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( For retirees of the new Air Canada family)
Number 493 June 10th, 2000, We first Published in October 1995
Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson - Co-pilot - Terry Baker
email address is
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. Need to know.
We received this information from Industry Travel to clarify priorities on CP which was the
subject of a previous NetLetter -
All AC retired employees are processed on an S4J6 priority, same as
AC active employees when travelling on CP. S4J6 is the priority
given to CP retired employees with less than 25 years of service.
CP policy gives a better priority to their active employees and
retirees with 25 years+ of service. We will all go after them in
the same manner as they will ALL be carried on C4/Y10 basis while
we travel with C2/Y10, regardless whether their retirees have 25
years or less.
It is unfortunate of course that this can cause an impact on the
routes no longer operated by AC. However, on the new AC routes, we
will be boarded BEFORE THEM.
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. Nice to know.
Ray Steven sends this query -
In an Employee Travel letter, dated December 1999, Vicki Benoit, Manager,
Industry Travel, specifically item 11, entitled Future Projects, outlined
future improvements to Air Canada's travel programs. In this item, she states
- "By the year-end, Air Canada employees and retirees wishing to register
space available travel will be able to use a voice activated system called
"Speech Recognition". This system can be used to register for flights as well
as check flight schedules and obtain load information".
I was wondering whether this project is on schedule and will be available by
"year-end 2000", and whether one will be able to use a touchtone telephone,
with prompts, to access the information on loads, be able to list and/or
cancel listings, as is common with other carriers systems?
Ray Stevens,
Industry travel informs us -
The Employee Call Centre in collaboration with Industry Travel will be implementing this
fall (instead of summer) the Speech Recognition system that will permit all active
and retired employees (who can self-ticket T421 trip pass tickets) to register for flights as
well as cancel listings, check flight schedules and obtain load information.
When it comes closer to implementation time, all active and retired employees, including
widows/ers will receive a communication package including their PIN number to access
this system.
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. From Bob Robbins -
A thousand thanks for your NetLetter dedicated to the memory of Jim Bain.
I thought you might enjoy what you caused in me! Thanks again, guys, for the joys
you bring to me.
Ken Denman, ex-Sales in TCA/AC also enjoys reading each issue.
Bob sent this personal message to Alan Bain, and kindly gave permission for us to include
it in a NetLetter -
"Hello Alan
What a delightful contribution you made to the Netletter!
Many thanks for making it available to so many of the people whose lives were touched
(or more!) by your Dad.
I joined TCA in 1940 as a radio operator, and then as Station Manager at several points.
The last one was at the Montreal Trans-Atlantic terminal. In the early fifties I was
loaned to the Management Development Group for "two years" -- and stayed in training
and organization development assignments until taking early retirement in ''72.
One of those assignments was to work with Jim and his management team during and
after the period of McKim's organization development consulting. We came to know each
other very well, often sharing thoughts and wishes of personal nature.
I remember that for some time he wished he had a Rolls Royce automobile, and finally
settled for a Bentley. I got a kick out of his pride in giving me a ride in it. How I wish I
could have given him the keys to try out my recently-acquired Lexus -- the latest in a
series of Toyotas!
After retiring from AC, I worked in the Federal Government in Ottawa for eight years -
doing much similar work to that in AC's.
I hope you and yours are healthy and happy.
Sincerely"
Robert M. Robbins
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. Our Chief pilot sends this -
Subject: Dorval Airport rename
I think I heard on TV that the citizens of Montreal want to rename
Dorval International Airport
to
Maurice (Rocket) Richard International Airport.
They have my vote.
And I worked there from 1953 to 1970 and loved every moment, rain or freezing
rain, snow or snowbound. And of course, I was a 'Rocket' fan.
I didn't know how much I cared til I watched his funeral last week.
I hope a lot of our readers will agree to the name change.
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. Nice to know.
Air Canada inaugurates daily non-stop services Vancouver-Denver (Colorado) and
Vancouver-Washington Dulles (D.C.).
The new services are also offered on a codeshare basis by Canadian Airlines and
United Airlines.
Flights on the new routes will be operated with Air Canada 112-seat A319
aircraft featuring the airline's acclaimed Executive and Hospitality service.
Air Canada flight AC694 (CP3694/UA3206) leaves Vancouver at noon and
arrives in Denver at 3:40 p.m.
From Denver, AC693 (CP3693/UA3208) leaves at 9:15 a.m. and arrives in Vancouver
at 11:09 a.m.
Air Canada flight AC696 (CP3696/UA3190) leaves Vancouver at 2:10 p.m. and
arrives in Washington (Dulles) at 10:00 p.m.
From Washington, AC695 (CP3695/UA3192) leaves at 8:50 a.m. and arrives in
Vancouver at 11:15 a.m.
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. Charles Mackie sends this information -
Greetings to all,
This is to notify you of our next Vancouver Island Chapter Meeting of the Canadian
Aviation Historical Society.
It will be held at the BC Aviation Museum in the Norseman Room at 14:00
on Tuesday June 13th. We are also holding a Luncheon at Marys Coffee Bar at 12:30 noon
and all are invited.
Come and get to know your fellow aviations Buffs, and exchange stories and
adventures of the past.
Dont for get to wear an identificatioon tag if you have one.
Our speaker will be Elwood White from Shawnigan Lake and he will be giving a slide
presentation.
To help defray cost there will be a $2.00 Fee collected at the Museum door for all who
are not members of the BC Aviation Museum.
Come and bring a friend Male or Female Young or Old, as long as they have any
interest in Canadian Aviation History.
See You there
Charles Charles J. L. Mackie, Pres. of Vancouver Island Chapter of the CAHS
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. Tom Grant, editor of acfamily.net/acrew sends this -
Last week I took a low flying (aka car) trip from Vancouver to Regina. Enroute I had the
pleasure of visiting the Nanton Lancaster Society air museum in Nanton AB (about a hour
south of Calgary on hwy 2). I suggest that anyone who finds themselves in southern
Alberta to drop by and view this great display of memorabilia and the static display of great
aircraft. The centrepiece is the Lancaster bomber.
For complete information have a look at their website www.lexicom.ab.ca/~nanton
Nanton Lancaster Society: Honouring all those associated with Bomber Command in
WWII. Aircraft emphasis on the Lancaster.
The town hosts over a half dozen antique shops! www.antiquewalk.com )
-Tom Grant, editor WWW A-Crew
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. Where are they now?
CanJet Airlines Corporation has appointed Mark Winders as Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Winders was formally with Air Canada and has spent over 30 years in the airline
industry.
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. From the YYZNEWS issued by Brian Dunn-
Skyservice Airlines announced on May 31st that effective in November this year they
will switch over to become a scheduled airline. They will install a 2-class seating
arrangement in their A320s and A330 aircraft and connect major cities across Canada.
They are expected to announce which major airline and airline alliance group they will be
joining up with and speculation is rampant that it will be the oneWorld alliance
organization. They will also announce a new name for this airline. This would help to
provide feed traffic for both American Airlines and British Airways throughout Canada.
The airline is planning to connect Halifax in the east with Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto,
Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver.
They will also fly to select U.S.A. cities, but none were named.
JetBlue Airlines, the new startup at New York JFK has been talking to the Air Canada Technical Operations people about long-term A320 maintenance requirements.
JetBlue hope to have a large fleet of A320s in service within their first couple of years.
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. From the RAPCAN newsletter issued by Duane Frerichs -
From: Henderson <
I have just returned from YVR and stayed at the Fraser Arms Hotel,just off
the airport on Marine Drive West.It used to be only a beer joint,they have
refurbished it and the rooms are clean and quiet.They give Air Canada an
excellent rate.Double room with a full breakfast is 45 dollars plus the
usual taxes.It is handy and the price is right. My wife and I would go there
anytime we go to YVR.There is an airport shuttle too.The 800 number is
804-2888 and local is 261-2499.Cheers Bill
Australian Association of Retired Airline Pilots (excerpts)
You have probably heard about the famous 617 Squadron Dambuster's raid,
which blew up one of the dams on a German river. A so-called "bouncing
bomb" invented by Barnes Wallis did this. What is generally not known is his
reading of the exploits of a crew of 635 Squadron that gave him the idea.
It happened this way:-
We were in our Lancaster, T for Tommy, getting near our target with a full
bomb load, flying through a lot of flak. Over the Ruhr a piece of flak went
through the starboard under-carriage door and blew out a tyre. We were near
the target and all pretty busy, but Len our pilot came on the intercom and
said "Chuck, you've got nothing to do for the next little while, I'll lower
the undercart, you go out and change the tyre. (Chuck was our wireless op.)
So Chuck reeled in his trailing antenna, tied the end around his waist,
grabbed the spare tyre, put it around his neck, climbed down under Willie
our Flight Engineer, and went through the front turret.
Now Chuck, using the tire iron which was part of the Lanc repair kit, pried
the blown tyre of the rim and let it fall. Then with the spare in position
around the rim, he signaled for Len to roll the Lanc violently to port,
which literally jammed the new tyre on the rim. Geoff, our navigator went to
Chuck's position and reeled in the antenna, bringing Chuck back in through
the front turret.
It was only later, when the damage report came back out of Germany that we
found out what had happened. When the blown tyre landed it was upright on
the Frieden river reservoir, and this together with its forward speed caused
it to bounce and roll along the full length of the reservoir on top of the
water, knocking out a dam control tower and its ack ack crew at the end. The
tyre ended up in the Frieden river some 100 ft below.
When he heard this Barnes Wallis immediately saw the possibility of using a
bomb like this on German dams and set to work to perfect it. The famous
Dambuster's raid was the result. He was not aware of the squadron or crew
who had done the op in the first place, which had given him the idea, so 635
Squadron and us were never given credit.
Actually, as this was a RAF station, because we didn't bring the spare tyre
back after signing out, we were accused of loosing it and stores got its
cost added to our bar bill. This left us so impoverished we had to survive
on NAAFI beer for a month.
You can be decisive, derisive, and dismissive or any other "did" but the
author doesn't want to know.
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. For the Vickers Viscount affectionados -
During the late 1970s, Alidair at East Midlands Airport acquired a large number of ex-Canadian Viscounts and refurbished them either for their own use or for resale.
Viscount 757 had originally been CF-TIF with Trans-Canada Air Lines (c/n 386) but, by
October 1978 had become 9Q-CPY being delivered to Zaire Aero Service, Kinshasa.
It lasted barely 3 years there, and was withdrawn from use at Ndola (the domestic airport at
Kinshasa) in 1981.
The last 700-series Viscount in service in the UK. G-BDRC (c/n 52) was a Viscount 724 built in 1955 as CF-TGO for Trans-Canada Air Lines. It then became F-BMCG with Air Inter from 1964 to 1975, G-BDRC with Alidair ( wearing the titles of their subsidiary Guernsey Airlines, with whom it was named "Sarnia II" ), and was sold to Janus Airways in 1984. In 1986 it was withdrawn from use and dumped at the Manston (Kent) Fire School, finally being cleared for scrap in August 1993.
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. Bob Robbins tells us that a group of Pionairs has been rounded up by
Jess Rougeau, the next District Director of Ottawa area Pionairs.
They're off next week on a two week bus tour of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
They'll be in the majority of the bus riders.
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. Terry's travel tips.
Gardens Motel, 13055 Lundys Lane, Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada L2E 6S4
Phone (905) 227-0891 or 1-888-292-5096 Fax (905) 227-3720
Email:
Reservations and Rates
Reservations 14 days in advance by phone, fax or email. A 10% discount off regular
rates offered to active and retired airline employees. Based on availability.
Must show valid id at check-in. Rates subject to change.
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. Smilie.
Two members of the Lothian and Borders traffic police were out on the Berwickshire
moors with a radar gun recently, happily engaged in apprehending speeding motorists,
when their equipment suddenly locked up completely with an unexpected reading of well
over 300mph. The mystery was explained seconds after as a low flying Harrier hurtled
over their heads. The 'boys in blue' were upset at the damage to their radar gun and put in
a complaint to the RAF, but were somewhat chastened when the RAF pointed out that
the damage may well have been more severe. The Harrier's target acquisition computer
had locked on to the 'enemy' radar and triggered an automatic retaliatory air-to-surface
missle attack. Luckily, the Harrier was operating unarmed.
Announcement by the flight attendant -
'In the unlikely event that we make it as far as a body of water before we crash, you can
use your complimentary snack to repel sharks'.
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Important reminder, for all new articles, submissions and or comments
for the "The Netletter" please send to:
Our joint e-mail address is:
please add to your Address Books.
This e-mail address has been set up so that both of us (exclusively)
will get an automatic copy and so we can keep up with the continuity of
news for the NetLetter.
Why not check out the Air Canada Retired Employees Web Site
http://www.acfamily.net/acrew/
Independently operated by webmaster Tom Grant.
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