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Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

Vesta's Corner
Vesta Stevenson
Found on the Internet -
On the Boeing B787 Dreamliner there is 61 miles of wiring plus 4.5 miles of fibre optics versus a total of 328 miles of wiring on the Airbus A380
according to Boeing.
This week's postcard - Madrid 2002
On the back - This city is very clean and the people, friendly (I was born here many years ago) <G>
Happy New Year Julio..

Madrid 2002

Note: for our new readers, I have been collecting postcards from our travelling NetLetter "family" for many years. If you are away and have a minute, I'd be delighted to get one from you as well. You can obtain my address by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (it's automated and will respond right away)
Air BC Memories
Air BCAirBC was born in November 1st.,1980
, after Vancouver businessman Jim Pattison had acquired seven small airlines in B.C. In acquiring these small airlines together with their licenses and routes Pattison aimed to create a regional airline.

The small airlines purchased were Airwest Airlines, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Gulf Air Aviation, Island Airlines, Haida Airlines, Trans-Provincial Airlines and West Coast Air.

The original name was to be Great Pacific Air, however the name Air BC prevailed to become the largest Canadian regional airline, with 107 aircraft comprising of Twin Otters, Otters, Beavers, Gooses, Mallards, DC-3, Beech 18's, BN Islanders, various Cessna and an Apache.

- In 1983 a code sharing agreement was made with CP Air.
- In April 26th., 1987 Air Canada bought out AirBC.
- 1988 May 13th the first BAe146 arrived and entered service a week later as a charter to Prince Rupert. The introduction of pre jets was a tremendous boost for the employees and that years annual party was named "Jet Blast".
- The float plane operation was sold in January 1996 to West Coast Air.
- A new name Jazz was finally introduced on March 22nd 2002, the end of an era for Air BC.
AirBC DHC8Air BC BAE146

More info about Air BC can be found here.
Our 70 Years

70 year Anniversary




Boarding Cards

The evolution of the boarding card - now electronically produced to your own computer.

















From Between Ourselves March 1952 -
Jan 8th First official DC-3 flight into Saint John, N.B. crew Capt Fraser Marshall F/O F.O.Yates and stewardess S.E.Kerr greeted by District Travel & Sales Manager Hugh M McElligott.

First DC-2 flight
First DC-3 flight 1952
Saint John Airport
Saint John Airport 1952



Fredericton InauguralFeb 1st  Inaugural DC-# flight into Fredericton Municipal Airport. Crews C.M.Harper, F/O/ S.W.MacPherson and Stewardess S.E.Kerr.









From Between Ourselves Mid Summer 1953

Theresa BrezinskiMid June the inaugural flight from Toronto to Muskoka, Ont service will be one daily flight until Oct 13th. Picture shows stewardess Theresa Brezenski.




From Between Ourselves June 1944

Due to the unserviceable conditions at the Kapuskasing field, the spring migration of the operation to Porquis Junction was made.
Readers Feedback

From: Clarke <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Subject: The old days

Hi Netletter people;
Just to let you know how much I enjoy reading about he old TCA days. It brings back a lot of great memories, In 1939 I was working for the DOT at the radio range station in Calgary when Al Loke invited me to join TCA as a radio operator. I remember Dave Clark was station manager  but I can't remember the rest of the staff  except for Charles Skelton ( I hope I have spelt that last name correctly) the terminal had not been built yet so we worked in a small shack. In less than a year Charles and I had moved to Winnipeg me to become a Flight Dispatcher and Charlie to become pilot. Those were great and exciting days,
Stan Clarke
Picture of Al Loke and the radio and passenger shack from "Between Ourselves" August 1943
Al Loke
Calgary Airport 1943
Brian Dunn editor of YYZNEWS sends this

Amid all the 787 roll-out hoopla, perhaps the coolest event went unnoticed. On Saturday night, Boeing had all of the 787 airline representatives at an event at the Museum of Flight.  At 7:07 PM, an Omega Air Refueling Services 707 landed in front of the crowd (after taking off from Paine Field in Everrett).  At 7:17, an AirTran 717 landed.  This continued until 8:17 when an Air France 777-300ER landed.

Boeing Fleet
Click on photo for large image

In the end, the  707, 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, and 777 were lined up nose-to-tail on the taxiway.  It is the first time Boeing has had every 7-series airplane in the same place (not counting the 787, which couldn't make the flight, of course).

 


Conclusion of the story related by Trev Trower
(continued from NetLetters #985 and #984)
Every few minutes one of us would walk up and down the aircraft monitoring the passenger needs, and making sure that a lighted cigarette had not fallen. Several babies were sleeping in their "sky-cots" attached to the overhead luggage racks. It was a dark and clear night and now half way across the ocean, we could see out of the port-side windows, a fantastic view of the Northern Lights. Looking down you could just make out the glaciers of Greenland, bitter cold in their frozen glory. Inside the cabin all was quiet though the engine noise was very loud around the cabins mid-section. We continued our card game while E.B. took an hour's rest in the crew-bunk up front. Three hours to go and time to prepare the breakfast. We put away the cards, and I started breakfast while the Purser began the flight's paperwork for health, customs and immigration at Prestwick.

Captain Found had told us that this flight might set the record for a transatlantic crossing. We were flying in the jet stream which for whatever reason was moving eastward at a lower altitude than usual, we were flying at eighteen thousand feet, with a tail wind of one hundred and eighty miles per hour, and our airspeed of three hundred meant that our ground speed was four hundred and eighty miles an hour, which was unusual. We served the economy passengers their breakfast, orange juice, two eggs and bacon with sausages, rolls and butter, coffee or tea. Our Nine F.C. passengers  breakfasts, we prepared as they woke up. The crew didn't eat breakfast on board when the airplane was going through Prestwick; a treat was in store for us every time we landed there. A table was prepared for the crew in the airport restaurant dining room, complete with all the first class amenities. In the center of the table was a silver bowl of fresh flowers and a T.C.A. flag. We would make our way from the airplane and cut across the ramp, take our seats for an excellent meal. A filet steak and eggs; Porridge, kippers, smoked haddock, any thing we fancied would be laid on for us and of course the airline would pick up the tab. We all looked forward to this service like a sort of bonus.

We had finished our service and were cleaning up the cabin and galley, Mr. K. didn't look too well, he was between fifty and sixty, short and corpulent with brown watery eyes and an unpleasant facial expression, I couldn't help thinking what could such a pretty young girl see in such a man.; Johnnie could answer that question with just one word. Captain Found came on the P.A. and made an excellent announcement; he first wished everyone good morning, talked about the terminal weather and a few other pleasantries, then he finished his announcement to let everyone know that they had just broken the speed record for a transatlantic crossing. We had been descending for some time and had less than fifteen minutes to go to touchdown, when we flew over the Isle of Aron at about four thousand feet.

Suddenly the aircraft shook and did a sort of twist, there was a cut in power and quiet for a second or two then the plane spiraled in turbulence which threw the passengers around and up and down the cabin, it was over in just a few seconds. I had been in the process of stowing the bars, we had been hurled to the ceiling then back onto the floor two or three times and I had landed on a pile of broken glass and had superficial cuts and blood all over my uniform but the worst was the bump on my head, which had swollen so much I couldn't wear my uniform hat. My colleagues had been thrown around the cabin but had only sustained minor injuries.

Many of the passengers had been wearing their seatbelts and apart from a nasty fright were not hurt. Our first thought was of the babies in the sky cots. We rushed to check them and to re-assure the mums; one of the babies had been thrown out of the cot, had hit the ceiling then the floor and had rolled under the seats for several rows, we found the baby and returned it to its mum, it was totally unhurt and smiling. Quite a lot of the passengers had been thrown up out of their seats and had hit the overhead air-vents and reading lights and sustained bloody injuries. Reporting to the Captain just before touchdown he was appraised of the condition of the passengers and cabins and he was able to alert Prestwick to our extra needs. We continued to give first aid to the injured until moments before touch-down.

After landing and the passenger needs were taken care of, the medical staff decided to take thirty five of the passengers to the local hospital for further care and x-rays. The airplane had to be checked for turbulence stress, altogether a delay of three hours would be taken before departing for London. It's a mystery to me how the newspaper reporters got the information so quickly and were able to get onto the ramp to take photos and to question the passengers. No-one was interested in communicating with the news hawks. But one of the sleaziest of the reporters sidled up to me and asked "what's the deal with that old ******* and the chick?'  I was almost tempted to make some comment but I pleaded ignorance. When we had cleaned ourselves up a bit, we joined the front-end crew at breakfast, what a feast that was, my filet steak and eggs were wonderful, The flight engineer that trip was Aubrey Cooke, and when I asked him about the turbulence check, with his English accent he said he was going to double- check that personally.

Finally we were about to continue our flight to London. Half of our load was destined for Prestwick and another dozen had decided to finish their trip to the capitol by train. Altogether we had only about thirty people for London. As they boarded I offered gravol. The final leg of our flight took us a bumpy one and a half hours. We were pleased to reach the end of the long duty day.  That day's Evening Standard front page news declared our Captain Pound a hero. The front page of the Evening News referred to our Captain Hound, while calling E.B. Campbell a hero telling the world she was thirty two years old. Neither of these crew-members was that happy with the papers
reports.

A week after our return home, John and I were invited to headquarters in Montreal, we were to be questioned in regard to a security matter. We met at the office of Mr. Fabro who was our Director of Passenger Service. Our new Director of Security took charge of the meeting; after a brief introduction he began rather a thorough interrogation. After a few minutes questioning it became apparent that there was an agenda that we were not privy to. I remember asking what the problem was. The investigator indicated that there had been a complaint made by a passenger on that flight that one of the flight attendants might have stolen some-ones watch during the turbulence. The meeting was to determine the truth of the matter. John and I looked at each other for a moment or two. There was no opportunity for either of us to have taken the watch even had we been so disposed. We indicated that the meeting was over and any future investigation into the watch business would have to be with the union in attendance. We left and returned home, there was no further action taken. Johnnie and I had expected some sort of thanks from the brass, for our job being well done.

I never found out whether Mr. Kliptik enjoyed his weekend. Or whether he got his four thousand dollars worth, or whether or not he had become a member of "The Atlantic Mile High Club."
I hope not.
Trev Trower is the author of "The Traveling Man" http://www.canadianaviationbooklist.ca/bktrvlman.htm

 

 

TCA/AC Events & People Gallery
First Officer Glenys Robinson - DC9 was, in 1995, the youngest female pilot ever hired by Air Canada, joining in 1980 at age 21 years.

Picture from Between Ourselves June 1944
Windsor PresentationAt Windsor airport during presentation of 5 year pin to Neil Hepburn Station Manager. l-r  Stan Blowes Manager CTO, J.C.Kelley Postmaster, J.L.Nevins Express agent, M.McGregor  Ops Superintendent, F/O Kerr, Neil Hepburn, Capt. Jack Hames, Stewardess Betty Walsh.
Canadi>n/CPAir People Gallery

Bill Wood has loaned the NetLetter team copies of the Maintenance & Engineering in-house magazine "CONTACT"-

Carl HibbertThis magazine started its life with an issue called "Canadi>n Maintenance" on May 5th., 1989. Issue nr 2 asked for suggestions for a name to be applied. Over 400 suggestions were received and the name "CONTACT" submitted by Carl Hibbert a mechanic based in YVR was selected and introduced in the Nr 3 issue June 2nd 1989.



Ed Dwyer and supervisor Hos AbbottYHZ was the site for the B767 on the AMS-YHZ route. From issue nr 4 and from YHZ we have Mechanic  checking the microfilm reader for B767 details.





Diane AbbotSenior Admin clerk Diane Abbott at the shift control board.
Capt. Rosella Bjornson B737 Canadian Airlines was the first female to fly jets for a major airline in north America in 1973. Rosella later became Canada's first female captain of a major airline.
Terry's Travel Tips

Terry Baker

From Caesar Hotels -
The best -priced European escorted tour is back again with various departure dates throughout the year.  Find out why this has been one of the most talked about tours for the last five years.

Ireland
This fully - escorted tour includes roundtrip airfare, four nights accommodation at first-class hotels (two nights in Galway and two nights in Dublin), one dinner, full Irish breakfast each morning and of course admissions to the sightseeing.

You will be traveling in style in a luxury motorcoach with your own personal driver/guide.  You'll have the chance to visit the Burren region, Connemara and Cliffs of Moher.  While in Dublin, you will experience a panoramic Dublin City tour, The Old Jameson Distillery Tour and much more!

The Sites & Cities Tour Includes:

  • Roundtrip Air from JFK (other gateways available)  Land Only Available
  • 4 nights First Class hotels
  • 2 nights Galway
  • 2 nights Dublin
  • Private Luxury motorcoach with Professional Driver/Guide
  • One Hotel Dinner
  • Sightseeing Including
  • The Cliffs of Moher
  • The Burren
  • Connemara Marble
  • A Panoramic Dublin City Tour
  • The Old Jameson Distillery

Departs Nov. 3, 8, 10, 15, 24, 29 Dec. 1, 6,8, 13, 15, 2007; Jan. 24, 26, 31; Feb. 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21 23, 28; March 1, 6, 8, 2007
*Price shown for Nov. 15 departure.

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