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Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

Vesta's Corner
Vesta StevensonWhy not allow the NetLetter to be your platform and opportunity to relive your history while working for either TCA, AC, CPAir, CAIL, PWA, AirBC etal?

Share your experiences with us!



ROSSY'S DONE IT -- FUSIONMAN WINGS ACROSS THE CHANNEL
Yves RossyFollowing two weather delays, Yves Rossy, 49, Friday successfully flew across the English Channel from France to England strapped to a set of eight-foot, 120-pound carbon fiber wings on his back, powered by four kerosene-burning micro turbines carefully mounted beneath it. The flight from Calais to Dover followed the route traced by Louis Bleriot, who in 1909 won the honor of first person to cross the Channel in an aircraft - a trip that took 37 minutes. Rossy's flight began at 8,000 feet upon departure from a Pilatus jump aircraft and covered the 22 miles in 9 minutes, 32 seconds, at speeds near 120 mph, according to The Guardian. Rossy had the benefit of a tailwind on his trek and so met Dover early with a bit of exuberant aerobatics.

That was followed by parachute deployment and an otherwise harmless "face-in-the-dirt landing."

Next in line for the adventurer are plans to fly over the Grand Canyon, take off from a standing position, and expand his cache of aerobatics.

 
Air Canada - our first 70 years

1996

  • February 20th - A meeting of representatives from the Air Canada stations which plan, organize and run the "Dreams Come True" flights took place and it was agreed to consolidate Dreams Take Flightthe efforts of all the cities - YYZ, YUL,YWG,YYC,YHZ,YEG and YVR under the name of "Dreams Take Flight".





    Dream CrewThis is an annual endeavor by volunteer employees, retirees and Air Canada to fly terminally ill and under privileged children to Disney Land/World for the day





  • May 15th - Service between Montreal and Brussels with B767-200 equipment started.
    Brussels CrewHere is a photo of the Mirabel staff involved.









  • May 21st - First visit to Montreal base of the Boeing B-777 part of a 10 city North American tour.
  • June - Customer Service Call Centre opened in Saint John, New Brunswick.
  • June 1st - Rapidair launched between Calgary and Edmonton. The same day all Scheduled flights were transferred from Edmonton Municipal (YXD) to Edmonton International (YEG)
 
TCA/AC People Gallery

Over the past months we have been publishing various photographs from earlier "Horizons", should any photos prompt a memory in seeing one of them, feel free to send us your comments and thoughts.

Preswick ClosePrestwick Close golf tourney reunion in the spring 1996









A few more pictures sent in by Andre Tison -
CF-TEUThis is Super Constellation CF-TEU at Orly, Paris France in 1959.







In Flight Bulletinand here we have a copy of the Captain J.Burton's in-flight bulletin to his passengers while enroute to YUL on July 30th 1952. while over flying Sherbrooke PQ.

The stewardess was Miss J.Kinna RN.








Final chapter of the continuing story from Gordon Gilmour AITCHISON - Alias Mr Smith -

Our flight from Halifax duly arrived and parked ahead of the executive jet and Mr.Smith and another gentleman walked across the ramp from one aircraft to another.

However, Mr.Smith turned out to be not at all what had been expected.

He was a reasonably tall. well-built. be-spectacled, coloured gentleman of very obviously African origin, resplendent in a military uniform befitting at least the rank of general, complete with red cap band such as is worn by British staff officers. He was accompanied by another coloured gentleman dressed in civilian clothes who carried an attaché case and some little hand baggage. They boarded the executive jet, and as soon as their checked baggage arrived from the Air Canada flight, the door was shut, the engines were started and off it went.

Speculation as to what we had been witnessing was rife.

To begin with, the booking of the executive jet had been left until the very last minute and the aircraft was chartered from a Company in Switzerland, a country which has always been traditionally neutral and well known for respecting confidentiality.

Secondly, Mr Smith had left from Halifax, probably the quietest international airport in Canada and although our flight was proceeding through to London, his choice of deplanement and transfer was Prestwick, hardly the busiest airport in the  UK.

By requesting a ramp transfer from one aircraft to another at Prestwick, he had ensured that he was not landed in the UK and therefore no Immigration or CID record of his presence in the UK existed. The fact that his destination was unknown, even to the executive jet crew until he arrived in this country was, to say the least, unusual.

Undoubtedly, his  destination was somewhere in Africa. a continent where many states have been the subject of coups, banished exiles and consequent intrigue during the previous 30 years.

If any man was setting out to cloak his movements in secrecy, our Mr. Smith was doing just that. We never discovered who he was, but we did find it very hard to believe that his name was Smith!

My regards to the readers - Gordon Gilmour AITCHISON .
(Jim McCall of AC Cargo PIK wishes to set the record straight. Part one of the story about Alias Mr Smith should have been attributed to his father-in-law Gordon Gilmour AITCHISON. - eds)
 
Bytes and Pieces

Alan RustThey say that any landing that you can walk away from is a good one. Take a look at the video below and you will see that they just squeaked by in the "walking away" part.






Goose Landing Just click on the image to view the video or click on this link.


 
Canadi>n/CPAir/PWA, Wardair, etc. Events & People
 

From the "CanadianFlyer"
Issue dated August 2000
HerculesAndrew Geider, Corporate Archivist has this "Our history" of the Lockheed L-100 Hercules.



















Andrew Geiderand here is a photo of Andrew Geider.












David Welham
has sent us a couple of "Esprit" in house magazines which succeeded the short lived "CPAir News"

Musings from the Oct/Dec 1986 issue

To assist with the new 1987 summer schedule, (3) DC-10-30 on lease to United Airlines will be returned to spur premium service in exchange for the DC-10-10, it obtained in the lease/swap arrangement in 1983.

DC-10The first visit to Rome in the new colours, this photo of a DC-10.








Sept 25th Announcement that service between Toronto, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to commence May 2nd 1987 with DC-10 equipment.

In a previous NetLetter we had an article on families working in the airline
Randallsthis photo is of the Randall family.









Fly PastAt EXPO86, CPAL had a DC-10 perform a fly-past.





KelownaSenior Management had a strategy meeting in Kelowna.

 
Readers Feedback
Member FeedbackDon Palmer sends us this follow up on the "Bermuda Sky Queen" story

I imagine everyone interested in the Bermuda Sky Queen (formerly the Capetown Clipper when owned by Pan Am) has surfed the net, yourself included. In case you didn't come up with these websites, I found them very interesting.

You will note in the address of the first one, rbogash ~ Bob Bogash, retired from Boeing and now heavily into vintage aircraft restoration at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

One of his projects is the restoration of TCA/AC Super Connie CF-TGE which you have previously posted. His most ambitious project seems to be the recovery of the Honolulu Clipper located 650 miles east of Oahu in 17,000 feet of water (also an unintended landing at sea).

At the bottom is Bob's bio

Cheers
Don

www.rbogash.com/NC18612%20Accident%20Report.html
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,854795,00.html
www.rbogash.com/bio4.html

Jack Stevens has sent us this information - It is interesting, that Viscount CF-THI fin 627 c/n 270 which is in a new hangar at the Can. Av. Museum in Ottawa, is awaiting the required ventilation system being installed.

Until then there she sits, yearning for restoration. At least she is inside after corroding outside for some 37 years!
CF-THIHere is a photo by Jim Parsons, contributor to www.vickersviscount.net








 
Terry's Travel Tips
Terry BakerCaesar Hotels Airrways Vacations
UK B&B Package from $585 *
6 Nights
The British invented Bed & Breakfast. The idea of welcoming travelers into their own homes and providing a warm bed and a hearty breakfast.

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Naturally, they can advise on local attractions, restaurants, or where to find the finest hand made shirts. You'll enjoy all the advantages of our Open Voucher System, the most economical and practical way to tour the UK. (Especially this year).

Our package includes 6 nights open voucher Discover B&B's, weekly Alamo car rental, full English breakfast daily.
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Check the web site for many more offers - www.caesarhotels.com/destinations/ireland.htm
Caesar Hotels Airway Vacations, 11864 Adie Road, Maryland Heights, MO 63043.
 
Smilies
SmileyDon Palmer supplies this story -
An American couple are waiting for their baggage at an airport somewhere in the US when they see an oddly dressed man waiting some distance away.

Woman says to her husband, "I wonder where that man is from."

Husband says, "I don't know but I'll go over and ask.".

He approaches the man and says, "Excuse me, sir, but where are you from?"

"Saskatoon, Saskatchewan."

The man returns to his wife with a puzzled look on his face.
"Where is he from?", asks the wife."

"I don't know. He doesn't speak English."

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