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About us!
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.
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Sponsors
ACFamily Services
Air Canada Heritage Poster
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Dear NetLetter,
Welcome to the 940th issue of "NetLetter". We now estimate that the NetLetter is read by over 2729 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
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Nice to know...
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Air Canada continues transborder expansion from western Canada; inaugurates non-stop flights from Edmonton to Las Vegas. On September 8th., we inaugurated twice weekly, non-stop flights from Edmonton to Las Vegas, continuing our transborder U.S. expansion from western Canada. All flights will be operated using the 120-seat Airbus 319 aircraft. . We will offer up to 55 weekly flights this winter to Las Vegas from six cities across Canada: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal.
The departure Sept 10th of Air Canada flight AC 8596 marked the launch of twice weekly, non-stop flights from Winnipeg to Las Vegas. Air Canada Jazz will operate the flights on Sundays and Thursdays with Bombardier CRJ-705 jet aircraft. The schedule is timed for connections in Winnipeg from Regina and Saskatoon.
With C1 cons in mind
Executive First lie-flat beds being installed on the B767-300. Installation of the Lie-flat bed Executive First Suites has begun on the B767-300. The new Executive First seat will provide international customers with luxurious first class comfort and service for a business class price. The comfortable armchair and ottoman will transform into a truly lie- bed measuring six feet three inches (191 cm) long and up to 31 inches (79 cm) wide at the shoulders.
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Need to know...
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Recently Air Canada added an enhancement to ACAeronet which should make it easier for retirees and survivors to find the information they need on benefits, pension, and travel.
"My Retirement" tab will replace "My Life" and will only contain news and info for retirees.
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Reader Feedback
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Hi folks
Hope you do not mind my sending you a note re an upcoming TV show that may be of interest to your many subscribers to the Netletter. The reference is to 'Disasters of the Century' on the History Channel, and involves the crash of Maritime Central Airways aircraft CF-MCF on August 11 1957,wherein 79 souls perished near Issoudun Quebec; just west of Quebec city. I was on duty for MCA that day in Gander, and had occasion to copy position reports from the aircraft and to pass on weather and wind information to the crew via Int'l Aeradio and because I am one of the very few people left who had any involvement on that day, I was interviewed by the producers of the show, and will appear in what I assume will be a very short part of the story. I am ex MCA ; Nordair; and CAIL; and now a retiree of Air Canada, and would appreciate it if a short note could be included in an upcoming Netletter advising any interested parties that the program will be shown on September 21st at 10 pm eastern standard time. The show is 60 minutes in duration with I believe the 1st 30 minutes being about forest fires in BC and the 2nd 30 minutes will be about the aircraft crash.
Sincerely,
Gordon Girvan (Ex Flt Ops Dept)
Gordon Girvan <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
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Forgotten Airports
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Remember these airports?
George Brien has dug up some information on airports in Canada TCA and forgotten Airports
Wagaming/Armstrong YYW
A TCA schedule dated Nov 1,1939 listed a strange sounding airport "WAGAMING", that most people wouldn't have heard of yet it was a stop on the Trans Continental route.
Where is it - about halfway between Winnipeg and Kapuskasing on the CNR rail line. First staffed with TCA employees in 1939 as it became an essential fuel stop on the trans Canada Route of TCA. By 1940, the airport name was changed to Armstrong, the little railroad town 8 miles west of the airport. It was not shown on later timetables so passengers were always surprised when they had to buckle up for a landing on this route. Flight #1 westbound dep at 0320 and Flight #2 Eastbound dep at 0641. I guess it was all midnight shifts for the staff. By 1945 the staff had increased to 12 but by Ju1 1947, with the newer aircraft, the station was closed down.
Peter Piggott's "History of TCA" has some interesting stories from Armstrong, as related by Al Took..
The airport is still operational with a 4000 ft paved runway but no scheduled service.
Porquis Junction CYQJ
Located about 30miles NE of Timmins. It was another of the emergency airports built as part of the Trans Canada Airways system in the mid 30's and as it was on the route from Kapuskasing to North Bay/Toronto, it would have been staffed by an TCA Radio Operator and would have been an emergency stop. By 1947, with the authorization of flights direct over the Great Lakes, North Bay and Kap no longer had air service so a new schedule which included YQJ was started At this time , Retired Capt Murray Wallace relates how he flew the route using the last Lockheed Lodestar, running YYZ/YYB/YQJ/YKA. The airport only had grass runways and great blueberry crops so often he had to buzz the field to move the pickers off. The TCA Manager at "Porky" at that time was Ken Esselmont. The equipment was eventually upgraded to a DC3 with service ending around the end of June 1955.
More memories of Porquis by TCA employees may be found here http://www.acfa mily.net/forums/showthread.php? t=3195&highlight=porquis junction
Hopefully, some TCA retirees can add some further details about the above airports
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(We will continue with information on other airports in another NetLetter - eds)
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Remember when
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September milestones - - 19th 1938 - TCA introduced Air express cargo YWG - YVR
- 1st 1946 - CGTAS Lancaster service extended from Prestwick to London Heathrow
- Fort William to Deluth service inaugurated.
- 1st 1947 - DC3 transcontinental service inaugurated
- 1st 1949 - Stephenville added to network
- 26th 1954 - Constellation commenced YUL-YYZ- YWG-YVR service
- 29th 1957 - YYZ-LHR non stop service commenced
- 3rd 1963 - Trois Rivieres added to network - 1st 1967 - Non stop Viscount service introduced YOW-Quebec City, YUL-Windsor, YOW-London On,
Non stop DC9 service YUL- St.Johns
- 29th 1967 - YUL-YYZ-LAX service commenced.
- 1st 1974 - RapidAir YUL-YYZ started.
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Where are they now?
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de Havilland DHC8-102 c/n 047 C-GAAC ex Canadian Regional fin 166(857). Withdrawn from service by Air Canada Aug 14th 2000 and stored at YYC. Now flying with Freedom Airlines (Delta Connection) registered as N801LR.
(Registration C-GAAC was reassigned to B727 c/n 20934 - eds)
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Terry's Travel Tips
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Departure tax at Fiji is $30.00 Fijian payable at check-in.
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Smilie
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China is an important customer for Boeing, and to honour an official visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao, a supervisor presented him with an official Boeing cap. Whereupon President Hu warmly embraced the man, literally wrapping him in a bear hug. Perhaps he was happy to note that the cap was made in China. If the President gets so overjoyed at receiving a cheap hat manufactured in his own country, how does he react when he gets an upgrade to first class.
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Submissions
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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.
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NetLetter Archives
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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!)
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NetLetter Archives Link |
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