Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Bernie McCormack has sent us some information and photos relative to his retirement.

Ted Deely, a professional photographer had his studio in Richmond near Vancouver. He asked to take a photo on my flight deck and so when I retired I invited him on board pre-flight. It was taken on the outbound to London leg. The return flight was 899 on the 28th of august '95 Toronto to Vancouver. I gave Ted the flight details and he positioned himself a few days later, with his small VHF radio and cameras in the field a short distance before the runway 26.

The photo is one of the best in-flight pictures of the 747-400 I have seen. ( F/O Zeke Zabolotniuk and I were undoubtedly in that photo on the flight deck.) He then superimposed the flight-deck picture over the clouds above the fuselage of the in-flight photo. The clouds were cumulus forming over the North Shore mountains but there were none on our approach or runway. The photo minus my "mug" was sold to several retiring flight crew members afterwards.

I have enclosed a photo (left) of the remaining pilots (retired) from my original course (20 February '56 ) taken in Toronto the day before my return trip (28 August '95) and of the flight attendants the next day (right). 

The last flight pairing was outbound YVR-LHR 23 August. In London 24 August the crew surprised Sheila and me with a party in the hotel (left) with 14 Vancouver Flight attendants attending. (unfortunately I do not have the names). LHR-YVR 25 August with crew pictures (right).

Overnighted in YVR and then flew YVR-YYZ 26 August. Pictures below wrer taken 27August at the hotel in Toronto visiting with Don and Mabel McLeod (check Captain retired) (left) and Jean Cadorel (Montreal Captain) (right).

Later we had a luncheon with pilots course of 20Feb '56 and overnight another night before the last flight home YYZ-YVR 28 August with my Sheila and F/O Zeke Zabolotniuk - greeted by the press and friends (picture "being held up by close friends") then on to family and friends reception.

I had been in an air force mid air collision (T-33) 38 years earlier which played out in the press in Vancouver for several days. That was why they had an interest in covering my retirement.

I have not ever put all of this in one essay before and now I see it all at one sitting I am humbled and very pleasured by the affection extended to me by my crews, friends and family.

Bernie McCormack