Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter
Since 1995 Saturday, May 23, 2026
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Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter Purolator Courier - C-GKFB - DC-10-30 August 1, 2011 - Hamilton, Ontatio
Photo courtesy of Fred de Ruiter |
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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 61 new subscribers so far in 2026.
We currently have 4602 subscribers.
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.
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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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You are invited to the
2026 CAHS National Convention /
Aviation Cultures Mk.VIII Conference
June 17 - 20, 2026
in Kelowna, British Columbia
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Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Nunavut district.
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July 23, 2026 - mark your calendars for our FREE picnic at Kildonan Park, Winnipeg.
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Submitted by Peter Hill -
Hello from Smiths Falls, Ontario
I signed up a few minutes ago to become a regular subscriber to the Newsletter. Although having read many of the archived PDF's over the years, I was turned on today about an article you wrote on Bradley Air Services ( NetLetter #1581).
It so happens I did about 5 different employment opportunities with Bradley, originally in the early 70's as a summer high school student for 2 years. My last term was about 1982 when I left as a DHC-6 captain.
I thought to pass on that this coming July 11, we are holding an 80th Anniversary BAS reunion, with about 150 people signing up to date.
I have been posting on a Facebook group, Bush Pilots - A Path Less Chosen, many pictures I have accumulated from multiple sources over the years from Aeronca's and Super Cubs in the Arctic to Boeing 727's landing on the sea ice in northern Greenland.
In fact I was a copilot on the pictured C-GNDN in 1980 when we were paired with the Tri-Turbo TT-3 (DC-3) out of Nord, Greenland where we established and supported the FRAM 1980 ice station.
FYI, although NDN still is flying with Air Inuit, it is not BAS's oldest Twin Otter, with former C-FNAN (c/n 2/42), also a former Nordair/Nordair Arctic/Survair machine still active as N92FE.
I have been involved in putting a history of the company together for the last couple of years. I recognize there are many of the current and retired pilots from many of the companies this newsletter goes out to who either got their start with or employed by Bradley, which at one point had 4 flying schools associated with it.
I would be interested to hear from any individual who would be willing to share any factual stories (with hopefully some supporting evidence and/or pictures) to add to the collection. I can be reached at pakwa6514@gmail.com.
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Submitted by Neil Burton -
NetLetter 1578 sparked my interest in Canadian Western Airlines, the Richmond-based carrier, under chief executive officer Mohamed Doma, began offering twice-daily flights between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Kamloops Airport on Fulton Field (YKA) around August 2003.
CWA hired 10 persons to operate its Kamloops business. Service commenced using 19-seat U.S.-built Metroliner aircraft. As well as that inter-city (YKA-YVR) passenger traffic CWA had in sight traffic to New Delhi, India, through its arm "Canadian Western Airlines Vacations" by way of interline agreements.
CWA didn't have an international travel licence and the Canadian Transport Agency issued a desist order to stop international ticket sales on September 19, 2003.
On November 3, 2003, it was announced that Jetcor Ltd., of Calgary had taken over CWA. CWA's operating licence was suspended by Transport Canada, November 4, 2003, for safety and operational deficiencies.
A note was left on CWA's YKA counter that flights were cancelled temporarily. At the end of March 2004, the B.C. Supreme Court said that Mohamed Doma should be awarded $320,000 and should receive payment for any charges that Jetcor might have made after Jetcor's purchase of CWA.
(Created from Kamloops media newspaper articles).
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Submitted by Vic Bentley -
Thanks for the steady stream of aviation history! Odds & Ends in NetLetter #1581 had several photos of DC-3s, so I wanted to add to them.
This is the DC-3 that finished its working career at Terrace, B.C. and sat as a spare parts collection at the edge of the airport in the 1970s. It is now at Langley Regional Airport in Langley, B.C. It is owned by the Canadian Museum of Flight. The background is artwork in tribute to all the women in aviation.
Vic Bentley - Pacific Western Airlines, Canadian Airlines and Air Canada and currently a volunteer at the museum.
Editors' Note: See NetLetter #1397 for our previous article on the ' Spirit of Skeena'.
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Shirlee Schacter sent us this information and photos -
 The Ontario District Pionairs Spring 2026 Appreciation Luncheon took place on Wednesday, April 22 at the Brampton Mandarin Flagship location to the enjoyment of over 100 members.
This popular event is partially subsidized by the Ontario District Pionairs in recognition of the loyal support of their members. It provides attendees with the opportunity to reconnect with past AC colleagues, partake of a sumptuous buffet and be entered in a draw for a variety of prizes.
A special thank you to Sherri Griffin for her special gift contributions. District Director, Carla Marraffino (below left), designed an Air Canada-specific BINGO card contest which was a real motivator for everyone to participate in and which resulted in a number of lucky prize-winners.
The next Member Appreciation Luncheon will take place on June 24, 2026, the location and details will be announced in an upcoming Ontario District Newsletter.
New members are always welcome! If you are interested in joining the Ontario District Pionairs, please go to Pionairs.ca.
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Our Ken Pickford did some research on women in aviation and came across this article.
Jackie Moggridge became Britain's first woman commercial airline captain in 1957.
She earned her wings and her place in aviation history, flying passengers to Guernsey and Jersey. She was born in South Africa, and had her sights on flying at a time when aviation was almost entirely closed to women.
Jackie's daughter, Candy Atkins, said her mum "never understood why it should be strange for a woman to fly".
"She wasn't allowed to speak on the intercom, because the passengers would be frightened to think they'd been flown by a woman."
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Found in 'Horizons' magazine
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Issue dated March 1998
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In-Flight Service employees in Toronto celebrated 25 years’ service in 1998.
Seated left to right: Ginette Simard, Marcia Finzi, Esther Devos-Netherby, Gay Moore and Brenda Holman.
Second row: Geraldine Marion, Heather Allison, Vivian Robertson, Palma Von Ferst, Joan Larkins and Susan Smith.
Third row: Louise Cadotte, Eve English, Vivian Crosby, Diane MacMillan, Eileen Anderson, Louise Hébert Rooney, Joanne Longmoore, Monika Kratochwill-Diaz, Herbert Langstein and Rene Lapczvoski.
Fourth row: Andre Fournier, Irene Pribble, Evelyn Frake, Vilma Innocente, Carla Baldwin and Ingrid Saaliste.
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Flight Operations employees in Toronto, had a 30 years’ service anniversary in 1998.
Front row, left to right: Buster Wood, Paul Irvine, Jack Sargent and Graham Pickering.
Second row: Andy Anderson, Guy Boucher, Bill Edgar, Bill Warren and Pete Waddell.
Third row: Dale Butler, Bob Johnston, Terry Simair, Bill Pomeroy, Al Alls, Wayne Storey, Jack Stragier and Bob Clarke.
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Issue dated April 1998
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Members of the Customer Relations department during 1998 are from left to right: (kneeling) Sophie Létourneau, Tania Paparis, Kathy Fata, Umberto Fanelli and Muriel Duncan.
Centre: Patricia Principe, Cindy Morton, Christiane Beauchemin, Micheline Larocque, Michelle Dubois, Cynthia McFarlane, Marie Perez, Simon Lynch, Maggy Simonetti and Francine Guilbeault.
Back row: Emma Ionata, Tracy Lamotha, Normand Paquette, Lynn Boutin, Nathalie Clermont, Felicity Morson and Connie Pigeon.
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Air Canada celebrates 50 years of flight to Bermuda.
Staff, friends and associates of Air Canada in Bermuda celebrated this station's 50th anniversary in 1998. To mark this very special occasion, an afternoon tea was held in the main lobby of the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo.
Pictured left to right: Customer Service Agents Karen Cabral, Tina Barnard, Floyd Smart, Matthew Ringer; Veronica DeSilva, Country Coordinator; Lynette Harris, CSA; Lamar Durrett, President and CEO; David Lambert, Customer Service Coordinator - Bermuda; Customer Service Agents Lucy Monkman, Carol Ramsay, Sally Walsh, CSA; Marc Rosenberg, Vice President, Sales & Product Distribution and Polly Ricketts, CSA.
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CP Air / Canadi>n People Gallery |
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From Canadi>n Flyer magazine
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Issue dated August 1997
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Soccer team carries Canadian Flag
The Canadian Airlines Vancouver Ramp team, actually consisting of employee from various areas of the company, placed third in a division of five teams at an AMR soccer tournament in Toronto in late May 1997.
Known to local fans as the 'Dream Team' and often mistaken for Italy's national club, members of the team are:
Back row, left to right: Coach Silvio Leo, Ramp Services Manager; Par Bajwa; Mervin "Swervin" Roper, Station Attendant, Ramp; Frank Lombardo, Station Attendant, Cargo; Tony Manetta, Lead Station Attendant, Ramp; Lucky Bajwa and Steve Van Holtum, Station Attendant, Ramp.
Front row: Gord "One Touch" Kukec, Director, Interactive Products; Victor Chrzaszcz, Station Attendant, Cargo; Bryan Hagymasy, Station Attendant, Toronto Ramp; Darren "Dirty" Price, Supervisor, Distribution Service; Jamie Paxton, Station Attendant, Ramp; and Paul Cook, Station Attendant, Ramp.
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Canadian Airlines Manila staff in 1997.
Standing left to right: Len Rivera, Sales; Joel Aquino, Sates; Bochie del Rosario, Administration; Ana Abela, Reservations; Maritte Encarnacion, CTO; Sally Pineda, Sales; Malou Dulay, Sales; Don Sarmiento, Sales; Sheila Mendiola, Reservations; Anggie Tagura. Reservations and Graham Perkins, Country Manager.
Sitting: Sunshine Mirabueno, CTO; Sol Abelardo, CTO and Liezl Magtibay, Reservations.
Missing: Jep Arenas, Sales.
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Issue dated November 1997
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CDN North Managers plan for the future.
Managers from Canadian North gathered in for their annual management seminar. Because of the isolation and distance between northern bases and management in the South the seminar was an excellent opportunely for team-building sharing successes and concerns and addressing specific northern issues.
Front row left to right: Glenda Hayes, Pricing & Yield Management. DEW; Val Gibson, Sales Rep NWT/Alberta, YZF; Mary Dewar, Secretary, YZF; Bob Davies, Regional Manager Commercial Operations, YEG; Emanuela Cucinelli, CSM, YEV; Paul McCurry, Marketing Analyst, YYC; Kelly Kaylo, Regional Director, Sales & Government Relations, YZF; Reynold Icart, CSM. YFB and Michael King, Manager Marketing and Division Sales, YYC.
Middle Row: Damaris Neumann, Sales Development Coordinator, YYC; Marlene Pipella, Senior Secretary, YEG; Randy Miller, CSM, YRT; Barry Rempel, VP Cargo and Canadian North, YYC; Barby Johnston Gilroy, CSM, YVQ; Barrie Mindus, CSM, YZF; Rejean Pitre, CSM, YTH and Suzanne Bulmer, Administrative Assistant, YYC.
Back row: Cathie Edgar, Ramp Services Manager, YWG; Dan MacMillan, Cargo Sales Rep, YEG; Dave Hanas, Training & Logistics Coordinator. YEG; John Delaney, Director, Cargo Services, YYC; Jay Garlough, Budgets Administration Manager, YYC; Dan Kane, Sales Rep Nunavut/Northern Manitoba, YZF; Bill Shanks, member of Canadian North Business Advisory Board, YTH and Keith Argo, Lead Agent, YFO.
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Our video is posted on Alex Praglowski YouTube channel and is the story of the last DC-10s to operate in Canada.
Long after passenger service on this fleet ended, Kelowna Flightcraft operated a fleet of freighters until 2018.
See Wayne's Wings below for more on the lifecycle of these four aircraft.
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More defunct airlines of Canada
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 Maestro was established in April 2006 and started operations on December, 12 2006. It was a privately funded start-up airline and the exclusive carrier of tour operator 'Vacances Maestro', based in Quebec City.
Its logo was an airplane empennage over an inclined white Fleur-de-Lis, which symbolizes both Quebec and Quebec City. Skyservice Airlines operated all Maestro flights using a Boeing 757-200ER aircraft.
The airline ceased operations on March 7, 2007, after a decision was made to halt all flights because of overcapacity in the Quebec market.
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Air Saguenay was a regional airline based in Jonquière, Quebec, now Saguenay.
Formed in the early 1960s by Peter Schoch. It ceased operations in November 2019.
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De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver.
August 2, 2010.
Photo by Jean Gagnon
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KD Air was a British Columbia-based airline that voluntarily suspended all operations in April 2019. Founded in 1990, it operated scheduled and charter flights using small Piper aircraft, primarily connecting Vancouver International with destinations like Qualicum Beach, Powell River and Tofino.
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KD Air Piper Navajo at Qualicum Beach Airport
May 27, 2007
Photo by Logantech
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Kelowna Flightcraft DC-10 fleet
I have been watching a few YouTube videos of the history of the DC-10 lately and was quite interested in Alex Praglowski's in this issue's "Featured Videos' section.
I certainly remember seeing Kelowna Flightcraft parked not far from the Air Canada south side hangar (where I worked) but I didn't specifically notice the DC-10's. As these were the last of them registered in Canada, I thought it worth a look at their lifecycles and eventual fates.
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For more info on the history of parent company KF Aerospace, see the links below:
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- C-GKFA (fin #101) -
- Delivered to British Caledonian in February 1977, registered G-BEBM and named for Robert Burns - The Scottish Bard (photo below).
- C-GKFB (fin #102) -
- Delivered to British Caledonian in March 1977, registered G-BEBL and named for Sir Alexander Fleming - The Scottish Challenger.
- Both absorbed by British Airways during the April 1988 merger.
- Acquired by KF in September 2008 and wore the Purolator decal (photo in header)
- Broken up at Hamilton, Ontario in August 2015 and June 2016.
- C-GKFD (fin #103) -
- Delivered to Lufthansa in March 1975, registered D-ADJO named Essen (photo below).
- Acquired by KF in February 2010 - withdrawn from service in August 2018.
- C-GKFT (fin #104) -
- Delivered to Lufthansa in March 1975, registered D-ADLO named Nürnberg.
- Acquired by KF in May 2012 - withdrawn from service in August 2018.
- Both acquired by Alta Airlines Holdings October 2018.
- Broken up at Kansas City June 2024
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G-BEBM original livery
London - Gatwick - August 26, 1979
Photo courtesy of Paul Seymour
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D-ADJO Condor livery
Cologne / Bonn, Germany - July 1995
Photo courtesy of Jo Beeck
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Kelowna Flightcraft DC-10-30F
C-GKFA - October 5, 2008
parked in front of Air Canada south hangar at YVR
Photo in Public Domain
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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.
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Excerpt from April 1998 issue of Horizons
It takes 120 gallons of white paint to paint one B-747.
The Maple Leaf decal on a B-747 measures 17.5 ft x 21 ft from stem to tip, roughly the dimensions of a small living-room.
The decal must be printed in 10 pieces due to its size.
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From Canadi>n Flyer magazine
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Another cartoon by Jake Visser
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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.
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