~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |\^/| _| 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 119 date January 24th 1997 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . Welcome to Bob Brown, retired B747 captain now on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and living near VanKleek Hill, Ontario. Helene Seiz can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Air Canada's second A319 Airbus fin # 253 arrived in Winnpeg on January 14th after a record block time of 9 hours and 28 minutes, a flying time of 9 hours and 5 minutes. Piloted by Captain Harrison and Lambert. The flight carried 3 passengers. . Radar failure at Toronto International caused up to 30 minutes flight disruptions on the 20th. . Found on the Internet Canadian charter carrier Air Club International has scrapped its UK flying programme citing fierce competition. This leaves, Canada 3000, Air Transat and Royal Air as the main charter carriers between Canada and the UK. A number of tour operators is now faced with the problem of having to get seats on replacement carriers. VIASA on the verge on bankruptcy suspends all flights. Royal Aviation of Montreal has agreed to lease (2) Airbus A310-300's from GE Capital Aviation Services. These planes will be configured to 256 seats, beginning service in May, on flights between Toronto and 9 European destinations, and will replace two Lockheed L1011's. Royal Aviation fleet is, presently, 9 aircraft and specializes in charter work. AMERICAN AIRLINES, PILOTS ENTER "COOLING OFF" PERIOD The Allied Pilots Association and American Airlines entered a 30-day "cooling off" period. APA spokesman Capt. Rich Rubin said that the union "is committed to strike the airline" if an agreement on pay is not reached. UAL PILOTS, MECHANICS REJECT RAISES Meanwhile, the ALPA unit at United Airlines overwhelmingly rejected a tentative pay increase in a vote announced Thursday afternoon. Pilots are unhappy that UAL, which is earning record profits, did not offer more than a 10% raise over four years. Air France plan to privatize during 1998. Adhesive tape mistakenly left covering the altitude and air speed sensors caused crash of B757 last October off the coast of Peru. Gulf Air plan to sell (6) B767 and stop flying to New York, Geneva and South Africa in a bid to save the carrier from bankrupcy. B-24 CREW'S FINAL FLIGHT HOME On August 31, 1944, a B-24J Liberator bomber failed to return to a Chinese base from its night mission against Japanese shipping. Last October, two Chinese farmers searching for medicinal herbs came across the wreckage of an airplane at the bottom of a cliff. Last week, the crew's remains were back on U.S. soil for the first time in more than 50 years, landing in Hawaii aboard a USAF C-141. Welcome home, gentlemen. ANOTHER AIRBUS AFIRE: A Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-300 caught fire on the ground at Singapore's Changi Airport shortly after arriving on a scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur. If recent rumors of an Airbus 340 catching fire and being destroyed on the ground in Paris are true, this month's incident is the third of its type to befall Airbus products. JUST SAY THE MAGIC B-WORD: An irate standby passenger bumped from a Continental Airlines' flight at Fort Lauderdale wound up arrested Monday after allegedly telling an employee there might be a bomb in his loaded luggage. His bag had not been placed on the jet after all. ~-=o0o=-~ Alan Rust sends us this gem! Pittsburgh, PA. An employee for USAir, who happened to have the last name "Gay", got on a plane recently using one of his company's Free Flight programs. However, when Mr. Gay tried to take his seat, he found it occupied by a paying passenger. So, not to make a fuss, he simply chose another seat. Unknown to Mr. Gay, another USAir flight experienced mechanical problems at the airport. The passengers of this other flight were being rerouted to various airplanes. A few were put on Mr. Gay's flight, and anyone holding a "free" ticket was bumped. Airline officials, armed with a list of these freebee ticket holders, boarded the plane to remove the free ticket holders. Of course, our Mr. Gay was not sitting in his assigned seat, as you may remember. When the ticket agent approached the seat where Mr. Gay was supposed to be sitting, she asked a startled customer,"Are you Gay?" The man shyly nodded that he was, at which point she demanded, "Then you have to get off the plane." Our Mr. Gay, overhearing what the ticket agent had said, tried to clear up the situation. "You've got the wrong man," he said. "I'm Gay!" This caused an angry third passenger to yell, "Hell, I'm gay too! They can kick us all off!" Confusion reigned as more and more passengers began yelling that USAir had no right to remove gays from their flights. As far as we know, they are still on the tarmac fighting it out. Alan Rust is the Sysop, ACRA Airline BBS BBS (604) 541-1878 WWW - http://www.mortimer.com/acra ~-=o0o=-~ Air Shows during 1997 Toronto Aviation & Aircraft Show May 02-04. European Business Air Show, Stanstead, UK May 13-15. London Ontario International Air Show Jun 7-8. Paris Air Show, Paris, France Jun 15-22. Oshkosh EAA Air show Jun 30-Jul 06. Airshow Canada, Abbotsford, BC Aug 6-10. ~-=o0o=-~ . Interline stuff Deep Caribbean Cruise from San Juan - 7 days on new Celebrity cruise line 'Cybership Galaxy'. visits Catalina, Barbados, Martinque, Antigua, St. Thomas and San Juan. Departs Oct 18 & 25, Nov 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Dec 6 & 13th. Cost US$1199 pp dbl INCLUDES air from Montreal, Toronto or Seattle, all transfers, accommodations and meals. Holland America 10 day Caribbean Cruises Statendam departs Feb 26, Mar 8 & 18 from Ft. Lauderdale calling at Curacau, Venezuela, Grenada, Dominica, St. John, St. Thomas, Nassau back to Ft. Lauderdale. Cost pp dbl from US$599 inside and from US$699 outside. Call Bonita at 1-800-690-3223 for these cruises. ~-=o0o=-~ . Smiles - Vesta tells us that - Pilots are just plane people~ To which Alan Rust replies - Mechanics are just plane nuts! SHORT FINAL... More 'squawks' for you - Problem: "Something loose in cockpit." Solution: "Something tightened in cockpit." Problem: "Evidence of hydraulic leak on right main landing gear." Solution: "Evidence removed." Problem: "Number three engine missing." Solution: "Engine found on right wing after brief search." Problem: "DME volume unbelievably loud." Solution: "Volume set to more believable level." ~-=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 . ...................................................
