The Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) will be holding its AGM from May 30 to June 3, 2018 in Calgary, Alberta.

Below is a list of scheduled speakers.

Starting October 2018, Air Canada will whisk you away to fun in the sun on its new Boeing 737 MAX fleet.

In addition to the new service to Kauai, Air Canada's increased frequencies from YVR include:

• Vancouver-Honolulu: Twice daily
• Vancouver-Maui: Twice daily
• Vancouver-Kona: Four times weekly
• Vancouver-Cancun: Four times weekly
• Vancouver-Ixtapa: Three times weekly
• Vancouver-Puerto Vallarta: Four times weekly 
• Vancouver-Los Cabos: Three times weekly 

Also, the following daily destinations using Airbus A320's

• Vancouver-Phoenix
• Vancouver-Palm Springs

In addition, from December 2018 to April 2019, the YVR-LIH route will offer a three-times weekly service.

Lihue is the second largest town on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, which is known as a cultural and historical getaway.

The Boeing 737 MAX uses 20 per cent less fuel per seat than the original Next-generation 737. Air Canada has configured the cabin to include North American Business and Economy class seats. For more information, visit www.aircanada.com.

(Source: yvr.ca)

Switching paper for Styrofoam cups seems like a small thing, but when you serve 180,000 cups a day, it makes for big reductions in hard-to-dispose-of polystyrene waste.

This is one example of Air Canada’s efforts to be environmentally responsible – efforts recognized recently when Air Transport World named us Eco-Airline of the Year for 2018, global recognition that we are very proud of.

(Excerpt from “enroute” magazine March 2018 "Eco friendly skies" by Calin Rovinescu, President and CEO).

Reading the NetLetter #1387 and the article on pins in "Reader Submitted Photos" has Allan Gray submitting these photos -

I also have a few pins I've collected over the years. Just not Air Canada & TCA but other airlines as well.

Allan sent us some of his duplicate pins which we scanned and have shown here.

Allan Gray CSSA YVR

Gerry Ireland has sent in a couple of his pins with this message -

I had the pleasure of flying on the new AC L-1011-500 and they gave us a pin on the inaugural flight. It is in a plastic cover with some text and signed By Claude Taylor. I think it was 1973, the route was from YVR-LHR. I was a supervisor with CPAL then (god that was long ago) and a manager from AC invited me. Included with the L1011 pin was a tail pin from Gerry. 

I was with CP from 1967 - 1987, left and went to work for Air New Zealand at YVR 1989-2001. NZ closed the base (Sept 11 and all). NZ returned service in 2007 and I went back to work for them until 2009, between summer contract work. It was 40 years, and time to go.

Regards, Gerry

Air Canada NAVI magazine was launched in March 2017. On the left we have the issue for August, 2017 cover page. 

Below is a photo of the crew. 

Front row: Marion Shay, Angela Mah, Bonnie Walker, Alanna Kathleen Chan, Janette Dramstad, Candice Widdington and Amrik Bening.

Middle row: Jayne Willis, Tertius Serfontein, Lorna Holmes, Kevin Howlett, Bill Devlin, Shielane Khera, Valinda Leitner, Jeff Feldman and John Oneill.

Back row: Andrew Moore, Taylor Shaw, Mark Gordonsmith, Glynne Wilson, Anna McMurdo, Herman Yee, Kaila Henly, Charanjit Brar, Patrick Holler and Dana Konings.

 Betty Draper sent us an article on Steve Abulet, which we checked out on the internet and extracted this portion -

Steven Stanley Abulet:

In April of 1939 he joined Trans-Canada Air Lines. He started in the airline as a First Officer but by September of 1939 he and Jack Crosby were teamed up for promotion. In March 1940 they were both promoted.

In his first years as Captain Steve flew the prairies as far west as Lethbridge and, on occasion, Winnipeg east as far as Montreal. In 1944 he got a place on the CGTAS but before he could take a flight he was asked to return to Winnipeg to run the flying school.

He used to spend his holidays flying in the bush for Lamb Airways and, in fact, this is how he started his son, Jeff, in the flying business.

In 1943, on his days off in Winnipeg, Steve would instruct for the Company. In one month he logged 175 hours. From 1944 until his retirement in 1969, Steve flew the Atlantic for TCA and then Air Canada flying Avro Lancastrian, North Star, Lockheed Super Constellation, and Douglas DC-8 aircraft. He only had one orientation flight to Prestwick, Scotland, and back to Montreal before taking over as Captain.

Click Here for a full history of Steve has been put together by Ron C. Johnston.

Raptors Take Flight

Air Canada became the official airline of the Toronto Raptors in 1996. It took Toronto's 23-person paint crew seven days of round-the-clock shifts and some 45 gallons of paint and primer to get the Raptor just right.

Aircraft painter Dennis Chislett admits: The hardest part to get right was the Raptor's teeth and claws on the plane's tail."

Here we have these photos of the Raptor paint scheme in 1996 on C-FDSN fin #206 c/n 0126.

Source moments.aircanada.com

Found in the "Between Ourselves" issue dated October 1963.

First jet freight service for Canada inaugurated by company coast to coast.

On October 28, 1963 this service was inaugurated with DC-8F Jet Traders capable of carrying up to 45,000 pounds of cargo providing service between Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver five week days a week. The DC-8F had mixed freight/passenger configuration.

Found in the "Horizons" magazine issue dated April 1983.

Dusseldorf rejoined the Air Canada route on April 24, 1983 after an absence of 17 years.

Pacific Southwest Airlines plans purchase of four DC-9-32 from Air Canada.

The cost of each aircraft is approximately USD $6 million.

Three of the aircraft had been sold to Philadelphia-based Altair Airlines in July 1982, three had been delivered before Altair ceased operations and the aircraft were repossessed, in November 1982. The fourth aircraft was not delivered to Altair. All four of the aircraft were then sold to PSA.

(Our records show the following delivery dates - eds)

• CF-TLI fin #708 c/n 45846 sold to Altair Airlines July 16, 1982 repossessed, then sold PSA 27 April 1983.
• CF-TLK fin #710 c/n 47020 sold to Altair Airlines July 28, 1982 repossessed, then sold PSA 27 April 1983. 
• CF-TLP fin #715 c/n 47068 sold to Altair Airlines July 16, 1982 repossessed, then sold PSA 25 May 1983. 
• CF-TLN fin #713 c/n 47023 sold to Altair Airlines not taken up, sold to PSA July 1, 1983.

There is a small plaque located on one wall of the District Sales Office in San Francisco that in many respects symbolizes the station's continuing dedication and energy as it seeks to enlarge Air Canada's presence in an area dominated by massive and intense competition.

The plaque pays tribute to the district's 42 employees who during the years 1979, 1981 and 1982 recorded the highest percentage participation for the U.S. and Southern Region in the airline's annual charitable appeal for funds. It is a record of which District Manager Vic Leonard a 23 year veteran of the airline is proud. Vic presided over the Bay City operation since March 1979, when the company inaugurated the Toronto - San Francisco service. Here we have a photo with, from the left:

Emerson Richards, Sales Rep; Bruce Hembroff, Passenger Sales Manager and Vic Leonard District Manager discussing product promotion plans. 

(Does this plaque still exist? – eds)

The delivery of the company's fourth 767 on March 31, 1983 was a milestone in the airline's history.

The aircraft was the 50th Boeing airplane purchased by Air Canada. ln honour of the occasion, Richard W. Welch, President of the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company in Seattle, sent the following message to President Claude Taylor.

"Today, Air Canada took delivery of its fiftieth Boeing jetliner. Beginning in 1971, seven B747's, thirty-nine B727-200's and, as of today, four B767's have left our factories painted in the Air Canada livery. I wish to acknowledge Air Canada's contribution to the success of these three programs and to offer my personal thanks to you and your employees for the confidence in our products that you have demonstrated."

From the YUL "Parts and Pieces" magazine issue dated May 1990.

Since we do not often get to see the guys on the midnight crew, we thought that we would run a picture of the energetic group.

(Left to Right): John Paterson, John Cozak, Kumar Sindhwani, Danny Sullivan, Denis Leduc and Paul Proulx.

Extracted from airline-memorabilia.blogspot.ca regarding the merger of Wardair and Canadian Airlines International in 1990.

Canadian Wardair is, in fact, two airlines in one. It has been formed by the merger with Canadian, or to give it its full name, Canadian Airlines International with Wardair.

You can be forgiven if you've not heard of Canadian. It had never provided scheduled service to the United Kingdom before under that name. By contrast, Wardair needs no introduction. Not only has it served Britain for some time, but its reputation for service seems to have reached every corner of the globe.

From this merger, we've emerged. And we look forward to giving you an ever better service.

Every week, from April 1990, we'll have 20 flights from Gatwick serving Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

These flights include the Toronto Starliner, which gets you from London to Toronto the same evening. And the London Dayliner, which gets you from Toronto to London the same day.

There are also three non-stop flights from Manchester to Toronto each week.

With our partners, we serve more destinations in Canada than any other airline. In fact, we offer 900 departures throughout the country, every day.

So much for our services, now for our service. All our aircraft are new wide-bodied Boeing 767-30ER's. (ER means extended range. They can fly over 6000 miles non-stop.)
As well as new aircraft, we offer new standards of service. Indeed our economy service makes a mockery of the term.

You'll enjoy good, nutritious food, elegantly served, with a selection of complimentary drinks and wines, and a choice of desserts and liqueurs.

Also, with our compliments are personal headsets, current films and the latest magazines.

Our business class is equally outstanding. You'll sit by a window or an aisle in a wide, deeply cushioned seat, with ample leg room and adjustable foot rest. You'll find the cabin spacious, well-appointed and pleasing to the eye.

The delicious food is tastefully presented on china crockery, with linen napery and fine wine served by friendly, courteous and efficient staff.

There are other touches for business class passengers. Like advance seat selection, dedicated check-in counters and priority baggage handling.

Wardair was purchased in 1989 and the 12 Wardair A310s were briefly brought under the Canadian umbrella before being disposed of. Five of the A310s moved to the Canadian Forces.

(Source: Canadian Airlines photo history)

Mike Nash sends us this information and memory -

Regarding ‘Readers Feedback’ in the NetLetter #1387 of March 25, 2018 from Hugh MacCallum concerning the Catalina Canso which had planned to fly across Canada. In his summary of NetLetter readers who had responded to his original article, Hugh incorrectly stated that I “worked for either CPA or PWA at the Prince George airport.”

He was correct that I have an interest in, and have written about aviation. I had contacted him to inquire whether the Catalina’s itinerary would include YXS, but I have never worked at the airport there. I have been a resident of Prince George for 40 years this month, having previously worked for Air Canada in the 1970’s as Supervisor of Communications Software in Toronto.

See ww3.telus.net/pgoutdoors.

I was interested in your historical article about Harbour Air under ‘Odds and Ends’ in the same issue of Netletter.

I happily flew with them many times in recent years between the YVR floatplane base and Victoria Harbour during a six-year tenure as a part-time board member with BC’s Forest Practices Board, sometimes in the right hand seat when the opportunity arose.

But Harbour Air has a lesser known connection to BC’s interior:

I have a very fond memory of chartering a Harbour Air Beaver out of Tatogga Lake for a 12-day backpacking traverse of the Spectrum Range through Mount Edziza Provincial Park in August 1996. We were flown into Arctic Lake, just south of the park (taking advantage of a narrow and unexpected weather window late in the day) by an older bush pilot (the best kind) whose business card said simply “Murray Wood, Canadian Bush Pilot.”

Twelve days, 110 kilometres of rugged backpacking, two tense grizzly bear encounters, and several mountain ranges later, Murray made several tries in marginal weather before successfully picking us up at Buckley Lake just south of the Stikine River. If you’ve never flown at treetop height in the remote back country in a Beaver, it’s pretty exciting!

Mike.

Help wanted.

I'm wondering if someone has a little bit of history about the 12 B767-200s that were purchased early in 1980s that they would be willing to share. I have been collecting aircraft parts related to Air Canada's B767-200s for some time and would enjoy reading some facts behind each of the aircraft.

Perry included this information in a later e-mail –
Here is a picture of the throttle quadrant from C-GAUU. I bought it. 

Kind regards Perry Van Veen -  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jack Schofield sends this information -

I am currently designing a book written by retired TCA/AC captain Jim Griffith paralleling his flight experiences with the history of TCA / Air Canada. Details will be in the NetLetter when available. Jim Griffith sends us a copy of the book cover.

As a matter of interest, there are many aviation would be authors out there.  Canadian Aviator magazine is receiving submissions from writers who believe they have a story worth telling and publishing. This is not a self-publishing deal but a traditional publishing program.

If any readers of the NetLetter fit that situation we will accept manuscripts or a letter of proposal for consideration to this email address. Jack Schofield -  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Here is an ad describing the books we have published. Jim Griffith advises us that anyone who wants to order my book should email: Schofield -This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Click Here for a list of books that we have published.

And check this out: issuu.com/coastdog2/docs/catalogue_2

Jim G.

The B.C. Aviation Museum (BCAM) at Victoria, B.C. is making a bid to obtain the Avro Lancaster aircraft, FM104, presently owned by the City of Toronto.

There are currently seven restored Lancasters in Canada - 5 in Ontario and 2 in Alberta - there are only 2 in the world that fly, including the one in Hamilton. BCAM is facing competition from Langley's Canadian Museum of Flight.

The aircraft was built in Malton, Ont. in 1944. After the war ended, it was used for maritime patrols and search-and-rescues by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The bomber was retired in 1964 and displayed at Toronto’s Coronation Park, and, later, at the Canadian Air and Space Museum at Downsview Park.

After WWII, Trans-Canada Air Lines received more than 20 Canadair DC-3 rebuilds.

Here CF-TEG sits in its polished glory at Cartierville, ready for customer acceptance. "TEG" served TCA from 1945 - 1957, then Canada's Dept. of Transport as CF-GXW to 1985.

In 1986 it flew around the world promoting Vancouver's Expo 86. In 2010 it was working with Algonquin Airways, and, in 2018, was listed as being owned by Lance Toland Ltd, Wilmington, Delaware, USA and registered as N173RD.

(Photo courtesy Larry Milberry/CANAV Books.)

Trans-Canada Air Lines, the publicly-owned trans-continental airway, plans to institute a 13-hour Vancouver-New York service by the spring of 1942, using the latest type of Boeing 307 Stratoliners. With such a service the Canadian airline would provide stiff competition to the present United States transcontinental services.

The 33-passenger pressure-cabin Stratoliners have been selected because of the high altitude flying required at the western end of the trans-Canada route.

Between Lethbridge, Alberta and Vancouver, the Canadian Rockies tower 12,000 feet and more, with the lowest pass, Crow's Nest, at 11,000 feet above sea level. During winter months planes have to operate above 12,000 feet and often go as high as 17,500 feet to miss storms. At present oxygen masks are provided or passengers and crews but the pressure cabin will eliminate this.

It was the Boeing president, Philip G. Johnson, who put Trans-Canada Air Lines on its operating feet. The use of these planes is expected to make possible flights straight across the Great Lakes, instead of as at present circling the lakes to the north, thus eliminating some 350 miles from the trans-continental route. Favourable exchange due to the war is expected to play a part in bringing United States transcontinental business to the Canadian line.

(Source: flightglobal.com 1940-1944)

(Note from Ken Pickford: this initiative was never actually implemented.)

Canadian Terminus.

Sea Island Airport, Vancouver, B.C., with one of Trans-Canada Air Lines' Lockheed Fourteens and one of United Air Lines old Boeing 247D's on the tarmac.

(Source: flightglobal 1939-0368)

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

The golden airstrip

The cargo door of an Antonov AN-12, a Soviet-era cargo plane, loaded with nine metric tons of gold broke open as the plane took off from Yakutsk in East Siberia. The aircraft's door apparently gave way and broke off due to the weight shifting in the cargo hold. Gold alloy bars were then strewn across the runway and on the airport property.

(Source: avweb March 19, 2018)

Qantas B787-9 flew the first ever non-stop airline route from Australia to Europe, travelling from Perth to London. The jet carried 236 passengers on the trip covering 7,775 nm in about 17 hours. When Qantas first established a route to London, the "Kangaroo Route" in 1947, it took 4 days and 6 stops.

(Source: avwebflash March 20, 2018)

Qantas first flew the "Kangaroo Route" on 1 December 1947. A Lockheed Constellation carried 29 passengers and 11 crew from Sydney to London with stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, and Tripoli (passengers stayed overnight in Singapore and Cairo).

(Source: wikipedia.org)

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Jim Goltz sends us this correction to the information in NetLetter #1388 -

Hi Guys:

The 'smiley' in this month's issue, may be for Les Stevenson's 40th anniversary, not Air Canada's (1977) Les was a 'Lead' in YYZ stores.

Cheers, and thanks for the great publication.

Note: This caricature of Les was drawn by stock keeper, Ken Biggars, who contributed many caricatures to "Parts & Pieces" as well many others for various co-workers, over his career. Ken's talent and wonderful sense of humour are evident in all his work. 

Both Les and Ken started at YUL and had transferred to YYZ by 1980 when I started and had the pleasure of working with these two gentlemen.

I would very much appreciate any news concerning their current status.

Thanks, Wayne