~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |\^/| _| TCA |_ _|\| AIR |/|_ N E T L E T T E R > CANADA < B E T W E E N O U R S E L V E S >_./|\._< for P I O N A I R S | Your crew is: Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson Chief Navigator - Terry Baker tm number 116 date January 16th 1997 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . Welcome to Jack Thomas, who retired in 1990 and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Barry Phillips joins our mailing list and is on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . In Netletter nr 114 we welcomed Don Dowie, who responds - Thanks for the welcome Terry and including me on the list. Just one little clarification. I left Montreal in 1980 - moved to Toronto for ten years. Then moved from Toronto in 1990 to Sunny California. We (Barb and I) are living in Los Altos, near Palo Alto - just south of San Framcisco. We decided to move here after we won the "Green Card" in 1989. Any Pionairs that come to this area - please give us a call. (415) 949-4009). ~-=o0o=-~ . Dates to remember - Friday January 17, 1997 YOW KoffeeKlatsches Family Carlingwood Monday January 20, 1997 LON UK Theatre Trip "SCROOGE" Wednesday January 22, 1997 YHZ lunch Armdale Yacht Club Thursday January 23, 1997 SAINT JOHN Lunch TBA Friday January 24, 1997 YOW KoffeeKlatsches Family Carlingwood Wednesday January 29, 1997 YHZ lunch Armdale Yacht Club Friday January 31, 1997 YOW KoffeeKlatsches Family Carlingwood Saturday February 1, 1997 MTL lunch date? where? TBA Wednesday February 5, 1997 YHZ lunch Armdale Yacht Club Thursday February 6, 1997 DOR CSS LUNCH Chenoy's Pte Claire Friday February 7, 1997 YOW KoffeeKlatsches Family Carlingwood ~-=o0o=-~ . As reported in Skyport, Heathrow's local newspaper: Bold new plans for a second airport rail link have signalled Heathrow's status as a major transport hub for the next millenium. Alongside being the world's busiest international airport, Heathrow is developing rail links to speed passengers to major stations in London. At Christmas, BAA Heathrow took the wraps off its latest project - a 35 minute link between St Pancras and Heathrow. It will own and operate the UKP30 million service, expected to be up and running in 1999. The link will operate in tandem with the UKP400 million high-speed non-stop Heathrow Express, which is due to be opened in June next year. Future plans extend beyond Britain. The service is in line to become London's link with the Channel Tunnel. From 2003, it will connect with Eurostar services from St Pancras. ~-=o0o=-~ . For those interested in the new Toronto Aerospace Museum, plans are for the museum to be housed in building C-1, the ex-de Havilland aircraft manufacturing facility at Downsview. The building previously known as Building 2 thru 9 was the original de Havilland building built in 1929 to 1940. The RCAF/CAF description was the base Administration building. The building is noted for the manufacture of the Tiger Moth and the Mosquito. The museum will take up all of the 100,000 square feet of space and is tentatively scheduled to open in May of 1998. The museum will be designed around the de Havilland Canada aircraft, the Avro/Victory aircraft and those military aircraft which served on the base. Also included will be the Curtiss aircraft and other related aircraft and memoraibilia of the greater Toronto area. It is expected that the Lancaster FM104 originally built at Victory Aircraft and presently decaying at Ontario Place will be moved into the new museum eventually. ~-=o0o=-~ . Still looking for ex work mates? Phil Helms This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Mitch Mitchell This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Jack Morgan This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Sheldon Doskie This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Bob Coneen This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Bob Lennox This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Andrew Mercer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Graham Williams This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Don Dowie This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Keith Hadfield This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ~-=o0o=-~ . More Trans-Canada Air Lines history - 1997 marks Air Canada nee Trans Canada Air Lines 60th year, anyone any past memories they wish to share? When the Lockheeds were sold off, having been replaced with DC3, some went to Associated Airways, Southern Provincial Airlines, corporate operators and as aero-survey aircraft. Lockheed 18 CF-TDG, was aquired by Massey-Harrison in 1947 and converted to a 9 seater executive aircraft. The first DC3, in 1945 was CF-TDJ, eventually sold to Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co in 1947. CF-TDU, originally N4991E s/n 12106 was sold to Frontier Airlines in 1956, and CF-TEG, originally C-FGXW, and ex-RCAF was sold to D.O.T. in 1957. On April 15th 1947, TCA inaugurated North Star service between Prestwick and Montreal using early unpressurized aircraft. The North Star was a DC4/C54 re-engined by Canadair with Merlin engines. The first eastbound trip took 12 hours 8 minutes and another 1 hour 38 minutes on to London. Due to the shattering roar caused by the raw exhaust on the inboard 24 cylinders, an ingenious modification was carried out which carried the exhaust across to the outboard side of the engine. TCA had 6 unpressurized and 23 pressurized aircraft flying on most routes. Following the failure of the Avro Tudor, B.O.A.C. purchased the North Star and renamed them Argonauts. After disposal by TCA, some North Stars continued to fly. Some remained in Canada in a short lived scheme by International Air Freighters from Toronto to Cuba. One, CF-TFM, was sold to the King of Burundi in April 1966. Later it was taking a cargo of machine guns from Rotterdam under a company named Silver Lane, having been re-registered under an Italian registration. On Oct 1966, ex CF-TFM crashed in the Cameroons and was the last ex-TCA North Star known to have operated anywhere. The last ex-RCAF North Star was in 1979 when a North Star was operating as a drug-runner and was impounded on Greater Inagua Island in the Caribbean. Altogether, 71 North Stars were built, but the location of only two are known, one in the museum at Ottawa, and an ex-TCA serves as a cafe in Mexico City airport. ~-=o0o=-~ . Interline stuff. Ten passengers on an American Airlines flight were injured due to turbulence. ( Moral - Keep that seatbelt fastened! - eds) Historic India & Singapore 13 day escorted full package - visiting - Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Gwalior, Khajuraho, Varanasi and Singapore. Tour cost includes - RT airfare Singapore Airlines ex YVR, accommodations, ground transportation, daily meals, admissions, shows and baggage handling. Extra is Canadian tax and visa, taxes and insurance. Cost CA$2999 pp dbl, land only CA$1799 pp dbl. Departure Jan 27th or March 17th. Valentine Days Special 4 day cruise, departs Los Angeles on each Monday in February at 17.30 return Fridays 0800. Cost US$199 pp dbl. Last minute special cruise 'Galaxy' 7 nights Western Caribbean Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, Cozumel, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, return to Ft. Lauderdale. Departs January 19th from just US$599 pp dbl. Call Bonita at 1-800-690-3223 for more details. ~-=o0o=-~ . Smiles found by Vesta - In an Athens hotel: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. daily. In a Yugoslav hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid. In a Japanese hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid. In a Moscow hotel: (across from a Russian Orthodox Monastery) You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday. In an Austrian ski lodge: Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension. On a Swiss restaurant menu: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for. ~-=o0o=-~ . That's it for this time, please we need your input, send comments and email addresses of any others who may be interested to Vesta with a copy to Terry. -!- Landing on an Island in the Pacific. _____(~)_____ ! ! ! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. <<<>>> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ................................................... . GREETINGS FROM . . Vancouver Island . . BEAUTIFUL B.C. CANADA . ...................................................
