We have welcomed 86 new subscribers so far in 2022.

We wish to thank everyone for your support of our efforts.

Back issues of The NetLetter are available in both the original newsletter format and downloadable PDF format.

We invite you to visit our website at www.thenetletter.net/netletters to view our archives.

Restoration and posting of archive issues is an ongoing project. We hope to post every issue back to the beginning in 1995.

We always welcome feedback about Air Canada (including Jazz and Rouge) from our subscribers who wish to share current events, memories and photographs.

Particularly if you have stories to share from one of the legacy airlines: Trans-Canada Air Lines, Canadian Airlines, CP Air, Pacific Western, Maritime Central Airways, Eastern Provincial, Wardair, Nordair, Transair, Air BC, Time Air, Quebecair, Calm Air, NWT Air, Air Alliance, Air Nova, Air Ontario, Air Georgian and all other Canadian based airlines that once graced the Canadian skies.

Please feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We will try to post your comments in the next issue but, if not, we will publish it as soon as we can.

Thanks!

Boundary Bay Airshow
Saturday July 16, 2022,
11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Boundary Bay Airport (CZBB)
7800 Alpha Way, Delta, British Columbia

Abbotsford Airshow
Friday, August 5 to Sunday, August 7, 2022.
Abbotsford Airport (YXX) venue at
1595 Townline Road in Abbotsford. British Columbia.

The 2022 edition is the event’s 60th anniversary!

The event has been taking place each summer for over 50 years and typically draws over 125,000 people, making it Western Canada’s largest airshow.

Moses Lake Airshow
Saturday, June 18 to Sunday, June 19, 2022.

Moses Lake, Washington

Grant County International Airport, one of the largest airfields in the United States.

The exciting two-day aeronautic event features various aerial demonstrations, aerobatic competitions, as well as educational displays on the ground.

Sigrun Cowan sent in -

I would like to add a picture of the Air Canada Silver Broom tournament mentioned in NetLetter #1482.

I was fortunate to be the official Air Canada Flight Attendant presenter of the trophy ? 1985 in Glasgow. It is a part of our Air Canada history.

Sigrun Cowan,
Retired Flight Attendant, YVR

Editors' Note: Look for more stories about the Silver Broom in our next edition.

Dave Edward sent us this memory -

It was great to see the post from Mike Horan in the latest NetLetter #1482.

Mike was station Manager in Shannon Airport (SNN) while twelve of us, furloughed pilots '61 to '65, flew with Aer Lingus based in Dublin.

Mike used to go out of his way to accommodate any of us when we attempted to plus home for a visit. When the recall came in '65, he was inundated with boxes and trunks and tea chests (in my case) of goods and chattels to be shipped home to Canada.

I never had a chance to properly thank him for the way he looked after all of us.

Thank You, Mike. "Cead Mile Failte".

As an aside, my dad, Captain Gath Edward, used to comment on the efficiency of EINN... (SNN) due to Mike's hard work.

Dave Edward

Submitted by Ian Buchanan -

Regarding Roger Kovalyk’s reference to the TCA Roadshow in NetLetter #1482. I was part of that with a folk group for a couple of years. The Rock Band then was excellent. The leader was “Bev” and he, with Bob Keeping, did all the technical production.

There was a magician and a chorus line and the whole thing was quite professional. I think it was funded by the early recreation group. The funding ended after a disastrous show at a hospital in Montreal when a major snow storm prevented many of the cast and crew getting there.

We should have cancelled the show and what we did was very disjointed. We had some great times entertaining the armed forces and at hospitals and there were some great stories. Not everyone worked for the company but I think someone in the Rock Band did.

I still get a smile on my face when I think about The Maple Leaf Revue.

Ian Buchanan

Jack Morath in London, England sends us some information about his family travels -

My son David has been traveling around a bit from Abuja in Nigeria and on his latest trip I asked him for some pictures of the airlines he used.

Here are two photographs showing aircraft with his daughter Sophie in front. The Air Peace aircraft is a new Embraer 195-E2, and appropriately behind is a State owned A220-300 which is wet leased from Air Sinai, now now flying as Ibom Air (which is quite appropriate next to Air Peace!!)

Both pictures taken at Abuja to Lagos and returning from Lagos. David says that most often flights are late and the 50 minute flight can often take most of the day to go one way.

Sophie has her own 'Passenger Logbook' and has now reached over 500,000 nautical miles since birth. She is now 18 with some more flights planned during this year.

If anyone is interested buying a log book the same as Sophie has it can be bought at: www.avworld.ca

This memory sent in by Bill Norberg (now deceased) appeared in NetLetter #323, October 29, 1998

Subject: Lockheed 14's and Parachute flares.

When TCA started operations in the late 1930's initially with Lockheed 10A's and later 14's the system of airports and airway facilities across the country was fairly limited.

As an aid to the flight crews in event they had to make a forced landing or land at a relatively unequipped airport the aircraft were equipped with two parachute flares. These were fuelled by magnesium which burns with an intense white light after ignition. The flares were located on either side of the front cargo compartment directly ahead of the cockpit area. These could be jettisoned by the flight crew when and if needed.

When the aircraft were to be hangared for major maintenance work, the flares were removed to prevent inadvertent deployment as they could be a serious fire hazard. These flares were not of course removed when the aircraft were hangared for short periods or overnight.

I forget the exact date but it was probably in the 1943-1944 period when an exciting event took place in hangar # 1 at the Winnipeg Base.

An aircraft was in the hangar close to the rear (or north) wall of the hangar when for reasons unknown, to me at least, one flare was discharged onto the hangar floor beneath the aircraft. It immediately burst into flames and started to burn with an intense heat. It was also giving off a great deal of smoke and in a relatively short while the complete hangar was filled with smoke down to within about 3 feet of the floor.

The fire alarms went off of course and I left the Instrument shop where I was working in accordance with the fire plan. Upon entering the hangar all I could see was a very bright light in a pall of smoke and the legs of many people running around in a frenzy. As luck would have it the hangar doors were opened to clear the smoke while the aircraft was towed out of harm’s way.

The burning flare was eventually extinguished using sand from the many fire buckets placed around the hangar. Before being extinguished it managed to burn a hole in the concrete floor about 15 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches deep.

Star Alliance Lounges

Star Alliance and its member airlines offer access to their more than 1,000 lounges worldwide, giving you a quiet and exclusive space to work or relax before your flight.

As a Star Alliance Gold customer you are welcome to visit any lounge with a Star Alliance Gold logo at the entrance before your flight operated by a Star Alliance member airline. Even if you are not a Gold customer, you can still gain access to a lounge if you are travelling on a member airline in international First Class or Business Class.

In addition to member airlines’ lounges, we offer a small set of exclusive Star Alliance branded lounges. These have been created by local architects with local flair – to leave you with a positive and lasting memory of that country’s culture. Start enjoying your trip even before you fly with the amenities that our exclusive lounges offer.

The Star Alliance lounges are located in Buenos Aires (EZE), Los Angeles (LAX), Paris (CDG), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Rome (FCO) and Amsterdam (AMS).

Source: www.staralliance.com/en/lounges

1941, May 11 - Service between Toronto and New York La Guardia commenced with L18-08A Lockheed Lodestar registration CF-TCW (fin #45) aircraft.

Found in 'Horizons' magazine

Issue dated August 2001

An African Safari by Xavier Ferrandes,

It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip that won't soon be forgotten. I led a group of seven fellow employees from Toronto and Vancouver on a two-week safari to Tanzania's famed Serengeti National Park, the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater National Park, and Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks.

The safari group was, left to right: Xavier Fernandes, Stanley Chan Choon, Air Engineers, Toronto; Dan Sherwood, Captain, Vancouver; Pam Woodruff, Lead Customer Sales & Service Agent Toronto; Blain Woodruff, Team Leader, Technical Services, Toronto; Vicky Driver, Flight Attendant, Toronto; Dean Driver (Vicky's husband) and their guide Eric.

On June 21, 2001, under warm and sunny skies, Calgary Call Centre employees held their annual Stampede BBQ lunch.

Doug Port, Senior Vice President, Customer Service and Gordon Young, General Manager, Call Centres were on hand to meet the agents.

Hearty burgers and chicken dogs were grilled to perfection by, left to right: Barrie Belfield, Call Centre Coordinator; Jim Gillies, Customer Service Manager; Gord McGregor, Operations Manager and Glenda Minor, Customer Service Manager.

Issue dated September 2001

In 2001, the Air Canada Recreation Association (ACRA) had 25 active chapters throughout Europe, the United States and Canada located in Calgary, Charlottetown, Chicago, Cleveland, Edmonton, Frankfurt, Halifax, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Los Angeles, London (UK), New York, Quebec City, Regina, Saint John, San Francisco, Saskatoon, St. John's, Tampa, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington and Winnipeg.

Operation 'Down Under'.

Being a member of the Star Alliance network is more than building a network - it's also about lending a hand when a member is in need. Earlier in 2001, Ansett Australia's fleet of Boeing 767-200's was grounded for mechanical reasons.

In a quick turnaround, representatives from numerous departments from bases in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax made the lease of Fin 638 a reality.

Flight crews were called and were soon ready to head "down under."

The green uniform-wearing crew who spoke a variety of languages, including French, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and German puzzled Ansett's customers, a friendly lot. "Every employee we came across treated us like their own," Flight Attendant, Louise Audet said. "The whole time we were there, employees at each destination made sure all of our needs were taken care of."

Louise says the customers boarding habits are somewhat different from those seen on Air Canada operated flights. The Australians boarded with no carry-on luggage and personal computers were virtually non-existent - seems they don't mix flying and working.

"We'll cherish our fond memories for a long time and probably will never forget that incredible 'Operation down under.'"

In our photo - Making it work -

Sitting, left to right: Captain Cal McCullough; Mari Molander; Captain Ken Wichers; Louise Audet; Danielle Sénécal; Pat Skelly, Ansett Australia; First Officer Willie Cove; Robert Hines; Lyne Charron; First Officer Len Crowther, Ansett Australia.

Standing, left to right: First Officer Gary Hayward; Chantal Sentenne; Alain Durand; Darren Selker; Stéphane Vincent; Monica Siegrist; Annie Létourneau; Gilles Leclerc; Paul Moore; Marcel Langelier; Helen Sweet; Roger Ramos and Tom Moeller (not visible in the photo). 

Editors' Note: Our records show Fin #638 B-767-375ER was originally delivered to Canadian Airlines International as C-FTCA c/n 24307 in April 1989. It will soon return to AC service after being converted to a freighter in Tel Aviv.

Issue dated October 2001

Calgary painted the town.

On August 12, 2001, Air Canada employees, family members, and friends painted a 78-year old woman's house, fence, and patio furniture—and did a fine job of it too! The woman, Mrs. Roth, was delighted and grateful.

Coordinated through the efforts of Volunteer Calgary and Calgary City Links, employees from 20 local organizations paint the exterior of homes owned by a senior citizen or person with a disability.

The home owners want to stay in their own homes, however, due to financial and/or physical limitations they're unable to manage its upkeep. Owners of over 1,300 homes are waiting to take advantage of this service.

Our team of volunteers:

Front row, left to right: Mary-Anne Robeson, General Manager, Customer Service-Alberta; Debbie Iversen, Financial Analyst, Maple Leaf Lounge.

Middle row, left to right: Jean Shimano, Customer Relations-Level 5; Thérèse Lacerte, Administrative Support-Level 3.

Back row, left to right: Zane Pajak; Wendy Kennedy, Coordinator, Community Investments; Neal Jensen, Jim Loates and Vince Lacerte.

Absent: Tammy Davies, Western Canada Events Specialist; Fern Berglind, Customer Relations-Level 5; Dale Berglind; Rebecca Popp, Transitional Project Team Analyst; Serena Callow, Administrative Support-Level 6, and John Callow.

Here we have part two of the history of the Canadi>n fleet covering the period from 1953 to 2000.

Shown are the first aircraft of the jet fleets and the evolution of the liveries.  

Part three will appear in the next NetLetter.

(Source: Air Canada 75th anniversary booklet)

From the "InfoCanadi>n" magazine.

Issue dated July 1993

Taiwan loads hit 101 per cent.

How can an airline experience a 101 per cent load factor?

In April, 1993, Canadian achieved a 101 per cent load factor on its Taiwan - Canada flights. The route was one of the airline's fastest growing. Taiwan Sales and Reservations employees achieved the unusual load factor by selling not only all of Canadian's seats but also the extra seats on the Canadian aircraft not used by Mandarin Airlines, Canadian's partner on the route.

Sales and Reservations staff includes: Dora Hsu, Robyn Hsu, Derek Galpin (General Manager, Taiwan), Alice Lu, Sherry Huang, Rose Kuo, Julia Tan, Sophie Chao and Lisa Hu.

In another initiative, employees at the Taipei CTO enrolled more than 400 additional members in the Canadian Plus program.

The CTO staff includes: Daisy Deng, Angela Chen, Enid Huang, Joanna Li, Sidney Chou, Paul Kao, Derek Galpin, Jean Chen, Will Rao and Sherry Huang. 

Fun was put on ice.

Thirty-six teams competed in the 13th annual Canadian Airlines Mixed FunSpiel held in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Participants came from as far away as Yellowknife, Saskatoon, Fredericton, Halifax, St. Johns and even Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The main event winners, from Vancouver, included, from left: Rick Sedola, Tracy Sedola, Lil Freeman and Rick Freeman.

Our 'Featured Video' showing footage at Malton is posted on YouTube by the 'Reel Life' channel

Comments by Ken Pickford:

From 0:58 to 3:17 in the video - must be very rare footage taken at the original late 1930's Toronto (Malton) terminal, with a later expansion in 1949. The video title refers to 1962 but the opening credits read 1959 which is probably correct due to the 2 TCA North Stars that appear in the footage. The North Stars had been retired by 1960/61.

In addition to the 2 North Stars, that footage includes 6 Viscounts - 2 taxiing out and one taking off near the beginning, and 3 parked. By the end of 1959, TCA had 49 Viscounts in service. 

Terry Baker elaborates on the North Star retirements:

The final North Star –

• Fin #219 CF-TFS c/n 143 sold to International Air Freighters December 26, 1961.

Continuing our series on The Boeing 747 aircraft after life!

While most retired B-747's are daytime tourist attractions, there is one parked in Sweden that hosts overnight stays.

Jumbo Stay Hotel is a retired Queen of the Skies that opened in 2009 and is parked next to a busy taxiway at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport, giving guests panoramic views of the airfield.

This aircraft was originally delivered to Singapore Airlines in March of 1976 and has flown for several airlines before being withdrawn from service in May 2007.

It flew for Singapore Airlines, Pan Am, Canadian carrier Nationair (as registration C-FNXP), US charter company Tower Air, and Swedish airline Transjet Airways.

See full history at: www.planespotters.net

It has been preserved at Stockholm Arlanda Airport since January 2008.

There are several onboard guest accommodations, including 33 rooms that can be either private or shared.

Source:  www.businessinsider.com

Website: www.jumbostay.com

Charter carrier Nationair Canada Ltd, headquartered at Mirabel International Airport (YMX), was founded in December 1984 and ceased operations on April 1, 1993.

The fleet had consisted of (5) B747-100, (4) B747-200, (8) 757-200, (9) DC-8-50/60 and a Fokker F100.

Source: planespotters.net

Britain's 'Jumbo' airliner - years ahead of its time.

With UK aircraft production solely concentrated of military requirements during World War II, the provision for the production of transport aircraft was the province of the American allies, who produced such notable designs as the DC-3, DC-4 and C-69 Constellation.

With the coming of peace, this left Britain with no modern commercial aircraft either in production or at the design stage other than the simple conversion of military transport aircraft.

Nevertheless, a committee (under Lord Brabazon of Tara) set out the specifications for a number of civil transport types and delivered a report now known as the 'Brabazon Report' calling for the production of aircraft in 4 design configurations.

• Type 1 - a very large trans-Atlantic airliner
• Type 2 - a short haul airliner
• Type 3 - a medium size airliner for European routes
• Type 4 - a jet-powered 500 mph airliner

Bristol Aeroplane Company had already gained experience in the design of heavy bombers during the 1930's although the war had diverted its attention into the production of military aircraft such as the Beaufort torpedo bomber.

Following the publication of the report it embarked on the most ambitious of the categories (Type 1) calling for a trans-Atlantic airliner – the design that was to emerge was the Bristol Type 167 Brabazon I.

Nowadays it is difficult to appreciate the sheer size of the Bristol 167 Brabazon - a tailplane span of 75 feet perhaps speaks volumes, as much as the 230 feet wingspan (19 feet greater than a Boeing 747-400).

The undercarriage track was 55 feet (the undercarriage development requiring the assistance of its own Avro Lincoln test aircraft!). The sole prototype (G-AGPW) was flown for the first time by A.J. (Bill) Pegg at Filton on 2nd September 1949, fitted out with test equipment rather than passenger seats.

To the surprise of some sceptics, the Brabazon proved easy to fly, and to maneuver on the ground.

Capacity: 12 crew and 100 passengers.

Editors' Note: The Brabazon attracted no orders and the single prototype that flew was scrapped in 1953, and a second prototype intended to use turboprop engines was scrapped before completion.

Source: baesystems.com

CF-CPG -  First commercial jet to go supersonic 

In NetLetter #1456 (March 1, 2021) I wrote about the the CP Air DC-8 'Empress Fleet'.

One aircraft of the fleet has a special place in history as it was the first commercial jet to break the sound barrier. 

Excerpt from:
www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/cf-cpg/

On 21 August 1961, a Douglas DC-8-43, N9604Z, c/n 45623, Line Number 130, flown by Chief Test Pilot William Marshall Magruder, Paul Patten, Joseph Tomich and Richard H. Edwards climbed to 50,090 feet (15,267 meters) near Edwards Air Force Base.

Placing the DC-8 into a dive, it reached Mach 1.012 (668 miles per hour/1,075 kilometers per hour) while descending through 41,088 feet (12,524 meters). The airliner maintained this supersonic speed for 16 seconds. This was the first time that a civil airliner had “broken the sound barrier.”

The aircraft was later delivered to Canadian Pacific Airlines in November 1961, re-registered as CF-CPG, assigned Fin #602 and named 'Empress of Montreal' (photo in this edition's header). 

It was later re-branded in CP Air livery in July 1968 (photo below) and renamed 'Empress of Buenos Aires'. It served its entire 20 year career in the CP Air fleet until it was withdrawn from service in March 1980 and purchased by F.B. Ayer & Associates. 

Sadly, it was broken up in May 1981. Considering its place in history, it is a shame that it was not preserved. Ken Pickford has the special memory of having flown on this 'Empress' a few times.

Thanks to Ken and Terry Baker for additional information.

See also:

www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine

www.planespotters.net 

Use of photo courtesy of Bob Woolnough

Taken May 5, 1978 at Glasgow - Prestwick Airport

(Notice an Air Canada L-1011 parked behind the tail)

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

It is the biggest ship in the world:
An evolution of Oasis of the Seas and one of the largest and most-innovative Royal Caribbean ships to grace the waters of the sea.

Wonder of the Seas is exactly that: a wonder.
It is the biggest passenger ship in the world by gross tonnage at 236,857 gross tons.
It has 18 passenger decks and stretches nearly 1,200 feet in length.
A total of 5,734 passengers can be carried at double-occupancy; 6,988 if all berths are filled. 

Source: www.cruisecritic.com

Air Canada nee Trans-Canada Air Lines History.

(Source: Air Canada 75 years of innovation)

• 1937 -
  • Passenger operations kick off on September 1, 1937. A Lockheed Electra, carrying two passengers and mail, goes from Vancouver to Boeing Field, Seattle, in 50 minutes. The ticket costs CDN $7.90 one way, CDN $14.00 return.
• 1938 -
  • The elements quickly become an issue. In 1938, TCA is the first airline to equip its fleet with alcohol de-icing nozzles to remove the ice that accumulates on windshields at high altitude. (It sets the stage for the airline's introduction of electric de-icing to Canada in 1961)
• 1939 -
  • April 1, 1939, marks the inauguration of scheduled trans-national passenger service between Montreal and Vancouver, with stops in Ottawa, North Bay, Kapuskasing, Winnipeg, Regina and Lethbridge. The flight takes 15 hours.
• 1941 -
  • Torontonians take a bite out of the Big Apple in 1941. The first transborder service launches on May 10. Overall, the number of passengers increases by 60 percent that year.
• 1942 -
  • Some 163 male employees are in the Armed Forces in 1942, presenting TCA with a serious manpower problem. The company starts employing women as agents, chauffeurs, cargo handlers, radio operators, stock keepers and mechanics - a total of 464 women that year, or one third of the workforce. The real fun starts in 1942. TCA employees set up the Recreational Association (TCARA), which organizes hockey tournaments, photo contests, picnics, parties and even, in the early days, beauty pageants. It lives on today (2010) as the Air Canada Recreation Association (ACRA).
• 1943 -
  • The hazardous Atlantic route is first charted during the Second World War because the need for supplies can't be fully met by sea. TCA's first crossing is a 12-hour-and-26 minute flight from Montreal to Prestwick, Scotland, on July 22, 1943. An unarmed Lancaster - a military aircraft converted for civilian use - carries three passengers on official government business and 2,600 pounds of mail for the military personnel.
• 1944 -
  • On November 7, 1944, TCA convinces both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to establish their headquarters in Montreal.
  • TCA President H.J. Symington is named president of IATA in 1945.
• 1946 -
  • By January 1946, TCA's list of Million Milers - pilots who had flown over 1 million miles - has reached 20. TCA makes great strides in passenger comfort in 1946 by installing a Janitrol Aircraft Heater in its DC-3s, an advanced unit for its time based on the internal combustion principle. Previously, aircraft heating and ventilation only worked when the airplane was aloft, so during taxiing and takeoff the cabin got chilly fast.

Editor's note: the series will continue in the next issue – Terry.