­
Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

tmb 550 horizons classic

Found in 'Horizons' magazine

Issue dated September 1999

West and east wins.

Held in Vancouver from June 15 to 17, 1999, the ACRA System Softball Tournament was a roaring success. The weather was perfect as 17 teams battled for the winning cup.

In the mixed event, the Vancouver #1 team stole the glory from Winnipeg's #2 team. In the Men's, Montreal was victorious over Los Angeles. Keep on swinging and see you next June in Calgary!

acra 1999 tourney

Nikolai the bull elephant goes to Frankfurt.

tmb elephant goes to fraIn July 1999, a very special seven-year old pachyderm boarded AC872 from Toronto to Frankfurt in the main deck of our B-747-400 combi.

Weighing in at almost 3,300 lbs., Nikolai was in a crate weighing nearly 3,000 lbs. He was accompanied by three attendants—two from his new home at the Hanover Zoo and one from his African Lion Safari home in Cambridge, Ontario.

The empty crate was hoisted by forklift onto a 16 ft. airline pallet, Nikolai walked into the crate to be weighed, and then was immediately loaded in the main deck.

Wonder if he's ordered a special meal?


Taming the Trans-Atlantic.

In 1946, for $375 CDN eastbound and GBP85 westbound, you could fly the North Atlantic on one of the most unique aircraft ever manufactured; the Canadian-built Lancaster.

The four-engine airplane that flew over the Atlantic three times a week in each direction was a passenger version of the Avro Lancaster, a military bomber converted to a cargo airplane with limited seating, sometimes referred to as the Lancastrian.

Following the end of the war in 1945, TCA added four more Lancasters to the fleet that now numbered seven. Emerging from the Victory Aircraft Factory in Toronto, these 'Lancs' differed from their predecessors.

tmb lancaster videoThe early Lancasters - anything but passenger aircraft - were a product of an elaborate conversion process designed to carry light loads.

With the trans-Atlantic carriage of military mail declining after the war and the passenger traffic building ever larger in importance, there was a need for passenger aircraft.

Click the image to view a short video about the Lancaster posted by British Pathé on YouTube.

The passenger 'Lancs'.

Through the elimination of a portion of the bomb bay, accommodation was provided for 10 passengers in a roomy cabin that was heated with a gasoline-operated combustion heater. The earlier method had extracted heat from the engine's liquid coolant. The entire aircraft was insulated and soundproofed with fibreglass.

Individual reading lights, call buttons, ash trays, oxygen outlets, and other incidentals familiar to the airline passenger were also provided.

Designed by the TCA interior decorator, ceilings and walls were yellow with the lower sidewall panels rust. A mahogany-coloured carpet covered the cabin floor, while the standard TCA seat at that time was a light green.

The flight crew compartment was enlarged to provide additional room for navigating and radio officers. Beside a galley equipped for serving hot meals was a desk and chair for the cabin attendant.

Though cargo space was reduced to some extent to permit increased passenger accommodation, ample space remained for trans-Atlantic mail and baggage.

A tribute to Canadian workmanship and to the excellence of Canadian aircraft manufacture, the 'Lancs' remained in service until the four-engine North Star aircraft flew the trans-Atlantic in 1948.

tmb 550 lanc cf cmx

Issue dated October 1999.

On duty every time in Seoul.

Ever since service started up, Station Manager Don Hur hasn't missed greeting a single flight.

For the last five years, he's been there two to three times a week. Over the past few months, his team, which moved into new Terminal 2 offices, has been handling full passenger and cargo loads with excellent on-time performance.

In this photograph by Isabelle Arthur are, from left to right: Jong-Sik Baek, Ramp & Cargo Customer Service Manager; Myeong-Sook Choi, Customer Service Agent; Don Hur and Hyun-Seog Koh, Customer Service Supervisor. 

tmb 550 seoul staff

Celebrating 15 years.

During 1999, Direct Marketing Sales and Service Agents at the Winnipeg Aeroplan Centre celebrated Aeroplan's fifteenth milestone in style, an aircraft shaped cake.

Seated, left to right: Ginette Comeau, Melissa Phaneuf, Joanne Dupuis, Denise Gallant and Nicolette Layne.

Standing, left to right: Dahlia Kurtz, Pamela Klippenstein, Murielle Warbis, Josée Bélanger, Jennifer Paterson and Dave Burns, General Manager, Aeroplan Call Centre Operations.

ywg aeroplan

NetLetter Subscription

Please fill in the form below to subscribe.
Airline
Referral

Thank you. We hope that you enjoy The NetLetter.
­