Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter
Since 1995
Wednesday, 1 May 2024
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Douglas DC-6A Registration CF-CZZ
at London-Heathrow circa 1960
Photo courtesy of Mike Ody Collection
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Dear
Welcome to The NetLetter, established in 1995 as a dedicated newsletter for Air Canada retirees.
We have evolved into the longest running aviation-based newsletter for Air Canada, TCA, CP Air, Canadian Airlines and all other Canadian-based airlines that once graced the skies.
The NetLetter is self-funded and is always free to subscribers. It is operated by a group of volunteers and is not affiliated with any airline or associated organizations.
The NetLetter is published on the second and fourth weekend of each month.
If you are interested in Canadian aviation history, and vintage aviation photos, especially as it relates to Trans-Canada Air Lines, Air Canada, Canadian Airlines International and their constituent airlines, then we're sure you'll enjoy this newsletter.
Please note: We do our best to identify and credit the original source of all content presented. However, should you recognize your material and are not credited; please advise us so that we can correct our oversight.
Our website is located at www.TheNetLetter.net
Please click the links below to visit our archives and for more info about The NetLetter.
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 To err is human and, as much as I wish I could blame a computer glitch, I made a mistake in the NetLetter issue released yesterday.
Of course, there is no point in making a mistake unless it is a big one. I added the wrong article (repeating the video link) under the 'CP Air / Canadi>n People Gallery' which contains the featured article on DC-6A - CF-CZZ.
The error is corrected, with my apologies, in this revised edition. Please scroll down to view the corrected section.
Also. we do have a problem that actually is a computer glitch at the moment.
Our subscriber registration form on the web site has not been working properly so I have requested assistance from the software developer and expect the have the problem resolved quickly.
Thank you for your understanding,
Wayne
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 We have welcomed 45 new subscribers so far in 2024.
We wish to thank everyone for the continuing support of our efforts.
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 Back issues of The NetLetter are available in both the original newsletter format and downloadable PDF format.
Restoration and posting of archive issues is an ongoing project. We hope to post every issue back to the beginning in 1995.
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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.
We will try to post your comments in the next issue but, if not, we will publish it as soon as we can.
Thanks!
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Submitted by Captain Don Saunders -
Regarding your story on DC- 6 in NetLetter #1531 -
I flew this 6 with both Canadian Pacific and Wardair. CZZ was used in a freighter role for both CP and WD.
In October 22, 1960, I was the S/O on CZZ as we hauled a Bristol Britannia Proteus engine from YVR to London-Heathrow, refueling at Sondrestrom Air Base Greenland.
In 1962, Wardair leased CZZ from CP to start the WD overseas operation. CZZ was also used by WD in 1962 in the high Arctic freighting supplies for the Polar Continental Shelf Project based out of Resolute Bay.
In 1963 Wardair bought an ex KLM straight passenger DC-6 but continued to lease CZZ for freighting for one more year. CZZ had only one freighter door on the port side at the rear.
Captain Don Saunders, retired
Editors' Note: See this issue's header image of CF-CZZ at LHR.
The story continues in the CP Air, Canadi>n section.
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In NetLetter #1490 in ' Wayne’s Wings', Wayne shared his thoughts about the DC-9 aircraft and, in particular, Fin #711.
This aircraft was donated to the Rockcliffe National Aviation Museum on September 21, 2002 (video link below).
We found the following report from Jim Strang, shortly after the event, in our archives:
A poor weather forecast delayed the arrival of the DC-9, Fin # 711 from an 09:00 arrival to a 12:00 arrival at Ottawa Rockcliffe airport. Despite the delay a large crowd (estimated around 1,000) of well-wishers and aviation enthusiasts were on hand to witness a piece of Canadian aviation history.
The delay proved to be a good operational decision in that conditions at the time of landing were near perfect with 24C, great visibility, wind down the runway, sunshine and just enough clouds to provide the contrast that photographers love.
The aircraft was flown by Captain Hugh Campbell at the controls, Captain Rob Giguere, acting as First Officer, and Captain Chuck McKinnon in the jump seat.
Approaching the 3,600 foot runway from the east the aircraft made a 'look see' approach in landing configuration as planned and carried out a max power, high performance go-around much to the delight of the many gathered for the arrival. A turn to the right for a wide circuit down the beautiful Ottawa river and then in for the final approach.
Hugh and his crew made us all feel very proud as he touched down in just the right spot and used just enough brake and reverse to bring the aircraft to a stop about 2,000 feet down the runway. As agreed by all, a beautiful job.
Following a rather majestic taxi in, the crew was greeted by an enthusiastic and grateful National Aviation Museum staff, the Air Canada Operations Manager for Ottawa and several RAPCAN members.
On hand were: Norm Peveril, Keith McConnell, Andre Chadourne, Bob Mercer, Don Cameron and myself, Jim Strang.
Lots of chances for pictures and a tour of the aircraft which has been re-painted to the old 'red and white' and perfectly restored inside. Air Canada and its employees can be truly proud of this gift to Canada.
A lengthy and patriotic crew debriefing at Branch 595 of the Royal Canadian Legion gave the oldies an opportunity to get all the details of the operation as well as to pass on a favourable critique to the sprogs. All in all, a great afternoon.
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 Air Canada DC-9 final Flight into Rockcliffe. |
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In this photo, left to right: Captain Rob Giguere, Executive Vice-President, Operations; Captain Hugh Campbell, Senior Director, Flight Operations; and Captain Chuck McKinnon, Flight Manager, B-767.
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Kathleen Hogan sent in the following -
With the intention of writing an article for publication, I am researching the work and career of my mother, Rita B. Schefter, who was one of the first female radio operators hired at Trans-Canada Air Lines. Beginning in 1942 and working until 1949 in all the major airports in Canada, she experienced the industry both in wartime and during the great expansion of the post-war years.
I have quite a bit of memorabilia - pictures, newspaper articles, TCA’s offer of employment, etc., but what I am lacking is a complete understanding of the role of radio operators in the process of getting planes off the ground, keeping them in the air and landing them safely and on time. As children, my siblings and I loved hearing her stories of her TCA days, but we asked more questions about her trips to and time working in various places in Canada and elsewhere than the technical aspects of her work.
I have consulted various histories of TCA/AC hoping to find more information about a radio operator’s work, and found descriptions of the work of flight attendants, pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, administrators, etc., but almost nothing about radio operators.
My mother’s work with TCA is now so long ago that I cannot gain this information from any of her former colleagues. I would much appreciate information from anyone who is familiar with a radio operator’s work, then and now.
Thank you,
Kathleen Hogan
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From 'Between Ourselves' magazine, March 1948.
Teletypist Ruth Berkey, Radio Operators Rita Schefter and Irene Williams receive their five year pins and bouquets from genial Steve Himmelman, Station Manager, YYZ.
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April 19, 2024 - Air Canada today announced the addition of three new Live TV sports channels to its award-winning in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. Just in time for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet East are available today, while TVA Sports will be available in May, so Air Canada customers can cheer their favourite hockey team onboard select flights.
Just in time for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet East are available today, while TVA Sports will be available in May.
"We are extremely excited, as the only Canadian airline with Live TV, to show the Stanley Cup Playoffs onboard. Hockey is an integral part of the Canadian identity, so it only makes sense that we offer it in French and English to our customers as part of our extensive in-flight entertainment. These new channels further cement our dedication to Canada's game.
Our commitment to hockey includes flying all seven Canadian teams, being a jersey sponsor of the Montreal Canadiens, and as official airline of the PWHL," said John Moody, Managing Director, Onboard Product at Air Canada.
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 for the latest posts at the Air Canada Media Centre. |
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Click the logo to open the Air Canada YouTube channel. |
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| Issue dated April 1972 |
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Flight attendant support groups at the four In-Flight Service bases have been meeting with the In-Flight Service Project Team members to identify problems and opportunities as seen from the Flight Attendant perspective.
Shown at the meetings are the Montreal and Toronto groups.
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Toronto group photo are, from the left standing:
Rick Begin; Marilyn Carew, Project Team Member; Shurl Israel; Andrea Findley; Hans Birsfelder; Linda Faucher and Project Team Members Jean Rousseau and Joan Jaegar.
Seated, from the left: Bill Hartman; Jennifer Kirton; Erika Moghal and Jean Crossan.
Missing from the photo: Margaret Shannon and Francine Roberts.
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Montreal group photo are, from the left standing:
Roger Leclerc; Claude LeVallée; Ursula Rose; Yves Brunelle; Gunther Voss; Claude Dumas; Jean Rousseau, Project Team Member; Patricia Fisher and Jean Guillot.
Seated from the left: Susan Dempsey; Monique Delise; Irma Eibich and Monique Forget.
Missing are: Marie-France Gonneville; Denis Sarrazin; M. F. Genty; D. Brien and M. Mirabelli.
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Informal meetings between representatives of In-Flight Service and Customer Service managers were held in Vancouver during 1972, with a view to improving the quality of service to our passengers.
Eighteen stewardesses and pursers attended, and were given an outline of responsibilities of customer service departments by the managers present.
From the left seated are: Agnes De Page, Jim Warry, Brian Elsey, Larry LeBlanc, Yvette Staples, Bill Garven, Noreen Banks, Roy Lockhart, Harvey Lomer, Chris Riley and Alex Stebner.
Standing from the left are: Bill Dickinson, Dave Pember, Roy Stringer, Gerry Hoag and Bill Rourke.
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Found in 'Horizons' magazine
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Issue dated August 1993
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Greetings from Zagreb.
Montreal Sales and Service Agent Mark Mocnaj visited Zagreb during 1993 and had the opportunity to meet with Air Canada representatives Bojana Golac (left) and Gordana Pavlisa Mirjanic (right) at their office in the Hotel Esplanade.
They would like to extend their warmest wishes to everyone.
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CP Air / Canadi>n People Gallery |
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Continuation of the DC-6 story started in NetLetter #1531 - Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CPAL) was one of the most important airlines of Canada at the time, with an extensive network of domestic and international scheduled routes. By July 1958 the airline already had a large fleet of Douglas DC-6B's with which, among many other achievements, it had pioneered an 'over the top' trans-Arctic route linking Vancouver with Amsterdam, which included a fuel stop at Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland.
It also flew to the Orient across the Pacific Ocean, with services to Tokyo and Hong Kong and to destinations in the Pacific and South America. London was reserved by the Canadian Government for Trans-Canada Air Lines, but CPA served a number of other European cities, including Lisbon, Madrid and Rome.
During 1958 CPA took delivery of six Bristol Britannia 314's intended to replace the DC-6B's on the international routes, but that year they also acquired an additional DC-6B, two DC-6A's and one convertible DC-6A/B, the subject of this article. Two more Britannias were delivered in 1959.
A report in "Flight" magazine March 7, 1958 noted, "Four DC-6A's are soon to be delivered to permit CPA to bend more of their energies to scheduled and charter air-freighting as passenger aeroplanes, to which they are of course quickly convertible, the DC-6A's will be marketed to the public as DC-6B's. With six Britannias doing the international network of ten DC-6B's, and with five other DC-6B type aircraft available, it looks as though CPA may have some surplus capacity on hand.
A CPA engineer's reaction was simply the DC-6B is the most adaptable transport yet built. We can put it on any route you like and make money. "We'll find a use for it."
Our subject aircraft was ordered in May 1958 as a DC-6A pure cargo aircraft. By bill of sale dated July 11, 1958, Douglas Aircraft Company sold msn 45498 to Canadian Pacific Airlines for $1,238,580, and the aircraft was delivered from the factory at Santa Monica, California to Vancouver, British Columbia. Receiving its Canadian Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) on July 8, 1958 and formally registered to CPAL as CF-CZZ on July 23, 1958.
It was painted in full CPAL colour scheme and assigned the fleet number 446. It was then back to California, to AiResearch Aviation Services Company at Los Angeles International Airport, where it was modified to a convertible passenger/cargo DC-6A/B. and on February 1, 1959 it was delivered back to Vancouver and entered regular airline service with CPAL.
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CF-CZZ at Honolulu International July 1959
Photo courtesy of George Trussell
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At the time of its introduction into Canadian Pacific service, the DC-6B fleet was responsible for three departures weekly from Vancouver to Amsterdam via Edmonton and Sondrestrom, together with twice weekly services from Vancouver to Honolulu. Another once weekly service was flown from Vancouver, via Honolulu to Nandi (Fiji), Auckland and Sydney via a refuelling stop at Canton Island.
Twice weekly flights were also made over the route Vancouver-Mexico City-Lima-Santiago-Buenos Aires: a once weekly flight routed Montreal-Santa Maria-Lisbon; and there was a twice weekly service from Mexico City to Toronto and Montreal, which then tracked eastbound across the Atlantic via Santa Maria to Lisbon and Madrid. DC-6's also saw limited deployment on the domestic routes, with the type flying a five times weekly service from Vancouver to Terrace via Sandspit, and a twice weekly Vancouver-Prince George-Fort St John-Whitehorse schedule.
In later years, the DC-6B fleet became the primary aircraft type serving CPA's routes within British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon, until replacement by the Boeing 737-200 on those routes during late 1968 and early 1969, in conjunction with introduction of the new CP Air branding and orange and red livery.
The last DC-6B's were retired from service in April 1969 when CP Air became an all-jet airline except for a single DC-3 retained for some time for pilot training purposes.
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Douglas DC-6A/B CF-CZZ only served with Canadian Pacific Air Lines for three trouble-free years, carrying passengers and cargo on scheduled and charter flights, before being leased to Wardair.
By 1962, when the Douglas DC-8-43 had joined the fleet, it was time for CF-CZZ to move on. On March 14, 1962 it was leased to Wardair Canada Ltd., registered to that company and painted into its most attractive red and white colour scheme.
To be continued in NetLetter #1533.
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CF-CZZ London-Heathrow circa 1963
Photo courtesy of Dave Welch
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From the 'Histories of Airliners' comes a short history of the Convair 880 used as a private jet by the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.
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History of a DC-3 - CF-CUE
Originally built as a C-47A Skytrain (registration 42-93108) and delivered to the US Army Air Force on April 10, 1944. It flew with the USAAF for just three years before becoming a civilian aircraft, going to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation on August 23, 1947.
Its first civilian registration was as N41407 with the Charles Babb Company of Glendale, California on January 16, 1947. It later was bought by Canadian Pacific Airlines and registered as CF-CUE, Fin #284. It was transferred to the Department of Transport in Ottawa on February 13, 1956.
Of the five DC-3's owned by the Department of Transport in Canada, this was the only one equipped with a cargo door, having a convertible cargo and passenger interior. It was used to transport department personnel, including pilots, airworthiness inspectors and communications and finance officers throughout Canada.
It was retired in 1990 and acquired by Buffalo Airways in 1992 (named for Mel Bryan). CF-CUE was the first aircraft to land on the runway of what is now the Yellowknife airport.
References:
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Terry's Triva
& Travel Tips |
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 Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse.
Denis Gosselin posted on Facebook this photo of Air Canada Airbus A220-300, C-GNBN - Fin #119, in retro TCA livery at YUL prior to departing to LAX one day during 2023.
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Our cartoon by Dave Mathias appeared in the 'Horizons' magazine June 1988.
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Wayne, Ken & Terry
Richmond, British Columbia - December 2019
(Bob Sheppard was not available for the photograph)
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Wayne, Bob & Ken
Richmond, British Columbia - December 2023
(Terry Baker was not available for the photograph)
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We wish to honur the memories of
Vesta Stevenson and Alan Rust.
They remain a part of every edition published.
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E&OE - (errors and omissions excepted):
The historical information as well as any other information provided in the "NetLetter" is subject to correction and may have changed over time.
We do publish corrections (and correct the original article) when this is brought to our attention.
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