 The NetLetter
For Air Canada Retirees
(part of the ACFamily Network)
May 28, 2011 - Issue 1166
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First Issue published in October 1995!
(over 5,400 subscribers)
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Donation Information
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Send cheques payable to "ACFamily Network" to:
ACFamily Network
#800 - 15355 24th Ave, Suite 523
Surrey, BC V4A 2H9
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| Greetings! |
We welcome you to allow the NetLetter to be your platform, and opportunity, to relive your history while working for either TCA, AC, CPAir, CAIL, PWA, AirBC, Wardair. etal. and share your experiences with us!
The NetLetter is an email newsletter published every weekend and contains a mixture of nostalgia, current news and travel tips. We encourage our readers to submit their stories, photos and/or comments from either days gone by or from present day experiences and trips. If we think that the rest of our readers will enjoy it, we will publish it here
We also This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in regard to anything we post here. Many readers have commented with additional information, names and personal memories from the photos and articles presented here.
The NetLetter, which is free, is open to anyone that wishes to subscribe but is targeted to retired employees from Air Canada, Canadian Airlines and all the other companies that were part of what Air Canada is today. Thanks for joining us!
Terry & your NetLetter Team
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| CAHS Upcoming Events - Compiled by Alan Rust |
 We have a listing below of all the CAHS (Canadian Aviation Historical Society) upcoming events that we are aware of. If you are at all interested in Canadian aviation history, then we encourage you to attend a meeting or visit their web site at: www.cahs.ca |
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CAHS National Convention
Edmonton - June 22th to 26th - Mark your calendars for the CAHS 48th annual convention where they will explore the rich aviation history of Edmonton, the province of Alberta, and Canada's North.
Presentations will range from civil and military aviation topics, to how regional heritage institutions are promoting this fascinating history, to creative ways authors are bringing these subjects to new audiences.
See: www.cahs.ca/events/convention.html for complete details.
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 Vancouver Chapter
Date: June 14, 2011
Time: 1900 hrs
Guest Speaker: TBA
For more info call Jerry Vernon at (604) 420-6065 or visit the Chapters website by clicking here.
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ACRA Upcoming Events- Compiled by Alan Rust
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 Retirees Welcome!
The following events are available for retirees through ACRA, the Air Canada Recreation Association. |
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Retirees Welcome!
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 Are you aware of an ACRA Event that is open to retirees? Please use the online form by following this link to submit your ACRA Event. (ACRA Events only please)
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| Women in Aviation - Compiled by Terry Baker |
The number of women pilots has increased since 2000 by 18.6 percent and the number of those with ATP certificates is up 35 percent while the number of male pilots has dropped, according to statistics updated Monday by the FAA.
There were an estimated 42,218 female certificate holders in 2010, which puts the group at 6.7 percent of the total 627,588 certificated pilots recorded by the FAA. Among the ranks of Airline Transport Pilot rated certificates, women jumped from 10,218 in 2000 to 13,755 in 2010. Over the same period, the number of men holding certificates dropped nearly 1 percent and the number of men holding ATP ratings dropped about 1/2 percent. The numbers also show that the advance of women in aviation goes beyond the flight deck.
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| Our first 70 years - Compiled by Terry Baker |
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1958
- Jan 2nd - The first airline teletype service over the North Atlantic new telephone cable inaugurated
- May - Inauguration of direct flights between Western Canada and the U.K.
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| Air Canada Related News - Compiled by Terry Baker |
 Service between Montreal and Mexico City will cease effective July 1st. (source YYZNEWS)
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| Reader Submitted Photos - Compiled by Terry Baker |
 Reader Submitted Photos - The photos and information below was sent to us by our faithful readers. If you would like to send us some old photos you have lying around. we will consider them for publication in a future NetLetter. We prefer good quality airline related photos, with descriptive text included with the submission. |
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 Jack Stephens has sent us this photo and information -
Hi Guys... My brother Bob arriving in Calgary from Winnipeg. He was with my parents and later attended the annual Calgary Stampede. On the aircraft all the names of the passengers were placed in a 10 gallon white cowboy hat. Bob won the draw. Quite a big hat for a little guy! I wonder if we could track down the aircraft and crew identification?
Anyone with a flight schedule for that month? Credit the photo to: Bob Stephens at the July 1961 Calgary stampede.
Until next time. Jack Stephens Calgary, Alberta, Canada. |
| TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker |
 Musings from the "Between Ourselves" and "Horizons" magazine, an Air Canada publication from years gone by, and various in-house magazines.
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Issue dated - February 1958
Extracts from the "Between Ourselves" magazine -
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Campaigner Jim McMurray promotes "Prospects Sales Campaign" - looking on are, from the left: Les Storey, C. W. White, Captain J. D. Alexander, Stewardess Audrey Mcintyre, Ray Essier, Eddy Faber! and McMurray. |
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 Departmental heads at Winnipeg say farewell to Murray White the Vickers-Armstrongs representative who is taking up a similar position in Kansas City. MO. USA.
From the front left are Roy Olsen, George Pytlik, Gord Binnie, Baldy Torrell. Bud Clinch, Back row Gordon Fantone, Roy Lockhart, Fred Pink, Mrs & Mr White, Russ Thatcher, Al Hunt. Alex Webber is missing from the photo.
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 THE FIRST GROUP of multi-lingual Stewardesses, centre, to greet the second group of multi-lingual girls in the subsequent class. The girls are from England, Scotland and Germany and speak English, French and at least one other language.
From the left they are Karen Helback, Barbara Dammar, Karin Foch and Sonja Back, all from Germany. Doris Lewis South Wales, - Patricia Saunders, Scotland and Margaret Poynter, Kent, Eng!and, Agnes Haggerty, Jessie Hyle, and Julia Cameron, all from Scotland. The girls in uniform are based in Montreal, while the ones in training will be ready for "line duty" about mid-March.
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 To keep their pinkies warm while working on an engine, the maintenance staff at Halifax devised this nose cover for the North Star aircraft.
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| Alan's Space - by Alan Rust |
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| Alan Rust |
Beaver Sng Collage - Submitted by Rob Hemmett
Pictures of DeHavilland Beavers doing their thing set to the kinda hoaky "Beaver Song" performed by the "Fretless Bar Girls". Pictures from Alaska, Washington, British Columbia, and a few from New Hampshire.
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| Beaver Song Collage |
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Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc. People & Events
- Compiled by Terry Baker |
 News and articles from days gone by gleaned from various publications from C.A.I.L. and it's "ancestry" of contributing airlines. |
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Issue dated - October 1969
From the PWA "Keeping Posted" magazine -
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 Here we have some photos of Fort Smith N.W.T. airport and employees in 1969.
First photo: B737 at Fort Smith N.W.T.
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 Apartment building where PWA single staff lived. |
 New terminal at Fort Smith N.W.T. building opened February 1969. |
 Old terminal at Fort Smith N.W.T. |
 Dwight Denton the Station Manager. |
 Gil Beloin - the caption says "at the work desk" - debatable. |
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Issue dated - May 1981
Found in the "PWA Flightlines" magazine -
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Employee Inaugural Vancouver-Edmonton-Whitehorse April 18, 1981 -
It's the only word that can be used to describe the feelings of all those who participated in the Whitehorse inaugural flight. The entire day was a unique experience for our employees to "Get the Feel" of our new non-stop service.
The day started in Vancouver where 58 employees from Victoria, Vancouver, Smithers and Kelowna boarded a/c 753, a new aircraft with the brand new interior color and decor. The next stop was Edmonton where 54 fellow employees boarded from Edmonton, Calgary, Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Castlegar, Fun Flon, Regina, Cranbrook, Saskatoon and Prince George. The trip north was spent detailing the planned activities in Whitehorse and drawing names for a free helicopter trip around Whitehorse by Trans North Air, and a special tour of the S.S. Klondike River Boat, opened especially that day for Pacific Western.
(The magazine has two pages of some employees, but, unfortunately, no names were supplied. - eds)
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 Flight Attendant Graduates -
Back row (left to right): Chris Bull, Douglas Zimmer, Darryl Stewardson, Bob Jones, Paul Sikorski, John Cowie, David DeLuisgman, Matthew Basso.
Middle row: Therese Ranks, Heather Ballard, Karen Reid, Deborah Farley, Cindy Cameron, Betsy Fleming.
Front row: Christine Theobald (Instructor), Deborah Cahan, Cheri Chapman, Maureen Angus, Susan Clarke, Brenda Stevens, Karen Megraw, Geri Melnyk (Instructor).
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 More Flight Attendant Graduates -
Back row; (left to right): Deborah Booth, Colleen Lamb, Bruce Graham, Ester Noe, Georgina Simmons.
Front row: Instructors Geri Melnyk and Wendy Reifel, Gabriele McAllister, Terry Roberts, Patricia Higgins, Lucie Falardeau, Christina Stretch, and Shelley Kuchinski.
A reminder - The Herc 2011 reunion is scheduled for June 3, 4 and 5th 2011 at Ramada Inn XDI, Edmonton, AB. Check web site www.pwareunion.com for details.
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 Ken Bjorge has sent along these photos, which he received from Dan Dertian, and which we think are appropiate as a reunion is coming up.
CF-PWK at Cambridge, February 1978. |
 CF-PWK no date or location available. |
 C-FPWU September, 1983 unknown location. |
 CF-PWO on lease to TMA July, 1967 unknown location. |
 CF-PWX at Cambridge March, 1976.
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| Reader's Feedback - Compiled by Terry Baker |
Every week we ask our readers for their stories or feedback on what they have read here in previous issues. Below is the feedback we have received recently.
Aubrey Winterbotham sends us this memory -
It was interesting to see a photo of the Avro York and Jack Morath's comments in NetLetter nr 1164 about Stansted Airport in the mid 50's. I worked for Aviation Traders at Stansted on the Merlin 500 series engines that were fitted to the York. We also did work on the 600 series Merlins fitted to the Avro Tudor. Later I worked for Skyways of London also at Stansted, a subsidiary of BOAC (British Airways) and the Yorks were being used to transport monkeys from the Far East to the US for experimental purposes. The passenger-fitted Yorks had the seats facing the back of the aircraft.
Keep up the good work of letting us old guys reminisce a little.
Aubrey Winterbotham.
Dave Hykle sends this comment referring to NetLetter nr 1163 -
A comment for you regarding the Convair photos,etc. from Ken Pickford; C-FPWY that was shown once flew for a charter airline in Winnipeg (Aero Trades Western), configured for both freight and passenger operations. I understood that it was scrapped at Springbank in the 90's.
Dave
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Odds & Ends - Compiled by Terry Baker
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 Sometimes we receive articles and information that just doesn't fit in our other areas. This is where it goes! |
 WHEN the producers of the Cliff Richard blockbuster Summer Holiday realized filming was getting seriously behind schedule in the spring of 1962, they were forced to come up with a drastic solution.
They opted to charter a plane to fly a London double-decker, such an intrinsic part of the film, to the south of France.
Unfortunately, the double-decker that most closely resembled the original was in service on the 245 route between Alperton and Golder's Green.
The handful of passengers on board were ushered politely off at a stop in Dollis Hill and the driver and clippie ordered to take it to Heathrow Airport without delay.
It was there that the problems began. One of the film crew, giving the vehicle a 'once over', discovered a bewildered elderly couple patiendy sitting on the upper deck, having failed to hear the earlier instruction to 'abandon bus' - she due to being engrossed in the final stages of knitting a bobble hat and he because of nodding off just past Cricklewood.
Then came another predicament. The height of the bus was a few centimeters more than the capacious hold of the Air France Breguet 763 Deux Ponts freighter chartered to carry the vehicle to Marseilles. An airline worker suggested letting
some of the air out of the bus's tyres and, with this quickly done, the plane's internal winch began hauling the precious cargo slowly and gently up the rear ramp. The deflated condition of the tyres made it a difficult task. After an hour or so of painstaking maneuvering, accompanied by an interesting intermingling of Anglo Saxon and Gallic swear words, the bus was safely stowed on board. (source SkyPort-Heathrow). |
Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker
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| Terry Baker |
And now for something different -
Your chief pilot - Terry - took a ferry trip recently from YYJ to SEA return - in lieu of an expensive cruise. This is a high speed foot passenger ferry named "Victoria Clipper", operating twice a day between Victoria B.C. inner harbour and pier 69 in Seattle, USA.
There are no weight or size limitations for luggage, but only one carry-on is allowed, the other luggage is checked in. Upon check-in, an hour prior to deparure, you are assigned a number on your boarding pass and, if returning, a boarding pass for the return. When boarding, you are called in groups of 50, depending upon the number you are assigned. Seating is random, the front half of the vessel is aircraft type seating, the rear has open groupings for 6 persons with 3 each side of a table. A choice of 4 different meals for breakfast, and one for lunch is delivered to your table costs $7.00, with tea or coffee at $1.00 and many free refills. Canadian and US currency at par. Duty free purchases are available as well.
The crossing was very smooth, despite 3 foot swells, and took 2 and 3/4 hours. In Victoria there is no formal security screening like at an airport and no documentation to complete. Prior to immigration, you go thru the "arch", but no security around to check the result. No one had to empty their pockets or take off their shoes or show the liquids in a plastic bag, but I did miss the "pat down" though!
At Seattle, there was no such screening whatsoever, except the inevitable customs card for arrival at Victoria.
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 Upon arrival at either end, all passengers are requested to remain seated to allow time for the checked luggage to be made available, unlike on an aircraft where all passengers seem to have suffered from claustrophobia and anxious to get off. Then those with carry-on only are allowed to disembark and proceed to customs ahead of those with checked luggage.
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Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker
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As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.
From the PWA "Keeping Posted" issued October 1969 and contributed by Dwayne Denton Station Manager, Fort Smith N.W.T.
When the other fellow takes a long time to do something, HE'S SLOW
When I take a long time for the same job, I'M THOROUGH.
When the other fellow doesn't do the job - HE'S LAZY
When I don't do it - I'M TOO BUSY.
When the other fellow goes ahead and does some thing without being told,
HE'S OVERSTEPPING HIS BOUNDS...
When I go ahead and do something without being told, I SHOW INITIATIVE.
When the other fellow states his side of the question strongly, HE'S BULL-HEADED
When I state my side of the question strongly, I'M BEING FIRM.
When the other fellow does something that pleases the boss, HE'S POLISHING THE BRASS.
When I do something that pleases the boss, THAT'S CO-OPERATION.
When the other fellow gets ahead, HE SURE HAS HAD THE LUCKY BREAKS.
When I manage to get ahead, MAN! HARD WORK DID IT.
Recognize Me?
D. Denton
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Disclaimer: Please note, that neither the NetLetter or the ACFamily Network necessarily endorse any of the airline related or other "deals" that we provide for our readers. We would be interested in any feedback (good or bad) when using these companies though and will report the results here. We do not (normally) receive any compensation from any companies that we post in our newsletters. If we do receive a donation or other compensation, it will be indicated as a sponsored article or link.
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We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!
Sincerely,
Your NetLetter Team
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First published in October, 1995
- Chief Pilot - Terry Baker, Nanaimo, B.C.
- Co-pilot - Alan Rust, Surrey, B.C.
- Flight Engineer - Bill Rowsell, Londesboro, Ontario
To contact us, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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