Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

To raise funds it was decided to produce and sell a cook book of favourite recipes.

Cook Book # 1 was printed and ready to sell following our big "Flight Crew Reunion" celebrating our 6th Anniversary and Air Canada's 50th Anniversary, in April 1986, and I had stepped down as Founder and President of 2 year terms (3 years each term).

The 'stewardess' by M. Donahue was illustrated in her blue uniform that saw the longest service (11 years) 1954-1965, with the 'wedge' cap. They sold out in fast order, needless to say.

Here is the cover page "Down to earth cooking" for the first cookbook printed and ready for sale in 1987 (project fund raiser for the Mississauga Chapter (Ontario).

Each cook book has a cartoon at the beginning of each section.

'Great Beginnings' is the first cartoon. 

Frequent NetLetter contributor, John Rodger, would like to pass along what has been keeping him busy in retirement. 

Retiring in 1992, I joined the AC Pionairs. After going through the ranks I finally ended up as National President in 2003 and am still involved with the Quebec District committee today.

I also got back to my roots. Born and raised on a dairy farm in Lachute, Quebec, our father showed cattle at many fairs around home and at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

Myself and Doug MacKenzie would take time off work (our vacation) to go up to the Royal to help show the cattle. I stopped after 1964, got married and started a family. When I retired we moved to Mississauga in 1992 as my wife’s company moved her to the head office.

My father had passed away before we moved and I decided to put a trophy in the Royal Ayrshire Show in his memory. I went to the Royal office (on the CNE grounds) to put the trophy in the show. I knew the manger at that time and he asked what I was doing in 'TO'.

I said I was retired and living in Mississauga. Before I knew it I had the job of looking after all the trophies at the Royal which is over 200 trophies in the Horse Show and the Agriculture Shows. I still kept the job after we moved back to Montreal in 1996. I thought it was time to give it up in 2006 but that didn’t work out until this year. It has been a great run to do something you love to do and I will miss it for sure.

During that time I had a few helpers who happened to be Pionairs as well. Bernie Danis, the late John Brodure, his brothers-in-law Terry & the late Ron Houston. Also had visits from several members, the late Captain Alf Ross, Ed Storie, the late Gord Dalziel, Ken Walker, Ted Page and the late John McKee.

There were three drivers that had the job to pick up judges and staff at the airport or hotels who were also Air Canada employees & Pionairs.

Attached is an article about me in the The Royal Horse Show Magazine, November 2006.

Below are images of our trophy presentation this year and Ken Walker and myself in the trophy room.

David Lamb shares story -

Thank you for the interesting history of the Lockheed Lodestar in NetLetter #1426. There is a Lodestar vignette I heard in the 1960's that I think deserves repeating.

The story goes this way and I can only vouch for the first couple of sentences as being true. The Lockheed Lodestar was a fine airplane and it was notoriously faster than the DC-3. Having flown the DC-3 with the Air Force for a number of years there were two occasions where we were passed by a Lodestar. On one occasion we were over Lake Superior on a clear summer day at 8,000 feet westbound when underneath us we saw a Lodestar also westbound at 6,000 feet. Being slightly faster than the Dakota, he slid by and it was a pretty sight. I was flying with an older Flight Lieutenant at the time and he proceeded to expound on the Lodestar.

He said the Lodestar should be about the same speed as the DC-3 but the operators seemed to fly them faster. It is a slightly smaller aircraft with a similar engine and it is speculated they operated at higher power settings. The Lodestar also had an operating limitation where it had a much slower turbulence penetration speed. If it got bumpy they would pull the power back and if necessary lower the landing gear to slow down. It was like slamming on the brakes to get the speed back.

On one trip with a load of passengers a gentlemen passenger had need to use the rather limited toilet facility in the rear of the airplane. He walked up the slope in the tail and opened the small door. It was certainly cramped and he was forced to back in and close the door. With his trousers around his ankles he was about to sit down when they encountered some real turbulence.

The pilots retarded the throttles and lowered the landing gear. Everyone heaved forward in their seats and sure enough, out of the toilet came a shocked, bare bottomed gentleman running forward down the hill with baby steps inside his lowered trousers. He continued down the aisle right to the cockpit where he fell forward with his rear in the air. He was, needless to say, embarrassed in more than one way, or so the story goes.

Warmest regards,

David Lamb