Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Vesta's Jump Seat

Why not allow the NetLetter be your platform, and opportunity, to relive your history while working for either TCA, AC, CPAir, CAIL, PWA, AirBC etal. and share your experiences with us!

Jim Griffith sends us this response to the photo I had in NetLetter nr 1067

Re: #1067. I had the pleasure of working with Bill Cole for four years while I was laid off as a pilot in UL flight dispatch. In fact we were neighbors when both our families lived in Pincourt. Unfortunately, after I was recalled as a pilot our career paths and domiciles diverged and we lost track of Bill and his family. It was nice to see the picture of you and Bill's wife, Joan, but set us to wondering where they are now.
Jim Griffith

Pionairs AGM Photos
Some great photos of the Air Canada Pionairs AGM have now been posted on the ACFamily Network Photo Gallery at: www.acfamily.net/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=661

Joe Zucker was the photographer and did an excellent job!

Air Canada - our first 70 years

1965
- Nov 1st - Jet freighters to operate 5 days a week in Canada with the introduction of the DC-8 altered to an all cargo configuration between Montreal and Vancouver.

- Dec 13 - Service to Freeport, Grand Bahamas Island commenced. Service to Guadeloupe cancelled due to failure of the Canadian and French government to reach a bilateral agreement. Orders for 6 DC-9 and 2 DC-8 jet aircraft placed. Notice given of a requirement for 460 new flight attendants by mid summer 1967.

Air Canada news.

On June 1st, 2009 Air Canada inaugurated daily non-stop Calgary-Whitehorse and Calgary-London, ON and inaugurated year-round non-stop service between Montreal and Geneva, with same-plane service continuing on to/from Toronto. Our Star Alliance partner, Swiss International Air Lines, will offer seats on a codeshare basis on the new route.

TCA/AC People Gallery

Over the past months we have been publishing various photographs from earlier "Horizons", should any photos prompt a memory in seeing one of them, feel free to send us your comments and thoughts.



Musings from "Between Ourselves" magazines.
Issue dated October 1965

Here we have this photo of Ground Hostess Gail Watson of Toronto with a "first flighter" - a one day old chick.














The headline reads "Many participants get lost at London Sales Car Rally". Tony Dunn, PSA London England started the 40 mile car rally with 20 cars organized by the London Sales department at LHR and downtown. Present at the starting point flagging the first car were Tony Dunn, Brian Wright, Joan and Jackie O'Neill,  Bill Campbell, Elaine Goodwin, Denise Broderie, Gwen and Peter Baldry. The annual Overseas Region Operations meeting was held in the Bahamas.

We have this photo of the various managers who attended but, alas, no identities.






Over 60,000 sprigs of heather was shipped from Prestwick Scotland to Winnipeg on September 2nd flight 853. Passenger agent Valerie Stewart is shown in this photo giving Stewardess Sheila Houghton a sample. Those of you who were working at LHR in 1965 may remember Marion Burchill who was a finalist in the Miss London Airport.





Here she is.
























Here is a smiling group of friends, co-workers and well-wishers who met at the Grand Motor Motel near YUL  to bid farewell to Jean-Louis Bombardier, a Lead Mechanic at Dorval. Only two are identified, the "Gal Friday" is Marie Ranger and Jean-Louis on her right.









Here we have this photo of the top golfers at the 1965 System Golf Tournament held at the Whitlock Golf Course. In this photo everyone is identified.





Down memory lane!. These 22 formation managers met in Dorval in 1949. Unfortunately there are no identities.

Alan's Space

Old Airline Ads

Since we seem to be in the nostalgia business, (although we didn't originally plan it that way) I thought you may be interested in another web site I found a while back. Duke University in Durham, North Carolina has put together an impressive image archive of over 7,000 U.S. and Canadian advertisements covering five product categories - Beauty and Hygiene, Radio, Television, Transportation, and World War II propaganda - dated between 1911 and 1955. If you look under the Transportation section you will be presented with a plethora (I've always wanted to use that word) of ads from years gone by. To find ads for "Trans-Canada Air Lines" search for them under Transportation and they have quite a few listed. See one example below, but please visit this link for complete information.

Click on image for larger image and visit:

http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/browse/transportation/ for transportation collection

Canadi>n/CPAir/PWA, Wardair, etc. Events & People

Over the past months we have been publishing various photographs from earlier in-house magazines, should any photos prompt a memory in seeing one of them, feel free to send us your comments and thoughts.


Pickings from the "INFO:CARGO" magazine
Issue dated September 1990.

Here is a photo of five members of the training team at YVR.






Following we have three photos from the staff of the cargo department.


















Issue dated October 15th 1990
Started on November 2nd, Canadian Air Cargo will operate between
Toronto and Mexico City. CP Air had previously operated this route from 1953 thru 1981. The aircraft will operate YYZ-MEX-LIM. Manuel Botelho was the newly appointed Customer Service Manager, Mexico City.

This n That

Trish Arbique of www.RumRabbit.com has sent us some photos of a unique hotel is Costa Rica.

The fully outfitted, meticulously detailed, two bedroom, Boeing 727 fuselage suite. It is a refurbished vintage 1965 Boeing 727 airframe, which in its prior life shuttled globetrotters on South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines ( Colombia ). They salvaged this airframe, piece by piece, from its San Jose airport resting place. It was carefully transported by placing the pieces on five, big-rig trucks to the jungles of Manuel Antonio where they have been resurrected into a unique jumbo hotel suite. The classic airplane, nestled on the edge of the National Park in our Costa Verde II area, is perched on a 50-foot pedestal. At this height, you will enjoy scenic ocean and jungle
views from the hard wood deck built atop the plane's former right wing.

The plane's interior is Costa Rican teak paneling from the cockpit to the tail. Furnishings are hand-carved, teak furniture from Java , Indonesia . The 727 home features two air conditioned bedrooms-one with two queen sized beds and the other with one queen sized bed, each with its own private bath-a flat screen TV, a kitchenette, dining area foyer; an ocean view terrace; a private entrance up a river rock, spiral staircase; and 360 degrees of surrounding gardens.
http://www.wired.co.uk/photos/wired-places/2009-04/20/the-hotel-that-used-to-be-a-boeing-727.aspx?tabt=LatestPhoto&tabp=3

It is now ready for its future duty as the most exclusive hotel suite in Costa Rica .

Here we have this selection of photos, but more photos and details are on the web site.
















After you have gloated over this different vacation experience, why not check the web site  www.RumRabbit.com to see the many  interline deals they can offer.

Raul Cifuentes spotted this error in NetLetter nr 1071...
Hi guys, fan of the NetLetters, must suggest a correction to the picture on the 1071's issue. On Cp section, the picture shown on the YYT opening cargo facilities you name J.Ian Booth....should read J.Ian Bootle, those days VP-Cargo and afterwards, VP-International for Canadi>n Airlines.

Best regards to you all  Raul Cifuentes
(Our apologies to Ian Bootle for this lapse! - eds)

Tom Sparkes sends his observation.
Hi there.
The piece in this Netletter concerning the opening of The Air Freight Facility at YYT Aprt. Perhaps this should be Saint John, NB as I was working at the Counter (Terminal Control Agent) at that time and none of the names are familiar with me.

Tom Sparkes
085642,

Doug Lovat sends this message.
Good morning; I'm Doug Lovat, a retired AC HR guy. (eight years plus) I started to receive your "Netletter" a few years before I retired and must say that it has always been interesting and informative. Love the old pics; great fun to see if I can recognize any of the names and faces. Got a kick out of seeing my dad's pic a couple of issues ago. Just wanted to say a big "thank you" to the team and let them know that their efforts are very much enjoyed and appreciated.
(Thank you Doug, we enjoy putting the NetLetter together - it keeps us in touch - eds)

Cliff & Angela Jones-Cassidy sent along this message.
This is an email from Shirley Neufeld, a longtime friend and colleague at Air Canada. Passengers currently may have a legitimate beef with the service they receive today, but by all that is holy, they should be screaming for the kind of dedication and work ethic Flight Attendants like Shirley and many others displayed throughout their entire careers.This was the email Shirley sent to Cliff & Angela.

My service pins which I received in 37 years with Air Canada....
"my award of excellence" pin was stolen from me? ( on board)
Cheers,
Cliff & Angela Jones-Cassidy




Jack Morath sent us this message.
Re (NetLetter nr 1069 -Readers response photo from Albert Siegmann) the photo, I recognize two people. One is Bill Cameron back row on the left, and Don Wiley centre on the right of the lady. This is as you look at the picture. All the best
Jack

Jack Quinlan sends us this comment.
Reference NetLetter 1068 under the heading "Readers feedback", it is noted by Bill Norberg, that Aircraft Routing was "centralized in Montreal in 1965". In fact .. Aircraft Routing was centralized in Montreal in November 1958, and located in the Timmins Aviation Building at Dorval Airport. I reported there for my first day on Nov. 18th or 19th,and got lost on the way to the airport and was late for my first days work at my new location. I'm pretty sure this error is a typo, as I know Bill would not make a 7 year  error.
Jack Quinlan retired Aircraft Routing Manager.

Bill Norberg sends us this response to Jack's comments.
It is always amazing to me to  realize how seldom ideas are put  forward when the page is blank. I am sure Jack Quinlan's idea of centralized routing  is probably correct in a functional sense, but when I was given the responsibility in 1965 we had 3 routing locations,,YUL,YYZ and YVR. My task was to combine the three and locate it in Montreal. It was later to become a very important part of Maintenance Central which was located on the second floor of the annex behind the overhaul hangar in Dorval. The ultimate plan was to locate Maintenance Central in the new 747 hangar in Dorval  when
it was completed. As a result of the McKinsey study, one of their recommendations was to  create an function called Payload and Operations Control. At that time I recommended to Geroge Goode that it be located in the 747 hangar and combined with Maintenance Central. This happened and POC was started there and located there until it was later moved to Toronto. Routing was a very important function within Maintenance and I always had a high regard for the  
many fine people who were a part of that function.
Regards Bill Norberg

Jim Griffith sends us this information.
I recently visited former RCAF station Penhold AB and learned that they are organizing a museum to celebrate the station's role in an extension of the BCATP, (British Commonwealth Aircrew Training Plan), which trained so many NATO students. The plan was meant to train mechanics and pilots to defend NATO countries from the menacing Soviet threat of the cold war. In the event the plan probably, unintentionally, ended up filling a shortage of airline employees all over Europe as the airlines of the world rapidly expanded with the introduction of jets in the early sixties. Former students and support personnel from Penhold can be found in most
European airlines, probably retirees by now. I've attached an email I received from Gay Hillman, the VP of the HHAS.There are two
websites attached that readers of your column might want to check out. There is an event at Penhold in mid- June which can be checked out by Alberta retirees on the web sites. I'm guessing some AC and CP people who subscribe to the "NetLetter" that trained there or
were stationed there as support staff who might be interested. Gary is interested in stories about life on the station and donations of artifacts and of course money to support the museum. The "NetLetter" has done a magnificent job of encouraging airline staff and aviation aficionados to share their experiences. It would be nice if we could help people like Gary out by exposing these small and mostly unknown Canadian endeavors.
Jim Griffith

This is the email Jim refers to.
Sir,
I regret I was not at the airport in Penhold during you recent visit. But so glad you left a contact. As you likely found out we are intending to build a museum to showcase all that the base was built for from 1940 on through 1995. That includes the BCATP, NATO, Bunker, Radar Sqdr, Comm Sqdr and Air Cadets. RCMP trained here for a few years as well. In the past we hosted a NATO class that have managed to keep in contact with each other from 1955. As a museum, we are always looking for information, stories, photos and other artifacts from the days when the base was active. People have been very generous to assist us and we have started a collection of things that are in storage till we get our building built. I would love to keep in contact with you and have you share your story with us.
Feel free to email or write to me.
Check out our website as well at www.penholdbase.ca
My mailing address is there as well on that site.

Best regards,
Gary Hillman,
VP Harvard Historical Aviation Society.

Terry's Travel Tips

Enhanced Driver's License
B.C.'s enhanced driver's license (EDL) is a driver's license and a travel document that you can use to enter the U.S. at land and water border crossings.
Here, at www.icbc.com you'll find everything you need to know about getting an EDL.

Motorhome Packages - Roaming the Rockies
Pack your want of fun and get ready for your very own stimulus package as you embark on our world famous Roaming the Rockies program! Choose from any available motor home and take up to 5 days to travel from either Vancouver to Calgary or Calgary to Vancouver. Golfing, Fishing, Hiking,...the list is endless.Package inclusions:
Motor home rental for 5 days & 1,200 kms.
Preparation Fees, Basic Insurance and Kits (all supplies).
Validity: All summer long.
Price: Just $99.00 for any available motor home!
www.Rumrabbit.com under Packages

Here is the next  segment of the "Round the world" trip by
Sheila Moscoe we started in NetLetter nr 1064.

Hi everyone!
Well, I'm not sure whether you still have your map or atlas out, but let's continue with our cruise on the Royal Princess! Our last stop was Thailand. We then set sail for a few days while enjoying the sea days and lecturers on board, and still trying to figure out what these bites were. At my second visit with the ship doctor, he determined that it was an allergy to papaya! So, he prescribed prednisolone to "kick start" my immune system. And it seemed to work and I didn't break out anymore.  That was a relief! Forgot to mention that on the next day after leaving Hong Kong , we changed our clocks back one hour. Then, the day after leaving Thailand , we moved our clocks forward one hour!  It gets better as we sail along. So, we sailed in a south south westerly direction towards Singapore passing through
the Gulf of Thailand . Then the next day, we were following a south south easterly direction along the coast of Malaysia.  I'm sure glad that I had map to figure this all out!

We finally arrived in one of my favourite countries - Singapore . After the Japanese occupation of 1942-45, it progressed from a Crown Colony to self-government in 1955. Then, in 1963 it joined the Federation of Malaysia, and 2 years later, it emerged as an independent republic in 1965. It is one of the world's most prosperous countries.

Just to quote "glass and steel high-rises, Chinese shop houses with red tile roofs, Victorian style government buildings, Buddhist temples and Arabian bazaars - they're all part of the diversity and charm of Singapore ".unquote

After we docked at the Singapore Cruise Centre, Shirley received an envelope with 2 brand new Visa credit cards. Needless to say, she was a happy camper! Her temporary passport was still in good stead. We then took the MRT to Raffles Hotel and went to the Long Bar to have our customary drink - Singapore Sling! I think it cost around $15USD - not sure because we were using local currency. It was fun being back there again. But, it has changed over the years...the ceiling fans and wicker high back chairs were no longer to be seen.
It was 30C while we walked in the rain passing one shopping centre after the other - mainly electronics.  However, after comparing prices, we found it cheaper in Toronto ! We ended up in our favourite part of the city - Chinatown ! We each purchased a black Chinese jacket with pink silk lining and cuffs, and with pink flowers on the front. We took the MRT right back to Harbourfront Centre and were back on the ship in time for sailing. And we were a hit wearing our jackets to dinner in the dining room!

It's always a fun day in Singapore.

The next morning we arrived in Port Kelang, Malaysia's premier port.  Most passengers took a tour or a bus to the capital city Kuala Lumpur , the "Malaysian Garden City", which was about 1 ½ hours away. KL, as it is known, is a thriving metropolis with modern skyscrapers, the 88 story twin Petronas towers (with a skybridge on the 41st and 42nd level), the KL Tower, government buildings, ancient minarets, and stores where you can shop 'til you drop!
Having been there before, we decided to take the Princess shuttle to Port Kelang's largest shopping centre in Malaysia. Outside temperature was 33C, but inside it was air conditioned, calm, organized, real shops, clean modern toilets, good food...compared
to all the markets that we had been exploring along the way. No more haggling, getting pulled from one direction to the other and "fighting" off the merchants. What a treat!

We were back to the ship by 1700hr. And this night we moved our clocks back 1 hour. It's always nice to gain an hour along the way.
Well, that's it for now. The next segment will be India.

Smilie.

A travel complaint...
"We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure.
Your brochure shows the sand as yellow, but it was white" one complaint and they were not told there would be fish in the sea ... "Our children were startled".

Other complaints included:
A woman who wanted topless sunbathing banned after her holiday was ruined because her husband "spent all day looking at other women." A guest staying at a hotel in Australia complained his soup was too thick and strong-he had in fact been eating gravy.

The NetLetter is the longest running newsletter dedicated to Air Canada retirees (since 1995). We are always looking to add Air Canada, Canadi>n, CPAir, AirBC, etc. retirees to our list. Please feel free to forward this email using the links at the bottom of this issue. Those receiving this email (when forwarded) will then have the choice to subscribe to us through those links as well. If you have friends that may want to join us, please send them to our web site at www.thenetletter.org where they can sign up at the top of the page. .

DID YOU KNOW?
ARCHIVES for NetLetters.
NetLetters are located on the ACFamily Network in the forums.
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Your NetLetter Team
(Vesta, Terry, Alan)

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We hope you enjoyed this issue. Please feel free to pass this on to another Air Canada retiree by using the "Forward Email" link below. There is an option for them to subscribe to "The NetLetter" as well from the forwarded email.

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Sincerely,

Vesta Stevenson, Terry Baker and Alan Rust
The NetLetter Team