Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

For Air Canada Retirees
(Part of the ACFamily Network)

The headline reads: Mary Awarded Cross of Valor.

On February 16th, Toronto Flight Attendant Mary Dohey became the third and only living recipient of Canada's highest award for bravery. Three other members of the crew, Capt. Vern Ehman, Purser John Arpin, and Asst. Purser Philip Bonny were awarded the Order of Canada for bravery.
The aircraft, on a scheduled flight from Calgary to Toronto, was commandeered by a man armed with a shotgun and several sticks of dynamite.

 

The aircraft landed twice at Grand Falls Montana. For eight hours, Mary held the hijacker's hand, talking to him and diverting attention. At one point the hijacker held a knife to Mary's throat. The hijacker was later convicted and sentence to life in prison.
 

ACRA presidents from across the System had the opportunity to meet President Claude Taylor, right, in his first official function with an employee group during their annual general meeting in Montreal.

Representing ACRA from East to West are, from the left: Doug West, London, England; Brian Murray, Halifax; David Diggle, Saint John; Ghislain Tremblay, Quebec City; Janet Ferguson, Ottawa; Myron Curley, Toronto; Bob Lance, Thunder Bay; Dan Rowe Chicago; Dorothy Buss, Winnipeg; Gordon Myrehaug, Edmonton; Harvey Kloos, Los Angeles; and Bob Gregory, Vancouver. Missing from the photo were Doug Swanson of Sault Ste Marie, and Gord Thompson of Dorval. 

Movies in the form of video-tape recordings are proving to be a great method of training ramp personnel in the proper procedures. So successful has the type-trial been, that Toronto Aircraft Services plan to convert more programs to VTR on the basis of one aircraft type per year, the latest being the L-1011.

In 1976, the DC-9 programs will be completed as well as an up-date of the original B727 programs. Shown in the photo are some of the Toronto personnel who took part in the L-1011 -VTR training production. From the left are Bill Albers, Senior Customer Service Training Instructor; Station Attendant Mike Smith; Lead Station Attendant Don Scrace; and Station Attendants Frank Ball and Nevin Palmer. Missing were Lead Station Attendant D. White; and Station Attendants J. Holloway, W. Gray, R. Madill, H. Klaamas, B. Fletcher and M. Shipley. 

Bill Evans has sent us this name for the person in the second photo of the DC-8 endorsement course in the NetLetter nr 1224: Of Oct. 7, the person in the back row at the left end is Glenn Morrin. Glenn is retired near Brownsburg, Quebec.
Regards, Bill Evans

Bernie McCormack has sent us this memory:

Ghost - This is not necessarily a story about a North Star, but rather one of what happened one night in the fall of 1960 on board a North Star freighter. I was flying as 1st officer for "Buck" Buchanan between Vancouver and Calgary. We were approaching Turner Valley, the point at which we usually started our descent. Buck had allowed me to fly this first leg and I decided I had better make a trip to the john before we got too busy. I handed control over to the Captain and prepared to go back into the cabin. I pulled the mechanical release lever, slid my seat back and then reached up to turn on the cabin lights so I could see my way back to the washroom which was located at the very rear of the cargo cabin. But I hesitated and then decided to leave the lights off and I reached into my flight bag and lifted out my flashlight.

The reason for my decision regarding the lights was a story I had heard some months earlier. A first officer had left the flight deck for the washroom with the cabin lights on, but while he was back there the Captain had engaged the autopilot, turned the lights off, left his seat and hid behind a crated coffin and body being transported home. When the other pilot returned, groping his way in the dark, and as he passed the container, the Captain stepped from behind it and wordlessly reached out and rested his hand on the other pilots shoulder. Awful. I recalled that we had boarded a similar container destined to Calgary and decided to provide my own light. Just in case. 

When I finished my chore, I started back through the pitch black tube called the fuselage, filled with cargo and as I passed the container I mentioned, my curiosity caused me to turn my light up to it. I noticed there was a tag on the side that I guessed probably had the individual's name on it. I immediately turned my light away because I had no desire to put definition to it, name or gender. I thought it would be too personal and didn't want to see it.
(To be concluded in NetLetter nr 1228 - eds)

Sometimes we receive articles and information that just doesn't fit in our other areas. This is where it goes!

AAR received FAA approval to open previously announced 188,000 square ft. MRO facility (formerly operated by Northwest Airlines) in Duluth, MN in December 2012 (it expects to be running at full capacity by end of 2013); it has secured MOU from Air Canada to perform A320 airframe maintenance/modifications at facility over next five years, although initial work will be performed in Miami (source Speednews Oct 19/12).

Jack Morath has sent us this information and url:

Subject: Heathrow Airport 1945-1949. It's an old film about the enlargement of the wartime airfield and the construction of the airport known as Heathrow. Video quality a bit fuzzy if enlarged to full screen, but an interesting documentary (10 minutes). The opening sequence features some dialogue between a Trans-Canada Air Lines pilot 'on finals' requesting his landing instructions. It shows a few of the old airliner types that were in use then. Some good footage. Click the link, sound on...   

(The TCA aircraft call was CF-CBD, but we are unable to locate any of the TCA fleet with registration CF-CBD, however, there is a shot of the passengers being greeted before boarding CF-TEL, a North Star- eds)  

A memory, by your Chief Pilot:
While working in Dorval in the late 70's, my wife would fly on pass to LHR each spring, to visit her widowed mother. For five years, these trips of a week's duration took place. During this time, I would look after our two pre-teen sons. Come the end of the week, I had enough and my mother was happy to baby sit, so I would check the Friday night flights, AC or BA, and list myself and proceed to Mirabel. I was fortunate, each time, in getting first class. Upon arrival at LHR, I would seek out a passenger agent who had previously worked with me in YUL, and had transferred, and we would have a coffee and chat. 

My wife was unaware of my arrival on one occasion, and when she checked in, she was, unknowingly, handed a boarding pass for both of us, and went on through controls. After my coffee meeting, we checked and found that my wife had gone through - with my boarding pass too. However, the situation was rectified with a dummy pass made up for me.

While it sounds crazy to travel all that way just to turn around and return the next day, where else could one get a dinner, movie, breakfast, lunch, movie and tea time snack just by turning up! And wasn't the price right those days?

At one time, going through the customs at YMX, we were asked the usual question - "Is this all your luggage?", my wife traveled with a carry-on on these trips and answered "Yes". The officer then opened the luggage and asked my wife "When did you leave Canada", who replied "7 days ago". "Are you sure this is all your luggage?", the officer asked, looking at my wife, obviously looking for some male clothing. Finally he wanted to check our tickets. When I explained my movements and reason for traveling the previous day, he said "Oh! you bloody Air Canada types, get out of here".

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This cartoon by an undecipherable author appeared in the "Info Canadi>n" magazine issue August 1992.