Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter
Since 1995 Saturday November 23, 2024
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Air Inter Dassault Mercure F-BTTD Le Bourget Airport - Paris, France Photo by Alan Wilson - May 1995 |
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Dear Welcome to The NetLetter, established in 1995 as a dedicated newsletter for Air Canada retirees.
We have evolved into the longest running aviation-based newsletter for Air Canada, TCA, CP Air, Canadian Airlines and all other Canadian-based airlines that once graced the skies. The NetLetter is self-funded and is always free to subscribers. It is operated by a group of volunteers and is not affiliated with any airline or associated organizations. The NetLetter is published on the second and fourth weekend of each month. If you are interested in Canadian aviation history, and vintage aviation photos, especially as it relates to Trans-Canada Air Lines, Air Canada, Canadian Airlines International and their constituent airlines, then we're sure you'll enjoy this newsletter. Please note: We do our best to identify and credit the original source of all content presented. However, should you recognize your material and are not credited; please advise us so that we can correct our oversight. Our website is located at www.thenetletter.net Please click the links below to visit our archives and for more info about The NetLetter. |
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 We have welcomed 109 new subscribers so far in 2024.
We wish to thank everyone for the continuing support of our efforts.
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 Back issues of The NetLetter are available in both the original newsletter format and downloadable PDF format.
Restoration and posting of archive issues is an ongoing project. We hope to post every issue back to the beginning in 1995.
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We always welcome feedback about Air Canada (including Jazz and Rouge) from our subscribers who wish to share current events, memories and photographs.
Particularly if you have stories to share from one of the legacy airlines: Trans-Canada Air Lines, Canadian Airlines, CP Air, Pacific Western, Maritime Central Airways, Eastern Provincial, Wardair, Nordair, Transair, Air BC, Time Air, Quebecair, Calm Air, NWT Air, Air Alliance, Air Nova, Air Ontario, Air Georgian and all other Canadian based airlines that once graced the Canadian skies.
We will try to post your comments in the next issue but, if not, we will publish it as soon as we can.
Thanks!
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Pionairs members in the Vancouver Island & Gulf Islands District.
Plans are well underway to hold three Christmas luncheons in our district this year.
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- Victoria - Wednesday, December 11 at Tapestry.
- Coombs - Wednesday, December 18 at Cuckoos restaurant.
- Comox - Thursday, December 19 at The Clubhouse restaurant, Comox Golf Club.
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42nd World Airline Road Race 2025 planned for Switzerland.
Below are some photos from WARR-2024 at Auckland, New Zealand - October 2024.
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Douglas Seagrim has a very special personal memory of CF-TCA
Enjoyed your article on the life of CF-TCA in NetLetter #1545. Just thought I could add a little piece to the story to make it complete.
My father, Herb Seagrim, as one of the first TCA pilots, picked it up at the factory when new in 1938 and brought it to Winnipeg where it began its long career.
When that career was over and it was restored to TCA livery and donated to the National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa, my father and myself, at that time a Viscount First Officer, arranged a Father/Son flight for the delivery.
Since my Father has long since passed on, it makes me the last person to ever fly it. That also started what turned out to be a trend as I was also involved in the delivery of the Viscount and the DC-9.
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Editors' Note: For NetLetter #1544, we contacted photographer, Adrian Romang, for permission to use one of his photographs of a First Air Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules aircraft.
Mr. Romang (who resides in Switzerland) not only generously allowed us to use his photo but also submitted his article (linked below) published in Swiss Aviation Magazine in September 2008 chronicling his visit to the Northwest Territories.
Text and Images by Adrian Romang. Originally published in German, this version has been translated by Google Translate.
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From it’s hub in Yellowknife, First Air operates two L-100 Hercules to supply several mines in Canada’s North. The 33 Year old C-GUSI has served on all continents.
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Hercules in continuous use
In the far north of Canada, things are booming after enormous deposits of various mineral resources have been discovered in recent years. While a gold and copper mine is being built in British Columbia, the mining of diamonds in the Northwest Territories (NWT) has been in full swing for years.
In Yellowknife, the capital of the NWT, various airlines are stationed, all of which profit from the diamond business. A look from within the cargo department of First Air, which claims to be “The Airline of the North”.
He just introduced himself to me as Tony, he who flies as a flight captain for First Air. I meet him on December 3 at six o’clock in the evening in the common room over a cup of coffee. Instead of a uniform with a tie, which is usually the case for airline captains, a thick Helly Hansen peeks out from under the blue flight overalls.
Outside it has been dark for about two and a half hours, and icy cold at minus 30°C. Tony’s fiber fur has its justification. Immediately I realize that in this rough area of Canada, at least in terms of flying, surnames, titles and good-looking clothes play a subordinate role and other qualities are more important. 
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The cargo lashed to the metal pallet is pulled directly from the truck into the Hercules.
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While the autopilot controls C-GUSI, Captain Tony has time to update the calculations and prepare for the night landing on the gravel runway of the Diavik diamond mine.
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The Diavik mine seen from the air. At the top right, the 1600m long runway is visible, providing an idea about the extent of the mine.
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Found in the 'Info Canadian' Magazine
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Issue dated June 1992.
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Watching for Wing Walkers.
"I was recently speaking to some friends of mine and they informed me of quite an amusing story I'd like to share.
Parents of these friends visited Vancouver and flew with Air Canada. When the flight was about to land the pilot came over the speaker with his usual spiel. "Thank-you for flying Air Canada." etc., then he continued to say, "I would like to add one more thing. We left Montreal with 187 passengers and have arrived in Vancouver with 187 passengers. I would like to thank each and every one of you for not climbing out onto the wing and crossing over to the OTHER airline".
I hope this story will add a little humor to your day.
Fran Ewaschuk, Employee Services, Vancouver.
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Found in 'Horizons' magazine
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Issue dated November 1987
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Good sports
The Express Ladies fastball team once again captured the title at this 1987 System Fastball tournament in Vancouver.
In the photo team members are, back row, from left to right: Ray Gregory, Manager; Maureen Schwarze, Jacqueline McBain, Harriette Van der Venne, Leslie Hirsk, Betty Carter, Joanne Love and Paul Trauzzi, Coach.
In the front row, in the same order, are: Christine Schultz, Debra Roche, Donna Volpini, Lorraine Longeri and Marsha Legg.
Missing from the team photo are: Sandy Kerby and Debbie Philips.
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Issue dated December 1987
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Mirabel gets into shape.
Through the recruiting efforts of Customer Sales and Service Agent Lise Latour-Aubuchon, nine Mirabel employees have signed up for aerobic dance classes sponsored by Air Canada.
Betsy Fainer, Customer Sales and Service Agent is directing the program.
Al Graham, General Manager, Airport Services, initiated the program, which should get these Mirabel employees into great shape.
In the photo are, from the left: Sylvette Remigi, Passenger Service Supervisor; Gilbert Gagné, Acting Supervisor Ramp; Germano Starnino, Acting STOC Centre Coordinator; Betsy Fainer, Brian Roscoe, Lead Station Attendant; Lise Latour-Aubuchon, Len Gray and Murielle Saint-Germain both Customer Sales and Service Agents and Al Graham.
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Issue dated January 1988
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Joe takes a bow.
One of Air Canada's longest-running acts in New York ended with the retirement of Joe Pareti, Passenger Sales Manager, New York.
Joe's entire 31-year Air Canada career was spent in the airline's New York District, beginning at Idlewild Airport (now JFK) and retirement culminating with a five-year stint as Passenger Sales Manager.
However. Joe left his heart in New Jersey, where he became known as 'Mr. Air Canada' during the many years he represented the company as Sales Manager and where he and his family now reside.
All of Joe's sales staff were on hand to bid him farewell at a retirement reception held in the New York office of the Canadian Consulate General.
In the photo are, from left to right: Carol Zoeller, Sales Manager, Philadelphia; Brian Reid, Sales Representative, New York; Joyce Glowachuk, Sales Manager, New Jersey; Anthony Brucato, Sales Representative, New York; Josephine Serrano, Customer Relations Representative, New York; Joe Pareti; Chris Pearson, Secretary, New York; Dave Crisman, Airport Manager, Boston (formerly Sales Representative, New York); Linda Henderson, Sales Representative, New York; Ron Schneider, Sales Manager, Washington and Conrad Karsen, Sales Representative, New York.
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Issue dated February 1988
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Sunshine travels north.
The Barbados office sponsored a group of fellow employees in the 1987 Toronto Marathon.
The 'Air Canada Barbados Sunshine Team' was made up of two women and three men. All of them completed the 26-mile, 385-yard course with good times, although all agreed that after running in the warm Barbados sunshine, Toronto' s near-zero temperatures slowed their times somewhat.
Nevertheless, the team, which included three first-time marathoners, was very pleased with the results and expressed much appreciation to Air Canada for its support.
Now that they have recovered from their sore, stiff muscles, the members of the 'Air Canada Barbados Sunshine Team' are back in training and hope to compete in another running event before too long.
In the photo, John Buchanan, Manager, Barbados, left, presents tickets to the team prior to their departure for Toronto. From left to right are: David Edwards, Wendy Webster, Solomon Ali, David Neblett, Jill Sanguinette and Omar Rahaman.
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CP Air / Canadi>n People Gallery |
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From The NetLetter archives -
Some early Canadian Pacific Airlines timetables.
Click each image to see full size with legible text.
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| April 1958 |
July 1959 |
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| August 1960 |
June 1961 |
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From 'Canadian Flyer' magazine
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Issue dated December 1997
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Ideas Plus program coordinators met in Vancouver (YVR) on November 5, 1997 to prepare for the launch on December 3.
Coordinators in attendance were from left to right: Doug Brennan, CBA; Alain Desgagné, Inter-Canadien; Jon Shaw HR, Purchasing; Norah Carmichael, Corporate Communications; Arlene Doersam, Inflight; Maureen Malanchuk, HR; Ted Pierre, Flight Ops; Lynda Zavitz, Ideas Plus; Gary Reid, Cargo.
Missing from photo: Ruth Buhagar, Airports; Jim Noonan, Res/CTOs; Sheldon Page, Capacity Planning; Marla Martin, Marketing; Janet Craig, Sales; Paul Flegal, Internal Communications Coordinator, CRA and John Ford, Project Manager, American Airlines.
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From the Canadian AirCargo Annual report 1991.
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Hong Kong replaces contractor.
In June 1991 our own Canadian Cargo staff at Hong Kong replaced a former contract operator.
Front row, from left to right: Raymond Lai, Simon Chan, Dennis Tse and Francis Law (standing).
Back row, front left to right: John Gibson, Terry Wong, Roy Yip, David Chin, Taley Cheung, Salome Yeung, Al Ridgway, Jacob Wong, Tommy Yu, Samuel Lee, Alfred Chui and Daniel Ngan.
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Our video was posted on the Air Canada YouTube channel on April 25, 2014 and shows the first test flight of AC's first B-787-8 Dreamliner.
C-GHPQ, Fin #801 was delivered on May 13, 2014 and remains active in the fleet.
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Saskatchewan's aviation history 1900-65
On August 10, 1912 , flying from the Exhibition Grounds, Glen Martin set a new Canadian altitude record of 6,400 feet. The mark went unchallenged for five years.
The first woman to fly over Saskatchewan was the famed and daring Katherine Stinson (her family later built airplanes) when she thrilled Reginans in June of 1916.
Among the fascinated spectators at these early air displays in Regina was a young man, R.J. Groome, who had his head in the clouds and was determined to be a flier.
His chance came in 1917, when he enlisted in the flying service of that time. He was posted to Camp Borden and later became a flying instructor at Camp Mohawk, Ontario.
Groome made the acquaintance of Ed Clarke and, after his discharge from the service in 1918, they combined their resources to buy a Curtiss JN trainer.
Later, they purchased a second and, in so doing, made aviation history. Groome and Clarke called their firm the Aerial Service Company and they built a hangar and an airfield at where the Hill and Cameron intersection now is located.
Groome received the first commercial pilot’s licence issued in Canada, license No. 1. His mechanic, Bob McCombie, was awarded air engineer’s licence No. 1, and the Jenny was licensed as the first commercial aircraft in the country. On that same historic day, the tiny airport also received Air Harbour licence No. 1.
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This 'flying' ferry could revolutionize the way we commute.
Swedish company Candela's all-electric, hydrofoiling vehicles could make commutes faster and more comfortable while helping the planet in the process.
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Dassault Mercure - World's Least Successful Jet Airliner
One of my many YouTube subscriptions is to the Ruairidh MacVeigh channel where he posts wonderful historic videos with a transportation theme.
When this video (linked below) appeared, I immediately became curious about this familiar looking aircraft that I had never heard of. The resemblance to the Boeing 737 is explained very early in the video.
Development began by the French military aircraft firm Dassault Aviation around 1967. It was planned to be an alternative to the B-737-100 and fill the niche market of short haul flights of approximately 1,700 kilometres or less. It carried more passengers (around 150) and had a faster cruising speed than the B-737. Only French domestic carrier Air Inter ordered the aircraft with the first delivered in June 1974. It flew its original order of 10 (and one prototype was delivered in March 1985) for 20 years before retiring the fleet by May 1995.
Seems like a good idea, so why didn't it sell? Apparently the economics of the time and Boeing's development of the B-737-200 sealed its fate. It could not compete with the most successful commercial aircraft of all time.
I do find it quite ironic that although this first attempt to go head to head with Boeing failed, by the time Air Inter retired these aircraft, Airbus had began delivering its A3XX series of aircraft which have competed very successfully with Boeing ever since.
Reference and additional info:
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| Terry's Trivia
& Travel Tips |
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Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse.
At Toronto Pearson, (YYZ) we’re implementing innovative digital solutions to streamline passenger experience.
The YYZ Express App can help you save time and skip the line by booking a time slot for going through security before arriving at the airport.
The Advance CBSA Declaration technology helps returning travellers to expedite customs and immigration; the U.S. Mobile Passport Control App allows travellers to expedite U.S. customs by submitting personal information in advance of travel.
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Changes effective November 13, 2024 to parkade rates at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), including new 30 minutes free.
New parkade rates include a complimentary 30 minutes, so you can park in our parkade for a seamless pick-up or drop-off experience with 30 minutes of free parking.
New parkade rates are:
- First 30 Minutes: complimentary
- Each additional 30 minutes or portion thereof: $14.00
- Daily Max: $65.00
New Gateway valet rates are:
- Hourly: $28.00 plus $20.00 one-time valet fee
- Daily Max: $65.00 plus one-time $20.00 valet fee
- Those who enter the parkade prior to the rate change (and present their token upon exit), will receive the rate that was posted at the time of entry, i.e.: the previous rate.
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Travellers flying domestically through Vancouver International Airport (YVR) will now enjoy a smoother, faster security screening experience.
As of September 4, 2024 at YVR, Checkpoint ABC North has reopened with cutting-edge CATSA Plus Computed Tomography (CT) X-ray equipment, making YVR the first airport in Canada to use this advanced security screening technology.
With the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority’s (CATSA) new system, travellers can move through security screening without the need to remove liquids, aerosols, gels, or large electronics from their carry-on bags, all while maintaining the highest safety standards and enjoying local art and storytelling.
Serving passengers travelling through gates A, B, and C, the newly renovated checkpoint reduces congestion during peak hours and gives passengers more flexibility in how they navigate the airport. These enhancements, aimed at reducing wait times and stress, underscore YVR's commitment to creating a smoother, more enjoyable travel experience for everyone.
See also:
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Where are they now?
One Air is a British cargo charter airline founded in 2021. Beginning its operations in July 2023, the airline flies two Boeing 747-400BDSF aircraft and one B-747-400F on charter flights primarily to China and Hong Kong with technical stops in Muscat, Oman.
One Air has two Boeing 747-400F aircraft in its fleet. Both began life as Air Canada 747-400 combi aircraft and were later converted to freighters in the early 2000s.
The first aircraft received was G-ONEE c/n 024998 ex C-GAGL (photo below), the 6th known operator since leaving Air Canada, and G-UNET c/n 025075 ex C-GAGN the 9th known operator since leaving Air Canada.
One Air has commenced operations at East Midlands Airport (EMA). Inaugural flight July 24, 2023 from Jinan, China to Heathrow (LHR).
The second freighter, the latest addition to the airline’s fleet, acquired December 12, 2023, on a long-term lease, is a former Air Canada combi aircraft which was later converted to a freighter for Air China. Prior to joining One Air, it was in operation with Aerotranscargo.
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Photo by Simon Butler
Frankfurt - July 1992
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From Ken Pickford - Some thoughts on aging.
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Wayne, Ken & Terry Richmond, British Columbia - December 2019
(Bob Sheppard was not available for the photograph) |
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Wayne, Bob & Ken Richmond, British Columbia - December 2023
(Terry Baker was not available for the photograph) |
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We wish to honour the memories of
Vesta Stevenson and Alan Rust. They remain a part of every edition published. |
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E&OE - (errors and omissions excepted):
The historical information as well as any other information provided in the "NetLetter" is subject to correction and may have changed over time.
We do publish corrections (and correct the original article) when this is brought to our attention.
Disclaimer: Please note that the NetLetter does not necessarily endorse any airline related or other "deals" that we provide for our readers.
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We do not (normally) receive any compensation from any companies that we post in our newsletters. If we do receive a donation or other compensation, it will be indicated as a sponsored article or link. |
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