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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

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

Toronto - February 12, 2011: Alan C. Dares, B.A, C.T.M, A.T.P.L. will be speaking on "Light Sport Aircraft (LSA's) in Canada"

Vancouver - February 8, 2011: The February meeting presentation will be a slide presentation by Keith Wade on flying boats and amphibians. For more info call Jerry Vernon at (604) 420-6065

CAHS National Convention

Edmonton - June 22 to 26, 2011 - 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 more information as it becomes available.

Pionair Meetings and Events - Compiled by Alan Rust

The Air Canada Pionairs have ongoing Coffee Club Meetings in the following Districts; Vancouver Island, Vancouver, Okanagan, Edmonton, Calgary, Man-Sask, SW Ontario, Central Ontario, Ottawa, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia - P.E.I., Newfoundland, UK - E.C. and the USA - Caribbean. For full information, click here.

Meetings provide an opportunity to meet old friends, learn the latest news regarding Air Canada and your pensions or hear a variety of guest speakers speaking on topics of interest to retirees.

The 34th Annual General Meeting/Reunion of the Pionairs will be held in Vancouver from April 12 - 14th, 2011. Mark your calendars, more information coming soon.

ACRA Upcoming Events- Compiled by Alan Rust

Retirees Welcome!

Steve Kerwin, organizer for the annual ACRA System Golf Event invites all retirees to the annual ACRA System Golf Tournament, Sunday, September 11 - 15, 2011. For more information see: www.acra.ca Rates include 4 nights room, golf, dinners, and breakfasts from $326.00 - $400.00 per person.

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)

Our first 70 years - Compiled by Terry Baker

1962
- Oct 28th - Suntour lease of DC-8 and DC-9 equipment for tours to Caribbean destinations

1963
- Feb 15th - TriStar service between Toronto - Miami route.

- April - TransAir takes over the TCA service between Regina and Prince Albert.

TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker

Musings from the "Between Ourselves" magazine an Air Canada publication from years gone by.

Issue dated -March 1963
Extracts from "Between Ourselves" magazine -

SELLING CANADA was the job of these three men recently at TCA's booth at the Aberdeen Travel and Holidays Exhibition held in Aberdeen. Shown in front of the display from the left are: Ewan Cameron, Passenger Agent City Ticket Office, Glasgow; Ian Gardner, Sales Representative and Donald McLean, District Sales Manager, Glasgow.

Issue dated - June 1963

A company DC-8 rolls along the runway in front of the new Toronto terminal building scheduled to open in the fall of 1963. The maximum capacity is set at 5 million passengers per year. Its circular design will enable passengers to hop out of their vehicles within 100 foot of the aircraft they are set to board.

THE COMBINED EFFORTS of employees at the Telecommunications Laboratory along with Sales resulted in the successful opening of the Company's new automatic flight announcement system at Montreal International Airport. From the left:Marcel Cadieux, Ken Crinkley, George Arena, Jim Parker, John Doney, Hugh Cummings, Karel Stuut, Bob Jacquin.

Issue dated - November 1st 1972

Gleanings from "Horizons" magazine -

NO MORE GALLEY SLAVES - Changed procedures for cabin crews on DC-8's and Vanguard aircraft allow all flight attendants to spend more time with passengers and reduce walking. Training classes were held recently in connection with the changes in procedures at the Vancouver Maintenance Base and above are some of the cabin crews during a lull in the sessions, First reports back from crews indicate an excellent reaction from both passengers and flight attendants to the new methods (Sorry but no names - anyone? eds)

With a little help from his friends, Customer Service Manager Bob Cowan cuts a cake at a reception given by his colleagues at Kennedy International Airport as Bob took his retirement. Pitching in are Margaret Bruno, Susan Deppe, Deidre Roberts, Frances Cooke, Marianne Greene and Terry Dicasa.

Friends from across the System and CAE Aircraft Ltd., joined local Winnipeggers at a gathering at the Canadian Forces Base in Winnipeg last month to offer their good wishes to three maintenance employees who retired recently. They are, from the left: Bill Baggley, Foreman. Viscount Maintenance: Frank Bednar, A/Foreman, Finishing & Tire Maintenance; and Ben Leah, Manager, Maintenance & Planning, whose combined years of service total 98 years and six months. Shown with them is Sam Purves, Maintenance Superintendent, Viscount, right.

Alan's Space - by Alan Rust

Alan Rust

1,000th Dash 8/Q-Series Turboprop Celebration
Here is a video by Bombardier celebrating the 1000th Dash 8 and 400th Global aircraft on Friday, November 12, 2010. It shows a nice time line of the products made at DeHavilland. Submitted to the NetLetter by Tak S.Chiu (thanks Tak)

Click on image below for video...

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.

Issue dated - May 1998
We found this information in the "Canadi>n Flyer" magazine -

June 2nd non-stop flights between YOW and LHR, also the reintroduction of the "Dayliner" service YYZ-LHR and the "Starliner" service LHR-YYZ.. Maintaining the aircraft at LHR are Daniel Hetherington and Tim McSharry.

Our Sales force in LHR is creating wins, one step at a time. The team includes (from top) Shilla GilL Gary Kershaw, Lucy Moore, Denise Mihell, Maggie Coombe, Tony Powles, Nicky Edmunds. Jenny Ruler, Kim Lord and Gary Cross.

Number 1 Flight Attendant New Hire Training Program - Held at the YVR Operations Centre. Graduation was April 23rd (1998) and in service the very next day. Here is a photo of some of the attendees. We have no identification for those in the photo, but some of the attendees at the course are: Lisa Marak, Yo Miyazaki, Lapp Chia, Linn Wang, Karuri Boycott, Michiko Blanchett. Lynn Foster, Bambi Nomoto, Yasuko Prior, Camille Tsang.

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.

Ken Pickford spotted an error and sends us this correction -

One correction to the list of TCA/AC Presidents/CEOs in Issue 1150. The initials of the first President (Hungerford) were S.J, not C.N. He was the President of the Canadian National Railway at the time which is no doubt the origin of that error. TCA was legally a CNR subsidiary for many years. Regards, Ken

In NetLetter nr 1149, under "Terry's trivia and travel tips", we had an article about StarTrips. Peter Dawson made this enquiry.-
I'm not sure what the article is promoting. Is it www.StarTrips.com, or something called T4T? It sounds like T4T offers better rates than StarTrips, but what is it?

Peter Dawson

We, at the NetLetter, received this explanation from Chris Arbique of StarTrips.com -

"We have a number of clients who wish to participate in StarTrips, only those who offer true Interline discounts are permitted to post their offerings. Time4Travel (T4T) is one of these clients. The offerings they have posted are from "all" of the properties that they are aligned with and these properties are only available to www.StarTrips.com and www.RumRabbit.com members.

Yes, the rates being offered via the Time4Travel portal are in most instances, better than Interline and you won't find this offering on any other Interline website. There are over 20,000 properties in this one portal. This is just one way members to our site's can surf and save. Hope this answers the question

In NetLetter nr 1149,we asked if anyone knew of the nickname for Claude Taylor, and Lionel Musgrove sent this information...
In reference to your Issue # 1149 - I had the privilege of working for Claude Taylor for the best part of my career with Air Canada. You asked if Claude had a nick name? Claude was often called "C.I.T." Many of the other officers during those years were also referred to by their initials. Dave Tennant was known as "DCT". Pierre Jeanniot was known as "PJJ". and the list goes on. I hope this is of some help.

Keep up the good work. Your efforts are very much appreciated.
Lionel Musgrove (Retired)

Pauline James sends us this information -

Hi there! I was very excited to read this issue and see the note from Janet Carten, who says she was an "old Stew in 1943-44"- It is highly likely that she knew my mother who was also a TCA Stew at the same time based in Montreal, doing the same routes. In fact, my parents met in Moncton where my Dad was a radio operator (or a flight dispatcher - or both!). In later 1945, my mother forgot her watch and didn't have one for her return flight to Montreal, so he loaned his to her. The "rest is history", as they say, and here I am, the proud daughter of former TCA pioneers, Ron James and Trude Lafontaine (later James). Thanks again for another delightful issue of the Netletter - Pauline

We, at the NetLetter, passed the email to Janet who sent this reply -

Thanks for forwarding the e-mail from Pauline James. I have sent her an e-mail telling her that while I did not know her mother I probably knew her father. Things were so informal in those days all the flight crews knew the ground crews by first name.There was always a warm welcome for us whenever we arrived. I didn't know her mother as we were flying the same route (just one stew per trip) so would not run into each other as we did occasionally with gals on other flights. Anyway, I enjoyed hearing from Pauline. Thanks for forwarding her message.

ReserVec, the most modern system of its kind, goes into full operation. First operation was all direct services to and from New York City on June 17th 1962. Then on the Pacific Coast Vancouver-Seattle-Victoria routes, followed by YVR-YYC and Edmonton-Calgary-Lethbridge routes mid-September. October TCA began selling space on all even-numbered flights in North America, and by January 1963 all reservations centres were on the ReserVec system.

Mike Nash sent us this piece of history just as we found the above article from "Between Ourselves" issue March 1963 -

I don't know whether you are familiar with Tracy Kidder's famous book, "Soul of a New Machine" which portrayed the human side of the building of a new computer, but he caught the feel of what it was similarly like working with the then state-of-the-art computer and communications technology with the company in the 1970's. Many of the computer company people who worked on the 'Reservec 2' project from 1969-70 came directly from the Apollo Moon program as its development work was winding down - long hours and interesting camaraderie. Cheers Mike

Back In The Old Days

A while back I mentioned some of the so-called jokes that flight and ground crews inflicted on each other. In retrospect I suppose that some of these escapades could be seen as being cruel and insensitive which indeed there is no doubt some of the so called practical jokes were. That some of these escapades might even have undermined safety, notwithstanding, most of them were innocent, quite harmless stress relievers and would even pass the test of current political correctness if judged in the context of the aviation cultural standards back in the day. These, then, aside from the well worn request for some junior neophyte whether pilot, mechanic or flight attendant to go get a bucket of prop wash are some of my more gentler recollections of the fun and games indulged in back in the hay days of the late sixties and early seventies.

The mighty, "North Star" was called by pilots who flew them the, "North Stone", for its somewhat maligned performance short comings. Anyone else who has ever flown in one in any capacity, including even as a passenger, for obvious reasons would call it the, "Noisy Star". It presented a rather unique opportunity to initiate brand new flight attendants. The hydraulic system for the wheels, flaps and brakes included a redundancy or standby system in case the primary system failed and unlike modern airplanes where faults are computer detected and rectified, required the arm-strong method to operate, to wit, a manually operated hand pump. The handle for the pump was located on the cockpit floor and to add mechanical advantage to pump it, had a telescoping handle which, when extended, gave it a length of about four feet so that a pilot could pump it with out getting out of his seat. You can guess what's coming can't you?

A newbie F/A would be told, usually in cahoots with a conspiring more senior cohort cabin crew member, that when a passenger was seen exiting the washroom she was to go the flight deck, extend the handle which she was told was the toilet flusher, beside the pilot's seat, and pump it once, then collapse the handle, stow it in its original position and return to the cabin. They usually caught on after about the third, "Flush".

Speaking of modern redundancy systems the recent incident of the QUANTAS flight out of Singapore seems to suggest that all modern planes, even the latest whales, have automatic redundancy systems that seem to need of quite a bit of unexpected human intervention to fulfill their design function.

Captain A.N. Onymous

Ed Bakstad sent in this memory -
I was a CPAir/Canadian/Air Canada pilot from '73 to '06. Nothing interesting happened in my career but my father in law Capt Jim Black was written up in the Vancouver Province on Dec. 4, 1953 along with his picture as the first non stop flight from Tokyo to Vancouver flown in a DC-6B.

The CPA officials at that time also believed it to be the longest commercial airlines passenger flight in history. I also have a "cute" picture of my wife Norma Bakstad, nee Black (Capt. Black's daughter) as an Air Canada Abottsford Airshow hostess in '68. She was an Air Canada stewardess (that's what we called them back then) from the mid 60's to the early 70's.

Regards, Ed

Odds & Ends - Compiled by Terry Baker

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

Here we have a copy of the Christmas card received from Ron Munson which depicts the Avro Vulcan presently being restored in the UK. Check the web site for information - www.vulcantothesky.org

Here is a photo of the Toronto air traffic control tower in 1963.

Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker

Terry Baker

Celine Carroll sends us this information -

FYI: I was charged a $25.00 fee to list myself directly with Continental Airlines, I called our pass bureau and nobody seemed to be aware of this fee. Thought I would pass this information on. All listing should be made on the computer at www.flyzed.com. Ironic when my pass only cost $19.00. Thank you. Retiree, Celine Carroll

Some deals offered by www.airlineemployeetravel.com -

Cancun All Inclusive Resorts
Club Med Cancun - 3 Star Resort - Rates from $95pp - Special AET offer - Book 3 Nights or More by Jan. 31 and get free roundtrip airport transfers from the Cancun Airport for up to 2 adults!

Gran Caribe Cancun - 4 Star Resort - Rates from $93pp - Special AET offer - Book 3 Nights or More by Jan. 31 and get free roundtrip airport transfers from the Cancun Airport for up to 2 adults!

Riu Cancun - 4 Star Resort - Rates from $107pp - Special AET offer - Book 3 Nights or More by Jan. 31 and get free roundtrip airport transfers from the Cancun Airport for up to 2 adults!

Riu Caribe - 4 Star Resort - Rates from $95pp - Special AET offer - Book 3 Nights or More by Jan. 31 and get free roundtrip airport transfers from the Cancun Airport for up to 2 adults!

Riu Palace Las Americas - 4 Star Resort - Rates from $128pp - Special AET offer - Book 3 Nights or More by Jan. 31 and get roundtrip free airport transfers from the Cancun Airport for up to 2 adults!

The Royal in Cancun - 5 Star Resort - Rates from $155pp - Special AET offer - Book 3 Nights or More by Jan. 31 and get roundtrip free airport transfers from the Cancun Airport for up to 2 adults!

Remember call us at 800 250-5229! The Staff at Airline Employee Travel

Here's a deal to visit Israel -

SUMMER TIME IN ISRAEL
16 - 22 JUN 2011
The Israeli Interline Club is pleased to invite all Interline club members to visit Israel in Summer time. Stay in Jerusalem & Tel Aviv. Visit Masada, Dead Sea, Nazareth, Haifa, Caesarea, Acre & the Sea of Galilee + many other sites.

Rates in US $ Per person in a double: $777.00 Single Supplement: $300.00 Third person in the room: $739.00

Extra night in Tel Aviv: $77.00, Single Room $115.00 BB WACA fee per person: $20.00
1. Three nights' accommodation in a 4* hotel in Tel Aviv.
2. Three nights' accommodation in a 4* hotel in Jerusalem.
3. Four Organized Tour English Speaking Guides (other languages on request).
4. Six Breakfast
5. Four Dinner meals.
Tour does not include:
Lunch beverages, drinks, tips, portage & travel insurance

Full details at www.waca.org

Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker

As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.

Duane Frerichs sends us this cartoon -

Perhaps the Netletter readers would enjoy this.

Alan Rust - our co-pilot -sent in this -

Romance Novel

He grasped me firmly but gently just above my elbow and guided me into a room, his room. Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone.

He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear. "Just relax."

Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my calves slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat. I knew should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so experienced, so sure.

When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage. And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply.

Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid them down my tingling spine and into my panties.

Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and expectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge. A man not used to taking `no' for an answer. A man who would tell me what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say ... "Okay, ma'am," said a voice. "All done."

My eyes snapped open and he was standing in front of me, smiling, holding out my purse. "You can board your flight now."

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!

Sincerely,

Your NetLetter Team

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.

The NetLetter #1150

The NetLetter
For Air Canada Retirees

January 22, 2011 - Issue 1150

First Issue published in October 1995!

(over 5,400 subscribers)

In This Issue

Air Canada Related News.

Reader Submitted Photos

Web Site Information

www.thenetletter.org

Donation Information

Please make cheques payable to "ACFamily Network" and send to:

ACFamily Network
#800 - 15355 24th Ave, Suite 523
Surrey, BC V4A 2H9
or
Pay by Credit Card

Audio Archives

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Greetings!

Terry & your NetLetter Team

Women in Aviation - Compiled by Alan Rust

Determined Jessica Cox has become the world's first person to earn a pilot's license - without any arms. The 25-year-old from Tucson, Arizona, US, took three years to gain her license, with instructor Parrish Traweek guiding her on how to use the controls of the Ercoupe 415 plane with her feet.

Click on the image below for a Youtube video about her achievments (so far). Her t-shirt reads "Look Ma, no hands!". Her website is www.rightfooted.com

We received this article from Brian Dunn of YYZNews. (thanks again, Brian)

CAHS Upcoming Events - Compiled by Alan Rust

Ottawa - January 27, 2011: Rob Erdos, Chief Test Pilot for the National Research Council of Canada, shares his test pilot insights and personal experiences flying Vintage Wings of Canada's recently restored Westland Lysander. Join us for what promises to be a most interesting evening.

Toronto - February 12, 2011: Alan C. Dares, B.A, C.T.M, A.T.P.L. will be speaking on "Light Sport Aircraft (LSA's) in Canada"

Vancouver - February 8, 2011: The February meeting presentation will be a slide presentation by Keith Wade on flying boats and amphibians. For more info call Jerry Vernon at (604) 420-6065

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.

See: www.cahs.ca/events/convention.html for more information as it becomes available.

Other Upcoming Events- Compiled by Alan Rust

Retirees Welcome!

Steve Kerwin, organizer for the annual ACRA System Golf Event has found a venue with outstanding value for this years event. Rates include 4 nights room, golf, dinners, and breakfasts from $326.00 - $400.00 per person.

Our first 70 years - Compiled by Terry Baker

1947 - Oct 1st - First scheduled service to Shannon.
1963 - Jan 31st - First DC-8F fin 813 delivered to YUL
1972 - Nov 3rd - DC-8 freighter service LAX - YYZ inaugurated.

Air Canada News (Current) - Compiled by Terry Baker

Recent Air Canada related information and news.

Air Canada's LHR Concierge Team are this week's Team of the Week, according to the Skyport newspaper for Heathrow. They are, from left, Paula Dunn, Kelvin Ogunjimi and Sara Ramage.

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.

Eric Watt shares these photos of some employees who worked in the C & SS in Dorval.

Takes me back a bit, 34 years ago... I have no idea who took the pictures but we are certainly older now and maybe a tad wiser. Some flashback shots -1976, I see Ken Clark, Kim Sansom ( and wife) and that's Brian McCready in the background......Brian McCready's father was a 747 pilot. Tim McDonald's head is by Ken Clark

Guys from the left: Jim Pearce, Peter Symes, Andy McWeeny, Ken James, Aaron Charad, Doug Mallory and we believe the head of Brian Swinburne.

Guys from left bottom row: Ken Clark, Eric Watt, (a much younger me and the back of my wife's blonde head), Jim Pearce...
Top row from the left: Al Kurys, Art Shibuya, Rick Carter .

Bob Pitcairn sent us a clipping regarding this DC-6B.

I enjoy the Newsletter particularly about history of our airlines.

An Air Force pilot friend of mine sent the attached clipping about Canadian Pacific Airline Empress of Suva DC-6. I joined Canadian Pacific Airlines in early 1966 and flew DC-6's on domestic routes for one year.

There were only six of them left in the fleet left then, but not the Empress of Suva. The remaining six DC-6's were retired in 1968 with the arrival of the B0-737. Three of the remaining DC-6's flew as water bombers with Conair in Abbotsford until last year.

The DC-6B is "Empress of Suva" delivered to CPAL August 15th 1957 and registered CF-CZV fin 444 c/n 45329. It was sold to Trans-Air of Sweden November 9th 1961 and re-registered SE-BDG.

We printed the photo, but the clipping did not print too well, so we went to the web site of the South Africa Air Force Museum at www.saafmuseum.org and copied the following -

Written: Leon Steyn, Historian, Air Force Museum, Photos: Townsend/Hopkins

On Saturday the 4th of December 2010, a classic Douglas airliner "the Empress of Suva" took to the sky over the city for a brief but memorable ferry flight to its new owners north of Pretoria. The Douglas DC-6B, which first flew with Canadian Pacific Airlines in August 1957, had languished at Swartkop airfield for the past eleven years and was destined to be scrapped, unwanted.

Two avid aviation enthusiast and business partners Willie Muntingh and Withold Walus however learnt of her fate and decided to save the aircraft. They duly purchased the DC-6 and devised a magnificent plan - to fly the old propliner to their small holding and business premises north of Pretoria.

Years of neglect meant that the old aircraft would need a great deal of attention. Meeting a great deal of skepticism and disbelief at such a huge enterprise, the restoration team under the leadership of flight engineer Mike Mayers gradually repaired the old aircraft back to flying condition during the course of two years.

For its arrival at its new home, a micro-light airstrip was extended to 850 meters and widened significantly to accommodate the arrival of the DC-6 there. Expertly flown by SAA Captains Johan van den Berg, Laurie Raath and flight engineer Mike Mayers, the aircraft eventually took off from Swartkop airfield at 07:15 on Saturday morning the 4th of December 2010 and headed north. The aircraft passed to the west of the city and were then positioned for the crucial landing. Twenty minutes later the big DC-6 touched down on the make-shift runway, and amidst a cloud of dust, came to a complete stop just 500 meters from touch-down.

The aircraft will be kept in a running condition and at its new location, it will remain, much loved, perhaps to fly again one day.

TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker

Musings from the "Between Ourselves" magazine an Air Canada publication from years gone by.

Issue dated - Febuary 1963
Extracted from the "Between Ourselves" magazine

DC-8F sets unofficial record from Long Beach to Montreal. With a tail wind of between 90 - 120 mph at 29,000 the aircraft took just 4 hours and five minutes along commercial route "Jet 64". on the January 31st delivery flight of fin 813. The crew, Captains G.B Lothian, R.J.Baker, A.Rankin piloted the aircraft. Also onboard was Roy McCormack.

FIRST AID CERTIFICATES from the Ambulance Brigade were recently presented at Saint John Municipal Airport to a group Comprising largely of Company employees. The course was conducted during the fall months of 1962 by Ronald E. Cunningham, Moncton, regional supervisor of first aid for the CNR and TCA.

From left to right, front row: William J. Hegan Station Operations Manager; R. E. Cunningham, L. G. Stirling, C.N.R.; J. E. Maloney, DOT; Allan Sutherland, DOT; back row: Clifford C. Bizzo, Station Attendant; Ernest F. Crawley, Mechanic-in-Charge; William McDevitt, Station Attendant; Howard Bulmer, Station Agent; Paul L. Mitchell, Lead Station Attendant; Francis M. Cogger, Station Agent; Robert T. Kirkpatrick, DOT; Patrick G. Kennedy, Station Attendant; Edward E. Lirette, Station Agent.

FLIGHT CREW ON FANTASY TRIP to Trinidad for the children of Ontario Hospital, Thistletown

Shown just prior to "takeoff".

From the left: First Officer Ron Petersen; Stewardesses Shelly Brownlee, Gail Funk; Captain Lyle Greenlaw with George Laing. seeing that everybody is all set.

It was decided to fly the children to Trinidad and arrangements were made to have them meet in a room on the third floor of the hospital, to he presented with flight bags and a TCA ticket. The next stage of the party was the check-in counter with a TCA Passenger Agent, George Sharon. who filled out a ticket for each child, checked the bag and handed the ticket hack in a folder with baggage tag stub included. The terminal building was complete with counter, scale, a soft drink dispenser, courtesy of Wilson Ciagerale, a real Mountie. Mr. Bob Hughes, terminal sound effects on tape, and members of the Church and community as passengers, ready to go with the children on the flight. These children have little confidence in adults and the association was wonderful therapy. The flight was announced on a tape recorder, having been recorded under actual terminal conditions. The door of the terminal was opened and the children were met by one of two TCA Stewardesses, Gail Funk and Shelley Brownlee, who lifted their ticket coupon and showed them into the cabin of the aircraft. The aircraft was a hall in the hospital where six double Viscount seats had been set up and the cockpit was a wooden mockup of a proposed four-engine airliner, supplied by De Havilland Aircraft Company of Downsview, Ontario. The cockpit was completed by D Havilland employees for the party with instrument panel complete with lights that went on when the master switch was turned on. The children were on their way.

Issue dated - October 1st 1972

Grabbed from the "Horizons" magazine

These four ramp agents are wearing a variety of combinations of blue Fortrel , blue cotton, and both new and old style whites.

From the left, Ewan Robertson, Al Coreston, Ron Kocoreck, Terry Pottenroth.

Issue dated - October 16th 1972

A huge shamrock formed a fitting backdrop for this shot of the crew of the inaugural North Star flight to Shannon. in October 1947.

Shown from the left are: Purser-Steward J D. Murphy; Navigator Bill Ramsay; Captain J.A. Wright; Stewardess Theresa Mulligan; First Officer G.S. Quinn; and Radio Officer L.S. Burke.

This photo is of the flight crew who landed at Shannon to commemorate the 25th year of service.

Shown from the left are: Tom Haughey S.F.A.D. Company; Navigating Officer Lou Voticky; S/O Hank Ottosen; F/O Lorne Dyke; Brendan Murray; Captain Gus Cirko; ACS Manager Aiden Larkin; Station Agent John Horan; Purser Jacques Grenier; Ray Royce. Champagne and cake were served to the passengers to commemorate the anniversary.

So long old friend. The last of five Vickers Vanguard aircraft sold to Europe Aero Services is shown in this photo with EAS markings at Dorval. CF-TKT fin 919 c/n 743 reregistered F-BTYC. This last sale leaves only three Vanguards left for disposal.

Planners of the upcoming System Hockey Tournament paused during their committee meeting last month to pose for this shot.

From the left are: Tony Marianelli, Toronto (System Committee Chairman); Dave Brune, Toronto; Hal Walker, Montreal; Wally Cawson. Winnipeg; Rick Schofield, Montreal; and Kevin Stausch, Dorval.

Alan's Space - by Alan Rust

Alan Rust

What's in your basement?
John Scapes of Schaumburg, Ill., has been working for three decades on a very intricate creation in his basement. The retired mechanical engineer has brought an incredible attention to detail to his project, building a full-scale replica of a turn-of-the-century Main Street. Scapes says he was inspired by a an exhibit he saw at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago when he was 9 years old.

Everything looks authentic, down to the last detail. The street is paved with faux cobblestones, the streetlight actually works and carefully placed mirrors make the street appear to curve.

Scapes' little piece of Americana includes a barbershop, hat shop and a photo shop. The general store's shelves are stocked and the store includes a post office and a working hand-cranked phone. The double doors of the sawmill open to reveal the pristine workshop where Scapes crafted his nostalgic world. Other neat features include storefronts that open to reveal storage space, a mirrored saloon and a milk wagon in the corner that conceals plumbing. Click on the image below to visit John's "basement".

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.

Issue dated - July 1998
Extracts for the "Canadi>n Flyer" magazine

Here we have this photo of the staff at Narita, Japan celebrating the 30th year of service by Charlie Shimazu.

Going to the Great Wall. Gathered for a family reunion at the Great Wall of China are CDN employees

left to right: Gay Groesbeck, Analyst, Sales Planning, DEW Fei Liang, Corp.Sales Rep., BJS Tom Yu, Regional Manager, Marketing and Sales, China, Rebecca He, Accounting & Admin. Supervisor, BJS, Bruce Stanley, Pricing Co-ordinator, Marketing and Planning, YYC Ximing Ma, Chief Driver, BJS, Harry Zhang, Sales Rep., National Accounts, BJS, Brian Walsh, Country Manager, China.

Thanks to Fei Liang for the photo.

Selma Galvao and Monica Tsuno sent these two photos of the Sao Paulo staff to the magazine, but neglected to provide any identifications.

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.

Ken Bjorge sent us several photos of the runway at Gibraltar, Did you know Gibraltar's Airport runway and vehicular traffic crossings are at the same level? It intersects with a main road. Here are a few of the photos that he sent.

This puts a whole new meaning to the saying, "Never run a red light!".

George Brien sends this correction - Re NetLetter 1148
Lots of folks likely saw that this wasn't a DC3 that Capt Gerry MacInnis was standing by - as per the caption on the picture. Tail is a little high in the air? Likely this one- CF-MCA - Douglas C-54B-1-DC - c/n: 10457- Entered in MCA service on the 25th. October 1955 and sold as CF-NAA to Nordair on the 23rd. July 1964.

cheers George

Gordon Moulalso pointed out the error in NetLetter nr 1148- Photo of Maritime Central c1955 is a DC4 not a DC3 (see tail post),

Regards, Captain Gordon Moul, CDN

and Knut Ohm spotted the error and sends this -
Please note the aircraft in the bit by Jerry MacInnes supervises the boarding of a Maritime Central Airways DC-3 c1955 at one of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line stations he helped to establish. The aircraft is a DC4 and not a DC3

cheers Knut

Deb Yorkesends us this referring to NetLetter nr 1149-

Good day: Just to clarify Heather Johannson's message: Bobby Williams did stay in the west but Sandy Flood flew out of YYZ as I flew with her in the '70's. A great lady. Sandy married and then left Wardair. She and her husband went to California, as far as I remember. I also want to mention that Wardair did not "go under" as Mr. Evans writes. It was bought by Canadian Airlines as per Max Ward's book and my own very vivid memories.

Regards,
Deb Yorke, Retired

John Gallagher sends us this request - Can you published a list and dates of all TCA/AC presidents and/or CEO. Thank you.

This is what we came up with -

CEO and President:

1937_1941 C.N.Hungerford
1941_1948 H.J.Symington
1948_1968 G.R.McGregor
1968_1975 Yves Pratt
1968_1973 J.R.Baldwin
1973_1976 R.T.Vaughan
1976_1976 Pierre Taschereau
1976-1984: Claude Taylor - accountant; former Air Canada reservation agent and executive
1984-1990: Pierre Jeanniot - former aircraft mechanic and Air Canada executive; founder of Jinmag Management and Investment Services
1990-1992: Claude Taylor
1992-1996: Hollis L. Harris (World Airways CEO 2001-2004, Continental CEO and President, 1990-1992, President of Delta Air Lines)
1996-1999: R. Lamar Durrett (former executive with Delta, Continental and System One)
1999-2004: Robert Milton (founding partner of Air Eagle Holdings Incorporated)
2004-2009: Montie Brewer (former United Airlines executive)
2009- present: Calin Rovinescu

Odds & Ends - Compiled by Terry Baker

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

Delta asks travellers to bid for voluntary bumping to speed boarding process. How much would it take for you not to fly? Name your price. That's what Delta is telling passengers at airport kiosks now, in case a flight is overbooked. The Atlanta airline asks passengers to enter a bid - how much they would like to be offered if they were bumped.

Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker

Terry Baker

A judge in Spain has ruled that Ryanair cannot charge passengers for failing to print out their own boarding cards.

A case was brought by a Spanish lawyer, Dan Miro, who was charged the standard Ryanair fee of €40 for failing to print his boarding card before a flight.

Judge Barbara Maria Cordoba of the Barcelona Commercial Court said in the ruling 'the normal practice over the years has been that the obligation to issue the boarding card has always fallen on the carrier.' Judge Cordoba continued, 'I declare unfair and therefore void the contractual clause in which Ryanair obliges the passenger to be the one who brings the printed boarding pass to travel or face a penalty of €40.' (Source RTE News)

The Continental ticket counter and check-in has moved to Terminal West at Denver International Airport.

Jazz transitions to credit card only cabins. As of January 15, 2011, Air Canada Jazz will transition to credit card only cabins for all flights where OnBoard Café is offered. For more information, see www.aircanada.com

Reminder: To access the members area of the website at, www.interlinetravel.com, your user name is nonrev and your password is interline - Remember You Pay NO booking fees with InterlineTravel.com on all resorts and with most cruises!!! www.interlinetravel.com 817 481-8631 / 800 766-2911

Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker

As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.

We have this cartoon by Dave Mathias from "Between Ourselves" issue February 1963.

Conclusion of the Smile from Vern Swerdfeger started in NetLetter nr 1149 -

More words of Wisdom From Aviators

Flying is a great way of life for men who want to feel like boys, but not for those who still are.
"If the Wright brothers were alive today, Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs." President, DELTA Airlines.
"If the airplane were to be invented today - they should shoot it down" - Warren Buffet
In the Alaska bush I'd rather have a two hour bladder and three hours of gas than vice versa.
It's not that all airplane pilots are good-looking. Just that good-looking people seem more capable of flying airplanes.
An old pilot is one who can remember when flying was dangerous and sex was safe.
Airlines have really changed, now a flight attendant can get a pilot pregnant.
I've flown in both pilot seats, can someone tell me why the other one is always occupied by an idiot?
Son, you're going to have to make up your mind about growing up and becoming a pilot. You can't do both.
There are only two types of aircraft - fighters and targets
The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline baggage.
You define a good flight by negatives: you didn't get hijacked, you didn't crash, you didn't throw up, you weren't late, you weren't nauseated by the food. So you're grateful.
They invented wheelbarrows to teach FAA inspectors to walk on their hind legs.
The FAA Motto: We're not happy till you're not happy.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!

Sincerely,

Your NetLetter Team

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.

The NetLetter #1149

The NetLetter
For Air Canada Retirees

January 15, 2010 - Issue 1149

First Issue published in October 1995!

(over 5,400 subscribers)

In This Issue

Quarter Century Club

CAHS Events

ACECF

Reader's Feedback

Terry's Trivia

Smileys

Web Site

www.thenetletter.org

Audio Archives

Click to visit

Sponsors

ACFamily Links

ACFamily Airlines

Greetings!

Terry & your NetLetter Team

Quarter Century in Aviation Club - Compiled by Alan Rust

Quarter Century Club - YVR

The January scheduled meeting of the club is on Tuesday, January 18, 2011. The club includes airline employees from all areas of aviation meeting as friends to share their experiences and memories.

If you wish to join the club, you must have 25 years in aviation (any airline, any job) and the membership fees are $20/year. Guests are welcome, you are not required to join the first time you attend. Click on image or link below for directions.

When: January 18, 2011, Social - 17:00 hours, Dinner - 18:00 hours

Dinner: Roast Beef and Schnitzel, dessert, and coffee, (buffet style) - tip is included.

Cost: The cost is $25 per person including tips and taxes. Beer, wine is extra.

Guest Speaker: Tony Swain, Tony's talk will be....."Tony and Mary do Britain".....a trip down memory lane. Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Vintage and Classic.

Website: www.quartercenturyclub.ca

CAHS Events - Compiled by Alan Rust

Calgary - January 20, 2011: *** Alan H. MacDonald Memorial Lecture ***
"Aim for the Sky and Hope for Money: The Canadian Aircraft Industry, 1909-1929" by Dr. Stéphane Guevremont

Toronto - February 12, 2011: Alan C. Dares, B.A, C.T.M, A.T.P.L. will be speaking on "Light Sport Aircraft (LSA's) in Canada"

Vancouver - February 8, 2011: The February meeting presentation will be a slide presentation by Keith Wade on flying boats and amphibians. For more info call Jerry Vernon at (604) 420-6065

Air Canada Employees and Retirees Charitable Foundation

Air Canada Employees Charitable Foundation

Nancy McKay sends this THANK YOU for the help that was given to the ACECF (Air Canada Employees and Retirees Charitable Foundation) during the Christmas Season. Volunteers were: Irene Smith, Helen Jackson (sister of Irene) Anne Harward, Claudette Zeiler, and Karen Houston.

"The ACECF was once a going concern, for many years since 1955. After the amalgamation of Air Canada and Canadian Airlines we were no longer able to do Payroll Deduction for the employees. The Company informed us that they did not have the man power to do this for us. This was our way of Raising Funds for many Charity Groups here in the East/West
(raising $26 million in YVR alone). Up until Dec 2008 we were still receiving cheques and could still support some groups.

Unfortunately we no longer receive any money to continue with our work for this Foundation, and, every year for the past 6 years we have collected toiletries from the flight attendants in YVR. They bring them back from their trips and put them in the crew room. Thank You to each and every one of you who make this project possible.

This year we made up (500) packages... plus 10 Gift Baskets that were given to the Battered Women's Shelters along with Toys that were given by the Dreams Take Flight Team. Thank you all for making just that someone's life a little bit better.

Thank You,

Nancy McKay

TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker

Musings from the "Between Ourselves" magazine an Air Canada publication from years gone by.

In NetLetter nr 1147 and 1148 we had published some photos and information from Brian Johannesson (ex-Winnipeg, ex-Montreal, now living in Kitchener) under the "CPAir, Canadi>n, Wardair etal events and people" banner. Here is a photo which relates to TCA - just remembered one more picture, of Herb Seagrim, once Vice-President of TCA. He was a flying student of my fathers at the Winnipeg flying Club in 1931. The caption on my website reads: "L to R: Herb Seagrim, Konnie Johannesson and Wilf Fair at the Winnipeg Flying Club, 1931.

Herb Seagrim, a future Vice-President of Trans-Canada Air Lines (now Air Canada), was a student and very good friend of Konnie's." Just one more thought - notice in that picture that Konnie and Wilf are wearing speaking-tube earphones. These plugged into tubes in the airplane, the "microphones" were a funnel-shaped devices on a rubber hose that one person picked up to speak to the other. I remember them from my father's 1942-ish Tiger Moth. "No batteries required".

There are also several references to Herb's exploits in the Winnipeg Free Press archives which I can dig out if you're interested. For more information about them or to see more of the collection go to my website at http://www.rareaviationphotos.com

Thank you, Brian.

Issue dated - January 1963
Gleanings from "Between Ourselves"

CAPTAIN F. P. "Billy" WELLS started the New Year right by appearing an the CBC Front Page Challenge program New Year's night. He stumped the panel for a little while before they guessed that he was the man who piloted the first flight between Vancouver and Seattle in 1937. "Billy" is now Station Operations Manager, Vancouver. The appearance was in conjunction with the Company's 25th anniversary celebrated in 1962.

These five men are of one accord when it comes to praise for the new DC-8F's that will soon be delivered to the Company. Here they stand under the tail section of the Jet Trader that recently made a trip around the United States and was on display at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.

From the left are: Captain George Lothian, Superintendent of Flying; F. T. "Bun" Moore, Project Engineer - DC-8; Captain Al Ross, Chief Flight Instructor; Captain Ron Baker, Flight Test Engineer; Ken Rutledge, Contract Representative. These men are shown as they landed at Atlanta Airport on the first stop of the DC-8F from Long Beach, California.

COMMERCIAL PLANNING Managers listen to Claude I. Taylor, General Manager, Commercial .Planning (seated) as they discuss the effects of a change in the Company Planning Cycle. (from the left) A. T. "Bud" Wiley, Manager, Planning Systems; "Al" T. Ward, Manager, Sales Financial Analysis; "Max" W. S. Eagles, Director, Marketing Research; A. E. "Mickey" Mackay, Manager, Sales Performance Analysis. All these men are in Headquarters, Montreal.
(We wonder what nickname Claude Taylor had - eds)

EVERYONE'S TALKING DC-8F these days and Flight Operations Instructor, Phil Pawsey (second from the right) brought to Vancouver some of the answers for Captains Doug Haddon (left) and Ray Nelson (right) as well as Flight Dispatcher Wilf Sheffield (standing left). Classroom instruction by Joe Held and Phil Pawsey was followed by simulator training for the pilots. The day and a half sessions were attended by 40 pilots and dispatchers just prior to Christmas.

First woman draftsman reaches 20th anniversary. M.C."Pegi" Edwards was employed November 1942. She was the first woman to be employed in this capacity, and the first woman to receive her 20 year award in a technical position. "Pegi" transferred to the Airways Engineering section at YUL in 1949. In the photo left to right are A.E.Ades, "Pegi", Mary Lawson and C.W.Johnstone.

Issue dated - September 1972
Extracts from "Horizons" magazine

This happy group of birdie' watchers were all winners at the recent Vancouver Flight Operations Golf Tournament. From the left: Jim Storie, visiting Captain; Gerry Rousselle, retired navigator; Harvey Ackermann, Maintenance Communicator; Auck Lenihan, MOT.; Roy Yates, Captain; Phil White, retired Captain; Denny Brendon, Flight Dispatcher; Ralph Tisdale, Manager, Crew Manning and Scheduliing; Jim Graham, Crew Scheduler and Gerry Geddes, Captain.

Brussels Passenger Agents Josée Gaelens and Herman Peeters, and Supervisor Gilbert De Herder discuss the summer's high traffic with the President.

The Brussels office payrolls department. Shown chatting with the President are Hedwige Lauwaert, Clerk Stenographer, left and Jacqueline Staessen Sales Office Assistant.

At the City Ticket Office the President met with Supervisor Gilbert De Herder and Passenger Agent Diane De Wolf.

At the airport from the left are Senior Station Agent Paul Sperandieu; Station Agents Andre Andre, Roger Van Horenbeeck, Passenger Agent Georgette Mosselmans; Sidney Dirks Manager Benelux, and Harold Miloff.

The development of air freight business between the Orient, Western Canada and Europe was the subject of a recent meeting of Company cargo personnel at Vancouver.

Standing, left to right: Fred Pope, Cargo Sales Manager, Vancouver; Ron Gordon, Cargo Sales Rep., Calgary; Hank Ernst, Cargo Sales & Service Manager, Calgary; John Eden, Director, Cargo Sales & Service, Montreal; Joe Tabet, Cargo Sales & Service Manager, Paris; Doug Russell, Regional Cargo Sales & Service Manager, Vancouver; Lowell Peidt, Cargo Sales Rep., Seattle and Roy Stringer, Cargo Sales Rep., Vancouver.

Seated, from the left are: Alf Devenish, Cargo Sales & Service Manager, London, Eng.; Hank Stewart, Cargo Sales & Service Manager, Winnipeg; Dick McCullough, Cargo Sales & Service Manager, Edmonton; Dermott Haltmayer, Cargo Sales & Service Manager, Frankfurt; John DeGroot, Cargo Sales Rep., Winnipeg and Fred MacDonald, Cargo Sales & Service Coordinator, Vancouver.

Alan's Space - by Alan Rust

Alan Rust

Southwest Airlines The Making of Florida One
A 2.5 minute summary of the process of assembling a Boeing for Southwest Airlines. Interesting!!! The process used for the paint job is amazing.

Submitted by Ken Bjorge - YVR

Click on image below for video or this link for more information of the paint job.

The making of Florida one

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.

Issue dated - July 1998
Extracts from the "Canadia>n Flyer" magazine -

Under the summer schedule, services on 3 new routes were launched: Toronto - Boston (May 4th), Vancouver - San Jose, Ottawa - London, UK (June 2nd), also, on June 2nd the Dayliner/Starliner service between Toronto and London UK.

Here is a photo of the ceremony at Ottawa on June 2nd, the Mounties standing guard of the Canadi>n B767 aircraft.

Here is a photo from Ray Fletcher

Freak accident disables an A320 aircraft - A loose piece of asphalt, rocketing upwards after being hit by a jet blast as aircraft 411 was undergoing run-up tests following its Heavy Maintenance Visit (HMV), shattered the aircraft's left horizontal stabilizer on April 23. The aircraft's entire empennage (back end) had to be disassembled. A complete replacement stabilizer unit was simultaneously flown to Vancouver from Europe by an Airbus Beluga, a spectacular event that drew hundreds of employees to the tarmac in front of the Vancouver Ops Center to watch the proceedings.

Damage from the unusual mishap was over $1 million. Fin 411 was back in service by May 1.

By all accounts, the Mothers Day engine change on aircraft 884 in Hong Kong was a class act. Among the participants, (top from left): Eric Visser, Air Engineer 1, Bay 4; Ross Olson, Aircraft Mechanic, Bay 4; Aaron Chan, Lead Engineer, Hong Kong. Middle, from left, Chris Gray, Air Engineer 1, Bay 4; Anthony Ko, Base Engineer, Hong Kong; Po Kamphant, Lead Engineer, Hong Kong; Ping Tan, Avionics Technician, Bay 4. Front from left: Ray Fletcher, Aircraft Mechanic, Power Plant Maintenance; Tam Wing Wah, Mechanic, Hong Kong; Ian McMahon, Air Engineer 2, Bay 4; Cheng Man On (Moe), Mechanic, Hong Kong; Mel Himaras, Supervisor, Maintenance Operations Centre.

Vancouver retirees process the "Canadi>n Flyer" newsletter for distribution to more than 4,500 retirees worldwide. The keen volunteers roll up their sleeves and tackle this six to eight hour task each month.
(Retired - but not forgotten - or are they? - we have no identifications- eds)

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.

Shown Departing runway 13 at Prestwick is the worlds largest aircraft the Antonov AN-225 "Mriya".This aircraft has a payload of 550,000 lbs and a max gross weight of 1,410,000 lbs needing a runway of 11,500 foot with max payload.

Aviation enthusiasts are invited to the regular meeting of the Montreal Chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, on Thursday, January 20, at 365 St. Louis Ave. in Pointe Claire. Meeting starts at 11:00 AM; the featured speaker will be a Canadian Forces pilot with experience in Afghanistan. Voluntary landing fee of $5.00 is requested to cover the light lunch provided. Further information call 514-481-8786.

Coffee break!
On January 3, 2011 evening United 940 enroute from Chicago (ORD) to Frankfurt (FRA) with a Boeing 777-200 was overhead Kingston, Ontario at 35000' (approximately) when they declared a "pan pan" emergency to Toronto Center and asked to divert to Toronto due to an electrical problem. They also asked to remain on the Toronto Center frequency he was on rather than be passed from several different controllers (Toronto Approach, Toronto Tower, etc.) to landing. This was extremely unusual because the Toronto Center guy is sitting in a dark room at the base of Toronto Tower and would have had to relay requests from the aircraft back and forth by phone to the actual Tower controller. The local ATC closed runway 23 to all other traffic to allow the Center guy to guide UA940 straight in approach (an overweight landing too, due to heavy fuel load). Fire trucks were standing by for overweight landing and most likely hot brakes after stopping.... after a cool down of several minutes the aircraft was able to taxi to gate 173 at Terminal 1.

United then had to ferry in another 777 from ORD to pick up the passengers and take them back to Chicago where they were put up in hotels pending dispatch to Frankfurt. Meanwhile, the original aircraft was towed off the gate to a remote stand for mechanics to have a look at it.

The United mechanics said the reason the flt diverted into YYZ is because the Captain spilled his coffee all over the radio consol that is in-between the two pilots and the coffee made its way into the radio equipment and short circuited the wires resulting in no UHF communication needed for transatlantic flt. When told this, I was certain the UA reps we're trying to pull a fast one on me, but when they showed me the damage it was for real.

A small cup of coffee can ground an aircraft and cause so much damage and cost to the company is just amazing. Just thought that everyone out there would like to know the reason.

(Submitters name withheld)

The addition of the Austin Airways emblem to our listing brought this memory from John Gallagher
-Austin Airways was fine but a lot of us TCA types flew next door with Nickel Belt Airways and Pineland Timber.

(We checked for information on Nickel Belt Airways and it seems they used the Fairchild F11 and one is on display at the Western Canada Aviation Museum in YWG. The Fairchild Husky was used in a variety of bush operations, usually operating from either skis or floats. The Manitoba Government Air Services (which had three), Sherritt Gordon Mines, Austin Airways, Nickel Belt Airways and other air carriers purchased the type. - eds)

Mike Nash worked for Air Canada's Computer & Systems Services Group at Front Street in Toronto from 1970 before moving west in 1978 to Prince George in North Central British Columbia. From 1974 to 1978 he was Supervisor of Communications Software for Air Canada. and sends us these memories during a visit by Pierre Trudeau.

The following in memoriam is extracted from my first book, Exploring Prince George - A Guide to North Central B.C. Outdoors. http://www3.telus.net/pgoutdoors/expgbook1.html

I thought of the times when I was unexpectedly near the man. A chance sighting in downtown Toronto once or twice. Once as the first car in line at an intersection, tired after working all night testing computer software, as the motorcade of visiting Soviet President Kosygin streamed past. I worked for Air Canada in the seventies, and one weekend the company threw a large morale-booster party for its Toronto area employees. They flew in a Caribbean band for the event and staged it in the cavernous space of the DC8 hanger at Malton Airport (as Pearson Airport was called then). It was around 9 pm in the evening and I had stepped back from the crowd when I noticed that two men in suits had entered the hangar and were wandering about the throng looking entirely out of place. Curious, I slipped through the giant hangar doors into the darkness outside. A company-owned DC9 aircraft pulled up close to where I stood in the shadows, and I watched quietly as Pierre Trudeau descended the stairs and was driven away in a limousine.

My move to Prince George in 1978 coincided with Trudeau's first retirement from politics. And then, suddenly, he was back for a final run that was to see the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution and a new Bill of Rights. During that campaign he stopped in Prince George, and I was one of many who waited at the old civic centre to hear him speak. On the occasion of Trudeau's visit, fog had delayed his arrival by an hour. So instead of riding downtown on the press bus, organizers hired a helicopter at the last minute to fly him to the civic centre. Once airborne, the pilot radioed the tower: "Permission to land in the bowl?" After an unusual silence, the controller asked tentatively "Who's on board?" "Pierre Trudeau," replied the pilot. "Well, land wherever you like!" was the reply. And so he arrived amid the roar of rotors, and to the delight of the local crowd he was well into his speech before the national TV media appeared. Mike Nash

Bill Davidson sends us this information regarding the Comet articles in recent NetLetters -
Comet I - "Empress of Hawaii" - Karachi, Pakistan enroute to Sydney, Australia (Sydney stop at request of de Havilland for a sales pitch). It was to then continue on to Hawaii and Vancouver.
Crew of 4 from Canadian Captained by Charles Pentland, director of overseas operations.

Six other crew members were from de Havilland tech support.
Crashed on takeoff from Karachi, all on board killed. After a couple of mid-air explosions, the last over the island of Elba (this was the 2nd one to blowup after leaving Rome) the Comet I was pulled from service. After testing at RAE in a water tank the engineers found a crack around one of the cabin windows - it was metal fatigue which cause the Comet I to breakup in mid-air. After design changes there was the Comet IV flown by BOAC for a few years.

The RAF still flies a version of the Comet (called the Nimrod) on anti-submarine patrol, one crashed during a flying display at the Toronto Air Show in 1995. Here is link to that video. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=02c_1239643943&c=1

Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker

Terry Baker

Trish and Chris Arbique sends this information -
I would like you to direct readers to www.StarTrips.com, as Air Canada is a member of the Star Alliance...and there's no membership fee - so if retirees are going to surf for deals they might as well get the deals they're looking for with no membership fees, no booking fees - no hidden costs.

We recently incorporated new technologies on the site in conjunction with one of our hotel partners. There are REALLY good savings at over 20,000 hotels....better than (in some cases) Interline.

T4T has been a wholesaler for worldwide hotel reservations for the past 25 years and now offers highly discounted rates at in excess of 20,000 hotels all over the world. T4T rates always include all regular taxes, service charges and breakfast where shown. In many instances, rates are also available for half or full board at resort hotels.

T4T does not work with the general public, only via RumRabbit, and the rates shown for www.StarTrips.com & www.RumRabbit.com members are discounted an additional 15%.

When searching on our website, you will be shown all the hotels & rates available and can then filter the results to fit your particular demands. Great savings, a huge choice of hotels, and a commitment to give you the most competitive rates available and the best service there is!

Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker

As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.

Vern Swerdfeger sends us another one for us -

Words of Wisdom From Aviators

Flying is a hard way to earn an easy living.
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the airplane, the pessimist, the parachute.
If helicopters are so safe, how come there are no vintage helicopter fly-ins?
Death is just nature's way of telling you to watch your airspeed.
Real planes use only a single stick to fly. This is why bulldozers & helicopters...in that order...need two.
Co-Pilot rules: 1) Don't touch anything 2) Shut Up
There are only three things the co-pilot should ever say:
1. Nice landing, Sir.
2. I'll buy the first round.
3. I'll take the fat one.
As a pilot only two bad things can happen to you and one of them will.
a. One day you will walk out to the aircraft knowing that it is your last flight.
b. One day you will walk out to the aircraft not knowing that it is your last flight.
There are Rules and there are Laws. The Rules are made by men who think that they know better how to fly your airplane than you. Laws (of Physics) were ordained by nature. You can, and sometimes should, suspend the Rules but you can never suspend the Laws.
About Rules:
a. The rules are a good place to hide if you don't have a better idea and the talent to execute it.
b. If you deviate from a rule, it must be a flawless performance. (e.g.., If you fly under a bridge, don't hit the bridge.)
The ideal pilot is the perfect blend of discipline and aggressiveness.
The medical profession is the natural enemy of the aviation profession..
Ever notice that the only experts who decree that the age of the pilot is over are people who have never flown anything? Also, in spite of the intensity of their feelings that the pilot's day is over I know of no expert who has volunteered to be a passenger in a non-piloted aircraft.
Before each flight, make sure that your bladder is empty and your fuel tanks are full!
He who demands everything that his aircraft can give him is a
pilot; he that demands one iota more is a fool.
There are certain aircraft sounds that can only be heard at night.
The aircraft limits are only there in case there is another flight by that particular aircraft. If subsequent flights do not appear likely, there are no limits.

(We will have the rest of these thoughts in NetLetter nr 1150 - eds)

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!

Sincerely,

Your NetLetter Team

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

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The NetLetter #1148

The NetLetter
For Air Canada Retirees

January 8, 2011 - Issue 1148

First Issue published in October 1995!

(over 5,400 subscribers)

In This Issue

Upcoming Events

Reader Spotlight

Pionairs Related News

Our first 70 years