Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |\^/| _| TCA |_ B E T W E E N O U R S E L V E S _|\| AIR |/|_ N E T L E T T E R > CANADA < >_./|\._< for Air Canada retirees | Our crew is: Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson Chief Navigator - Terry Baker number 159 date May 17th 1997 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . Your navigator will be wending his way to Calgary this week-end for a couple of da(z)e. Copy vesta on any questions or queries. ~-=o0o=-~ . What's On and Where - May 17th to 31st, 1997. Monday May 19, 1997 UK Pionairs in Alberta Adventure Highland Hotel Tuesday May 20, 1997 UK Alberta Adventure contd Wednesday May 21, 1997 UK Alberta Adventure cont'd YUL Spring Buffet @ Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club Friday May 23, 1997 YOW KoffeeKlatsches Family Carlingwood Shopping Thursday May 29, 1997 VanIs ComoxValley Lunch OLD HOUSE Courtenay Friday May 30, 1997 ACRA Bowling London,Ont YOW KoffeeKlatsches Family Carlingwood Shopping Saturday May 31, 1997 ACRA Bowling contd ~-=o0o=-~ . ACRA's System Softball Tournament due to be held in Winnipeg Jun 17-20th. All permanent, part-time employees and retirees and dependents are invited. Employees of AC Regional carriers, AC subsidiaries and all pass-eligible AC outsourced employees are also invited to join the guest division. All games will be played at the John Blumberg Complex on Wednesday and Thursday Jun 18-19. Rainouts scheduled for Friday 20th. Registration deadline is May 24th - contact your local ACRA rep. ~-=o0o=-~ . Found on the Internet. BAG-MATCHING IN PASSENGERS' FUTURE? The latest manifestation of last summer's anti-terrorism hysteria is coming to an airport terminal near you. A two-week test of bag-matching procedures began Tuesday at a dozen airports across the US. Delta Air Lines' Atlanta hub is part of the test, as are Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, Dallas and Calgary, Alberta. BRITS TO BLOW UP BIG BOEING: The NTSB last week said it has asked the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority to help in its ongoing investigation into the TWA 800 tragedy by placing microphones on the center fuel tank of a Boeing 747 it plans to blow up this summer. NTSB investigators want to learn how the resulting sounds compare with those recorded aboard Flight 800, also a 747, when it exploded last July, killing all 230 aboard. FLYERS FIRED FOR FIST FIGHT: Turkish Airlines fired two pilots Monday for engaging in a fist fight in the cockpit of an Airbus 340 with 240 passengers aboard. We'd love to see the CVR transcript on this one. TEST PILOTS MISS THREE GREEN, TURN FACES RED: Another CVR transcript we'd like to see involves the flight test crew of a Canadair Global Express who apparently forgot the gear during a flight on about April 25. The otherwise uneventful flight ended with what we presume was a short-field landing back at Toronto. The crew had pulled some circuit breakers, we presume as part of the flight test, and apparently pulled one too many. We understand that damage to the newest in Canadair's stable of wide-body bizjets was minimal. We can't say the same for ego -- or career paths -- however. FOLLOWING FINCH: Linda Finch landed in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, as her quest to complete pioneering aviatrix Amelia Earhart's final flight continued. Finch flew in from Singapore after skipping a stop because of fuel problems. On Thursday, Finch landed her 1935 Lockheed Electra 10-E in Darwin, Australia, her only stop downunder. Finch's arrival at Darwin brings her one step closer to the site over the Pacific where Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared on July 2, 1937. ~-=o0o=~~ . Interline stuff Fed up with getting a cauliflower ear while holding on for a reply to the Winnipeg Call Centre 1-800-413-1113? Well, things MAY be better soon as the company has introduced - for the active employees only - a system called B.A.R.T. which an automatic creation of the PNR record for any flight registration requested via a teletype or fax format. Also a facility for a confirmation with flight details and loads. ~-=o0o=-~ . Smilies An Airbus A300 crew arriving late into JFK was told their gate was occupied and to hold on the ramp until the airplane on their gate pushed back. Twenty minutes later the crew asked how much longer before that airplane would push back. Operations responded with, "We'll check on it and get back to you, please standby, we're busy up here." Twenty minutes later, Ops added, "That airplane will push as soon as they find the cockpit crew...the crew should be here any minute since they landed almost an hour ago." The waiting crew then asked, "What flight number is that going to be?" "Flight 547 to Dallas", snapped a busy and irritated voice. The crew replied, "We've found the crew for you...we're supposed to work that flight!" ~-=o0o=-~ . That's it for this time, please we need your input, send comments and email addresses of any others who may be interested to Vesta with a copy to Terry. -!- Landing on an Island in the Pacific. _____(~)_____ ! ! ! <<<>>> Air Canada Pionairs ~Between Ourselves-Netletter~ http://www.mortimer.com/acra mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ................................................... . GREETINGS FROM . . Vancouver Island . . BEAUTIFUL B.C. CANADA . ...................................................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |\^/| _| TCA |_ B E T W E E N O U R S E L V E S _|\| AIR |/|_ N E T L E T T E R > CANADA < >_./|\._< for Air Canada retirees | Our crew is: Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson Chief Navigator - Terry Baker number 158 date May 15th 1997 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . In Netletter nr 154 we welcomed Irv Christjanson who sends us this bio - Here's my brief history with TCA/AC..... -Started with TCA in YWG accounting on Jan 17/1955 -Transferred to Montreal in June/1959 to take a position in what was called Base Accounting..where the company installed the first computer hardware (an IBM 650). Many positions held during this time in Montreal - all in what became C&SS. -Transferred from Montreal on Aug 1/1978 to take a position with the C&SS Res II group on Front St. in Toronto, primarily involved with the setup of the Via reservation system. Became involved in other company sales ventures of its computerized systems to many other Canadian airlines, as well as, Air Jamaica -Retired from AC on Dec 31/84. Am living in Burlington, ON (next best thing to the west coast). If anyone remembers Irv, try his email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ~-=o0o=-~ . Don't forget JUN 24th is the celebration of the arrival of John Cabot at Bonavista, Newfoundland. More info on their web site - http://www.cabot500.newcomm.net ~-=o0o=-~ . Found on the internet. AIRBUS COMMITTED TO A3XX Airbus officials said the launch of the super jumbo Airbus A3XX was "inevitable" and would happen within 2 years. The US$ 8 billion project enjoys support from 19 airlines providing design and cost-control input to the European consortium. The first aircraft should enter service in 2003 in a 550 seat version, but later all economy 1000 seat stretch versions are already planned for the Japanese domestic market. Airbus intends to deliver the first A3XXs in 2003. Although wider than the 747, the aircraft is not much bigger, enabling it to land at all airports capable of accepting 747s. AIRLINE TO GO AHEAD WITH BOEING ORDER American Airlines restructured its USD 6 billion deal with Boeing, after purchases of at least 14 planes had been delayed due to the lack of a labour pact between the airline and its pilot union. American confirmed orders for 75 Boeing 737s, 12 Boeing 757s, four extended-range Boeing 767-300s and an undetermined number of Boeing 777 aircraft. CYPRUS PILOT LANDS AT WRONG AIRPORT TO AVOID OVERTIME A Cyprus Airlines pilot on a scheduled flight with 153 passengers landed at the wrong Cyprus airport on Monday May 6 in order to avoid working overtime for less than 10 minutes. The flight, delayed for 2 hours in Zurich for technical reasons, was due to land on the Mediterranean island's Larnaca airport, but the pilot elected to land at Paphos instead, barely 150 km (90 miles) away from the aircraft's scheduled destination, following work-to-rule measures called for by the airline's pilot union to protest moves to transfer some Cyprus Airlines activities to its charter subsidiary, Eurocypria. According to the airline, it would have taken the plane 5 to 6 minutes more to land to its intended destination. Instead, buses and taxis were used to bring the passengers to their final destination while the pilot checked in into a luxury hotel at the company's expense. This is not the first ridiculous incident to occur at the Cypriot airline. Last week, caterers delayed a flight for more than 45 minutes when they went on strike to protest a management decision forbidding them to watch television while working. They started an hour long strike when their TV set was removed. British Airways has given a chance to first year students at London's top art college, and help to transform a building site at Heathrow Airport into an art gallery. The competition will give 25 budding artists the opportunity to exhibit work that will be seen by more than one and a half million passengers over six months. The airline is planning to double the size of its gate lounge in Terminal 1. While work is underway hoarding will be erected giving a showing space 40 metres long. ~-=o0o=-~ . Interline stuff. HOT Exotic trips Orient & North Pacific. 19 days from Vancouver to Osaka for US$699 pp dbl. Vancouver - Juneau - Glacier Bay Cruising - College fjord - Anchorage - Dutch Harbour - Sapporo - Vlaidvostok - Pusan - Horishima - Osaka. ( 9 days at sea) Departing Sept 24th. Souteast Asia. 14 days from Singapore to Hongkong for US$699 pp dbl. Singapore - Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok - Ho Chi Minh City - Brunai - Kota Kinabala - Manila - Canton - Hongkong. ( 6 days at sea) Departing December 9th. Both cruises on 'Sky Princess' of Princes Cruise Lines. Parents also eligible. FIRST COME FIRST SERVED - CALL 1-800-690-3223 and mention Pionairs. BCP offers 50% discount on parking at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Holiday in Zimbabwe. 8 nights B & B in 3 star Hotel, 7 rounds of golf on top courses, 1 day/night in a Game Park. UKP699 for 2 persons. Call direct 00 263 4 495577. Navarria Hotel, a 3 star hotel in the area of Limassol, Cyprus, near sandy beach. 130 twin rooms, pool, bar, restaurant, coffee shop, TV, fully equipped health club. Call direct 5-320855. Le Meridien right on beach at Limmasol, Cyprus from CYP13.00 pp dbl. call direct 357-5-634000 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Palm Beach Hotel, Larnaca, Cyprus 5 star facilities. Call direct 357-4-644500 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Dome at Ayia Napa, Cyprus. Rates from CYP23 pp per day. Call direct 00357 3 721006. Evachrist Gardens, rental apartments in Larnaca, Cyprus, close to Palm Beach. 10 minutes from airport, 150 metres to beach. Rates per week Studio CYP80, 1 bdr CYP100, 2 bdrs CYP140 Call direct 00 357 4 645041. Luxury traditional village houses(2-6 persons) with swimming pool in peaceful environment, 10 mins Limmasol, 5 mins from beach. Rate includes transfer from/to Larnaca airport and self-drive car including insurance & unlimited mileage. CYP420 (2 persons - 1 bdr) 2 weeks. CYP530 ( 4 persons - 2 bdrs) 2 weeks. Call direct 00 357 2 493397. ~-=o0o=-~ Smilies. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by US Air Force pilots and the replies from the maintenance crews. "Squawks" are problem listings that pilots generally leave for maintenance crews. Problem: "Left inside main tire almost needs replacement." Solution: "Almost replaced left inside main tire." Problem: "Test flight OK, except autoland very rough." Solution: "Autoland not installed on this aircraft." Problem #1: "#2 Propeller seeping prop fluid." Solution #1: "#2 Propeller seepage normal." Problem #2: "#1, #3, and #4 propellers lack normal seepage." Problem: "The autopilot doesn't." Signed off: "IT DOES NOW." Problem: "Something loose in cockpit." Solution: "Something tightened in cockpit." Problem: "Evidence of hydraulic leak on right main landing gear." Solution: "Evidence removed." Problem: "DME volume unbelievably loud." Solution: "Volume set to more believable level." Problem: "Dead bugs on windshield." Solution: "Live bugs on order." Problem: "Autopilot in altitude hold mode produces a 200 fpm descent." Solution: "Cannot reproduce problem on ground." Problem: "IFF inoperative." Solution: "IFF inoperative in OFF mode." Problem: "Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick." Solution: "That's what they're there for." Problem: "Number three engine missing." Solution: "Engine found on right wing after brief search." ~-=o0o=-~ . That's it for this time, please we need your input, send comments and email addresses of any others who may be interested to Vesta with a copy to Terry. [*\ /***\_ ---************)-| Landing on an Island in the Pacific. ' b Air Canada Pionairs ~Between Ourselves-Netletter~ http://www.mortimer.com/acra mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ................................................... . GREETINGS FROM . . Vancouver Island . . BEAUTIFUL B.C. CANADA . ................................................... Signing off for now, Vesta. --- þ CMPQwk #1.42þ UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |\^/| _| TCA |_ B E T W E E N O U R S E L V E S _|\| AIR |/|_ N E T L E T T E R > CANADA < >_./|\._< for Air Canada retirees | Our crew is: Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson Chief Navigator - Terry Baker number 157 date May 13th 1997 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . Diane Moser, editor of Horizons, is off on maternity leave effective May 16th, replaced by Susan Smith. ~-=o0o=-~ . We welcome James Robertson, retired from Maintenance Planning in Dorval and living in Gloucester, Ont. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. In Netletter nr 154 we welcomed Tom Cox, an alternative email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Both emails are Tom's daughter Susan, who kindly passes on emails to her dad. ~-=o0o=-~ . With reference to Netletter nr 155 and the Winnipeg Flood Relief Bob Robbins sends us this update - Hello folks Netletter 155 quotes CIC Daily re donations to the Winnipeg Flood Fund. The word I received from Fraser Muir, to be passed on to our District members is: Air Canada retirees' Winnipeg Flood Fund donations, if made out to either the Salvation Army or the Red Cross, and if sent to: Mrs. Bernice Paul Pensions Administration Manager Air Canada, P. O. Box #788 Winnipeg, Man., R3C 2N2 ....will be matched by Air Canada in an equal amount. Cheers! Bob Robbins, District Director, Pionairs, Ottawa Diane Moser - Editor of Horizons sends this information - Retirees may contribute to the Manitoba Relief Fund and have their contributions matched by Air Canada. This information was provided to Pionair President Fraser Muir who has been passing it along through his various contacts. In Friday's CIC*INFO, I published the Royal mailing address to which retirees can send their cheques before May 31, 1997. Cheques should be made payable to "The Salvation Army/Air Canada Flood Fund" or the "Red Cross/Air Canada Flood Fund" and sent to the attention of John Sagriff, Coordinator, Employee Relations, 5th Floor, P.O. Box 768, 355 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, R3C 2N2. ~-=o0o=-~ . Do you have any photographs, as a child, on a TCA/AC background? For a special issue in the July Horizons, such photos received will be printed. Send your submissions to Flashbacks,Air Canada, PO Box 14000, Saint-Laurent, P.Que, H4Y 1H4 by May 28th. Ensure that you identify the people and place and date of the subject, plus a return address is you wish to have the photo returned. ~-=o0o=-~ . Netletter nr 155 seems to be full of errors! Alan Rust sends us a correction to the correction re fin nr for the latest A340 - AHA! a test within a test.... I'm sure that was a typo in the correction above but 604 is a B767 not a B747. In fact AC604 is the famous "Gimli Glider" that ran out of fuel and "landed" on an old airfield at GIMLI near Winnipeg. Don't know how I missed the original error though. FYI the aircraft numbering scheme is: 100 series = Regional Jets 200 series = A320's 300 series = B747's 400 series = used to be B727's 500 series = used to be 1011's 600 series = B767's 700 series = DC9's 800 series = used to be DC8's 900 series = A340's Alan Rust,Sysop, ACRA Airline BBS BBS (604) 541-1878 FAX (604) 536-4593 WWW - http://www.mortimer.com/acra mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ~-=o0o=-~ . Vesta sends an update on World Flight 1997 - Date: Tue, 6 May 1997 17:41:05 -0700 (PDT) World Flight 1997. in Jakarta, Indonesia COUNTDOWN 16,464 nautical miles completed 9,396 to go DATELINE JAKARTA - World Flight's Linda Finch arrived in Jakarta at 7:55 GMT on Tuesday, May 6 after a five hour flight from Singapore. Linda Finch is scheduled to fly from Jakarta to Surabaya, Indonesia on Wednesday, May 7. The 358-mile flight is expected to take about two and a half hours. ~-=o0o=-~ . Found on the Internet. "TIME-OUT" SEATS FOR UNRULY PAX? Can airline flyers look forward to bar bouncers, kindergarten-style "time-out" seats or security officers on board flights? Maybe so, if carrier execs decide these ideas will help stem the tide of incidents involving angry, unruly, drunken passengers that has seemingly proliferated in the past year or so. Local law enforcement is being called and encouraged. You've been warned. TOO PREPARED? TOP BOY SCOUT BUSTED FOR GUN IN CARRY-ON: Scouts honor... it was a mistake, said Jere B. Ratcliffe, chief scout executive of the Boy Scouts of America, after he was arrested last Sunday at Miami International Airport when an X-ray revealed the .32-caliber gun in his carry-on luggage. AEROFLOT BUYS BOEING COMMERCIAL JETS: This is bound to play well in Southern France. Boeing last week landed a 10-plane buy from Aeroflot Russian International Airlines, all 737-400 twins with a total value of approximately US$440 million. ~-=o0o=-~ . Interline stuff. Hot Hot Hot deal - Canal Cruise - Crown Princess - 15 days departing Los Angeles Oct 22 Nov 24 to Ft. Lauderdale and departing Ft Lauderdale Nov 9. From US$699 pp dbl. HURRY and call 1-800-690-3223 and mention Pionairs. Canadian Interline Travel - May Interline Hot Deals! **************************************************** Interline Resort Holidays ========================= Aruba, Belize, Mexico, Canary Islands, Fort Lauderdale, Margarita Islands 7 Nights US$199 pp dbl. Interline Alaska Cruises ======================== -Princess Cruises, -Celebrity Cruises, -Seabourne Cruises, -Holland America Line, -Norwegian Cruise Line, -Royal Caribbean Cruises. 7 Nights from US$399 pp dbl. Interline Canada Tours ====================== - 2 Day Summit Tour - from US$259 pp dbl, - 3 Nights Calgary Stampede - from US$230 pp dbl, - 13 Day Newfoundland & Labrador - from US$899 pp dbl, - 10 Day Canadian Rail Adventure - from US$1249 pp dbl, - 8 Day Lakes & Mountains - from US$639 pp dbl. Interline Europe Cruises ======================== - Western Mediterranean - 7 nights May 18, 25, & June/97 from US$799 pp dbl - Greek Isles/Turkey - 7 nights May 18/97 from US$799 pp dbl. - Black Sea - 11 nights May 23/97 US$1099 pp dbl. - Canary Islands - 10 Nights June 3/97 from US$999 pp dbl. (Usual Terms and Conditions Apply) Call 1-800-665-3100 and mention Pionairs. ~-=o0o=-~ . Smilies - SHORT FINAL... We don't know if this is truth, fiction, or urban legend. And we don't care either, because it's an enjoyable story: Yorkshire (UK) police were jolted from their routine of traffic radar when they apparently began clocking a speeder at 300 mph. It proved to be no malfunction as a low-flying Harrier Jet screamed overhead a few seconds later. When Police officials registered a complaint with the Ministry of Defense about their damaged equipment, the MOD only replied that the damage could have been worse. Much worse. It seems the Harrier's defense systems had locked onto the radar and had gone into an automatic preemptive strike mode before the pilot decided enemy antiaircraft activity was unlikely along the motorways of northern England.... ~-=o0o=-~ . That's it for this time, please we need your input, send comments and email addresses of any others who may be interested to Vesta with a copy to Terry. -!- Landing on an Island in the Pacific. _____(~)_____ ! ! ! <<<>>> Air Canada Pionairs ~Between Ourselves-Netletter~ http://www.mortimer.com/acra mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ................................................... . GREETINGS FROM . . Vancouver Island . . BEAUTIFUL B.C. CANADA . ...................................................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |\^/| _| TCA |_ B E T W E E N O U R S E L V E S _|\| AIR |/|_ N E T L E T T E R > CANADA < >_./|\._< for Air Canada retirees | Our crew is: Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson Chief Navigator - Terry Baker number 156 date May 11th 1997 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . Vesta sends us this article from her local bulletin board - The 1997 Abbotsford International Airshow promises to be the highlight of your summer activities here in B.C. We invite you to the Abbotsford Airshow - August 8th through 10th 1997 to view some of the best world-class aviation performers and static displays. Abbotsford is located just east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which is north of Seattle, Washington. See Patty Wagstaff, U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, along with Wayne Handley, Shockwave Jet Truck, John Mohr and for the first time on British Columbia soil, the German Tornado. Updated lists of performers, static displays and logistic information can be found at http://www.harbour.com/commorgs/airshow/ ~-=o0o=-~ Roger Carter wrote an interesting article about the Dreams Take Flight which appeared in the Montreal Pionairs 'Sentinel', Winter 1997. The following in a condensed version we hope is of interest - How many of us can remember their first flight? Well you can bet the 140 children who gathered in the early morning hours of October 16th 1996 at the Dorval Base for the Second Annual Dreams Take Flight, will long remember theirs. All children were disadvantaged, either through sickness or family circumstances and ranged in age from 5 to 14 years. They started to arrive shortly after 4 am and after registration, they were taken to be photographed and finder printed and a final check made to ensure that all documentation and instructions such as special medication requirements were recorded. After donning a Dreams Take Flight tee shirt and cap, they were free to enjoy free juice, milk and donuts. Each child was given $20 spending money, a camera to record their day, sun glasses, a fanny pack as well as sundry goodies. Once in flight each was given the opportunity to visit the flight deck and make a phone call. At exactly 6.07 am to shouts of 'open that door - open that door', the hanger doors slid back to reveal their magic carpet - a Boeing 767. After boarding and settling down, they were off to Disney World. Dreams Take Flight is not an official Air Canada Venture. The planning, organizing and fund raising is done on employees own time and on a volunteer basis. In addition, the flight itself is manned by pilots, flight attendants and a group of volunteers working together to make the childrens' dreams a reality. (This scenario happens thoughout the year at various Air Canada stations who operate their own Dreams Take Flight. Volunteers are most welcome, Pionairs do get involved as well. Why not call your local Pionair District Director and offer your time. - eds) ~-=o0o=-~ Air Canada has announced that financial donations by its employees for the Winnipeg Flood Relief Fund will be matched by the company. ~-=o0o=-~ . Alan Rust sends us - I found a WWW site that your subscribers may be interested in. It is a Canadian site for seniors called "The Seniors Computer Information Project" and it can be found at: http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/crm/ "The Seniors Computer Information Project maintains arguably the best clearinghouse for links to areas of interest for senior citizens, providing in its wake some amazing chances to see how the older half lives. The site features great selections of individual sites, and special areas for commercial sites that seem to be peer-reviewed. It's nice to be able to use a service like this and not have to wade through commercial sites hawking cremations and retirement homes." ~-=o0o=-~ . Found on the Internet. The first Boeing B737 celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. AirTran Airways, new US startup airline will operate out of Orlando. Every Wednesday, at 2 am, Northwest Airlines holds its own version of the K-Mart 'Blue Light' special on its web site, selling discounted fares to anyone who wants to fly from Minneapolis to places such as New York City that weekend for as low as US$89 return. Atlas Air is negotiating with Boeing for (10) B747-400's. Air Transat (Canada) plan to operate between Montreal and Paris commencing Nov 1st. Air Ukraine has ordered (2) B767-200ER for their trans-Atlantic routes and (3) Airbus A320-200 for its shorter range flights. Delta begins flying New York (JFK) to Instanbul with B767-300ER. ASIAN AIRLINES BEST IN THE WORLD SAYS SURVEY The 1996 Zagat Travel Survey found the Asian Airlines Best in the World. The imperative to stave off cabin fever on long flights means that the trans-Pacific carriers "almost have to be the best," according to Tim Zagat, co-publisher. "A flight of 10 hours or more is going to be remembered, for better or worse. The successful long-distance carriers make the passage something like a cruise, with wide-body planes, lots of amenities and an emphasis on personal service. Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific have become renowned for treating passengers like royalty." Swissair, on the other hand, was highly praised for its unmatched punctuality and clockwork-like performance. Not all Asian carriers performed so well however. First time entry China Airlines was awarded just 11.87 out of a possible 30, with a surveyor commenting that he prayed "that it stays together", speaking of the airline's old planes. Lower still were US airlines Tower Air and ValuJet, described as flying "cattle cars of the sky", with Russia's Aeroflot being ranked last for its "equipment older than Methuselah". ~-=o0o=-~ . Interline stuff. Recently, Central Mountain Air took over several routes previously operated by AirBC. The arrangement with this airline is a 'zonal' one i.e. minimum fare is US$23 plus tax. The 'zonal' fare from Nanaimo to Vancouver, for example, a distance of 44 miles, 10 minutes flying time, will be CA$40 one way! Canadi>n also operates 'zonal', not ID90, on this sector. ~-=o0o=-~ . Smilies. He was flying a 707 one miserable night in New York, in horrible weather, when he joined the "stack" at the top, and began a very long holding procedure. Some of those below, who had been going in bumpy circles for a very long time, were a bit testy. One irate captain was a little slow to release the mike button before barking at his copilot, and his clear, forcefull voice rang out over the airwaves with the single word, "Bullshit!". After a moment of complete silence, the controller keyed up and said, "Who said 'Bullshit?'" After a couple more moments of complete silence, Chuck just couldn't resist temptation. He picked up his mike and said, in his most professional deadpan baratone, "Ah, this is TWA flight 222. Negative on the "Bullshit". His brethren below caught on immediately, and continued "American 414, Negative on the "Bullshit", and so on, all the way down the stack! ~-=o0o=-~ . That's it for this time, please we need your input, send comments and email addresses of any others who may be interested to Vesta with a copy to Terry. -!- Landing on an Island in the Pacific. _____(~)_____ ! ! ! <<<>>> Air Canada Pionairs ~Between Ourselves-Netletter~ http://www.mortimer.com/acra mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ................................................... . GREETINGS FROM . . Vancouver Island . . BEAUTIFUL B.C. CANADA . ...................................................