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( For retirees of the new Air Canada family)
Number 480 May 7th, 2000, We first Published in October 1995
Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson - Co-pilot - Terry Baker
e-mail address is:
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. Need to know.
To better serve you—Employee Call Centre (ECC) changes.
To reduce longer than average wait times at Employee Call Centres brought
about by enhanced travel privileges and employee travel interline agreement
between Air Canada and Canadian Airlines, the following changes, are now in effect.
Flight load and total seat availability information will be provided within one month of
departure for up to eight flights per call.
ECC agents can’t provide flight load break down by cabin
or location of employees on the priority list. For security reasons, details
of travel status for employees, family members, or travel partners cannot be
released. A maximum of eight ID/ZED ticket files will be set up per call.
Air Canada employees must make initial flight registration and itinerary
changes for travel partners prior to departure. After departure, changes to
return flights can be made by the employee or travel partner.
Don Hancock YVR District Director sends this information-
A new privilege for Pionairs in the Greater VancouverLower Mainland area.
You may obtain imprinting of AC travel tickets and Family Affair at the Air
BC Offices and at the AC Air Freight Office during reguylar office hours.
Parking is adequate and free. Air BC offices are daily Mon to Fri o830 to
1630 and AC Air Freight from 0600am to 2300 daily. Should you wish to obtain
service at the AC ticket offices in the YVR Terminal Building service will
only be available from 0900 to 1100am and after 1900 daily.
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. Myron OLSON sends this -
SPRATT Bill (Capt. William Nicholson, retired), beloved father, grandfather
and friend died suddenly at home at the age of 83 years. He was born on
June 15, 1916 in Castor, Alberta. Predeceased by his loving wife LeMoyne
(Landvik). Bill is survived by his daughters Linda, Laurel (David) and
cherished grandchildren Graeme (Rachel), Andrew, Kelsey and Jesse. As a
youth in Castor, his life-long passion for flying was ignited when a
touring barnstorm flyer buzzed the local high school. Dad's career as a
pilot began with the RCAF in World War II and continued for 33 years with
Air Canada. After retirement Dad focused his talents, energy and commitment
to being a volunteer. He was a founding member of and diligent contributor
to his co-op apartment complex, a Kiwanian, a devoted member of his United
Church congregation and an active participant in a variety of aviation
associations. His other favorite pastime was walking on the West Van sea
wall. He will be sorely missed by his family, friends and a wide circle of
colleagues. A memorial service in celebration of our father's life is to be
held at West Vancouver United Church, 2062 Esquimalt Avenue, at 11:00 a.m.
on Monday, May 8th, 2000. Flowers are gratefully declined. For those who
wish, donations may be made in Bill's memory to the Heart and Stroke
Foundation, Camp Fircom Society, Arthritis Society or a charity of your
choice. HOLLYBURN FUNERAL HOME 922-1221
From: Myron OLSON <
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. News from the districts.
From Don Hancock YVR District Director.
The following highlights the White Rock Coffee Club.
I plan to provide additional info about Tsawassen, Ladner and Richmond at a
later date.
Greetings fellow Pionairs from the YVR DISTRICT! Come and join us at one of
the following Coffee Clubs. An opportunity to meet fellow Pionairs over a cup
of coffee and great conversation. We presently have scheduled four Coffee
Clubs, meetings commencing at 1000 and once monthly as follows:
White Rock first Tuesday next meeting June 6th at the White Spot corner 152nd
St and 16th Ave. (no meetings July and August).
Tsawassen 2nd Tuesday next meeting May 9th at the White Spot corner 53rd Ave
and 12th St. (no meeting June/July/August).
Richmond 2nd Wednesday next meeting May 10th at Quilchena Green Complex (Club
House) 5531 Cornwall Drive, Richmond. (Call Don Hancock if directions needed
at 231-0359). (no ,meeting June/July/August).
Ladner 4th Tuesday next meeting May 23rd Rickeys Restaurant, Ladner Trunk Rd.
Ladner. (next meeting check with Terri Fitzgibbon 940-1849).
We have averaged between 20 and 40 Pionairs each meeting and it has proven to
be a great opportunity to meet other Pionairs, obtain current information
pertaining to our airline operations and schedules etc and employee travel
regulations, and more important lively conversation.
On this occasion I will provide some details about the White Rock Coffee Club.
The White Rock Coffee Club is chaired by Past National President Wilse Jessee
and the meeting takes place at the back of the White Spot Restaurant in a
relatively private area. There is ample parking in the mall parking lot and a
few steps away from the entrance.This will be the fourth consecutive meeting
and the last one in White Rock until September 5th.
Pionairs you would meet at the White Rock Coffee Club are as follows: Bill
and Clara Hughes, Vi and Merv Jolly, Nona and Ernie Rushton, Hugh and Esme
Romborough, John and Eileen Hedley, George and Agnes Twells, Jack and Val
Somerset, Lois and Jack London,Bob and Iola Whiteside, Dagmar and Max
Spitzner, Mary and Wilse Jessee, Denny Brendon, Scott Bredelle, Michele
Grennan, John Wiebe, Lea McIntyre, John MacDonald, Jack Muir, Al Took, Ken
Horton, Vince Brimicombe, Carl Saunders, Bernice Walters, Joan Strick,
Elizabeth Pacamar, Dick Steeves, Ray McLeod, Lyn Hill, Louis Morin, Pete and
Lucille Ypenburgh, Jean Chernenko, Helene Paton, Susie Law, George Fox, John
White, Andy Pitre, Aimee Gerar, Gord White, Wynn Little, Barney Dick, Bill
Lavers.
We are hopeful that in September we will schedule two new Pionairs Coffee
Clubs, one in the vicinity of Park Royal Lodge North Vancouver and another in
the Burnaby New West area. I would appreciate hearing from any Pionairs in
these locations to determine the level of interest Please call Don Hancock
231-0359 or e mail (
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. Twentieth Anniversary of Canadian Maple Wings Association
Our Maple Wings Association is having its twentieth anniversary this
year and we are celebrating by having a wonderful weekend here in
Toronto. We will be meeting at the Colony Hotel in downtown Toronto,
first with a registration, reception on Friday evening, May 12th,
business meeting Saturday morning, May 13th and our bang=up banquet
and dinner Saturday evening. We will be expecting over three hundred
people from Canada, United States and points further.
Our Association is open to all TCA/Air Canada flight attendants and
former or ex-flight attendants from the airline's beginnings to the
present time. We have over a dozen chapters plus members-at-large
for those not near a chapter, but who wish to keep informed of the
latest news of other members and what's happening at Air Canada.
Former flight attendants are most welcome to attend.
All the best - Elaine of the Internet.
Mary Elaine Murdoch <
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. From the RAPCAN newsletter issued by Duane Frerichs -
AIRWAYS magazine April 2000 REVIEW
COMETS AND CONCORDES (AND THOSE I FLEW BEFORE)
Peter Duffey Paladwr Press
262 pps. 13 black & white photos. Hard cover, with dust jacket.
What a pilot's tale this is! Ranging from tiny OBAs (odd British aircraft)
through both the Comet 1 and Comet 4 and up to the Concorde, this is a
veritable history of postwar British airline development as seen from the
flightdeck by a master of the craft. Augmented with photographs and 17 of
Ron Davies's excellent clear maps, this is another high-quality Paladwr product.
Born in 1925 in England, Duffey began his flying career (and this book)
with the RAF as did so many of his generation. As the training took place in
Canada, his flying career began on an ocean liner (the Queen Mary took him
there).After flying a variety of single and multi-engine types, he joined
Portsmouth Aviation, a small independent airline, in 1946, flying the
pre-war de Havilland D.H. 89A Rapide biplane to the Channel Islands and
Paris. He moved on to Scottish Airlines and flew a wide variety of charter
flights on aircraft including civilianized Liberators.
In 1948 he joined the ill-starred British South American Airways, flying
Lancastrians and Yorks (both based on the British Lancaster bomber) and the
AVRO Tudor, though luckily on neither of those that disappeared without a
trace over the South Atlantic. Duffey was one of the many British pilots who
served during the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49 and writes engagingly of what
was involved.
When BSAA was taken over by BOAC, Duffey entered his longest period of
employment, ranging from 1949 to his retirement in 1981. He began with the
Argonauts, (Canadair-built, Merlin-engined, pressurized DC-4s) on the South
American and other secondary routes. Based on his combined piloting and
navigation experience, Duffey became one of the first BOAC Comet 1 co-pilots
when the type entered service in mid-1952. He provides a deeply personal
sense of those pioneering years and the search for solutions after the 1954
crashes grounded the type. Then it was back to Argonauts, the DC-7c (where
after a 16-year career, Duffey moved to the lefty seat in his own right) and
other types.
Back to jets he went with the Comet 4 early in the 1960s, and then the
Boeing 707 after 1965. Again, he provides an insightful pilot's-eye-view of
these aircraft and their differing characteristics. He became a training
captain on Comet 4s, 707s, and also for his final five years as a British
Airways Concorde pilot. A considerable part of the book's final pages are
given over to that supersonic operation - quite a difference from flying
biplanes!
This is a wonderfully readable account by an experienced aviator who can
describe readily what he was doing and why. Along the way, we learn a good
deal about the role of the British pilot's union, changing technical
capabilities of airliners, and interesting anecdotes relevant to commercial
flying.
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. Greetings Registered Retiree of the Air Canada Retired Employees' Website: A-Crew
***********ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHANGES**************
The editor is pleased to announce the completion of renovations to the A-Crew Website (www.acfamily.net/acrew).
1. The consolidation of aviation links from the AVIA website into shared pages for both the
A-Crew and RAPCAN (Retired Airline Pilots of Canada) Website (www.acfamily.net/rapcan).
This "code" sharing ;-) includes the following pages: Canadian Airports, Airlines at Canadian
Airports, Exhibits & History, All-Canadian Aircraft Photo Gallery, Related Aviation Sites, and
Photo Gallery of Submission by Viewers (formerly at RAPCAN website).
2. The sharing of the Books section which was redundant between these two websites.
3. A new section "Headline News" which is also a shared section.
The introduction of Headline News is to provide our viewers with quick access, minimal
reading and relevant selection. This section will take the form of a daily headline list
with links
to abstracts and then where applicable to details. It is updated throughout the day.
The articles will be held on line for about 7 days.
As this is a new venture your feedback is very welcome.
4. The Bulletin Page has been eliminated.
5. Over fifty new photos are now online.
6. The Travel section. The editor has had to re-think the proposal of establishing a Travel
section in the light of the extensive amount of hours it would take to design and
maintain a stand-alone Travel section for retirees. Therefore, it has been decided not
to go ahead with this proposal. However, we are preparing to enter into discussion
with Al Rust of ACFamily
Network with the aim of exploring a partnership/shared Travel section for all ACF
members.
It is hoped by collaborating we will have the necessary resources to put online a timely,
relevant and comprehensive Travel section.
7. The USER ID and PASSWORD for the Contacts area of the website remains the same:
USER ID = acretired PASSWORD = airline
8. To get an overview of the website structure visit www.acfamily.net/airshared/sitemap.htm
9. If you are in doubt as to who does what in ACF visit www.acfamily.net/who.html
Thank you for your participation in this Internet presence.
As always we welcome submissions and ideas to make the website better and more
relevant for all viewers.
Regards, Tom Grant Editor/Systems Administrator A-Crew WWW site
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. Found on the internet.
Nearly 2,000,000 homes in the U.K. could be able to use their TV to book tickets on
British Airways flights and plan holidays by the end of this year.
Telewest has joined forces with Cable and Wireless, NTL and British Airways
to promote the airlines interactive TV service.
When Greek tycoon pledges full refund to any passengers who are delayed four hours
or more. Recently his airline - easyJet the UK budget airline - was delayed by snow recently
at Luton airport in the UK and had to pay out GBP600,000 to the passengers.
Now that's customer service!
Poetry in motion on American Airlines jets -
The airline is distributing 100,000 complimentary copies of a book entitled
'Songs for the open road: Poems of Travel and Adventure'. It is a collection
of 90 poems by 50 distinguished writers, including Yeats. Alfred Lord Tennyson,
Walt Whitman. Some of the works are Dorothy Wellesley 'Duchess of Wellington's
First Flight', James Gillespie Magee Jr's 'High Flight'
The Airline Quality Rating study compares service quality based on factors such as
baggage handling, on time arrivals, denied boardings and customer service. This
year the Annual award has gone to Continental Airlines. Second ranked is
Southwest, followed by Delta, Northwest, Alaska (? - eds), US Airways, American,
American West, TWA and United.
Airbus has developed a new type of toilet to accommodate disabled passengers on the
new US Airways A330. A double sized door, suitable for wheel chairs has been fitted
in the economy section with a standard toilet next door. The wall between is
collapsible and can easily be moved when needed for a disabled person.
He looked no further than Virgin Airlines for his marketing team. The David Neeleman started work on finding a name for his new airline. No easy task, he
called upon Landor a consultant used by BA, Alitalia, Delta and Northwest. Evaluating 200 suggestions, Landor offered a choice of half a dozen - Air Avenues,
Hiway Air, Air Hop, Lift Airways, Scout Airways and True Blue.
Unanimously, True Blue was chosen. Two weeks after the carrier's official unveiling, it was discovered a national car rental company already owned the title.
Landor apologized and cut his fee in half to us$50,000. The new name will be
JetBlue. Operations started last February from JFK with Airbus A320's.
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. Terry's travel tips.
Cape Town - Dale Court Guest House, 5 minutes walk from Victoria and Alfred
waterfront. 1 mile from city centre. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms, TV and phones.
Single R290 per night B&B, Double R350 per night B&B, Family R425 per night, B&B prices per room.
Call 27-21-4398774 or fax 27-21-4345597
- Lagoon Lodge with views of Table Mountain. All rooms lead to patio and
heated pool. 500 yards to beaches, golf & shops. 7 mins city centre.
B&B GBP22 - 28 pppn phone 27-21-522691
Scottburgh - Blue Marlin Hotel on beautiful beach, en-suite rooms.
30 mins south of Durban.
Rates min 7 nights R160 pppn incl 3 meals a day.
Tel 27-039-9783361 fax 27-039-9760971
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. DID YOU KNOW?
That you can read or retrieve back issues of "theNetLetter" ?
Just visit our web site at:
http://www.acfamily.net/netletter
and click on the "Archives" button.
This area is only open to "the NetLetter" subscribers and you will
need the following password to enter -
User Name: netletter Password: vesta
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Mailing of 'the NetLetter" is courtesy of Alan Rust administrator of
the "AC Family Network" at: http://www.acfamily.net
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