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Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

The NetLetter #1253

The NetLetter

For Air Canada Retirees
(Part of the ACFamily Network)

 

May 4, 2013 - Issue 1253
 
First Issue published in October 1995!
(over 5,400 subscribers)
In This Issue
Star Alliance News
Air Canada News
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery
Alan's Space
Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc
Reader's Feedback
Odds and Ends
Terry's Trivia
Smileys
NetLetter Past Issues

Past Issues
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Greetings!
Terry Baker
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
Star Alliance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The merged American Airlines (AA) and US Airways will create an airline with the best domestic feed of the US's three mega-carriers and will make "oneworld" the strongest of the global alliances. Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab is in talks with US Airways management about the carrier's exit from Star after the merger with American Airlines is completed later this year.



 
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES RESUMES 787 SERVICE 
Ethiopian Airlines became the first to launch a revenue flight with the Boeing 787 since early January with a flight from Kampala to Nairobi, Kenya. "We would like to thank Ethiopian Airlines for the patience, support and leadership shown throughout the period that the 787 Dreamliner has been grounded," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President Ray Conner said in a news release. Japan's transport minister Friday gave the OK for that country's airlines to resume flights of their Boeing 787 Dreamliners, pending compliance with measures outlined by the FAA, plus additional measures. Along with modifications to the aircraft's battery systems, Japan is requiring that JAL and ANA also add specific battery monitoring systems for test flights. There are 50 Dreamliners in service worldwide and Japanese airlines JAL and ANA together operate 24 of the jets. A first test flight may come as soon as Sunday, but a full return to service may take weeks longer.
 
Air Canada News
Air Canada
Air Canada made private arrangements to finance five B777-300ERs for delivery 2013-2014 worth $714.5 million.

Samrt4aviation was selected to provide its Smart LOAD web-base, visual weight and balance system to support/monitor load planning process.



Etihad Airways and Air Canada have agreed to increase cooperation through a new codeshare agreement. The two airlines already have interline arrangements in place. The new agreement will offer through-checked bags, reciprocal frequent flyer benefits and code shares between Abu Dhabi and several unspecified North American points served by Air Canada through its Toronto hub.

Discussions to finalize details are underway, with the aim of introducing codeshare services in the third quarter. Subject to regulatory approval, Etihad will place its EY code on Air Canada flights between Toronto and select North American points. In return, Air Canada will place its AC code on Etihad services between Toronto and Abu Dhabi, as well as the latter's flights between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi.


Following is news of the next meeting of the Montreal Chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society:

David Walker, retired Air Canada pilot and manager, will speak at the May 16 meeting of the Montreal Chapter. His topic will be the development of regulations concerning trans-oceanic flights. Meeting starts at 11:00 and is at 365 St. Louis Ave., in Pointe Claire. A voluntary contribution of $5.00 is requested to cover the light lunch provided. Anyone interested in the history of civil or military aviation is welcome.  For further information call 514-481-8786.

For information on other Chapter meetings in your area please visit this link www.cahs.ca/events
 
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker
 
TCA/Air Canada  LogoBelow 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.
Deanne McGowan-Rogers sent us this information: I enjoy getting the NetLetter.  I wanted to mention that when you show the first page of the Between Ourselves, there is a stewardess on the front cover.   Her name is Betty (Hemingson) Moore and she flew from 1941 to 1947. She is a member of our Canadian Maple Wings in Victoria and you could not meet a more wonderful person. Her Dr. just renewed her license and she still volunteers and keeps so very active. Needless to say, Betty has some great stories to tell of flying in the early days and she is always a delight to have at our luncheons. I think that if anyone would like to get in touch with her, we could arrange it. Deanne McGowan-Rogers. (Here is another photo of the cover. - eds)

Issue dated - September 1948
Some items gleaned from the "Between Ourselves" magazines.
Mid-Atlantic Reunion
A unique reunion, the outcome of a chance remark, science and human feelings took place recently 21,000 feet above the North Atlantic on an eastbound North Star. Stewardess A. Germaine learned from passenger William Shorden that his son was a First Lieutenant in the Navy, serving aboard the Canadian weather ship, H.M.C.S. "St. Stephen," off the Labrador coast. Slipping into the cockpit, Miss Germaine told Captain S. R. Found, who later made radio-telephone contact with the weather ship and asked for Lieutenant Shorden. Captain Found then invited Mr. Shorden into the cockpit to speak to his son for the first time in two years.
 
Issue dated - March 1977
Some items gleaned from the "Horizons" magazines.
Bermuda is back in the personalized air freight business in an effort to increase general and sea/air traffic out of the station. Ready for business in the revamped freight operation are: Operations Agent Shirley Robinson preparing an Expedair shipment and Senior Agent Jack Arnold quoting an air freight rate to a customer on the phone. In the background District Manager Ralph Webber reviews a tariff with Operations Agent Glenn Davis and Operations Supervisor Bobby Burnard while Mac Francis, Customer Service Training Instructor, U.S. & Southern Region looks on at left.

Fellow employees make sure that Station Agent Denis Perrier won't forget the Rouyn/Noranda station after he transfers to Sault Ste. Marie. Shown during the presentation of a souvenlr plaque depicting the area are, from the left: Dick Lemire, Ken Brunk, Fern Langiois, Denis Roux, Michel Gauthier, Claude Barrette, Denis Perrier, Joe Wojtczak and Jean Plourde.

Chessmen wind up the season. The 1975-76 chess season at the Dorval Base Power Plant shop closed with Stan Maslon declared winner of Group A and Jean Lavie tops in Group B. Shown in the photo are, from the left: Jim Cairney, Purchasing & Facilities; Nick Hruahy, Process Shop; J. G. Racine, Foreman, Power House; Stan Masion, Inspection, Aircraft Maintenance: Carlos Costa, Inspection, Power Plant; Harvey Hutton, Supt., Engine Shop who awarded the prize.; Bernle Kawun, Accessory Shop; Walter Romanowskl, Machine Shop, and club president; Soler Domingo, Sheet Metal Shop; Jean Lavie, Power House; Wolf Kiesling, Machine Shop; Baldwin Soare., Casing Shop and J.P. Sauve, Power Plant Shop. Some 34 participants are active In the club's new season and some correspondence games are in progress. Tuesday is "Chess Night" in the Chess Room located in the Power Plant lower level area. (36 years later - does the Chess Club still function? - eds)

New York Public Affairs hosted a lunch for travel writers to launch the 1977 Canadian tour program "Yes, Canada!" to the media. New York's famous Four Seasons restaurant, site of the luncheon, delighted the 75 writers who attended by baking a '727' cake to commemorate the company's 40th anniversary. Pat Labrie, VP * U.S. and Southern Region cut the first slice for host Steve Pisni, Area Public Affairs Manager, New York.
Alan's Space - by Alan Rust
Alan's Space
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo First Powered Flight 

Published on Apr 30, 2013
Credit: Virgin Galactic
MOJAVE, Calif. -- Today, Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial spaceline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi's aabar Investments PJC, completed the first rocket-powered flight of its space vehicle, SpaceShipTwo (SS2). The test, conducted by teams from Scaled Composites (Scaled) and Virgin Galactic, officially marks Virgin Galactic's entrance into the final phase of vehicle testing prior to commercial service from Spaceport America in New Mexico.

"The first powered flight of Virgin Spaceship Enterprise was without any doubt, our single most important flight test to date," said Virgin Galactic Founder Sir Richard Branson, who was on the ground in Mojave to witness the occasion. "For the first time, we were able to prove the key components of the system, fully integrated and in flight. Today's supersonic success opens the way for a rapid expansion of the spaceship's powered flight envelope, with a very realistic goal of full space flight by the year's end. We saw history in the making today and I couldn't be more proud of everyone involved."
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo First Powered Flight
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo First Powered Flight


 
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 its "ancestry" of contributing airlines.
A gentle reminder - Hello all CP Air YXY and BC District employees!
We hope you will be able to come to: A Whitehorse and BC District Reunion 2013
When: September 20-22, 2013. Where: Quality Resort Bayside Resort, Parksville, BC

Looking forward to seeing you and catching up. Marlie & Phil Kelsey, & Brian Walsh 250-246-5265 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Details in NetLetter nr 1243.

In June 1955, the first scheduled Polar flight from Vancouver to Amsterdam look place. In November of the same year, the first scheduled flight was operated between Mexico City and Toronto. At that time the Company relinquished its domestic routes in Ontario and Quebec, which had been known as the Quebec District, to Trans-Canada Air Lines and other carriers in the area. In June 1956, CPA' s Latin American services were extended from Lima to Buenos Aires. In May 1957, a new Canadian air route across the Mid-Atlantic was established linking Mexico, Canada, and Lisbon, the Gateway of Southern Europe. In September, 1957, this route was extended to Madrid. During this year the Company relinquished domestic routes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Issue dated - October 1984
Items from the "CPAir NEWS" magazine -
HAWAII is big in the U.K.! CPAir teamed with the Hotel Corp. of the Pacific (HCP) to offer special discounted hotel rates to all CPAir passengers flying to or through Hawaii from the U.K. The program now represented a major portion of CPAir's business out of the U.K. Recently, a trio of HCP staffers gave CPAir's London UK personnel a familiarization briefing on HCP's properties. Back, from left, Allan Tremblay, Harry Ascroft and Pat Townsend of CPAir, Cheryl Dady and Lynda Rolph, CP Hotels; Bill Cooke, John Osborne, Sally Sinclair, and Diana Watson, CP Air; Sarah Pinkerton, HCP; and Anne Walker, Marjorie Wallace, Dave Wheeler, Ken Swan and Greg Evans, CPAir. Front, seated, Bracha White, CP Air; Joanna Taylor and Josephine Wiggal, HCP; and Carol Flisher, CPAir.

SOUTHERN ALBERTA champs for the second year in a row. That's the CP Air "Fubars" who again this past summer won the Southern Alberta Mixed Slow-pitch Association softball tournament in competition with 17 other teams. Most of the players are Calgary employees, with a few guest players helping to fill out the team. Back, from left: Walter Relja, Greg Lee, Brian Kort, Greg Smith, Sean Coghlan, Wayne Lee, John Scott, Ted Brailsford, Greg Nemish and Wade Harper. Front: Bud Bradish, Janice Grochowich, Janice Archibald, Sandy Coghlan, Joyce Moorehouse, Terry Cinnamon, Marion Gray and Richard Benedetti.


Willard Stangl sent us these two photos -  Just thought some of your readers may be interested in the salaries of airline workers in 1961. Pictures submitted by Willard Stangl, retired Winnipeg  PWA/CDN/AC employee.
cover agree
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.
Ken Pickford has sent us this information to fill in the history of C-FTLU: I noted the photos in NetLetter #1248 of the unfortunate AC DC-9 after the fire and emergency landing at Cincinnati almost 30 years ago in 1983. (That was AC's last fatal accident with 23 fatalities of the 46 aboard. All 5 crew survived.)

That aircraft (C-FTLU, FIN 720, the 14th of AC's 51 DC-9-32s, delivered March 1968) had an eventful history. It was involved in another close call 4 years earlier (September 1979) after takeoff from Boston en route to Halifax with a stop at Yarmouth. The rear pressure bulkhead failed due to undetected cracks while climbing through 25,000 feet. The rear emergency exit door and tail cone separated and fell into the Atlantic and the cabin suddenly depressurized. The pilots could see daylight at the rear of the aircraft when they opened the cockpit door. It's lucky a flight attendant wasn't sucked out the aircraft. If memory serves me correctly, a flight attendant jump seat was either attached to the rear emergency exit or just beside it. More on that 1979 event:
can be found by clicking this link,

Interestingly, the undamaged wings of C-FTLU were salvaged after the Cincinnati fire. The right wing was used to repair an Ozark Airlines DC-9-32 that struck a snowplow while landing at Sioux Falls, South Dakota a few months earlier. The wing separated in that accident and the snowplow operator was killed. (Ozark was a St. Louis-based regional carrier that merged with Trans World Airlines in 1986). The repaired aircraft was sold to Republic Airlines (which merged with Northwest in 1986) and was still in service with Northwest until it was retired almost 20 years later in 2005. It may be the only airliner rebuilt from parts of two others that were both involved in fatal accidents.

Photo is of that Northwest DC-9 (N994Z) with the wing of the AC Cincinnati aircraft at Toronto in 2004, a year before Northwest retired it at age 37.

That aircraft was originally delivered to Boston-based Northeast Airlines in 1967. (Northeast merged with Delta in 1972). Delta sold it to Ozark in 1975. Photo of the same aircraft in it's original livery and as it looked before the collision with the snowplow.
ozark
Had Northwest kept it another 5 years, Delta would have wound up with it back again 35 years after they sold it to Ozark. Delta still has a few ex-Northwest DC-9s in service although those are the stretched DC-9-50 model.

Final Solo - by Billee McConachie

Odds and Ends.

Image Blank 200pxSometimes we receive articles and information that just doesn't fit in our other areas. This is where it goes!

Snowbirds Snapped From Space
While sequestration has grounded all U.S. military aviation demonstration teams, the Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds and its CF-18 demo team are getting ready for a busy season and they got some high-flying public relations help this week.

With a little help from the weather, they were able to launch a 12-ship formation with a smoke trail over the ocean off Vancouver Island at the precise moment the International Space Station was orbiting 250 miles overhead.

ISS Commander Chris Hadfield, himself a former RCAF CF-18 pilot, was able to snap a photo out the window. "During the two minute photo window, as the ISS passed overhead at 28,000km/h, Cmdr Hadfield was able to see the smoke lines with only his eyes by just looking out the window 370 km above the earth," says a posting on the Snowbirds' Facebook page.

Issue dated Midsummer 1947
Captured from the "Between Ourselves" magazine

On May 29th and 31st, two TCA charter flights were operated from London Heathrow airport to Frankfurt, Germany, for the purpose of carrying a party of displaced persons from camps in Germany to Montreal. The writer, accompanied by J. A. Ross, Station Manager, Prestwick, proceeded with the flight in order to get first hand information on an operation such as this. After leaving London, our route carried us over the English Coast at Dover, then on to Calais, thence up the French Coast to Dieppe, where Captain L. Rood turned inland on a direct route to Frankfurt. Two of our crew members, First Officer Holland and Navigating Officer Ron Peel, gave us a running commentary along the route as they had both covered the same territory under much less enjoyable circumstances. Evidence of heavy bombing was still to be seen around "flak" sites and radar installations. Factories were nothing more than piles of rubble or burned out skeletons.

On arrival at Frankfurt, we were met by the staff' of American Overseas Airlines, who operate the airport. Awaiting our arrival was a party of thirty eager-faced Polish girls, who had been selected from D. P. (Displaced Persons) camps in the Frankfurt area. Since the day that Hitler had seized their country, these girls had spent their lives in forced labor factories in Germany, until liberation at the war's end. Taking off from Frankfurt at 2100 hours, the flight proceeded up the Rhine valley over such heavily bombed cities as Cologne, Essen, Duisburg and Dusseldorf. Passing over Cologne reminded one of a giant cemetery with the famous cathedral likened to a tombstone. The giant Krupp works at Essen presented a picture of destruction beyond description. All bridges along the Rhine were still down. However Bailey bridges had been put up by our occupation forces. We finally crossed the Dutch border and flying low over Amsterdam and the Zuider Zee, we turned out to sea and northward to Prestwick. Enroute our passengers were served their first white bread in almost ten years. You may well imagine the reaction. It was with renewed hope that the travelers continued on to Montreal and a happier life in Canada.

Returning once more to London Heathrow, we have to report many changes in personnel over the past six weeks. A new addition to our staff, Harry Berry, hails from Winnipeg and returned to England after release from the RCAF to join his wife and take up residence here. Our second addition is Jim Baudouin, recently discharged from the RAF. Jim came to us from the Reservations Office of Air France in the city. We have at long last secured the services of an Agent who speaks and writes fluent French. In addition to this he has studied Spanish for almost three years and is still hard at it. Our third and last addition is James Smithers, also late of the RAF. This makes a total of four Agents and one Agent-in-Charge now at London airport. Miss Jane Lodge, formerly our one and only female Agent, has now been reclassified to Station Stenographer. In Maintenance we have as Chief Mechanic and Father Confessor, Angus Campbell. Also from Prestwick, Doug Bruce is now with us permanently. Charlie Cotton is on temporary duty from Dorval and last but not least there is Murray Anderson.
This report authored by GIL MlNORGAN.


Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker

Terry BakerThe US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has decided to delay allowing passengers to bring small knives and other objects, such as sporting equipment, aboard commercial aircraft.
 
The announcement of the recent code-share decision between Eithad and Air Canada to be effective during the 3rd quarter of this year, by the governments of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Canada will restore the previous visa regime, which means Canadian nationals can once again obtain a free visa on arrival in the UAE. 

 

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.

We came across this cartoon by Dave Mathias in "Between Ourselves" magazine issued December 1951.


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.
 

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