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Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

Your comments and suggestions are most welcome. We appreciate the feedback… good bad or indifferent.

Larry Harris sends us this memory after reading about the Chipmunk in NetLetter #1388 -

Greetings. Enjoyed the article about the de Havilland Chipmunk aircraft and would like to share a story about another Chipmunk. Back in the late 60's CP Air was operating a leased Boeing 707 and on landing in Vancouver the aircraft missed the runway and took a disastrous course across the airport and crashed into parked aircraft of which one was a Chipmunk belong to a mechanic by the name of Bill Foote. Needless to say the Chipmunk didn't survive the collision.

Larry Harris, retired PWA/CAIL/AC customer services.


Terry Baker sends these additional photos regarding the article on the "Cabbage Patch" DC-8 incident at LHR in NetLetter #1388.
tmb cabbagepatch 12 tmb cabbagepatch 13

Larry Mak sends us his memory -re Netletter #1388

The article about Fin #813 and the "Cabbage Patch" reminds me about another aspect following 813's repair. As a member of then manager Pierre Jeanniot's Systems Group we had developed a computer program to monitor the fuel consumption-by-aircraft for the DC-8 Fleet.

Flight readings were key-punched (remember that) from the aircraft log sheets and fuel consumption reports routinely produced. I recall that Fin # 813 consistently showed higher cruise fuel consumption than all the rest of the fleet. Coincidence ?


Howard Allmand shares this memory -

In NetLetter #1388, George Brien told his tale of being a passenger on a Bristol Freighter and wondered whether many other people reading the NetLetter had travelled as a passenger on that aircraft. Well, I did 3 or 4 times in the early '60s from Southend to Calais courtesy of Channel Air Bridge with my parents going to Europe for our summer holidays.

Their Bristol Freighters carried 3 cars in the front (of course) and 15 passengers in the back. My parents' justification for taking this mode of transport across the English Channel instead of the more commonly used ferry from Dover to Calais was that they could finish work in London on a Friday afternoon and drive to Southend and take Channel Air Bridge in the early evening and then drive halfway across Europe while everyone else was still on the ferry.

I remember sitting on the aircraft at the end of the runway as the engines revved up with brakes on -- the noise was deafening! -- and then the anti-climax of the brakes being released and this lumbering brute taking forever to reach take-off speed.

As we crossed the Channel, we flew so low that we saw the passengers on the ferries below quite clearly. In subsequent years, Channel Air Bridge replaced their Bristol Super Freighters with 'Carvairs' which were converted Douglas DC-6s, I think, (actually DC-4 and C-54 - eds) which carried 5 cars and 25 passengers. Wonderful memories!

All the best, Howard Allmand, retired in 2005 In-Flight Service Director ( CP Air / Canadian / Air Canada ).

(Note: Channel Air Bridge was a private British independent airline specializing in cross-Channel vehicle-cum-passenger ferry services. Freddie Laker started Channel Air Bridge as a sister airline of Air Charter on a provisional basis in 1954. Operations commenced in 1955.

  • In 1958, Channel Air Bridge took over Air Charter's vehicle ferry services.
  • In 1959, both Channel Air Bridge and its sister airline Air Charter became part of the Airwork group. 
  • In 1960, Airwork joined with Hunting-Clan to form British United Airways (BUA). In 1962, BUA reorganized its vehicle ferry operations by merging Channel Air Bridge with Silver City Airways.

This resulted in the creation of British United Air Ferries in 1963. (Source: Wikipedia)


Nick Wolochatiuk sends this message -

I was just forwarded a copy of your NetLetter. What a delightful pot-pourri of Air Canada's past, present and future. To date I've flown in TCA's/Air Canada's Viscount, Vanguard, DC-8, 747, 767 and Airbus 319/320.

I missed the DC-3, North Star and Super Constellation, but have flown in several other operators' DC-3s/C-47s and North Star. One day I hope to add the 777 and 787 to the list of 356 different types of aircraft I have already flown in.

Nick Wolochatiuk

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