Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter
Since 1995 Saturday, January 10, 2026
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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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 We have welcomed 4 new subscribers so far in 2026.
We currently have 4548 subscribers.
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.
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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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 Former Pionairs national president (2003 - 2005) and frequent NetLetter contributor, John Rodger, sent us his recollection of reconnecting with Alan Rust years after they had been crew mates in YUL maintenance.
In 2003, John became the Pionairs president and Alan relocated to YVR where he had retired to start his own website development company. John (with the communication team) and Alan met in YVR to begin their collaboration and Alan's involvement with the Pionairs.
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 Click the icon to read John's full story. |
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We are frequently contacted by readers looking for where they can donate various memorabilia items for preservation.
We wish we could provide more advice to everyone, however, our info is limited.
A Google search did come up with a page listing aviation museums across Canada. There are links that provide contact info. Hopefully, they will be interested in receiving your historic items.
Click the link below.
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Here are the rest of the photos sent in by John Rodger and YUL District Director, Ingrid Young, from their Christmas Luncheon held November 20, 2025 at Golf Dorval. |
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Members of the Ottawa (YOW) executive team joined the luncheon.
Claire Bertrand (Social), Ingrid Young (YUL District Director),
Lesley Mansell (Membership), Odette Dompierre (Treasurer)
and Monique Edwards (District Director).
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Paul de Chantal, Sylvie Clement, Jacques Cherrier,
Danielle Valley, Richard Desfosses, Michele Chin, Claudette & Al Coull
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Denis Rouette, Serge & Suzanne Brault, Yvette Rouette,
Lise Boudreault, Frank Knowlton & Bernard Girard
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Manja S, Susann & John Rodger, Ken MacKenzie,
Keith & Christine Kelly, Ben & Beth Besner
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Nicole Duron, Lucie Champagne, Alex Rastelli,
Michel Dattore, Robert Thibault, Richard Patenaude,
Mario Leblanc & René Soumis
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Charlie Kyte, Calvin Brown, Denise Bolvin,
Dale Webber, Peter Bolle
Standing:
Gabby Castellani, Ingrid Young & Andy Gugliandolo
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from 'Horizons' magazine
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Issue dated March 1996
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Farewell to the TriStar.
by Captains David Wall and Darryl Stuparek .
January 14, 1996 marked the end of scheduled Lockheed L-1011 Tristar service with Air Canada. Originally introduced in March 1973, the big tri-motor was an instant hit with passengers and flight crews. eventually covering the entire company route structure in its long range version, the -500.
Retired for economic reasons in 1991, the fleet was partially sold. leased out and stored in Arizona's Mojave desert. In the spring of 1994, three of the four aircraft, fins 504, 507 and 512, were re-introduced on the daily Los Angeles and Vancouver-Toronto routes.
After some required maintenance, the aircraft were painted in the new colour scheme and many think the TriStar displayed the new colours better than any other aircraft.
At the same time, a new interior was installed with 54J and 182Y configuration giving it one of' the most spacious and comfortable cabins in airline service anywhere.
Click the image below for the full story.
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Crew of the Last Scheduled L-1011 Flight 152 on January 14, 1996 from YVR-YYZ.
Back Row: Second Officer Bob Patterson; First Officer John Wiggin; In-Charge Peg Fraser-Smith, Flight Attendants Silvia Todoravic, Roland Berard, Liz Davis, Sean McGuire.
Front Row: Captain Jim Sheldon; Flight Attendants Sue Davidson, Marcy Salvatore, Eric Royer and Karen Brown.
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Found in 'Horizons' magazine
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Issue dated December 1995
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On November 22, 1995, Air Ontario Staff at Toronto's Island airport celebrated their first year in the airport's new facility which includes a comfortable lounge, fax, photocopier and fireplace.
Happy islanders include Paula Murray and Chantal Leblanc, Customer Sales & Service Agents; Greg Blascheck, Nasir Hussain and Brett Houston, Ramp Attendants; Ray Afshar and Michel Parsons, Customer Sales & Service Agents; Ainsley Morris, Lead Ramp Attendant and Don Ross, Manager, Customer Service - Toronto City Centre.
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At Fredericton, New Brunswick, Certified Station Agent Il Neil Noble receives congratulatory wishes from Donna Price, Vice President, Airports; Marcel Guilbert, Manager, Customer Service - New Brunswick and his fellow workers on his 30th service anniversary.
Front row, left to right: Jerome House, Jim Barriault, Harry Sulley, Neil Noble, Donna Price and Marcel Guilbert.
Back row, left to right: Sterl Carpenter, Jacques Parent, Joel Ritcey, Harvey Muttart, Merl McAndrew and Jim Gosson.
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Lookin' Good!
In 1995, our models were all smiles to try on Air Canada's new uniform, featuring the beautiful 'blue spruce' colour of Canada's forests. Unform delivery was in full swing for CAW, CUPE & IAM.
Modelling from left to right: Benoît Gauthier, Captain, DC-9 - Montreal; Katherine Reed, In Charge - Halifax - Air Nova; Michael Allen, Customer Sales & Service Agent - Dawson Creek - Air BC; Karin Guay, Mechanic - Dorval; Fred Wright, Station Attendant - Halifax; Sherrie Edmonds, Flight Attendant - Toronto; Maryanne de Souza, Customer Sales & Service Agent - Ottawa; Doug Smith, Mechanic - Toronto; Joyce Beaudoin, Customer Sales & Service Agent - Dorval; Judy Cameron, First Officer, B-767 - Toronto and Russell Brown, Flight Attendant - Winnipeg.
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Issue dated February 1996
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Hong Kong: A Shoppers' Mecca
Hong Kong is one of the largest exporters and the busiest container port in the world. Its reputation as a shoppers' paradise is well deserved and has largely been earned by the diversity of shopping.
You can shop in some of the world's finest fashion boutiques, in vast malls whose stores sell everything from cameras to cosmetics, in alleyway markets where bargaining is the order of the day, or in factory outlets where a timely rummage might uncover a stylish designer overrun.
Robert Milton, Senior Vice President, Marketing & In-Flight Service, poses with Hong Kong Sales Office Staff.
From left to right: Eliza Wong, Mandy Kwan, Cassandra Ko, Debbie Tse, Anita Leung, Ginnie Chow, Janet Ip, Ivan Tsang and Robert Pinkerton.
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Issue dated March 1996
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ACRA darts tournament.
The 1995 ACRA system Darts Tournament was held in London, England. The main event as well as the guest division was won by London. Winnipeg captured the ladies division.
In our photo from left to right: John Swift, Station Attendant; June Coleman; Tony Wardlaw, Host Chairman; Derek Glanvill, Station Attendant; Tony Coleman, General Manager, Customer Service; Mick Edmonds, Customer Sales and Service Agent and Chris Sofocli, Commissary Attendant.
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CP Air / Canadi>n People Gallery |
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- January 30, 1967 - Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CP Air) began its inaugural service from Vancouver to San Francisco using new Douglas DC-8-63 jets to launch this important U.S. route as part of Canada's Centennial celebrations.
- April 29, 1986 - Inaugural service CP451 Vancouver-Shanghai commanded by Captain Bob Weatherly.
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New livery takes wing.
The first aircraft sporting Canadian Airlines International's new livery went into active service on March 31, 1987 when a DC-10, departed Vancouver as Flight 68 destined for Toronto.
By mid-April, three B-737s and one more DC-10 were flying the new Canadian colours. The entire fleet is scheduled for repainting within two years.
On May 2, 1987 the Brazil inaugural flight, CP476, departed Toronto for Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo with a full load following a colourful ceremony at Toronto airport, featuring Brazilian music and entertainment.
After the ceremony, Captain Bob Weatherly, Vice President, Flight Operations; with Captains Al Clark and Ron Watson, and Second Officer Bob Anderson returned to the flight deck of aircraft 912, Empress of Lisbon, for the takeoff.
A special commemorative coin has been minted for presentation to all First and Royal Canadian Business Class passengers on the first four flights, both northbound and southbound.
Editors' Note: If any reader has one of these coins, please send us a photo.
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A tribute to Pacific Western Airlines and the Lockheed Hercules L-100 Commercial Air Freighter. By Stuart Russell - Hercules Canada Reunion Association – September 18, 2003 In 1967 Pacific Western Airlines became the first commercial air carrier in Canada licensed to operate the civilian L-100 version of the Hercules C-130 military cargo lifter. Pacific Western crews flew a total of six Hercules freighters into more than 108 countries around the world. The aircraft flew over 90,000 air hours and 26 million miles and carried more than 800,000 tons of outsized cargo and bulk fuel shipments world wide. 
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The Best of 2025 - An Aviation Short Film
From Alex Praglowski
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Lufthansa's 100th anniversary aircraft lands in Frankfurt
Numerous plane spotters, travellers, and spectators welcome brand-new Boeing 787-9 with XXL crane on its fuselage.
Special livery with registration D-ABPU is ambassador for the 100th anniversary of the airline's founding, with five more aircraft to follow in the coming months.
The Boeing 787-9 with its impressive special livery marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Lufthansa arrived in Frankfurt on Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Numerous plane spotters, travellers, and spectators welcomed the special aircraft at Germany's largest airport, which was delivered from the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, although it was built in Charleston, South Carolina, where B-787 assembly was moved in early 2021.
The divisional board of Lufthansa Airlines also personally welcomed the Dreamliner with the registration D-ABPU and the name “Berlin”.
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Bombardier CRJ-100 (Canadair CL-65)
The September 1994 issue of Horizons has a nostalgic story, by Steve Beisswanger, on the introduction of the Bombardier (Canadair) CRJ-100 to the Air Canada fleet.
Air Canada's new (American-born) CEO, Hollis Harris, was determined to take advantage of the 'Open Skies' agreement between Canada and the U.S. and this was the perfect aircraft to open up transborder routes. "The size of the Canadair Jet will allow us to mount greater frequency than would be available with larger aircraft. The aircraft will support route extensions that would simply not be available with the lower traffic densities that exist in smaller markets.
Air Canada took delivery of the first (then called) CL-65, C-FRIA (fin #101), at the Farnborough International Air Show in September 1994. The aircraft entered service on October 10, 1994 between Ottawa (YOW) and Newark, New Jersey (EWR).
I remember fin#101 being parked overnight in Toronto's DC-8 hangar and being able to have a good personal tour of the new aircraft. The plan certainly worked and several profitable markets were added to the Air Canada system. The original 24 aircraft would be transferred to AC Connector fleets in the early 2000s where they continued to be workhorses for several more years.
I will detail the current status of each of the aircraft in our next issue. Click the image below for the full Horizons story.
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Purser Chantal Bonneau and Assistant Purser Marc Olivier pose with Laurent Beaudoin, Chairman of the Bombardier Group (left) and Hollis Harris, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, at the official ceremony in Farnborough, U.K.
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| Terry's Trivia
& 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.
Air Canada Pionairs strive to recruit new members to ensure continued official representation with the Canadian Government regarding our pensions. The annual membership fee remains an incentive at a low $20 and includes spouse/partner.
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More in my series of defunct airlines of Canada.
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Powell Air was a Canadian airline based in Powell River, British Columbia. It was founded by Daryl Smith, Lynn Mulhall and George Percy in 1975 after acquiring Air West's Powell River operations.
Charters were operated using a combination of Cessna, de Havilland Beaver, de Havilland Otter, Piper Aztec and Piper Navajo. In 1981, the airline was awarded the right to operate the Vancouver-Powell River route, and for this purchased a Convair 440. In 1987, Powell Air and Air BC's Port Hardy operations merged to form Pacific Coastal Airlines.
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Convair 440-62 Metropolitan C-GKFC
at Vancouver - August 30, 1983
Photo by Eduard Marmet
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Holidair
A division of holiday company Travel 'N' Save, Holidair operated from 1988 to 1990. While the airline had five DC-8s on the Canadian register, C-FHAB seemed to be the most seen aircraft in service.
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Douglas DC-8-52 C-FHAB
at Frankfurt, Germany - August 14, 1989
Photo by Felix Goetting
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Minerve Canada
Minerve was a French airline, based in Paris, that operated from 1975 until it merged with AOM to form AOM French Airlines in 1992.
It wanted to expand into North America and created a subsidiary called Minerve Canada, but that venture did not last long.
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McDonnell Douglas DC-8-61 - C-FCMV
at Paris - April 1, 1988
Photo by Felix Goetting
This aircraft was acquired December 1987
and sold to Crownair January 1990
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Our cartoon by Scott Fairbairn appeared in Horizons issue June 1996.
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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 honour 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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