Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

NetLetter editor, Terry Baker, remembers that from 1987 through to 2000, the retirees used to receive an annual notice of an ad hoc increase in our pensions; indexed during this time period.

Regrettably, indexing was discontinued during CCAA negotiations that were to follow.

Click the image for full view.

In NetLetter #654 issued January 2002, there were several articles from readers regarding the DC-9.

In recent NetLetters we had information on the DC-9, so we dug through some of the responses resulting from the NetLetter 654 articles -

Here is one from Bill Norberg -

The recent wave of nostalgia surrounding the DC-9 fleet has freshened many memories of my experiences with that fleet. No doubt many people have written you about their experiences. Notwithstanding that I will add one more if you don't mind.

I remember so well many of the events on the choice of the DC-9 as a replacement aircraft for the dear old Viscount. As wonderful as the Viscount was in some ways, the DC-9 left it behind in a trail of dust.

I was in a meeting in the Engineering and Maintenance conference room dealing with some aspects of the selection when Gene Vermander entered the room to say that President Kennedy had been shot and killed. I always associate the DC-9 selection with that fateful day.

There were a number of aircraft considered along with the DC-9 when the selection was made. The British Aircraft Corporation BAC-111 was being pushed very hard by BAC as was the Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle as it would no doubt give work to the Canadair plant in Montreal. Also it was a French design which gave it appeal in some areas.

We had been through the Viscount era with its maintenance problems to be followed by the dear old Vanguard. In Maintenance we had just about had enough of BAC and wanted to select an aircraft type that considered the maintenance aspect to a greater extent.

Whenever we brought up the problems with BAC aircraft, Sir George Edwards who was the Managing Director of BAC had a standard answer..."We will put it right". Many of us had enough of the concept of why use 4 bolts when 8 will do, approach to life.

Sir George Edwards fought hard to have the BAC-111 selected but to no avail. Douglas aircraft who had always built a reliable aircraft got the message and the concept of "Maintainability" was a key plank in their development and sales program. Interestingly also, the man in Douglas who headed up the "Maintainability" program was no other than A. M. Sutherland, or better known to us as Mickey Sutherland.

Mickey Sutherland had headed up the Trans-Canada Air Lines Maintenance Department while Jim Bain was away at Canadair building the North Stars. When Jim came back on the job Mickey suddenly left to work for Slick Airways in the USA. He was a wonderful person and well liked. It was great to work with him again.

Shortly after the selection was made to purchase the DC-9's, BAC had a very sad incident with one of their BAC-111's on a test flight. It went into what is known as a deep stall and the flight crew were unable to get it out of the stall. All on board perished, including a number of their design team.

As a result of this incident, the design of T-tails on aircraft was changed and stall testing could only be done with a drogue chute in place to snap the aircraft out of the stall should it ever occur. We made the right decision.

Regards,

Bill Norberg. (Sadly, Bill is no longer with us.)

Bob Sheppard reminded us of this photo taken some time during the amalgamation of Air Canada and Canadian Airlines in the early 2000's.

Canadian had a heavy maintenance service contract with America West Airlines that continued during the transition of the YVR Ops Centre.

Wayne Albertson remembers working as a Material Logistics Coordinator in the hangar at the time.

Here we have another cartoon by Dave Mathias which appeared in the 'Horizons' magazine issued June 1980.