Reminder! ACRA Badminton in Prague 2018.

If you enjoyed the ACRA Badminton in Liverpool UK in 2017, why not join the crowd in Prague.

For more fun and games from Thursday, October 11 through 13, 2018.

www.acrabadminton.org.uk

But if you missed the photo op in Liverpool (left), join us in Prague and get included. 

Shirlee Schacter has sent us this report and photos -

Marquee "Welcome to Pionairs". 

Sixty (60) AC Pionairs from Central Ontario District received a personal greeting on the racing marquee at this year’s Woodbine “DAY AT THE RACES” on Saturday June 16, 2018.

It was a fun-filled afternoon of dining, exciting horse-racing and gaming. Those attending were treated to special seating in the “Favourites Dining Room” with a ringside window view of the thoroughbred action on the track.

There was a lot of schmoozing among friends and some serious placing of bets after studying the racing form. There were many happy faces when winnings were claimed at the betting windows.

The traditional sumptuous buffet that Favourites is noted for was included in the outing. An added bonus was the $10 “free” Slot Play Coupon each member received which has reaped some good rewards to several in the past. “Always a popular fun-filled afternoon - far from the everyday experience!”

Here are the photos -

Issue dated December 1983.

For the third year in a row, the St. John's Cargo group built a float for the city's annual Christmas 1983 parade and this year's entry won third prize.

In 1981, the Cargo float also took third place while last year's entry came second in the running. The project has aroused a great deal of enthusiasm from the local cargo staff, and the group is now determined to build the winning entry for 1984. Complete with clowns, the float was ready to roll.

Pictured from the left are Eugene Newton, Nick Facey, Nelson Gaudon, Jimmy Hurley, Bill Feehan, Roy Symonds and Paddy Cochrane. 

Issue dated January 1984.

Reflections of 1983.

• The airline's much-lauded Intercontinental Service on the North Atlantic was introduced February 1.
• The newest member of the fleet, the B-767 went into regular service February 14, serving Calgary to Toronto.
• February saw the official opening of a new hangar in Winnipeg for maintenance of the B-727 fleet.
• On April 23 the last scheduled passenger DC-8 departed Calgary for Toronto.
• Service resumed to Dusseldorf on April 24, after previously being served between 1952- 1966.
• The Sixth Pionairs Annual General Meeting was held in Anaheim, California and attended by 500 retirees and spouses.
• May 12, a DC-9 slid off the runway at Regina damaging the left wing and undercarriage.
• June 2, an emergency landing at Cincinnati of flight 797.
• July 23, flight 143 en route from Montreal to Edmonton via Ottawa made a forced emergency landing at Gimli.
• Billed as the "Greatest seat sale ever," the airline offered 750,000 seats at a discount of up to 75%.
• In October a wide range of discounts and service improvements for "Airvelop" and "CouriAir".
• November 8, first re-engined DC-8 freighter went into service.
• In-Flight Service held an arts & crafts sale raising $10,838; a percentage goes to dinners & gifts for the needy.
• In December Touram introduced a year round core schedule of planned charters.

Issue dated March 1984.

New "Ham" group.

On August 19, 1983, the "Air Canada Montreal Amateur Radio Group” became a reality.

Back in the spring of 1982, a number of "Hams" decided to establish a two-meter repeater facility which would be a local communications link with other airline-oriented Ham employees.

Initial radio checks were made from the top of the 747 hangar at Dorval Base. The test results were favourable, and permission was granted by the Company as well as Transport Canada to make use of this location as an antenna site. A study by Communications Canada showed that there would be no interference to other communications services.

Finally, on August 19, 2013, power was switched on, and VE2RBI repeater became available for amateur use.

(Note: Is this group still active? – eds)

February 1, 1984, was a special day for Norm Howard. Exactly 30 years before, he opened the door of the first DC-3 to serve Sudbury, Ontario.

February 1, 1954, was also Norm’s first day of work at Trans-Canada Air Lines.

At that time, the airline's staff totalled 7,991, an increase of 13% over the previous year.

With a route network of 24,016 miles, serving some 50 communities as well as operating to centres in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean, TCA became the world's ninth largest airline measured in passenger miles flown.

The fleet of 59 aircraft included 22 North Stars, 26 DC-3s, a DC-3 Cargoliner and three Bristol Freighters. The stars of the fleet were seven brand new Super Constellations touted as "among the most modern long-range transports in the world and the largest aircraft carrying Canadian registration".

In this photo, Norm Howard is shown, centre, 30 years later, with the crew of flight 382. He is flanked by, from the left, F/O E. E. Sanderson, Flight Attendants Diane Christie and Ginette Simard and Captain A. H. Lindop. On the stairs is Flight Attendant Mike More.

A proud moment for Sudbury staff standing in front of fight 303, February 1.

From the left: Walter Bradley, Brian Cresswell, Fern Lamoureux, Doug Thompson, Harry Fase, Terry Robinson, John Thivierge, Bud Chapman and Joe Lee. 

Issue dated June 2010.

Air Canada voted number one airline in North America by Skytrax.

In our photo we have -

Left to right: Stephen DeBardi, Lead Station Attendant; Captain Frédérick Bélanger; Susan Crespo, Customer Sales & Service Agent; Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer; Carole Charette, Service Director; Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer; Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Susan Welscheid, Senior Vice President, Customer Service; Luigi Principe, Stockkeeper; Deborah-Ann De Souza, Director, Premium/Concierge Service, and Stefan Brassard, Concierge.

Kids Horizons - Dress a Child.

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of Air Canada employees and special partners and the behind-the-scenes efforts of dozens of volunteers who sorted clothes, created kits, made and packed boxes.

Air Canada Kids' Horizons was able to provide our Community Investments partner Free The Children with 710 full kits of clothing (and much more!) for an orphanage in Haiti.

In our photo are some of the volunteers who sorted the clothes (left to right): Suzana Bulhoes, Lisette Noel, Kristin Bigras, Louise Normandeau, Julia Camerino, Micheline Villeneuve, Jamie King, Valerie Woods and Popi Parthenopi.

From the “Parts & Pieces” magazine issue dated July/August 1993.

As part of the “Celebrations 93” in Vancouver B.C. the short and tall of it, from a B-747 to "MOONEY" which is owned by Flight Attendant Anne Schmidt.

Issue dated October/November 1993.

Retirees of Stores and Purchasing.

A welcome view of just a few of the great people who have retired from Dorval Stores, Purchasing and Flight Operations who gather at the Dorval Legion every first Tuesday of the month.

The talk around the table was on political implications on the Federal election, golfing in the deep south and remembering colleagues they haven't seen in some time while having a social brew together.

From Left to right are: Wally Haverstock, Al Wilson, Jack Ramage, Carl Anderson, Byron Campbell, Norm Graham, Brian Donaldson, Joe Nagy, John Hashimoto, Tom Lawson and Hector Levac.

As mentioned in NetLetter #1393, the Pacific Western Airlines 2018 - Picnic/Reunion was due, and did, take place on August 12, 2018.

By all accounts, this memorable event was an overwhelming success. Kudos and thanks to Gale and all the organizers - volunteers who made this happen. Thanks to Neville Gosling and Gale Brisseau for the photos which have been posted on www.pwareunion.com

Canadian Pacific Air Lines became the first Commonwealth airline to use the new Arctic route and the first company to provide direct service between Europe and Canada's west coast.

Inaugurated in June 1955, initially on a weekly frequency, the service operates between Vancouver and Amsterdam via Greenland (westbound) and Manitoba (eastbound). Since it represented an expansion of C.P.A.'s existing route from Vancouver to Sydney, the introduction of this service enabled C.P.A. to claim yet another "first"; some of the passengers on the inaugural flight were "the first to have flown in one journey over the International Date Line, the Equator and the Arctic Circle."

Among those aboard was C.P.A.'s president, Mr. Grant McConachie, who showed interest in both Comet 4 and Britannia as potential replacements for the DC-6B's, which serve Latin America, Hong Kong and Tokyo as well as the points named above. The company also operated medium and short stages in Canada using Convairs, DC-3's and a number of smaller aircraft, D.H. Otters being among the latest additions.

(Source: Flight International archives 1955 page 208)

This former Eastern Provincial C-FEPL B737-2E1 in interim Canadian colours.

(Source: Canadian Airlines photos)

In NetLetter #1398, we had an article about the Canadian Aviation Historical Society which included the CAHS logo. On seeing this, Jim Bruce sent us this information regarding the origin of the logo -

It was nice to see the CAHS logo in #1398. I designed this while an art director at The Montreal Star.

In 1972, Bill Wheeler, the editor of the Journal at the time, and CAHF Member asked me if I would do a redesign of the Journal including a logo design. So I did, and the logo (based on the typeface Bookman Swash caps) has hung in there all these years, with a slight change I did in 1990, to add a fine line around the outside of the letters.

The front view of the Silver Dart, which I included in the logo, is the work of Robert Bradford, also a member of the CAHF, and former curator of the National Aviation Museum (as it was called back then).

He had done a very detailed 3-view of the Dart for a U.S. aviation magazine. I scaled down his front view to use with the new logo. The Journal stopped using my logo for a time, but it was brought back when Terry Higgins, current editor/art director started using it again. Even when it wasn’t for a while part of the Journal, it was still being used on T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.

Jim

Betty Draper found this article in The Regina Leader-Post - August 12, 1948, referring to the following TCA North Star accident at Sydney, Nova Scotia on that date.

A Trans-Canada Air Lines stewardess calmly led 11 passengers to safety early from a flaming four-engine North Star aircraft. The five other crew members also escaped uninjured when the big trans-ocean plane burned after touching down at the nearby reserve airport at 1:45 am MDT

Miss Rita A. Meyers, a native of Kitchener, Ont., led the passengers to the emergency exit as flames licked at the opposite side of the aircraft. Purser-steward Jack Triggs of Montreal stood on the ground and caught the passengers as they leaped 15 feet to the ground. The collapsible ladder used to descend from the exit would not work. The pilot was Doug Holland of Montreal.

Trans-Canada Air Lines issued the following statement:

"En route flight 210, destined for Prestwick, the aircraft made a normal approach for landing, and it is thought that the right wheel struck a mound of earth approximately 20 feet from the end of the runway. Ditching is being carried out all along the end of the runway. Impact of the wheel striking the mound split a gas tank and, as the plane landed, gasoline was running out of the tank along the runway. After landing the right wing caught fire."

Members of the crew, besides Triggs, Holland and Miss Meyer were: Flying Officer Bob Penrose, Navigating Officer Gil Evands and Radio Officer Bob Wright all from Montreal.

Another North Star from Montreal was used to continue the flight to Scotland, but first, the passengers were issued with new clothing, passports and luggage.

Everything aboard the aircraft was lost. We have no other information regarding this incident.

Here we have this photo of Miss Meyers receiving congratulations. 

Stewardess Rita A. Meyer and Purser Steward J. R. Triggs are shown as they were presented with engraved wrist watches by President G. R. McGregor in recognition of the part they played in the recent Sydney North Star incident.

The President said that these gifts were "something to tell you what the Company thinks of your activities at Sydney, N.S. However, it is not a reward for good work well done, but a memento of some fairly exciting times and we want you to know how much we appreciate your action on that occasion.''

(Photo Source: TCA Between Ourselves magazine issue dated October 1948)

(Comment from Ken Pickford, our proofreader) - It was the following event listed on the Aviation Safety Network. The aircraft was one of the 6 unpressurized North Stars intended for the RCAF that were temporarily operated by TCA while waiting for their own pressurized North Stars to be delivered. For accident report see Aviation-safety.net

The latest from Larry Milberry, publisher at CANVAN Books -

Here's the preliminary info about CANAV’s forthcoming aviation title “Fighter Pilots and Observers”. I’ll start shipping in 2 weeks.

Also, the info about a new Northern Ontario bush flying book and CANAV’s main general book lists. Keep building up your library; it’ll help keep the internet from turning your brains to mush!

Canadian Airways operated a regular service to Vancouver’s Sea Island and an Esquimalt – Seattle charter service out of Esquimalt’s harbour.

With interests from both Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways, the airway held enough sway in Ottawa to allow their four Boeing C-204 Thunderbirds to land in the Inner Harbour and moor at a wharf in front of the Legislature or the James Bay Athletic Association’s wharf from July through September of 1931.

(Source: www.victoriaharbourhistory.com)

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

Did you know that?

To celebrate the Royal Wedding in May of Harry and Meghan, the entire cabin crew on Flight BA93 to Toronto were named either Harry or Meghan/Megan.

(Source: UK Pionairs newsletter September 2018)

Ways to Cruise When You're Totally Broke

1. Learn how to hunt for deals. 
   If the best cruise deals were easy to find, everyone would snatch them up. Dedicate a little extra time and effort to sign up for e-newsletters and search for cruises where you'd least expect them.
   
   
2. Sail close to home.
   Cheap cruises prevail in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Mexican Riviera, accessible from U.S. home ports.
   
   
3. Look at budget-friendly cruise lines.
   Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are the most popular mainstream cruise lines for a reason. They offer the widest variety of affordable cruise options and dominate the Caribbean and Bahamas.
   
   
4. Go during peak hurricane season.
   No, we're not crazy. Peak hurricane season, which runs from mid-August to late October, is one of the cheapest times of the year to cruise the Caribbean, Bahamas and Mexican Riviera -- especially September.
   
   
5. Don't bet on seven days.
   It is possible to snag a good deal on a week long cruise, but in most cases, you'll find that short cruises (three- to five-night itineraries) are the bigger money savers.
   
   
6. Book an inside cabin.
   Inside cabins are ideal for cruisers on a tight budget. They're the lowest and most affordable category you can book.
   
   
7. Eat only in free dining venues.
   Most cruise ships feature a main dining room (sometimes multiple dining rooms), buffet and a few casual eateries -- all in which you can eat for free.
   
   
8. Fill up on free drinks.
   Free drinks are one of many ways you can save on booze at sea. Find out if your cruise line hosts a captain's cocktail party. On certain lines, servers at these celebratory soirees will make the rounds with trays of complimentary wine or Champagne. Art auctions also serve free drinks, even if you're only there to look.

(Source: cruisecritic.com August 29, 2018)