, Janet Butcher, Vivian Kells, Ruby MacMurdo, Mary Cunningham, Hazel Fowler, Minnie Nochola, Eleanor Sveen, H. Schofield and George Bailey.
|
|
Issue dated - May 1977
From the "Horizons" magazine -
|
 Hogging the market
Famous for its bacon and pork product, Denmark made a historic move by importing 28 breeding pigs from Canada with an eye to developing a new strain of hogs. The breeding stock was purchased in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario and further imports are expected. Housed in the crates in the background, the VIPS arrive in Copenhagen by DC-8 freighter. On hand to meet the shipment are, from the left: Poul Erik Larsen, Manager, Scandinavia; W. Mackenzie Hall, Commercial Counselor, Canadian Embassy, Copenhagen and Dave Blomqulist, Airport Customer Service Manager.
|
 Prague farewell
Flight 875 prepares to depart Prague for the last time. Shown clockwise from the bottom of' the steps are: George Svarc, Airport Services Supervisor; Manager, Czechoslovakia Andy Bartok, Purser Bernard Chalmel; First Officer A. Ng; Captain J. R. Barclay; Second Officer R. G. Stewart and flight Attendant Ann Birencwajg. The company suspended service to the European capital on January 27.
|
 Saving energy is the concern of these committee members shown discussing methods of shaving off power peak demand at Dorval Base. From the left are: Vic Findlay, Manager, Facilities Engineering; John Chauret, General Foreman, Base Maintenance; Alex Soroka, Engineer; and Ray Poirier, General Foreman, Power House.
|
| Alan's Space - by Alan Rust |
Vintage Airline Posters!
An associate has scanned fifteen posters from an out-of-print book. The files for the images can be downloaded by clicking on the image below.
The images have been formatted for 8x10 prints (Costco @ $1.99 (two are at 12x18 Costco @ $3.99)) and they are formatted to fit the matte of IKEA's RIBBA line of frames (the $9.99 @ 12x16 and $14.99 @ 16x20). (Costing is approximate at time of posting.)
Please note: These images are of good quality. They are not being sold but a free for you to download. The only cost is for paper, ink and framing. We hope some of you enjoy these. Please let us know.
Hint: If you don't have a good colour printer, you may want to bring them into Costco or your favorite print shop (Staples, Kinko, London Drugs, etc) on a flash drive and have them print them for you.
|
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 its "ancestry" of contributing airlines. Bill Cameron sends us this reminder - Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame has selected Canadian Pacific Airlines to receive the " Belt of Orion" Award of Excellence - for 'significant contributions to the advancement of Aviation in Canada". The Award will be presented at the CAHF Induction Dinner, to be held in the Canadian Aviation & Space Museum at Rockcliffe Airport, Ottawa, ON - on the evening of May 30th, 2013. Tom Appleton, Chairman of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame - will present the "Belt of Orion" Award to Mr. Donald Carty, former President of Canadian Pacific Airlines - who will accept this honour on behalf of all former employees of the Airline. For further information about this event, visit www.cahf.ca. |
|
Issue dated - October 2000
Extracted from the "Canadi>n Flyer" magazine -
|
 Every major airline has a System Operations Control (SOC) centre that plans, executes and monitors all day-of-flight activities to ensure a safe, efficient and cost-effective network operation. Air Canada's (AC) just got bigger. By Oct. 21 Canadian Airlines (CD ) SO Centre had completed its move from Calgary to Toronto. Since January, a team of AC and CD employee headed by Doug Scott AC's Manager, SOC and Jacek Romanowski CDN's retiring Director, SOC and Corporate Security, has been developing the SOC integration plan. The plan called for a centralized SO Centre with Operation control Flight Dispatch, Weight and Balance, Cargo Movement Control, Departure Control Centre, ULD and Emergency Response.
Although Dispatch has not moved to YYZ, they are an integral part of the operation. Chief Dispatcher Larry Sawatsky and Dispatcher Jake Alexander, seated, analyze a satellite weather picture of North America as part of flight plan preparations. Dispatchers file flight plans for each route and then conduct a flight watch to ensure the safe passage of the aircraft once it's underway.
|
 Although this photo appeared in the "Canadi>n Flyer" magazine issue October 2000, we believe these to be Air Canada employees as the photo was taken by Brian Losito, the Air Canada photographer.
Left to right sitting: Jane Harlow-Glover, Pamela Bardo, Errol Allen. Standing: Sylvie Baron, Yves Frederic, Tina Fiala, Madeleine Gaussiran, Danielle Cardinal, Marai Martini, Gloria Poirier, Christine Seguin.
|
 Those were the days - The September reunion of more than 200 veterans of the Pacific Western Hercules operations re-lived their colorful adventures at the gathering in Edmonton.
From their home base at the Edmonton Municipal Airport, they hauled outsized cargo into 108 countries around the globe, landing on runways of sand, gravel or ice, and experiencing extremes of -68F in the high Arctic to +134F in the searing heat of the Sahara. They carried the Canadian flag over 26,000,000 miles in 18 years and showed how a small determined group of enthusiastic aviation experts could oversee and manage one of the most unique airlift operations in the world with quality, pride and professionalism second to none.
Enjoying the recent reunion in Edmonton of PWA Hercules operations are: (L to R) Stu Russell, Project Manager, Hercules Reunion 2000, Don Watson, Retired President, Pacific Western Airlines, Wally Crosson, Retired Captain, Pacific Western Airlines.
|
| 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 Townson refers to NetLetter nr 1250 and sends this observation: Ron Lingwood's interesting story implies that the VC10's Conway engines developed only 1,700 lbs of static thrust. If you really opened the throttles they should have put out about 20,000 lbs each. Regards, Dave Townson
(The NetLetter gang found this from the VC10 specs - 4 × Rolls-Royce Conway Mk. 301 Turbofan, 22,500 lbf (100.1 kN) each)
Here we have the rest of the story Just Flying Along by Jim Griffith started in NetLetter nr 1251:
A few moments later the same flight attendant wanted to know if we'd see a young man who wanted a cockpit visit. "Sure, if he's not under the influence." We replied. He doesn't appear to be" she bubbled laughingly.
Again I have to set the scene. The B-727 has an overhead panel between the pilots that contains among other controls, switches, and indicators, three red striped handles; the engine fire control system. The handle illuminates and sounds a loud bell if there is a fire in its associated engine. Pulling the handle injects extinguisher into the affected engine, shuts off the fuel and hydraulic pumps of said engine and hopefully puts out the fire, shutting the engine down.
Anyway the young man about, 25, unlike the two previous visitors, who had entered the cockpit somewhat hesitatingly, strode confidently straight in. He reached up and without any hesitation grabbed the fire handle of the centre engine with his right hand. Flabbergasted, all three sets of our eyes simultaneously swiveled up to the fire handle and became riveted to it blocking everything else completely out. We had tunnel vision and suddenly all the extraneous cockpit sounds and noises faded figuratively into silence and in our highly focused minds you could hear a pin drop. Then he blurted out. "What happens if I pull this handle?"
It seemed an eternity before I became cool enough to say as calmly but as forcefully as I could trying desperately to control any quaver in my voice that might betray even the slightest trace of fear. "First there will be a loud bell and flashing red lights and then you will see all of us doing stuff in a hurry and then it will get still and very quiet in here and then there will be lots of screaming and yelling as the Second Officer who is standing behind you buries the crash axe he has in his hand into your skull!" Without me or anyone else saying another word he promptly released his grip on the fire handle turned and abruptly strode out of the cockpit. After breathing a collective sigh of relief while all three of us were separately and silently reappraising the advisability of allowing cockpit visits in our minds the flight attendant breezed again through the cockpit door saying, "jeez that was a short visit." She seemed about to ask something else when in unison we loudly barked a reply to her as yet unasked question...
"NO!" Jim G
|
Odds and Ends.
|
|
 Sometimes we receive articles and information that just doesn't fit in our other areas. This is where it goes!
|
Neil Burton has sent us this information: In regards to the Sikorsky inquiry of Cathy Ross, in Issue 1249, it appears that the aircraft was CF-ASO manufactured in 1930 by Sikorsky Aviation Corp., Bridgeport, Conn. Original registration is shown as NC28V in the Canadian Aviation Historical Society - Canadian Civil Aviation Register (1929-1945). The aircraft landed on Vancouver's Sea Island Airport, possibly Monday, 09 May 1932, with E.C.W. (Ted) Dobbin at the controls. He flew it from the factory at Bridgeport, Conn. (Note: One article reads Monday morning, but another says this morning, 10 May 1932.) The Vancouver Sun (13 May 1932 - p. 09 - Fri.) indicates the aircraft was put into service on the Vancouver-Victoria run from Coal Harbor. Dobbin was again pilot.
Neil Burton
This information was passed along to Cathy by the NetLetter, and this is her response - I reviewed the film footage again and can confirm that the aircraft in the footage is CF-ASO. I have attached a couple of photos taken from my computer screen for your reference. |
 
|
The final part of the DC-3 story sent to us by Ken Bjorge and started in NetLetter nr 1250 & continued in 1251:
The DC-3's record has not always been perfect. After the war, military-surplus Dakotas were cheap, often poorly maintained, and pushed to the limit by their owners. Accidents were frequent. One of the most tragic happened in 1962, when Zulu Bravo, a Channel Airways flight from Jersey, slammed into a hillside on the Isle of Wight in thick fog. All three crew and nine of the 14 passengers died, but the accident changed the course of aviation history. The local radar, incredibly, had been switched off because it was a Sunday. The national air safety rules were changed to ensure it never happened again. 'The DC-3 was, and is, unique,' wrote the novelist and aviation writer Ernest Gann, 'since no other flying machine has cruised every sky known to mankind, been so admired, cherished, glamorized, known the touch of so many pilots and sparked so many tributes. "It was without question the most successful aircraft ever built, and even in this jet-age, it seems likely that the surviving DC-3s may fly about their business forever." This may be no exaggeration. Next month, Romeo Alpha and Papa Yankee begin a farewell tour of Britain's airports before carrying their final passengers at the International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford on July 16. But after their retirement, there will still be Dakotas flying in the farthest corners of the world, kept going with love, dedication and sheer ingenuity.
Nearly three-quarters of a century after they first entered service, it's still possible to get a Dakota ride somewhere in the world. I recently took a DC-3 into the heart of the Venezuelan jungle --- to the "Lost World" made famous in the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of the most remote regions on the planet --- where the venerable old planes have long been used because they can be maneuvered like birds in the wild terrain. It's a scary experience being strapped into a torn canvas chair, raked back at an alarming angle (walking along the aisle of a stationary Dakota is like climbing a steep hill) as you wait for take-off. The engines spew smoke and oil as they shudder into life with what DC-3 fans describe as 'music', but to me sounded like the hammering of a thousand pneumatic - drills. But soon you are skimming the legendary flat-topped mountains protruding from the jungle below, purring over wild rivers and the Angel Falls , the world's highest rapids.
Suddenly the ancient plane drops like a stone to a tiny landing strip just visible in the trees. The pilot dodges bits of dismantled DC-3 engines scattered on the ground and avoids a stray dog as he touches down with scarcely a bump. How did he do it without air traffic control and the minimum of navigational aids? ''C'est facile --- it's easy," he shrugged.
Today, many DC-3s live-on throughout the world as crop-sprayers, surveillance patrols, air freighters in forgotten African states, and even luxury executive transports. One, owned by a Houston lumber company, had mink-covered door knobs, while another belonging to a Texas rancher had sofas and reclining chairs upholstered with the skins of unborn calves. In Jaipur, India, a Dakota is licensed for flying wedding ceremonies. Even when they have ended their aerial lives, old Dakotas have become mobile homes, hamburger stands and hen houses.
One even serves as a football team changing room. Clark Gable's private DC-3, which once ferried chums such as John and Bobby Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan, is in a theme park in San Marino. But don't assume it won't run again. Some of the oldest hulks have been put back in the skies. The ancient piston-engines are replaced by modern turboprops, and many a pilot of a modern jet has been astonished to find a Dakota alongside him on the climb away from the runway.
So what is the enduring secret of the DC-3? David Egerton, professor of the history of science and technology at Imperial College, London, says we should rid our minds of the idea that the most recent inventions are always the best. 'The very fact that the DC-3 is still around and performing a useful role in the world is a powerful reminder that the latest and most expensive technology is not always the one that changes history,' he says. It's long been an aviation axiom that 'the only replacement for the DC-3 is another DC-3'. So it's fortunate that at least one seems likely to be around for a very long time to come.
In 1946, a DC-3 on a flight from Vienna to Pisa crashed into the top of the Rosenlaui Glacier in the Swiss Alps. The aircraft was not damaged and all the passengers were rescued, but it quickly began to disappear as a blinding snowstorm raged. Swiss engineers have calculated that it will take 600 years for it to slide down inside the glacier and emerge at the bottom.
The most asinine ruling ever dreamed up by a nightmare bureaucracy!!! I especially appreciate the part requiring "escape slides". On it's belly, you can step down from the aircraft floor to the ground. And the article left out the tale of the "DC-2-and-a-Half". After being shot-up by Japanese fighters, the damaged wing of a DC-3 was replaced with one from a DC-2. It was then loaded up with refugees, and flown to safety.
|
Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker
|
|
 Dargal has some great interline deals, here are some:
5 Night Canada and New England ~ Carnival Cruise Lines ~ Carnival Glory ~ Jun 20 Boston; At Sea; Saint John; Halifax; At Sea; Boston; From: Inside: $279 Oceanview: $349 Balcony: $429 Suite: $949
7 Night Canada and New England ~ Holland America Line ~ ms Maasdam ~ May 25 Boston; Bar Harbor; Halifax; Sydney; Charlottetown; Cruising Gulf of St. Lawrence; Quebec City; Saint Lawrence River Cruising; Montreal; From: Inside: $299 Oceanview: $399 Balcony: $899 Suite: $1899.
Cruises: Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars per person (based on double occupancy). PORT CHARGES ARE INCLUDED. Taxes & fees are NOT included. Fuel supplement may be applicable. All rates are subject to change, availability and eligibility. All offers apply to new bookings only, are capacity controlled and may be withdrawn without notice.
Easy pace Various tours -
Russia 9 days St. Petersburg to Moscow June 8 from $1875 USD
Scenic Britain with Edinburgh Military Tattoo 11 days London to London Aug. 1 from $1969 USD
Best of California 9 days San Francisco to Los Angeles, May 24 from $2069 USD
Boston, Cape Cod & the Islands 9 days Boston to Boston June 7 from $2369 USD
Gaelic Treasures 10 days Dublin to Dublin May 31 from $2439 USD
Natural Wonders of Iceland 9 days Reykjavik to Reykjavik June 1 from $2465 USD
Country Roads of Italy 17 days Rome to Rome May 23 from $3155 USD
For more information on these & many other Dargal Interline specials:
Call Toll Free: 1-800-690-3223, International Toll Free: (country code)-800-2832-7425, Suite 200-1632 Dickson Ave Kelowna BC V1Y 7T2. Open weekdays: 9am-10pm (EST) Sat:10am-9pm (EST) Sun: 11am-8pm (EST)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web:www.dargal.com - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
|
| 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.
|
|
|
 Here we have another series of cartoons called "Miscellaneous Meanderings" of Joe Mech. Drawn by J. F. McDivitt which appeared in "Between Ourselves" magazine issued May 1948.
|
|
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
|
|
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.
|
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.
|
|
| |
|
