Merlane Quon, co-chair host for the 2018 World Airline Road Race being held in Victoria, BC, Canada, sends this information -

Mission of WARR is to provide a worldwide athletic event, promote travel within the airline industry and foster friendships and coordination between airlines. 

Each September/October, employees, family and friends from the airline community come together for the World Airline Road Race (WARR).

WARR is a professionally run, volunteer-driven, four-day event put on by airline members offering to host in their home city.

Now entering its 37th year in 2018, with over 1,500 participants from 60+ airlines, the World Airline Road Race is one of the largest annual airline athletic events in the world. Merlane would love to get some recruiting of folks and retirees welcome to join the Jazz or AC team.

Volunteers needed race day morning which is Saturday,  September 29. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to contact Merlane if you are interested in volunteering.

More information and sign up at the website worldairlineroadrace.org

Cheers,
Merlane Quon, Co-chair / Host 2018

(The next race will be in Amsterdam in 2019)

Shirlee Schacter sent us this account of the Air Canada Pionairs Central Ontario Spring Luncheon held on May 14, 2018 at the Royal Ontario Golf Club.

Always a popular event; 124 members registered to attend. The complimentary wine tasting (a glass of red and white wine for each Pionair) arranged by Event Chair, Valdy Prieditis, was once again a big hit. The Door Prize Table saw a prize go to each table (16). In addition, there was a Special Prize Table and a number of Cash Draws. A “first” this year also saw 4 “double winners” – those lucky Pionairs who won the Door Prize at their table and also won a gift from the special Prize Table or one of the Cash Draw prizes!!!

Below are the 4 double winners, Linda Holmes-Tennant, Ann Heinen, Linda Upshall and France Brinck. 

Passing of the Torch:

Central Ontario Treasurer, Ed Storrie (left), is finally taking his well-deserved retirement. Ed served for many continuous years of outstanding and unwavering service to Pionairs in a multitude of capacities, encompassing both National and Central Ontario.

Shown here with his wife Lois Storrie, also a strong supporter of all Pionair endeavours. Next to Lois is Flo Christjanson, widow of Irv Christjanson who also served on the Board. On the right is Bob Newson, the incoming Treasurer, who is already serving on the Board as the Central Ontario Membership Director. This means Bob will be doing double-duty until a replacement comes forward. 

A few more photos of some attendees -

From the left: Serge Colekessian, Willie Gomez, Diana Christie, Pat Stocks, Antje Bedirian and Alex Bedirian

In closing, feedback gave this year’s luncheon a “thumbs-up” with special kudos going to Chef Matt Woods and his staff who outdid themselves with a fabulous dessert table. Royal Ontario Golf Club seems to be the leading contender and favourite for next year’s luncheon.

Submitted by Shirlee Schacter.

The Montreal-Brussels route was inaugurated in April 1958 and discontinued in 1962. Then in 1969 and 1977, before the station again became an off-line office.

(Source: P&P 1993-04)

Charlottetown welcome.

During a recent visit to Charlottetown, President Claude Taylor dropped in to say hello to the staff, some of whom came in on days off to greet him.

Taylor is shown, standing, front row, left, with Jim Crowe, Station Agent l, who received the President's best wishes on the occasion of his pending retirement, and Al Rach, Manager, PEl. Seated are Bev Young and Linda Murphy.

Back row standing from the left, are Wayne Handren, David Turnbull, John MacEachern, Jim Tingman, Brian Murray, Garth Rogerson, Jean-Louis Lachapelle and Dave Spence.

Missing from the photo, (someone has to run the show! – eds) are Gail Skidmore, Secretary; Passenger Agent Traff Allman; Station Agents Len Durden and Gary Turnbull and Station Attendant Hank Howard.

Super pigeon goes home in style

"Air Canada" went home in style on July 25 - courtesy of the airline after which it was named. "Air Canada" is a two-year-old English racing pigeon that somehow got off-course on a Penzance to Manchester race and ended up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. In gratitude to the company for flying the bird home, its owner. Jack Roberts of Marple, Cheshire, named the pigeon "Air Canada".

The story began when Thunder Bay resident Bob Balina found the weary and hungry creature in the area of the community's lakeside grain elevators on June 27 - 16 days after the pigeon set-off from Penzance with eight, feathered friends.

"Air Canada's" homeward bound routing took him from Thunder Bay to Toronto and, after a short stop, onward to London, England on AC856.

On the Thunder Bay - Toronto leg, "Air Canada" rode the flight deck with B-727 Captain Art Gillard; and en route to London, Captain Pat Palmer arranged for the bird to be placed in a cabin all to itself - because of passenger load, the B-747 upper deck seating was not in use.

In this photo, we have Captain Art Gillard with a bird in the hand, and Passenger Agent Anna MacGallum to meet the press in Toronto. During the stopover en route from Thunder Bay to London, the bird, named "Air Canada" by its owner, was under the wing of Anna and Passenger Agent Erika Cravero who watched over it in the Maple Leaf lounge until boarding time for flight 856.

(That’s when standby travel was easier than it is today! – eds)

Issue dated February 2010. (used with permission)

ACtion Haiti.

On January 12, 2010, a severe earthquake devastated the Caribbean nation of Haiti, causing over 100,000 deaths, unfathomable destruction, and incalculable suffering. Almost immediately, Air Canada employees stepped up to offer their ideas, their money, even their time, to assist those in need.

One of our first actions was to carry supplies to Port-au-Prince. On Saturday, January 16 at 7 a.m., AC2050 departed Montreal headquarters base for Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Air Canada employees worked round the clock to prepare the Boeing 767-300ER aircraft for the relief flight. The aircraft departed with 18,000 kilos of relief supplies including food, water, tents and medicine, and returned late that night carrying 112 weary but relieved evacuees home to Canada, along with four search and rescue volunteers. Below, a group of volunteer employees flying to Port-au-Prince pose for a picture outside the aircraft.

Among those pictured here:

Kathy Machnik, Palmina D’Andreis, Melissa Dufort, Anup Anand, Frank Flood, Jérôme Laporte, Perry Braux, Jacques-Olivier Dallaire, Duncan Dee, Gilles Charette, Pagguy Guillet, John Craig, Imad Zaoudé and Marc Boudreau.

Issue dated September 1983

A two-time winner.

For the second consecutive year, Toronto-based Captain Bob Forrest had the pleasure of carrying the United Kingdom National Dairy Queen aboard his flight from London (LHR) to Toronto.

The 1983 winner of the competition, mounted by the National Dairy Council, was 19 year old Alison de Feyter of Norfolk. She is shown in the cockpit of a 747 with Captain Bob Forrest and First Officer Jim Norwick. Air Canada had sponsored the competition since 1976. 

Issued dated October 1983

One step taken to assist New York reservations to become more sales effective was the installation of an Apollo and a Sabre terminal.

The equipment allows Reservations Sales Agents, from the left, Suzanne Cummins, Angie Boyle and Alex Holub to provide Reservations with competitive input as well as to keep an eye on the display of Air Canada information in those co-host systems.

From the "Parts and Pieces" magazine issue dated April 1993.

The Customs Group

1992 was a tough year for the Dorval Stores Customs Department: We lost 30% of our staff in the cutbacks. The survivors have rallied and generally managed to provide competent, cheerful (?) service to hundreds of our customers.

In our photo we have, from the left:

Back row: Lilian Mclean, Yves St-Martain, Bob Bernie, Michael Fowler, Diane Clark and Diane Van Den Bosch.

Front row: Janet Smith, Holly Tobin and Dorothy Landry.

The Ottawa Flying Club – eastern Canada’s oldest flying club – has been in continuous operation since 1928 and represents a history of aviation accomplishment and an ongoing romance with flight.

From the early days when a group of aviators – dressed in goggles, leather helmets and boots – met at the sand flats beside the scenic Rideau River on a grassy field identified only with a solitary windsock, the Club has come to symbolize the ongoing romance with flight.

Located at Ottawa MacDonald Cartier International Airport.

(Source: www.ofc.ca/OFCHistory)

Executives from Air Transat say the company's rapid European summer expansion is part of a long-term strategy to remain competitive in transatlantic markets.

The airline will add 15% more seats into Europe this summer - and do so with wide-body aircraft that executives concede are not ideal for the job. But starting next year, Transat will begin defending its newly-acquired turf with an expanding fleet of Airbus A321LRs,

(Source: Flight International June 28, 2018)

The Squadron

Air Canada acknowledges that the weather at St. John's, Newfoundland is probably worse than anywhere else on the system. Sometimes, your airplanes don't get in.

Ace McCool's airplanes always get in!

McCool is President, CEO and Chief Pilot of Down East International Airlines, based at Moncton, New Brunswick, where the weather is no great shakes, either. But what sets DEI apart from other airlines is that it doesn't exist - except in Air Canada Captain Jack Desmarais' imagination and the back page of Canadian Aviation, Canada's National Aviation Magazine.

And, not only are there DEI and McCool, there is Pete Braddock, T.l. (for Totally Inept) Jacobs, The Smarts, Cowboy McCloskey, Red Starr and Churchy Laflamme, "de bes' co-pilot of dem all."

Stew Jane is a flight engineer, Mile-High Millie and Crazy lris take care of things in the cabin, and Phil Lister keeps the airplanes mechanically fit.

That's "The Squadron" and it has become something of a legend since the McCool stories began in 1971. And we think you would enjoy reading about how not to operate a responsible airline.

"Ace McCool The hilarious collection from Down East International" by Jack Desmarais. available from Amazon.

 (Source: AC "Horizons' magazine issue January 1984)

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

Hubbard Air Service 1919-1927.

In 1919 Eddie Hubbard was the first pilot to land in Victoria’s harbour. Under contract with the United States Postal Service (USPS), he established the first airmail service on the west coast flying into Victoria’s harbour out of Seattle. In his two years, he flew 35,000 miles over 220 Seattle – Victoria round trips.

In 1921 for no discernable reason, Hubbard lost the USPS contract to Alaska Airways. Ancel Eckmann who, in 1929, would be the first to fly Seattle-Juneau, flew American Airways’ Curtiss HS-21 flying boat on the service. The contract reverted back to Hubbard six months later.

Upon Hubbard’s retirement in 1927, Herold Walker took over from Hubbard. He flew Hubbard’s B1 flying boat for Northwest Air Services Inc. until 1929.

(Source: www.victoriaharbourhistory.com)

The Farnborough International Airshow is a week-long, biennial event that combines a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries with a public airshow. This year's event was held July 16 to 19, 2018 at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, United Kingdom.

Below is a Youtube video showing "The BEST of Farnborough Airshow 2018".