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From the early days of Trans-Canada Air Lines. |
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We go back in time in case some readers are interested in genealogy information on their families. We peruse the early additions of the 'Between Ourselves' magazine. |
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Issued dated April 1948 |
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Our photo shows some of TCA's staff at Ottawa: In the front left to right: J. Boisvert (in front); R. H. Conklin, J. Singer, Station Manager; T. B. Sandilands, Traffic Office Manager and T. Coghlan. Standing in back, left to right: A. May, R. Lowry, C. Walker, C. Walters, H. Olsen, S. Bennett, E. Bell, W. Wenglar, C. Copeland, R. Kimmerly, E. Fobert, R. Beaudry and R. Goudie. |
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Calgary personnel from city office and airport put on their best smiles for the cameraman as they pose during a recent joint staff meeting to form a local chapter of the Trans-Canada Air Lines Recreation Association (TCARA). |
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Winnipeg skiers. Posing on a slope (which accounts for the noticeable list) are, left to right: Harvey Hutton, Albert Gauthier, Val Egolson, Denise Fredette, Sylvia Jones, Maybelle Harrison, Ted Axford, Val McAree and Sheila Schiach. |
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Issue dated June 1948 |
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British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines or BCPA, was an airline registered in New South Wales, Australia in June 1946 with headquarters in Sydney. It was formed by the governments of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to pursue trans-Pacific flights. A 'Hands across the Pacific' gesture by Trans-Canada Air Lines and British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines resulted in new facility "of air travel between Australia, New Zealand and Canada". TCA was appointed the Canadian representative of BCPA, the airline which links this country with the two sister dominions "down under." For some time TCA had been dispatching and servicing the Commonwealth airline's aircraft at Vancouver, the terminal for the Pacific route. Company offices in North America looked after complete ticketing and reservations requirements for travellers who flew from points in Canada to the Antipodes. BCPA operated an average of six flights monthly between Sydney and Vancouver; flying time was 48 hours. Featured enroute was a day stop-over at Honolulu and Fiji. BCPA offered the only non-stop service from Vancouver to San Francisco, where Honolulu flights originate. The Australian airline represented TCA in Sydney under a reciprocal agreement. With the long over-water legs of the Pacific service planned at night to facilitate astro navigation, the sleeper service offered by BCPA was no doubt very welcome to its passengers. As shown, the seats could be folded down to make a lie-flat bed, something that would not make a re-appearance on the Pacific for many, many years! |
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BCPA had ambitions to move into the jet age, as the advertisement (above left) from Aeroplane magazine in June 1952 indicates. The de Havilland ad states that "BCPA have chosen the Comet to operate their 7,500 mile Southern Cross service spanning the Pacific Ocean." However, it was not to be: Qantas took over responsibility for trans-Pacific services on April 1, 1954, although services continued to be operated by BCPA DC-6's until 15 May. The remaining three BCPA DC-6s were then sold to the New Zealand airline Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL - later Air New Zealand). Qantas initially used Constellations until their Boeing 707s entered service in 1959. Additional info and photos: |
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that Trans-Canada Air Lines aka Air Canada was involved with passengers going to Sydney, Australia way back in 1948?