|
Our request from Frank Healy in NetLetter #1526 brought back this amusing memory for Julie Gillate Spencer, retired flight attendant. As a flight attendant in the late fifties/early sixties with Canadian Pacific (CPA) I'm enjoying reading the memories of your readers. One that caught my eye was the request for info on 'Sgt. Norman Welles'. Could this be another fun initiation trick of having new 'ticket agents' paging fictitious passengers in the airport? In 1959/60 CPA had regular 'milk run' flights from Edmonton, Alberta to various small northern locations, one of which was Norman Wells Airport, Northwest Territories. Another such trick was to have the newbie agent at YVR paging Herman Nelson, which played on the name of the plug-in heater used by CPA to heat the aircraft while on the ground at northern airports. Keep up the great work of bringing us back in time! Editors' Note: We are quite certain that Mr. Healy's request is genuine. However, an airport with the same name is quite a coincidence. Also, practical jokes on 'newbies' using public address systems have been a long standing tradition! |
|
Gail Bennet shares the following regarding the Georgetown Girls' Pipe Band - (NetLetter #1526 - Remember When) For a second time, I saw a photo of my former band participating in an inaugural flight, this time Toronto to Vancouver. This was new band history for me. I knew about the first overseas flight but not this story. Thanks for sharing. P.S. My husband was an AC cargo agent at YYZ for 30+ years. |
|
Submitted by Ron Rhodes - Waterloo, Ontario - It’s been a long time since I was in touch with you guys. I enjoy every issue of The NetLetter…..especially part of today’s! (NetLetter #1526 - Remember When) Thanks so much for the Clint Ward story and first Connie non-stop YYZ-YVR! In 1960 (or was it 61?), I flew with my grandmother from Prestwick to Montreal via Halifax on a Super Connie of TCA. I was only 11, but still remember the long, loud, not vibration free flight! We changed aircraft in Montreal and was lucky enough to fly to YYZ via a North Star!! As a commercial aviation enthusiast since I was very young, those memories, no matter how vague they are now, still make me so happy. Does anyone know when TCA started non-stop from Prestwick to Halifax?? (As far as I can see, it was non-stop. I don’t recall any stop over the Atlantic) I still have my original flight ticket (scan below). When the Connie was moved to YYZ many years ago, I volunteered on several weekends in the hangar to help clean up inside: I took the inside window panes out and cleaned the windows. Such fun. When that aircraft was sold to the aviation museum in Seattle, Bob Bogash (who organized the purchase,) somehow found out about me. One day I got a phone call from him saying the plane was being shipped to Rome, New York for a TCA paint job. He invited me to be there upon completion before shipping out to Seattle. What a fun weekend my wife and I had! We met with several former crew members who flew it for Nordair and TCA. Former flight attendants were there too. I know, that aircraft should be in Canada and not USA. But at least it is preserved! Thanks again to you all for your great, interesting work. |
 |
