We have welcomed 105 new subscribers so far in 2023.

We wish to thank everyone for the continuing support of our efforts.

Back issues of The NetLetter are available in both the original newsletter format and downloadable PDF format.

We invite you to visit our website at www.thenetletter.net/netletters to view our archives.

Restoration and posting of archive issues is an ongoing project. We hope to post every issue back to the beginning in 1995.

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.

Please feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We will try to post your comments in the next issue but, if not, we will publish it as soon as we can.

Thanks!

Introducing kids to the joy of flight.

After a very successful event in 2022, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Discover Aviation program is happening again soon.

The free Discover Aviation program at the Welland Airport at Fenwick, Ontario is hosted by COPA Flight 149.

Discover Aviation is planned for Saturday, August 19, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It will take place at the Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport, (aka Welland Airport).

Doug Reilly, COPA Flight 149, Discover Aviation Coordinator said, “We are very excited about our August 19 'Discover Aviation Day'. Last year we were able to introduce 85 young people to the magic of flight. We had a waiting list of over 40 would be aviators, that were given 'first dibs' in the 2023 program and quite a few have already registered.”

The airport was originally built by the Royal Canadian Air Force as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and was associated with the Dunnville airfield that was doing similar training during World War 2. After the war various entities operated the airport and it became known as the Welland-Port Colborne Airport. 

Source: thoroldtoday.ca

Aviation Football Cup

Being held in Athens October 5 to 8, 2023.

Visit www.aviationcup.com for details.

The Interline Club of Portugal and the World Airlines Clubs Association (WACA) present -

The 32nd Passarola Golf Cup, the 30th Passarola Tennis Cup on October 24 - 28, 2023 and the 1st Passarola Padel Cup* on October 26 - 28, 2023.

All 3 events being held at Sao Miguel Island - Azores.

Click the event title for full program info.

For further information about the Passarola Sports Events please contact Keith Miller: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

*Padel (or Padel Tennis) in addition to being a very social sport, is rewarding for the practitioner from day one.

Unlike other sports where lessons are needed to benefit from it, Padel is easy to play, fun and accessible to any type of person. Whether the player is a little or very athletic, with good technique or not, fun is guaranteed and the dynamics of the game are much more attractive than in similar sports, such as tennis.

Most practitioners experience rapid improvement and become easily addicted. In Portugal, it grew very quickly. Practitioners are generally friends who meet at the end of the day to practice padel.

From Peter Marshall - 

I enjoyed your article about PemAir in NetLetter #1514

I used to travel a lot between Sudbury and Montreal and I always dropped in to check on the airline as I passed through Pembroke.

At the start, they used a Beech D18S, then in the late sixties, they added a DC-3, getting a second one in the early ‘70s. They flew Pembroke to Toronto twice a day. I believe they were in a 28-seat layout.

One of the DC-3's was parted out at Pembroke and replaced by a Beech 99. The ‘99 was not there long and the airline soldiered on with the DC-3 until it, too, was replaced by a pair of Piper Navajo Chieftains. They were set up with eight passenger seats and were mostly single pilot (permitted with an autopilot.)

The airline tried to diversify in the mid ‘70s, adding a Bell 47J and a couple of Cessnas which formed the basis of a flight school. The 47J, a rare bird in itself, was replaced by a Hughes 300 and a Bell 206 was added. I do not know how long the helicopter operation lasted but it was gone by the mid-80s.

With the fall in traffic out of Pembroke, the airline experimented with sked flights to North Bay, Ottawa and Montreal. These were not successful.

They tried again with a network that included a number of southern Ontario cities and, like many small airlines, used at least one Jetstream 31. Those were the days of Trillium Air as the name PemAir was too felt to be too local for a wider audience. That was then replaced by the Beech 100 that was in your photo and the airline contracted in size and returned to focus on Pembroke-Toronto before throwing in the towel.

I lost track of the airline in the nineties when I moved out west but I tried to keep an eye on them whenever I came across some news.

I believe, from dim memory, that the southern Ontario routes connected Ottawa with London and Kitchener, but maybe someone knows more about that end of the operation.

I did not know Del O'Brien had written a book. I am sure it would be most interesting to read.

Peter Marshall
Sidney, British Columbia

P.S. As a freelance writer, I did articles on Nordair and Quebecair for Canadian Aviation and Flight International. I did a story on PemAir for Canadian Aviation and that was my last one for that magazine.

From Doug Davidson -

Hi Terry and gang:

Many years ago, I was flying from Prestwick to Winnipeg. I always made a point of having a chat with Roddy McPhee, our station manager there. He often had a question about revenue accounting and I could investigate and report back. My family and I were waiting for a 'Stretched 8' that flew London - Prestwick - Winnipeg (oh my, those were the days!).

On this day, two burly policemen appeared and Roddy said "This is going to be interesting!"

The DC-8 came to a stop, the steps were wheeled into place, the cops boarded first and hauled off two passengers. There was one old boy who did not speak English and had no idea what was going on and one young fellow who was the crook.

We had a particularly smart agent in Heathrow who had reviewed all the flight coupons after departure. They all looked good but then he or she also reviewed the back of the coupons. On the back of the coupons was red carbon so if you inspected that, it should show a mirror image of the data on the front carved into the carbon. They found two coupons that had obviously been written on twice with different data.

The crook had gone into our London office and bought two tickets on the cheapest route we had which was Vancouver - Victoria. He had then fraudulently altered the coupons to read London to Winnipeg. Crooks got to be very good at that and at first glance the coupons looked OK on the front but they could not do anything about the carbon on the back. They got caught this time and didn't fly. Worse than that, they were now stranded in Prestwick, of all places.

Best regards,

Doug Davidson

P.S. Entirely up to you if you ever print this. It's a true story!

Victoria-based artist designs new commemorative loonie honouring trail-blazing female engineer.

Elsie MacGill redefined what was possible for women in Canada during her lifetime, says the Royal Canadian Mint.

The new commemorative loonie went into circulation at the start of August.

They called her the Queen of Hurricanes. Now, pioneering aeronautical engineer and woman's rights activist Elsie MacGill is featured on the newest commemorative loonie, designed by Victoria-based artist Claire Watson.

Watson says she was selected by the Royal Canadian Mint last year to craft the design for the loonie honouring MacGill.

Source: www.cbc.ca

Elsie MacGill Awards Gala – The Elsie.

The 14th annual Elsie MacGill Awards Gala will be held at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton, Ontario on Saturday, October 21, 2023. 

Northern Lights Aero Foundation Announces 2023 Recipients and new members of thr Wall of Fame.

• Cathy Press - Business Award
  • CEO of Chinook Helicopters, holds both Fixed Wing and Rotary Wing ATPLs, Class 1 Instructor and Pilot Examiner ratings. In 1997, she became the first female helicopter flight instructor in Canada.
• Dr. Joana Rocha - Education Award
  • Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Ontario.
• Heather Beaton - Engineering Award
  • Fellow in Bombardier’s Aircraft Design & Development engineering organization, providing leadership and decision-making to critical strategic, safety and certification decisions across Bombardier sites and platforms.
• Captain Kristin Long - Flight Operations Award
  • Captain and Standards Pilot on the B-737 at WestJet Airlines.
• Major Catherine Cabot - Government Award
  • Aerospace engineer in the Canadian Armed Forces.
• Glenna Sharratt - Trailblazer Award
  • A flight operations consultant providing regulatory support and guidance to Canadian air operators for the past 20 years.
• Alisha Sohpaul - Rising Star Award
  • Transport Canada Airworthiness Inspector and is proudly part of the 2.8% of female AMEs in Canada.
• Yasna Taieb - Rising Star Award
  • First joined the aviation community through the Royal Canadian Air Cadets Program, where she earned her glider and private pilot licenses.

Source: NorthernLightsAeroFoundation.com/

Air Canada and Dreams Take Flight returned to the sky during April 2023 for the first time since 2020 with a plane load of children from Winnipeg to Florida to experience a trip-of-a-lifetime.

Thanks to generous volunteers, Air Canada employees and retirees, the support of the Air Canada Foundation and work by the Dreams Take Flight organization.

Eight flights will operate this year, making dreams come true for an estimated 1,000 children with an unforgettable day at a theme park in Florida or California.

The flight from Winnipeg left in the early hours of the morning and transported 110 kids to Orlando, accompanied by a crew of Air Canada employee volunteers focused on creating the most magical experience possible.

Seven additional flights from across Canada will depart from Halifax, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa between April and November 2023.

Air Canada has opened a brand-new Maple Leaf Lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the airline's 28th lounge worldwide, and its third Maple Leaf Lounge in the USA.

Located in Terminal 2, the lounge was designed with San Francisco-based architectural firm Gensler, and is the airline's first to have an expansive outdoor terrace with aircraft and runway views, and featuring two vapor fireplaces produced by Canadian company CF + D.

Source: media.aircanada.com/

Issue dated October 1977

House league champs.

Montreal's Power Plant A's pulled a surprise upset getting into the Men's House League fastball finals by defeating the A's from Base Stores which, all season long, had been virtually unbeatable and unflappable.

Then the Power Plant team took on the real pros in the finals - the Jet Jockeys - last year's champions and beat them to pull off the championship.

The proud Power Plant team is shown, back row, from the left: Jack Dones (Coach), Al Clattenburg, Ken Smith, John Oliphant, Bob Delaney and Les Davidson.

Kneeling from the left are: Jean-Luc Crouhen, Bill Ostap, Brian Coote, Michel Cyr and Gary Jones.

Missing from the photo are Ron Dunham and Dave Ward.

Ten years old. Los Angeles celebrates.

The Montreal-Toronto-Los Angeles route has come a long way since it began just ten years ago September 1967.

From a single daily short DC-8 operating round trip, capacity has increased to two daily L-1011 flights, offering a total of 514 seats in each direction. Freight capacity has grown from 32,000 pounds in 1967 to today's 160,000 pounds.

Dubbed the 'Galaxy' route, the Los Angeles service developed a reputation for superb food almost overnight. Partly as a result the company has always attracted more than half of the air travel market between Southern California and Toronto / Montreal.

During its first ten years of operation the service carried 1.5 million passengers and led all major U.S. cities served by the company in passenger traffic growth with a 36.8 per cent increase in passenger hoardings. With these Impressive numbers, the L.A. station had every reason to celebrate by holding and luncheons for representatives of the business and travel trade in the California city.

Our photo has Gord Gaffikin, District Manager, Los Angeles in 1967 chatting with the then company President Gordon McGregor, right, during inaugural activities. 

Regina celebrates company’s 40th.

In keeping with the general theme of the company's 40th anniversary celebrations, Regina District also got into the act with a cake and coffee party at both the downtown and airport locations.

Shown in the photo at the downtown location are, from the left: A. Frolick, Customer Relations Representative; Passenger Agents S. Lessard and K. Dorsett, District Manager Bob Danaher; Passenger Agents Edy Bell, F. Bernard, K. Timm and L. Whipple.

At the airport, are from the left: Airport Customer Service Manager, Cliff Dobson; Lead Station Attendant, W. Willet; Passenger Agent, C. Stennes; General Clerk, E. Wise and Station Agent D. Morris.

Is this a record?

Air Canada challenges anyone in the world to show that they know of someone who has crossed the north Atlantic more times than Al Blackwood who was a Toronto-based pilot flying B-747's on Trans Atlantic Air Canada Service.

Al joined TCA / Air Canada in February 1939 as a Radio Operator in Vancouver. He began flying across the Atlantic in 1942 on loan to BOAC as a Flight Radio Operator and, in 1943, was in at the beginning of the Canadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS) operated by TCA. He achieved recognition for 100 crossings in 1945 and has been at it ever since until his retirement.  From Radio Operator he changed to Navigator, and then to pilot.

A check of the records of Air Canada, PAA and TWA, and comparison with other flight crew members shows that no other individual can match his record, which climbed beyond 2,200 crossings by August 1977.

This challenge met with the approval of J.L. Rood, a retired Vice President, Flight Operations of the airline, who himself had built up a creditable number of crossings, and by C.H. Simpson, who was Vice President - Flight Operations.

In this photo, Al Blackwood, right, was a Radio Operator when this photo was taken back in 1945 when he had made his 100th crossing of the Atlantic. Captain George Lothian received a gift from the late president H.J. Symington on the occasion, and Navigator Harold Thomae (Air Force) and Al Blackwood both received tokens.

Issue dated September 1977

Individual Is Important In 'Catch our Spirit' Ads

Employees are the stars in the in the new CP Air advertising campaign which was launched in Canada and the United States September 12, 1977.

'Catch our Spirit' is the theme. Each print media ad has a photo of CP Air people. Several have the 49 people as in the photo below, others illustrate larger or smaller groups ... with one thing in common; they're all smiling. 

The implication: There's a friendly spirit pervading CP Air ... catch it with us!

Editors' Note: We wonder if any of these people are also in the reunion group below.

In NetLetter #1513 we advised of the upcoming CP Air / Canadian 4th BC District Reunion being held September 2023.

Following a brief history of this event:

The first such reunion was held in Parksville, British Columbia during 2003, followed 10 years later in 2013 at the same location.

People came from as far away as Frankfurt, Germany, the United States  and other parts of Canada to join in the fun. The third reunion was held in September 2018 in Parksville.

Marlie Kelsey, one of the organizers, tells us that the CP Air / Canadian BC District Reunion is an extension of what started as the Whitehorse (YXY) reunion in 2003 and now includes all the bases from Prince George (YXS) to Whitehorse (YXY) including Fort Nelson (YYE), Fort St. John (YXJ), Watson Lake (YQH), Grande Prairie (YQU), Terrace (YXT) and Prince Rupert (YPR).

However, Vancouver (YVR) is not included as they have their own reunion.

Editors' Note: See NetLetter #1400 for our report on the 2018 reunion. 

Frequent photograph contributor Caz Caswell captured this photo of three Wardair B-747's together on the Toronto ramp on January 1, 1985,

Caz explains:

"I often went over to Terminal 1 on my lunch breaks when Wardair maintenance offices were located on Viscount Road.

As always, my camera was with me. On this particular dull day, I only took my camera and not my camera bag, as I felt it was not my type of weather for my photos.

I had one frame left though and when I noticed registration C-GXRA taxi between C-FDJC and C-GXRD, 'Click'.

I was so pleased I got this one in. Can you imagine the surprise I got, when moments later, one of our DC-10's landed, and no more frames left to use, ha ha ha?"

Editors' Note: The upper level of the multi-storey parking garage in the middle of Toronto's original Terminal 1 had a wonderful view of the tarmac.

Posted to the CP Air InFlight Family page. by David Lehman.

CP Air retirement momento. 

Posted by Alex McPhee 

PWA Helicopter Division CF-JCL 1957 at Fifteen Mile River, Yukon. The post received several comments from people who were unaware of this division at PWA.

Forgotten Transport That Revolutionized Air Cargo; the Canadair CL-44 'Swingtail' and CC-106 Yukon

In the late 1950's and early 1960's Canadair developed one of most competitive long haul transport aircraft of its kind. In its military role it ferried cargo and personnel to and from European bases. In its civil version it revolutionized how cargo companies operate and left a lasting legacy.

The video chronicles of the history of this unique multi-purpose aircraft.

Posted by Polyus

C919 Enters Service With Maiden Revenue Flight

China's domestically produced jet airliner went into revenue service on May 28, 2023, although it's a stretch to call it a Chinese aircraft.

The China Eastern Airlines C919 launched from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport with about 130 passengers (it seats 164) for Chengdu and will be assigned to that route. Government officials and state-run media all gushed over the accomplishment with confident predictions of a bright future for indigenous airliners in a market that is served entirely by Boeing and Airbus now. "In the future, most passengers will be able to choose to travel by large, domestically produced aircraft," state broadcaster CCTV said.

The plane is built by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), but it's more accurate to describe COMAC's participation as final assembly. COMAC builds the mostly aluminum airframe but CFM International supplies the engines and a Who's Who of Western aviation companies build the avionics, cabin systems and flight controls, among other things.

It will likely be more than a decade before China can produce an engine to replace the ultra-efficient LEAP-ICs. The company says it has 1,200 orders for the plane, most, if not all, from Chinese airlines.

Source: AVWeb.com

Air Inuit to Introduce Boeing 737-800's

Nunavik airline Air Inuit has announced that they will be replacing some of their old Boeing 737-200 series with more modern versions over the next 24 months. In a press release dated July 3, 2023 the airline said they will be acquiring three B-737-800's that will be modified through the installation of cargo doors to create combination passenger/cargo aircraft.

The airline currently owns five of the -200 series models which, although equipped with relatively inefficient and highly polluting engines, are capable of landing on gravel airstrips, still commonly found in Northern Canada. The newer models lack that capability.

The Quebec-based airline is wholly owned by Makivik Corporation. Both entities were created in 1978 to serve the interests of Quebec’s Inuit people. Air Inuit operates a fleet of 24 aircraft and flies to 21 destinations. Other than the Boeing 737's, the company also operates numerous Twin Otters and Dash 8's, which will be used to service destinations incapable of receiving the B-737-800's.

Source: CanadianAviator.com

Conroy Skymonster (CL-44-0)

I love it whenever I can find a unique aircraft with a fascinating history. While watching this issue's "Featured Video', I noticed one unique aircraft that has been preserved at Bournemouth Airport in England since 2010. However, it has been scheduled to be scrapped several times and its current status is unsure. There have been rumours of a donation to a museum in Germany. 

The 'Conroy Skymonster' is a specialized cargo aircraft designed by John M. Conroy, based on the Canadair CL-44 freighter, modified with an oversize fuselage (resembling a 'Guppy" appearance) during 1968/69. It is the only prototype ever built. 

Its original purpose was to ferry Rolls-Royce RB.211 engines from Belfast to Palmdale, California to be installed on Lockheed L-1011 Tristars.

As per PlaneLogger.com the aircraft was registered in the United States as N447T and was originally delivered to Flying Tiger Line in 1961. After the modification it was leased by Transmeridian Air Cargo where it got its nickname, 'Skymonster'. 

As per Wikipedia, after a long period of storage, activity was again seen around the Skymonster during the summer of 2013. In July 2013 it was registered N447FT in the United States to a Jordan Harlan Wayne, but has since been deregistered.

As of May 2021 the Skymonster remains at Bournemouth International Airport, moved from its original parking spot to make way for airport development. 

N447FT at Bournemouth Airport.

Photo by aceebee @ commons.wikimedia.org

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

For your interline desires, why not contact an agent who operates in Canada.

With a wealth of knowledge and years of personal and professional experience, my goal is to work with you to facilitate your travel needs.

I have worked in the Interline industry since 1976, simultaneously joining CP Air as an aircraft mechanic and executive with the Vancouver Interline Club.

As other travel service suppliers discovered the benefit of offering surplus space to airline employees, Interline expanded to tours, accommodation and several other non-cruise products.

Whether it be ocean cruises, river cruises, tours or accommodation, I look forward to helping you get the best value for your travel plans.

Check for details www.GordonFroese.com where you can sign up to see the password protected Interline Rate page.

Gordon Froese, an outside agent who works with KVI Travel.
1-888-768-6777, Ext. 321
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Kelowna, BC, Canada. 

Posted on Facebook from Propliner 2023 edition April 14, 2023.

This beauty graced the apron at RAF Northolt in June 1968. U.S. Marine Corps Douglas C-54R/R5D-4R Skymaster 90414 (c/n 27370) looking absolutely stunning in the sunshine, later served as a freighter with Toronto-based airline Millardair as C-GQIB.

Recently purchased by the Aviator Brewing Company of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, the aircraft is due to become part of a new restaurant complex.

Issue dated January 1990