Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Found in 'Horizons' magazine

Issue dated June 1984 

A history of CF-TCC.

Enclosed with the issue of Horizons dated June 1984 was an insert describing the various exciting plans to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary, starting in 1986.

One of them, involving the coast-to-coast flight of a Lockheed L-10A began last January when Captain Ray Lank brought the aircraft back from Florida.

CF-TCC has returned to its original owner to be used as part of Air Canada's 50th anniversary celebrations. The ten-seat Lockheed L-10A flew Trans-Canada Air Lines inaugural flight between Vancouver and Seattle on September 1, 1937.

The key to the aircraft and its log book were handed over to Air Canada in Florida prior to the flight to Canada.

From the left are: Captain Ray Lank; Al Scammel, Chief Inspector, Aircraft, Dorval; TCC owner Bud Clark and Ernie Sykes, a former Air Canada employee who discovered the airplane in Florida.

The Pionairs had advance notice of this project at their recent Annual General Meeting in Anaheim when guest speaker Captain Lank talked about the project. Here are some of his remarks which appeared in the 'Horizons' magazine issued June 1984.

"When I first set eyes on the L-10A at a small out-of-the-way airport near Tampa, it was parked all by itself in a corner and was in original U.S. Army Air Corps livery. It was clean and bright and did have the 'good Canada' seal of approval for the ferry flight.

Paperwork was completed by our project leader (whose brainchild the idea was) Ted Morris, Manager, Corporate Information. At about dusk (temperature 72 F) we started our three-day trek to frigid Winnipeg where temperatures of -24 C awaited us.

Our first leg was about four hours to Memphis, Tennessee. I was struck by two facts - I could see the strobe effect on the props, and I could actually look out and see the wings and engines. It all felt right, and looked right, and even smelled right with AV-gas perfume.

Second day took us into colder and colder weather, crisp and clear and looking good for a 'one-fuel-stop' then a direct to Winnipeg operation, just as Flight Dispatcher Bill Sansom had planned.

When we dropped into Omaha, the old L-10A was a little chilly to say the least. On landing roll out the right brake gave up the ghost in sheer annoyance at these decidedly un-Florida like temperatures!

After repairs, we were up very early next day - we got as far as the hangar and soon realized the ice fog would indeed be a factor. Finally about noon, we did get underway by doing all the checks inside the hangar and then started the engines and made a dash for the runway. We soon flew into a high pressure ridge where clear skies showed us more and more snow-covered terrain. I wondered if perhaps CF-TCC could appreciate returning home!

We did a slow-and-over' so our welcoming team could have a look. Then we landed, and breaking all rules, taxied into the hangar itself.

A brief ceremony took place where I accepted the aircraft key and log book on behalf of the company. I then sent a teletype to the V.P., Flight Operations which read:

'CF-TCC safely home - the adventure has begun.'

Three months later when I saw the aircraft again, it was no longer in flying condition. The maintenance crews had wasted no time in taking it apart. The engines have gone to Pratt & Whitney for zero timing by them as their contribution to the event. The interior and cockpit were literally stripped and even the wide twin tall was off.

When the work is done, however, the L-10A will look like a genuine 1937 aircraft right down to the Trans-Canada Air Lines lettering on the silver-tone fuselage. In fact those of us flying the machine will even be dressed circa 1937. Tentatively, the flight visitation program will begin April 10, 1986 and end up in Vancouver at Expo '86."

Editors' Note:

Additional NetLetter articles referring to CF-TCC -

Netletter #1378 issued November 2017, Roger Slauenwhite sent this information -

Since CF-TCC is airborne again for the 80th anniversary, here is a picture of the three people who 'discovered' the original L-10A aircraft in Harlingen, Texas at the Confederate Air Force airshow. It was flown in from Plant City, Florida. 

On the left is Roger Slauenwhite, retired Sales Manager and Pionair, Bob Rathwell, Sales Manager (now deceased) and Ernie Sykes, Airport Personnel.

CF TCC (at this time had an American registration) was parked directly behind this B-25, flown in for the show from Hamilton, Ontario.

On our return to YYZ we advised Ted Morris in Toronto P.R. of our finding. Ted called Montreal P.R. and set the wheels in motion. The rest is history. Ted was instrumental in making this all happen (a good P.R. man). Otherwise this aircraft might still be flying freight around the southern United States, which was its previous task.

Hats off to Ted Morris.

Roger Slauenwhite

Netletter #1380 issued December 2017, David Edward has sent this information he received from Paul Sanchez after the CF-TCC article appeared in NetLetter #1378.

"Dave, that certainly brings back some wonderful memories for me and I am quite impressed with the story of your family history. You are probably familiar with the CF-TCC, the Lockheed 10-A that Air Canada purchased in 1984.

The attached pic is of me in 1977 stripping all of the paint off of 'er! Of course, that was 40 years ago and I had a little more hair. What a way to start off in aviation!

I was 17 and you can see the brown spot underneath the wing which was Turco paint stripper. I stripped the paint off most of the airplane myself and that was not much fun for a 17 year old, but it paid off when we later found, etched into the aluminum skin, the letters: CF-TCC.

Memories by CF-TCC by Peter Larsen, excerpt from Airways magazine July 1999.

I enjoyed Tango-Charlie-Charlie (May 1999) about the Lockheed L-10A Electra and thought you might like some additional information about her past.

I knew CF-TCC in the late seventies and early eighties when she was registered NC3749 and owned by M. P. 'Bud' Clark of Plant City, Florida.

She was finished in overall bare metal with US Army Air Corps markings. Bud flew her annually to Harlingen, Texas, for the Confederate Air Force show and participated in the EAA Sun 'n' Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida. During this time, he kept the aircraft at Lakeland Municipal (now Lakeland Linder Regional), where I rode my bicycle on weekends to help him out.