Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse.

On May 6, 2023, a party from the Vancouver Interline Club members boarded the 'Crown Princess' and enjoyed a 7 night Alaska cruise.

This is the first time that the VIC had planned a cruise since the they hosted the WACA AGA in 1996.

Here are some of the photos:

Those Fabulous TCA Super Connies.

Trans-Canada Air Lines’ future equipment was on the agenda of its board of directors in August 1951. The alternatives were either the Douglas DC-6B or the Lockheed 1049.

The first Super Constellation arrived in Montréal on February 26, 1954. Captain George Lothian was in command of the flight. The first airplane was registered CF-TGA and assigned Fleet Number 401.

On May 14, 1954, CF-TGA inaugurated TCA’s new Super Constellation service across the North Atlantic. The routing was Toronto–Montréal–Prestwick–London. 

The flights from Toronto to London were scheduled for a flying time of 14:05 (16:05 total) eastbound and 15:10 (18:10 total) westbound.

By August 1954, after the fleet had built up to five Super Constellations, Paris and Düsseldorf were added to the European network as a continuation of the London flight. One included Shannon, Ireland, two stopped at Gander, one at Goose Bay and four at Prestwick. Later Vienna became another European destination.

In the spring of 1958, two new destinations were added: Brussels (en route to Düsseldorf) and Zurich (an extension of the Paris flights). With the arrival of Super G models, Montréal–London nonstop flights became possible with the flight time from Montréal to London scheduled for 10:35 (12:50 westbound).

The same year, flights from Vancouver via Winnipeg to London were added. These flights were called the 'Hudson Bay Route.'

We suggest that you view YouTube video from British Pathé (click the icon) featuring what was probably the arrival at YVR of the inaugural westbound flight on that route, plus highlights of a visit to Vancouver as it was in 1958.

That flight operated once a week (originally Wednesday westbound, Friday eastbound) with stops at Gander and Winnipeg.

In the Super Constellation’s heyday, trans-Atlantic flights originated in Cleveland and Halifax, in addition to Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montréal. But the era of the big piston-engine airliners on the North Atlantic was coming to an end. By late 1960, the aircraft were rapidly being replaced with TCA’s new Douglas DC-8 jets.

On December 26, 1960, the last Super Constellation flight departed Vienna.

On December 29, the last flight left Düsseldorf and, on December 31, 1960, the very last transatlantic Super Constellation flight flew Zurich–Paris–London–Montréal–Toronto, arriving in Canada on January 1, 1961. From that point on, all transatlantic flights were jet.

The TCA Super Constellation fleet eventually consisted of 14 aircraft of four basic models:

• Five 1049C's: CF-TGA to CF-TGE.
• Three 1049E's: CF-TGF to CF-TGH.
• Four 1049G's: CF-TEU to CF-TEX.
• Two 1049H's: CF-TEY and CF-TEZ (galley aft of rear entry door and all seating forward).

The 1049C and 1049E models were later upgraded to 1049G standard.

Source: Originally posted by Peter F. Marshall to CAHS archives May 22, 2010.