NetLetter reader Madeline Boscoe sends in this request:

Hi there,

I am trying to hunt down an old friend, Emese or her mom Arunka Torok.

They were active members of the Air Canada family for many years.

Thank you,

Madeline.

Please advise us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any information for Madeline.

What a wonderful time we live in!

Both current events and history are always just a mouse click or a finger swipe away. 

YouTube is increasingly a source of reference for us and we enjoy passing along fun and informative videos to our readers.

Whenever you see image at left within an article, clicking on it will bring you to a video related to the article.

Have a look and enjoy!

Here are just a few of the 'YouTube Channels' where aviation enthusiasts have been creating wonderful video content.

Alex Praglowski Aviation - 'Alex' is from Calgary, Alberta and updates new videos weekly; primarily of airlines operating in Canada.

Dj's Aviation - 'Dan' is young man who creates content primarily in Europe.

Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture - 'Christian' is from California and has some great classic videos.

JustPlanes - Great international content from the flight deck.

Plane Savers - 'Mikey McBryan' posts videos detailing restoration of vintage aircraft in Canada.

Wings - Historic  aviation footage from the UK.

We will continue to pass along new and interesting YouTube content as we find it.

The first woman to pilot an aircraft around-the-world.

On August 18, 1948 Prudence Richarda Morrow-Tait with her navigator, Michael Townsend left Cambridge, England and began their flight eastward around-the-world.

They selected a Percival Aircraft, a Proctor IV (G-AJMU).

August 19, 1949 - Prudence Richarda Morrow-Tait landed in Croydon, England, after her flight, with navigator Michael Townsend, the first such flight for a woman. It took one year and one day with a 7 week stop in India to replace the plane's engine.

They survived a forced landing near Tanacross Alaska and spent 8 months there to raise funds to replace her plane. She spent Christmas 1948 in Edmonton, Canada.

She received little acclaim for her feat and even a bit of ridicule from a public that felt she had abandoned her motherly duties for an unnecessary adventurous undertaking.

Her trip is in a book "Thursday's Child".

(Source: www.wingnet.org)

Shirlee Schacter shares this information -

Central Ontario Pionairs Spring Luncheon -

On May 6th, 2019, the Royal Ontario Golf Club once again hosted the Central Ontario Annual Spring Luncheon which was enjoyed by 110 Air Canada Pionairs.

The delicious buffet was preceded by a delightful wine tasting of both red and white wine – (always a welcome bonus), and members enjoyed chatting and reconnecting with friends and colleagues who they look forward to catching up with at the Luncheon each year.

There were also 5 “Special Draw” tickets drawn as well as 3 “Cash Draw” tickets – with special congrats to Lynn-Powell McNeilly, the winner of the BIG cash amount of $200.

Door prize winners: Anne Robertson, Albina Devotta, Savi and Jag Harry-Paul, Lynda Hurley, Evelyn Morris and Laurel Seeley.

Central Ontario Director, David McNeilly steps down from this position to become Past Director, passing the mantle on to Lesley Huether, shown here, the incoming new Director of the Central Ontario Pionairs.

Here we have this AirBC timetable issued September 13, 1982. 

From the Bjorn Larsson collection.

(Source: timetableimages.com)

Time Travel: 75 Years in Events.

Air Canada was born as Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) on April 10, 1937. From first takeoff to present date, its history has been full of high moments.

Passenger operations kick off on September 1, 1937. A Lockheed Electra, carrying two passengers and mail, goes from Vancouver to Boeing Field, Seattle, in 50 minutes. The ticket costs $7.90 one way, $14.20 return.

(Source: moments.aircanada.com/timeline)

(More next NetLetter – eds).

Empire Honours

The thousandth crossing of the Atlantic by Trans-Canada Air Lines was made December 1946 by this Lancastrian, photographed after landing at London Airport, Heathrow.

The Merlin engines used on this route are T.24-4's specially modified to deal with severe icing conditions.

(Source: flightglobal.com)

Here we located this photo of Lancastrian CF-CMW at Prestwick cica 1946.

On July 9, 1946, under the command of Captain G.B. Lothian, this aircraft flew from Prestwick-Montreal-Vancouver in an elapsed time of 28 hours 23 minutes.

Sold to Skyways Ltd who leased it to Onzeair Ltd of Karachi as AP-ACM the aircraft crashed at Manipur Airport, Karachi while landing on a flight from Rawalpindi on August 1, 1948 while delivering a cargo of illegal arms.

(Text source: Air Canada A Pocket Guide)

(Photos Source: flightglobal.com/pdfarchive)

Issue dated June 1991.

National Pionairs Executive 1990:

Leo McIntyre - President; Mike Lewicki - Past President; George Daman - First V.P.; Bob Blanchette - 2nd V.P.; Fraser Muir - Treasurer; Helen Gunton - Secretary.

District Directors 1990:

Lorne McDermot - Victoria B.C.; Donella Robertson - Vancouver; Ken Morrison - Calgary; John Klem - Winnipeg; Stephanie Mandzie - Winnipeg; Lloyd Wedge - Ottawa; Al Husted - Ontario

National Pionairs Executive 1991:

John Innes - President; Leo McIntyre - Past President; Kay Napolitano - First V.P.; Lorne McDermot - 2nd V.P.; Bill McNutt - Treasurer; Laura Innes - Secretary; George Clifford - Pension Rep; Normand Cadieux - AC Liaison;
Bernice Paul - Pension & Estates Office.

Issue dated February 1982.

Pionairs plan for California.

The Pionairs Board of Directors met at Vancouver and high on the agenda was the AGM to be held in Anaheim, California May 14 - 17, 1982. The Board reported that "all systems were go" and that 500 retirees and spouses were expected to attend.

Members of the new executive are seated, from the left: Bill Spratt, First VP; Don Murphy, Secretary; George Fox, President; Ozzie Candy, Second VP; Joe Lorimer, Immediate Past President.

Standing for the left: Martin Betts, Founding President and Pension Representative; District Directors Paul Emmerson, Halifax; Jack Somerset, Vancouver; Gord Smith, Toronto; Evelyn Desjardins, Montreal; Gord Hooper, Calgary; Beth Ferguson, Winnipeg; Charlie Woolley, Victoria; Ken Taman, Ottawa and Roger Alain, Tampa representing Florida.

Missing from the photo was Hudson Connolly, Treasurer.

From The Canadian Encyclopedia

CPR acquired 11 aircraft operating companies during 1941 and continued operations under the name United Air Services Ltd. The name was changed on 24 March 1942 to Canadian Pacific Air Lines Ltd. In 1944 it applied for transcontinental status, which it was granted in 1958, when it was allowed to operate a single daily service.

The terms were gradually extended and in 1979 it was given the transcontinental route without restriction.

Hampered by government in its attempt to fly domestically, CP Air expanded internationally from its Vancouver base, appropriating routes that Air Canada, which had the right of first refusal on all external services, did not consider profitable.

Flights were inaugurated to Australia, Japan and Hong Kong (1949); to South America (1953); and to Europe (1955), pioneering the transpolar Vancouver-Amsterdam route. In order to expand quickly enough to compete effectively with Air Canada under a deregulated environment, CP Air purchased Eastern Provincial Airways in 1984 and Nordair in 1985. CP Air was in turn taken over by Pacific Western Airlines in 1987, and the merged carrier was renamed Canadian Airlines International Ltd (CAI).

It later expanded with the purchase of Wardair, a major charter airline that had grown from a bush pilot operation founded by aviation pioneer Max Ward. 

Above is some more information on Canadian/Wardair. 

(Source: airline-memorabilia.blogspot.com) 

Note: scroll down the page to view all the images.

"The Big Dipper Route" by Captain Danny Bereza (Retired). 

Danny is a retired check pilot B737 / A320 from Canadian Airlines in 1998.

What do you do if you’re flying through fog over an icy ocean, the nearest land is 200 miles away, your heading gyros disagree by over 20 degrees and your fuel gauges are hovering near zero? Or you’ve been ordered to fly a dying First Nations man to hospital but he’s begging you to take him back to his beloved wilderness to die in peace?

How do to buy the book?

By email direct from the author, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Price is $20.00 including postage.

(Source www.rapcan.ca)

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander

In NetLetter #1418, we have a small piece on Westward Airways in the ‘Odds and Ends’ section.

The aircraft, the Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander, used on the short-lived shuttle service caught my interest so I asked Terry for a few personal details of his knowledge of this aircraft.

Terry responded:

“Just a bit of trivia for you. 

The Britten-Norman Islander was manufactured on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.

When I was seconded to Antigua and worked for L.I.A.T. (1974) running their computer department, they had a bunch of Islanders.

The airline was so strapped for money, that various governments gave them aircraft; Canada donated a Dash 8.

Barbuda donated a Trislander, which was a bigger Islander with the third engine in the tail. Barbuda insisted that the aircraft operate between Antigua and Barbuda.  Upon arrival, flown from the UK via Iceland and Canada, the pilot had collected his family from the US during transit.

Most of the cabin seats had been removed, and the space was filled with containers of fuel all linked; almost like a flying bomb!

The distance was so short between Antigua and Barbuda that the luggage followed on an Islander. I think the Trislander was either returned or sold later due to operating costs.”

This extremely versatile aircraft was designed and built by De Havilland-trained John Britten and Desmond Norman in 1965 and has been in continuous development ever since. There are currently over 750 in operation around the world.

They recognized the need for a light utility aircraft with an adequate payload to move both passengers and cargo between the numerous islands in Europe and later, North America. Also, it is used in many countries for military and law enforcement operations.

I was not able to find much information regarding Trislanders in service in Canada, however, Ken advised the following:

There are actually 15 Islanders in the current Transport Canada registration database, although 4 show the registrations as cancelled (C-FJJR, C-FKAW, C-GGIY, C-GPPP) leaving 11 with valid current registrations.

Reference:

Transport Canada registration database

Also, an Ottawa-based operator that uses 2 modified BN-2s in their geophysical survey work all over the world.

www.sgl.com/Aircraft.html

www.sgl.com/Islander.html

Additional Reference:

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander at Wikipedia 

Neil Burton has sent us this information -

B.C. Air Lines, a division of C.A.E. Industries, was the largest airline operating entirely within British Columbia.

Its marketing zone was: “Pacific Thunderbird” and added routes of:

• “Okanagan Thunderbird” – Vancouver, Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops;
• “Kootenay Thunderbird” – Vancouver, Penticton or Kelowna, Castlegar, Cranbrook;
• “Cariboo Thunderbird” – Kamloops, Williams Lake, Quesnel, Prince George;
• and “Skeena Thunderbird” – Terrace, Smithers, Prince George.

From advertising, it appears service was to begin April 30, 1969.

Northwest Industries Limited, of Edmonton, Alberta, of which B.C. Airlines was a subsidiary, was purchased by CAE in 1962.

Pacific Western Airlines negotiated the purchase of B.C. Airlines in July 1970, with expected closure of the deal in mid-August.

President of Pacific Western Airlines was R.H. “Dick” Laidman.

Schedules for P.W.A., including the equipment of B.C. Airlines, were expected to become effective September 15.

Here we have the timetable effective June 1, 1967 from the collection by Bjorn Larsson

Neil Burton, July 15, 2019.

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

The Interline Club of Israel is pleased to invite all Interline club members to visit Israel in winter time.

December 4 to 11, 2019

Stay and visit Jerusalem Old & New city, Dead Sea, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Haifa, Acre & many other sites.

Rates in US $:
Per person in a double/twin room: $1159.00
Single Supplement: $590.00
Extra night in twin/double per person: $105.00, Single Room $188 HB basis.
WACA fee per person: $20.00

Tour includes:

1. Five nights’ accommodation at Metropolitan Tel Aviv (4 nights HB, 1 night BB).
2. Two nights’ accommodation at Jerusalem Ramada Hotel, HB.
3. Four Organized Tours English Speaking Guides.
4. One dinner at Tel Aviv restaurant.
   
   

Our cartoon is by Dave Mathias which appeared in the "Horizons" magazine issued January 1974.

The caption reads "According to regulations, Mr Finchley, I must assume all you checked in was a black suitcase handle!".