In NetLetter #1326 Wayne's Wings ran an article on the L-1011 stating, in part, that the most interesting fate of an aircraft from this fleet is certainly Fin #510 (C-FTNJ).

It was parked by Air Canada at Marana, Arizona in November 1990 and then pulled out of storage by Orbital Sciences Corporation in May 1992. It was then registered as N140SC, renamed “Stargazer” and modified to launch Pegasus rockets.

Roy Jacobs spent 30 years with Air Canada and has spent the last 18 years with the Los Angeles World Airport as a superintendent of Operations at LAX and ONT; he sends us these (lower) two photos of Fin 510. It has recently been dropping (launching) rockets over the Pacific near the Marshall Islands and was also in Ontario, California undergoing a modified 'C' check.  It is presently flown as "Stargazer" and is believed to be the only L-1011 still flying today. See: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargazer for more information.

You can get more information from Ed Dunlap manager L-1011 Operations Launch system group. Orbital Sciences Corp PO box 1087 17143 Flight Systems Drive Mojave Ca. 93502 .

Tel 661-824-5052 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Ed is a retired Delta Mechanic.

Here are a few photos of Croydon Airport. First one is of me and my trusty Chipmunk.

(Note from Alan) - this brings back memories as I worked on "Chipmunks" in AMDU Trenton #6 Repair Depot when I was 19 years old and just out of training at CFB Borden during my short stint in the Canadian Forces. I remember a big sign outside the hangar, "You bend 'em, we mend 'em".

Last photo is of DH Frobisher in front of the Croydon's Terminal building & Tower. Note the Speedbird on the nose of the Frobisher, BOAC's call sign, still used by British Airways to date.

(Note from our editor, Ken Pickford - Just a comment on the Croydon Airport information and the photo of the "DH Frobisher". The official name given to that aircraft type by De Havilland was "Albatross". "Frobisher" was the marketing name used by Imperial Airways.

See: www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/de-havilland-dh91-albatross# for more information.

Cheers Michael

Issue dated June 1982 - Dorval hangar fire.

Company investigators are looking into the cause of a fire that gutted the fuselage of DC-9 CF-TLY fin #724 c/n 42200 which was delivered July 11, 1968 and was being overhauled in a hangar at the Dorval base on June 2, 1982. The DC-9 was worth about CDN $5.5 million and considered a complete write off.

The fire broke out in the centre overhaul hangar shortly after 11:00 a.m. The hangar's sprinkler system, which emits a chemical foam, was immediately activated and all the personnel evacuated.

Two other aircraft, another DC-9 and a DC-8, were also in the hangar at the time of the fire but little damage was done to either aircraft.

Issue January 1983 - P&S/P&F keep up the tradition.

Purchasing & Supply and Properties & Facilities of Dorval kept their tradition going by making 1982 the 12th year in row for their Christmas drive. In all $807.22 was collected, despite the hard economic times. The money was used to purchase educational toys for children from the Friendly Home, Peter Hall and the Douglas Hospital. Special thanks from Cy Haines went to all the canvassers, wrappers and drivers.

Here is a photo of the hard working members of the wrapping crew, from the left: Debbie McCallum, Brenda McKinnon, Gail Cawson, Debra Baverstock, Ian Wilson and Lucie Chabot.

Missing from the group was Ted White.

New Intercontinental service began February 1, 1983.

Here is the advertisement providing a preview of the amenities passengers travelling on these routes received.

Issue dated February 1983.

Our first B-767 fin #601 entered full service as AC117 on February 14, 1983 as Toronto - Calgary returning as flight AC120 Calgary-Toronto-Montreal.

On March 1, 1983 the second B-767 received, Fin #602 operated flight AC757 Toronto-San Francisco then San Francisco-Toronto as flight AC756. Fin #601 and 602 have been flying Montreal-Toronto Rapidair and training flights since mid-January.

The photo is Fin #601 at Dorval from the "Parts & Pieces" magazine issue February 1990.

A multi million contract was secured with Enterprise Travel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aer Lingus in Dublin to operate its 1983 Canadian charter program which ran from May through September using an Air Canada B747.

Sixteen round trip charters Toronto-Dublin-Belfast-Shannon-Toronto were involved.

Maple Wings lend a hand.

At the second annual meeting of the Canadian Maple Wings Association - a group of former TCA and Air Canada Flight Attendants - a cheque for CDN $1,000 was presented to the Hospital for Sick Children's Foundation.

Claus Winsi, president of the foundation, who was guest speaker at the meeting, accepts the cheque from Noreen Searson, Treasurer, Maple Wings.

Issue dated March 1983.

The official opening of the new 65,000 sq ft hangar in Winnipeg took place during February 1983. The structure, costing CDN $11.3 million, will be used initially for major maintenance of the B-727 fleet.

In 1963, 75,000 kilograms of artificial flowers were loaded onto a ship travelling from Hong Kong to the Western Canada port of Vancouver. There, the massive bouquet was transferred to several freight and passenger aircraft bound for New York. Air Canada called this hybrid shipment the world's first Sea-Air movement, and marketed the service on the virtue of "all the cost of all-sea, at half the cost of all-air".

Chow mein cargo charters.

Since May 1982, Air Canada has been running what has been dubbed chicken chow mein cargo charters. Each Sunday, a DC-8 freighter carried 41,000 kilos of fresh oriental produce from Santo Domingo to Toronto. Chinese farmers in Santo Domingo grow oriental vegetables for export to Canadian grocery stores for use in the Chinese cuisine.

Vancouver veterans honoured.

Take 273 and divide by 8. That comes to nearly 35, which is the average length of service for this group of Vancouver Passenger Service employees. Joining the retirement party held in honour of the seven passenger agents and one passenger service supervisor were Don Wood, Passenger Service Manager and Dunc Laing, retired VP Western Region.

In the photo, standing, from the left: Don Wood, Jack McManus, Peggy Cherka, Mary Wedmark, Eldon Gunn and Dunc Laing.

Seated are: Joyce Fairweather, Phoebe Foster, Kathleen Head and Marion McPail.

Issue dated  April 1983. 

During his tour of the Caribbean stations, President Claude Taylor dropped into Antigua and here we have a photo with the staff. Time out for a group shot with the staff.

From the left: Cordell Josiah, Senior Customer Service Agent; Blondelle Luke, Secretary; Lucinda Cumberbatch, Customer Service Agent; Claude Taylor; Jackie Challenger, Senior Customer Service Agent; Ewart Williams, Customer Service Agent; Winston Gordon, Customer Service Agent and Leslie Nanton, Manager, Antigua.

All smiles from Haiti.

Jean-Marc Trottier, newly named District Manager, Haiti, is proud of the new facilities at Port-au-Prince. Equally proud are his smiling colleagues, pictured from the left, with the new ReserVec II installation. Elise Martin, Raynald Jean, Cecile Celestin, Peggy Halloun and Suzanne Dussault. Seated at the computer terminal is Sandra Corvington.

Canadian Airlines was a founding member of the "Oneworld Alliance" together with American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas.

Below we have the Canadian November 1999 timetable on the left and an insert on the right.

Here is an ad announcing that Canadian is launching a $2.4 billion space program. 

(Source: airline-memorabilia.blogspot.ca)

From the Air Canada "Horizons" magazine issue dated December 2017/January 2018.

Retiring Fin 681. (Used with permission)

This Boeing 767-300 Fin #681 C-FCAB c/n 24082 has flown 129,863 flight hours, 5,410 days or 14.8 years. Delivered to Canadian Airlines on April 15, 1988, this aircraft flew domestic, trans border, Caribbean and international routes.

Captains Doug Bailey (left) and Bradley Dey (right) flew the newly retired aircraft to its new home in Marana, Arizona on October 25, 2017.

From the Air Canada Stores Parts & Pieces magazine issue September 1990.

PWA Corp. the owners of Canadian Airlines International had a very sweet deal going with American Airlines, a deal that could have given them a windfall profit of some $380 million; Really big bucks without too much effort.

You see PWA Corp. had sold its rights for the purchase of two (much sought after) Boeing 747-400s, to American Airlines. American really needed those two planes in a hurry.

Alas, it was not to be... a precondition to the sale of the rights, was that American get the nod to fly to Tokyo from wild and windy Chicago. In a surprise judgement by Justice John Mathias of the US Department of Transport, the application for the lucrative Chicago-Tokyo route was shot down in flames. The airline favoured for that route was United. Better luck next time.

Hugh MacCallum sent us this information in reference to the note from Norman Hogwood in NetLetter #1385.

Regarding the PBY Canso or Catalina. During my continuing research for theperfectadventure.ca I found the following :

An explanation is given for the 3 common names: the Americans initially knew it as a PBY P = Patrol B = Boat Y = Consolidated 

From everipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_PBY_Catalina the explanation below:

"In accordance with contemporary British naming practice of naming seaplanes after coastal port towns, Royal Canadian Air Force examples were named Canso, for the town of that name in Nova Scotia. The Royal Air Force used the name Catalina and the US Navy adopted this name in 1942".

Those interested in Consolidated Aircraft Corporation's flying boat might like to read & view the following by David Legg at www.catalina.org.uk (Duxford, England).

Also, www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-history by David Legg: UK Catalina Preservation Society, Duxford, England, there is a 53 minute documentary near the end of his article (not in colour and somewhat grainy; nevertheless informative).

Best regards, Hugh

Keith Rhodes received this e-mail from Dick Hovey who, in turn, received them from Helen Munson and passes them to our readers -

I received this e-mail from Dick Hovey, retired power plant engineer, who runs a monthly luncheon in Montreal for retired engineers.

Thought you might be interested, Keith.

Helen Munson brought these photos yesterday. The gang thought the rest of you might be interested. The note to Slim is from a British Air Ministry chap, pics 1-9 air British Crown copyright, and the last is a BOAC photo. 

Click on image above or the icon at left to view all images in PDF format.

Reminiscences by Terry Baker from NetLetter #148 issue April 1997.

One November evening, the 6th, in 1963, while watching the 'tele' at home, I got a phone call from my father.

My father was a Chief Customs Officer at Heathrow, London England, and was the very first Customs officer after WWII when Heathrow was made 'commercial'. The subject of the call was “One of your DC-8's aborted within the last few minutes and crashed through the end of the runway - no injuries but I thought you would like to know before you see it on the 9 o'clock news”.

Naturally I was stunned - our airline having such an incident. Well, that incident was the start of what you may call a career change - almost right angles for me. I was the Office Supervisor in the Purchases and Stores office under Tom Carr Hodgson.

The next day, the whole office was atop the Queens building looking at the crash site which was at the end of the runway that ran parallel to the Bath Road and, in fact, ended up in a field of cabbages, hence the name 'Cabbage Patch'. Several days later, from our perch on top of the Queens building, we watched as the damaged aircraft was dragged, supported by large airbags, down the runway to the B.O.A.C. Maintenance complex and into one of their hangars.

The B.O.A.C. Maintenance complex was one huge building with 4 bays separated by workshops and could house several Britannia and Comet aircraft at one time. Trans-Canada Air Lines - in those days - was obliged to insure the complete complex together with several aircraft and issue a 'hold harmless' clause to B.O.A.C. for the period of time that our DC-8 was being repaired.

A team of approximately 50 mechanics was flown in from the Douglas plant headed by John Cook, known as 'Big John'. Danny Sweetman and Ted Rogers from Dorval were seconded to London for a period.

My role was to arrange for shelving to completely surround the DC-8, on which the mechanics would place the various units removed from the aircraft. Those units declared unserviceable would be recorded and reordered from Dorval, while the unserviceable unit was shipped back to Dorval by Wally Evans and Ted Dean. All the time accurate records of the movements had to be kept as the area was declared a customs bonded zone to avoid duties on the various units.

One highlight was the arrival of the under belly and wing panels in a huge aircraft (I believe it was a USAF Douglas C-124 Globemaster II) which was maneuvered around the various maintenance hangars, guided by a navigator who had his head out through the top of the aircraft, similar to a tank commander. This aircraft was huge.

The day finally arrived when the aircraft did its test flights successfully and returned to service. Eventually, Fin 813 was lost at Ottawa during a training flight in May 1967. 

Click the icon at left to see the full story from "Between Ourselves" magazine issue January 1964.

The recent articles in past NetLetters regarding the Bristol Freighter has prompted George Brien to share this memory -

Maritime Central Airways received their Bristol Freighter in 1953.

I am not sure if many on this site have ever been a passenger on this type aircraft. I was working as a Radio Operator in 1953 for a company building DEW line sites in northern Labrador and had to fly into the Saglek site on the northern coast. On the trip back to Goose, CF-FZU was waiting on the gravel strip and a couple of us climbed aboard and into the canvas seats along the wall. It looked like a cold and noisy ride.

Take off was on a downhill incline, out and over an icy fjord. Although it was the last day in August, we flew through a snow squall on takeoff and could spot icebergs off the coasts Unfortunately, the aircraft crashed a few years later.

George Brien

Guy Goodman sends this memory prompted by the article in NetLetter #1387 -

Interesting stuff, as always fun to read. The piece on the June 1, 2009 inaugural flight from Montreal to Geneva caught my attention. I'm pretty sure Geneva was a so-called extension of the Montreal-Paris route in (guessing here) the mid-1980s. I have a vivid recollection of being on one of these flights on company business with my wife and being upgraded to First out of Paris. I fell asleep while still on the ground in CDG and stayed that way until back on the ground, in GVA. Meantime, so I was told, we had briefly been "escorted" by some Air Force fighters (can't remember which Air Force). Exciting, if only I'd been awake.

Cheers to all.
Guy Goodman

In NetLetter #1387 we had a request from Leo Dana regarding the DC-10-10 on the YMX-AMS route. Ken Pickford gave an answer in the same NetLetter and we have received this information from Robert Barwick - A quick check of my logbook shows that I flew the DC10-10 on several flights YMX - AMS from February 5 to May 6, 1987.

Larry Milberry has sent us advice that his CANAV’s new Spring-Summer 2018 booklist is out. Click Here to view the PDF document. 

Check out CANAV’s blog at www.canavbooks.wordpress.com. The current item covers Thunder Bay Int’l Airport YQT and a Norseman update.

Next to come will be updates regarding aviation in Sioux Lookout and Red Lake.

Transwest Air timetable effective May 2004 (from collection of Craig Morris).

Transwest Air is a scheduled and charter airline primarily serving the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Its headquarters and main base are at Prince Albert.

Athabaska Airways Ltd timetable effective April 1991.
(from collection of Don Henchel)

Air Sask timetable effective May 1994.
(from collection of Bjorn Larsson)

Boeing’s 737 Sets World Record

Boeing has produced 10,000 737 aircraft, setting a world record for the most-produced model of a commercial jet aircraft ever, the company said this week. Guinness World Records has certified the record. The aircraft first flew in 1967, and has been continuously revised and updated. It is operated by more than 500 airlines, and flies to destinations in 190 countries.

737 Facts

• A 737 takes off or lands every 1.5 seconds
• At any given time, there are 2,800 737s in the air.
• The 737 has flown more than 122 billion miles, the equivalent of 5 million times around Earth.
• More than 22 billion people have flown on a 737.

The latest version of the airplane, the Max 9, was certified last month. Boeing said the 737 Max version is the fastest-selling airplane in its history, with more than 4,300 orders from 93 customers worldwide.

(Source: Boeing MediaRoom March 13, 2018)

Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse.

Reading the NetLetter #1386 and the article about the Croydon airport in the UK brought this memory to Michael Smith who shares this memory -

It was nice to see the article on Croydon. I learnt to fly out of Croydon 1956-57. Flying a DHC-1 Chipmunk. Just a grass field but with a control tower & full communications. I met Douglas Bader there. He was always ready to talk Aviation. He was flying his own aircraft, a Miles Gemini.

Just great to be able to have met such a famous aviator.

Following are some events for World Airlines Clubs Association (WACA) members –

Airline employees and retirees are reminded that in order to participate in one of the WACA events listed below, they must be members of an interline/airline club affiliated with WACA or be WACA members-at-large.

DODO'S nest, hosted by the PEQ Social Club of Air Mauritius, May 19 - 23, 2018.

• Package Price double Occupancy (per person) – USD $900.00
• Single Supplement – USD $400.00 
• WACA fee is USD $20.00 extra. 
• Extra nights can be arranged at the hotel at the rate of USD 150 on double occupancy on half board basis.

Spring Holy Land Tour.

June 28 - July 4, 2018. Deadline to book June 1, 2018.
The Interline Club of Israel is pleased to invite all Interline club members to visit Israel at end of spring time.
Stay in Tel-Aviv. Visit the City of David & Underground Jerusalem, Masada, Dead Sea, Caesarea, Haifa,
Golan Heights & many other sights.
Rates in US$:

• Per person in a double/ twin room: $1,289.00
• Single Supplement: $750.00 
• Extra night in twin/double per person: $125, Single Room $220.00 both on BB basis. 
• WACA fee per person: $20.00

WACA are hosting the Wonders of St. Petersburg with Moscow extension.

September 5 - 9, 2018.

• USD $775.00 per person double occupancy; USD $1,040.00 single occupancy.
• Cost for the Moscow extension: USD $395.00 per person double occupancy; USD $515.00 single occupancy. 
• WACA fee per person: $20.00 extra.

Hosted by the Interline Club of Portugal.
Grande Festa 2018 Alto Alentejo (Deadline June 30, 2018)

Évora - Alcaçovas - Montemor-O-Novo - Estremoz - Vila Viçosa - Borba - Alandroal - S. Pedro Do Corval - Monsaraz.

October 3 to 6 2018.

Package price:
Associated / Partners and 1 accompany:  Per person / double room: 420 Euros, Per person / single room: 490 Euros