Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

About us!

Need to know

Nice to know

Vancouver Island Chapter CAHS Christmas Luncheon

Star Alliance News

Where are they now?

Medical insurance info

Sheila Moscoe's Trip

Terry's Travel Tips

Smilie

A great Christmas Gift!

Sponsors

Submissions

NetLetter Archives

Since October 1995, Vesta Stevenson and Terry Baker have been issuing an email newsletter for those ex Air Canada types who have provided us with their email addresses. The Newsletter was created by Vesta, who gave the name 'NetLetter' and added 'Between Ourselves' - a TCA periodical with which you are probably familiar with from the 50's and 60's. It was then changed to "Between Yourselves" to avoid confusion when "Horizons" resurrected the name. Then finally simplified to just "The NetLetter".

We believe that our NetLetter, which originates from Vancouver Island, was the FIRST to use this medium to disperse information for retirees of Air Canada.

The NetLetter contains airline related information such as anecdotes or stories supplied by some of the recipients, Internet tips, travel news, cheap... excuse me, "inexpensive" accommodations, tours, interline travel, and, in some small way, we help keep our Air Canada family together and in touch.

Our 'NetLetter' is NOT sponsored by any Pionair group, nor are we seeking any financial support, only the Internet email addresses of those who would like to receive our 'NetLetter'. Please forward this to other retirees who can then subscribe right from the forwarded link at the bottom of this email.

Welcome to the 952nd issue of "NetLetter". We now estimate that the NetLetter is read by over 2739 retirees when counting our email distribution and those that print the NetLetter and give them out to their friends.

The "NetLetter" is written by Vesta Stevenson and Terry Baker from Vancouver Island (see sidebar) and published courtesy of the ACFamily Network at www.acfamily.net

From: Lyle and Marilyn
Subject: fed ex discounts

FYI we were just at our local FedEx at YWG airport and was told that as of Nov 30/06 they do not offer discounted rates for retirees for shipments to the U.S.A. I never asked about other international locations, but would assume also nix for retirees.

On Dec 5th., the UK announced that taxes on airline passenger tickets will double to £10 ($19.80) for most flights from Feb. 1, with duties on long-haul business class tickets doubling to £80 per ticket, as part of an effort to reduce carbon emissions.

Subject: Vancouver Island Chapter CAHS Christmas Luncheon

Chapter members and friends,

Notice: The annual Vancouver Island Chapter Christmas Lunch is at Mary's Bleue Moon Cafe, 11:30 am, Wednesday, December 13, 2006.

Please let Stoney (250-478-7567) or myself (250- 544-2183) know if you are planning to attend, as we will be reserving a table. Remember that aviation friends and partners are welcome.
We are looking forward to an enjoyable visit with lots of you.

Please Note:
At the November meeting of the Vancouver Island Chapter the vote to continue as a chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society was unanimous. The following discussion also felt that the Chapter should reach out to the wider aviation community, including the BC Aviation Museum, for more members and chapter participants.

Please put on your New Years Calendar:
The next meeting of the Chapter will be; Saturday, January 20th, 2007. This will be our first Saturday meeting and our first Breakfast meeting.

Breakfast; 9:30 am, Saturday, January 20th, 2007 at Mary's.

Meeting: 11:00 am, Saturday, January 20th, 2007 in the Norseman Room at the BC Aviation Museum. (A follow-up notice will go out in January).

Speaker: Gary Grass, Quality Manager, First Officer and training officer, Flying Tankers Inc. Gary has also been an instructor with BCIT. He will be doing a LCD presentation and a discussion about flying the Martin Mars.

This will also be the chapter Annual General Meeting and an election of officers for 2007 will take place.

To those of you that I won't see in the next month; All the Best Wishes for a very Merry Holiday Season and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Love and cheer,

Jacqueline Frampton

On Dec 5th., Lufthansa's board approved orders for 20 747-8 Intercontinentals-the first of the variant to be sold by Boeing-plus 20 options and seven A340-600s, a total investment in long-haul planes valued at nearly $7 billion.

Star Alliance was chosen as the world’s Best Airline Alliance. In total, Star Alliance partners earned top honours in 12 categories.

A320 C-FLSF fin 406 c/n 279 which was returned to the lessor Jul 31/06 has now been leased, by MSA, to Eirjet and reregistered EI-DOZ

A suggestion from the RAPCAN eMailNews - Examine your medical insurance

First rule: read and understand every single word in the policy
Toronto Star Sep. 24, 2006. 01:00 AM
JAMES DAW
Buying travel medical insurance can be a minefield if you do not read, and understand, every word in the policy. Never assume a policy will cover you without examining it carefully.
The health questionnaire for some policies may not ask if you have had a problem with your heart or lungs in the past. But read on.
You may discover in the policy exclusions that you will not be covered at all if you have had heart or lung problems.
The policy application may ask if you have ever been treated for a heart or lung problem.
You may think you have not, but read on: the policy's definition of "treatment" may include taking any form of medication * even a baby aspirin as a preventative measure, a pill to reduce your cholesterol or an inhaler to control asthma.
You might think that getting a clean bill of health at your annual medical check-up would clear your way for obtaining coverage.
But you may have to ask questions if you discover the word "investigated" in the clause that limits coverage when you have had a pre-existing medical condition. Ask if it's possible a hardline insurance adjuster would deny a medical claim if your check-up included something extra, such as a heart stress- test or a series of special blood work.
A sales brochure may state that you will be covered for a medical emergency if a pre-existing condition has been stable for 60 or 90 days. Again, read the policy: It may make special reference to heart, lung or other internal problems, and require the conditions to have been stable for one to five years.
Most policies require you, or someone aware of your situation, to call the insurer's emergency assistance line before you receive medical treatment outside of Canada.
Naturally, this requirement is aimed at controlling costs. But it could also protect you from unnecessary operation, an inadequate level of care or a delay in treatment.
Be sure to check the penalties for not notifying the insurer prior to treatment, though.
Some policies will only pay a certain number of dollars toward the cost of treatment, while others will only pay a percentage of the total bill.
Either way, if the disputed treatment costs a million dollars you would owe a lot of money to a foreign hospital or doctors.

We have another update from Sheila Moscoe on her travels - Hi everyone
It's been a long time since I last wrote from Perth, Australia. Actually, Shirley and I spent the day in Fremantle where our ship was docked as we had been in Perth on a previous cruise.
So, after sailing for 3 more days, we arrived in lovely Adelaide. We took the train from the port into the city, and then hopped on the free shuttle which took us around. Fortunately it was Sunday, so there wasn't much traffic and we were able to get a pretty good bird's eye view of the surroundings. Wide avenues, beautiful turn of the century buildings, and very easy to navigate around by ourselves. Shirley and I took the tram to Glenelg which is a popular seaside town for the locals. She and I wandered around and had lunch, then rode back to Adelaide. The tram fare was included in the day ticket that we had purchased for the train. After getting back to Adelaide, we went window shopping on the pedestrian mall, and watched the world go by. Before we knew it, it was time to return to the train station and head back to the ship. After another day at sea, we then arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday, November 7th which was a state (Victoria) holiday there. Also, the Melbourne Cup was held that day - that's horse racing for those of you who aren't in the know!! We took the train from the ship into the city and then took another free shuttle bus around all the neat areas from one side of the river to the other. Stopped in Chinatown for some noodle soup and spent some time in Federation Square which was set up for the race with huge screens, pony rides for the kids, and lots of buzz happening around. Despite the cool weather (around 12C) there were lots of people milling about. By the way, we had a Melbourne Cup Race Day party on board the Pacific Princess and my horse came in 2nd! And Shirley and Nancy's horse came in 3rd. So, we won some money and had lots of fun celebrating.
The next day we were in Tasmania and docked in Burnie. That's another wonderful place to visit, very laid back, friendly merchants and easy to get around. All these Australian ports of call we had been before, but it was certainly nice to visit them again.
The cruise came to an end, after 29 days, in Sydney, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We docked at a naval dockyard, and so we didn't get to sail past the Opera House or underneath the Harbour Bridge. But, sailing into the harbour is spectacular no matter where the ship docks. It was like coming home again.
We all stayed at a hotel in Darling Harbour for the first night, and on Saturday, our friend Peter picked Shirley and I up and we drove to Newington to stay at their (Glenn's) house. Nancy and Charlie followed in their car. They stayed for lunch and we then said our good byes. It was sad to leave them after spending a wonderful holiday together. We had been Charlie's angels for 5 weeks and we knew we were going to miss him (and Nancy, too).
Shirley and I had a lovely week-end with Peter and Glenn, and before you knew it, it was time to pack again and leave for New Zealand.
And that's where Shirley and I are right now. We flew to Auckland where we spent 3 nights at an art deco apartment/hotel building downtown. Did all the touristy things that I did last year when I was there with Karen and Trevor and Erin. This time, it wasn't winter, but warm and in the 20's. Shirley and I love to go to the casinos wherever we travel, and this was no exception. We were winners both nights! We rented a car and drove to the Coromandel Coast which is a spectacular drive along the coastline, with twists and turns, ups and downs, and of course, on the "wrong" side of the road! I managed to stay on my side all of the time.
We enjoyed our rest and relaxation at a motel overlooking the bay.
Took in all the sights, and then we headed to Rotorua.
This is the sulphur city with thermal waters all around. In fact, we spent an hour today in different mineral pools at the Polynesian Spa. The temperature in the pools varied from 36C to 42C. Very relaxing, after a day at the Maori Culture Centre (Te Puia) and visiting the Museum.
Weather is cool, with some rain now and again, but lovely all the same.
We're off to the wine region of Napier and Hastings, then on to Wellington, and eventually back to Sydney, then home.
I have been thinking of you and wanted to get to a computer with some quiet time and tonight I found it at this hotel.

Love, Sheila

To get to Vancouver Island when there is no space on Jazz. A cab will cost around $55.00 to the ferry terminal. Why not try Translink public transport, unfortunately, not all busses are equipped with special areas for your baggage -
From YVR bus nr 424 will take you to the Delta Hotel where you transfer to the bus nr 620 which will whisk you off to Tsawwassen ferry terminal. Cost is between $2.50 and $3.50 The reverse will get you to YVR - where your space available airline seat awaits you!

Airbus parent EADS' board gave its approval late Friday for the industrial launch of the A350 XWB, the first of which will enter service in 2013.
(We notice the parent company is EADS - these initials stand for a chain of stores in most north American shopping malls called "Everything A Dollar Store" we pass this information on in case you are looking for a Christmas present - eds)

Order now for Christmas Gift giving!

Enjoy this visual display of Air Canada’s historic fleet from its beginning in 1937 to the present including aircraft from:
- Trans-Canada Air Lines
- Canadian Airlines
- Pacific Western
- Eastern Provincial
- Nordair
- Transair
- Wardair

This 68 x 96 cm (27 x 38 inch) poster is printed in full colour on high quality paper and depicts over 300 aircraft and liveries flown by Air Canada throughout its history.

The cost of the poster is $24.99 plus tax and shipping where applicable. This is a great gift for Christmas, reunions, retirements and birthday gifts, etc.

A donation is made to Dreams Take Flight for each poster that is sold. Any other profits support the operation of the ACFamily Network which brings you this newsletter.

The hosting and mailing of the NetLetter as well as the conversion to HTML format is provided compliments of the ACFamily Network and Nerds On Site. Content is researched and submitted by Vesta Stevenson and Terry Baker. Thank you for letting us into your homes!

Important reminder, for all new articles, submissions and or comments for the "The Netletter" please send to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Please add to your Address Books).

This e-mail address has been set up so that both of us Terry & Vesta (exclusively) will get an automatic copy and so we can keep up with the continuity of news for the NetLetter.

To make changes to your e-mail address or to unsubscribe, please see the links at the bottom of the page for "Update Profile/Email address" and SafeUnsubscribe. This is now automated so that you can remove yourself from the list or change your email address (or name) without our assistance. We will still do this manually if you have any difficulties.

Many of our members are having difficulty finding these links. You will need to scroll to the bottom of the page, the link is similar to the following image. (The image below doesn't work but your links at the bottom will).


Vesta, Terry and Alan thank you for your co- operation.

The archives of the NetLetter are kept on the ACFamily Network Forums area. They are in plain text format so you can print them from there if desired. If you are not a member of the ACFamily Network yet, we encourage you to join us there. Non members can Register here. (It's Free!)