The NetLetter
 For Air Canada Retirees

April 10, 2010 - Issue 1115
5586 Subscribers
First published in October, 1995
  • Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson, Victoria, B.C.
  • Co-pilot - Terry Baker, Nanaimo, B.C.
  • Flight Engineer - Alan Rust, Surrey, B.C.
  • Ground Technician - Bill Rowsell, Londesboro, Ontario
To contact us, send an email to [email protected]

In This Issue
Our first 70 years
Air Canada Related News.
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery
Alan's Space
Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc
Reader's Feedback
Cabbage Patch Incident
Odds & Ends
Terry's Trivia
Smileys
About us
Terry, Vesta & Alan Pionair's AGM 2007
Terry, Vesta & Alan
Sponsors
ACFamily Network
ACFamily Links
Air Canada Pionairs
Greetings!
Vesta Stevenson
Vesta Stevenson

We welcome you to allow the NetLetter to be your platform, and opportunity, to relive your history while working for either TCA, AC, CPAir, CAIL, PWA, AirBC etal. and share your experiences with us!

WOMEN PILOTS' RECORD: 310 FIRST FLIGHTS

Women Pilots AssocOrganizers of the Centennial of Women Pilots, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first pilot certificate awarded to a woman, set a record this month by introducing 310 girls and women around the world, ages 2 to 70, to their first flight in a general aviation aircraft.

The flights took place in eight countries on three continents, in 20 different kinds of aircraft, including balloons, gliders, ultralights, airplanes and helicopters, during the week of March 6 to 12. The group now plans to extend the effort for the rest of this year, with the goal to introduce 2,010 girls and women to aviation in 2010. In the last 100 years, the percentage of women who are doctors and lawyers has increased significantly, noted Mireille Goyer, a Canadian pilot who is spearheading the challenge. "Our goal is to grow the women pilots' population to at least [a comparable] level within the next 100 years," she said.
More information on this web site
www.centennialofwomenpilots.com

The NetLetter is an email newsletter published every weekend and contains a mixture of nostalgia, current news and travel tips. We encourage our readers to submit their stories, photos and/or comments from either days gone by or from present day experiences and trips. If we think that the rest of our readers will enjoy it, we will publish it here

We also welcome your feedback in regard to anything we post here. Many readers have commented with additional information names and personal memories from the photos and articles presented here.
The NetLetter is open to anyone that wishes to subscribe but is targeted to retired employees from Air Canada, Canadian Airlines and all the other companies that were part of what Air Canada has become today. Thanks for joining us!

Vesta & your NetLetter Team
Our first 70 years
Trans-Canada Air Lines/Air Canada1950 - April 1st - Inaugural service of direct flight between Montreal and New York.

1997
  • May 22nd - Inauguration of service between Toronto and Berlin.
  • Sept 15th - Dorval airport now receives all international flights transferred from Mirabel.
Air Canada Related News
Air Canada News

Effective May 2010 services between Calgary and San Diego, Edmonton and Las Vegas, Edmonton and Los Angeles are cancelled.
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery
Trans-Canada Air LinesMusings from the "Between Ourselves" magazine an Air Canada publication from years gone by.
Issue dated May 1950
Montreal T.C.A.R.A. active with dances and a Badminton Club.
YUL Badminton 1950
YUL Badminton 1950
Here are the members of the Badminton club.
Front row left to right:
Ken Green, Joan Paul, Shirley Harper, Norma Hunter, Mickey Ryan, Chris Thorwaldson, Marion Last, Gladys Clapp, Babs Dennis and Jack Chamberlain.

Second row,
Al Magnusson, Eric Wyeth, Mel Lagasse, Hal Walker, John Trewin, Merle Dunne, Alice Thorslund, Sybil Magnusson, Audrey King.

Back row:
George MacMillan, Don McLean, John Nicas, Les McDowell, Bob Affleck, Eric Wolfe, Hazel Goodoll, John King, Al Wilson, Fred Robinson, Bob Needham

Issue dated October 1950
A hospital-surgical-medical plan covering all TCA employees
wherever they may be went into effect October 1st.
 
TCA Veterans at Winnipeg- during a recent ceremony, a group of
shop personnel received their 10 year pins.(below)
YWG Vets
YWG Vets
Back left to right:
J. S. Anderson, J. D. Walker, W. A. Villiers, H. G. Carson, W. A. Rose, B. L. Wood, J. S. Rose, Z Borecky, M. Heggen,

(and front),
A. H. Dale, J. A. Heindel, W. Burns, F. E. Pink, F.R. MaIley, J. P. Large and J. J. A. Sheehan. Missing is K. P. Williams.


Ways and means of overcoming TCA's seasonal peaks &
valleys came under review at Regional Sales Conference held
for Traffic Reps. Here are the reps meeting at Toronto:
YYZ Traffic Reps
YYZ Traffic Reps
Ramsay McGregor, Cleveland; Alec MacKay, Port Arthur; Ed Waud, Toronto; Lawrie Manchee, Toronto; Vol Day, Toronto; Lawrie Adams; Ted Deyman; Herb Harling, Toronto; Bob Blythe, Detroit; John Sinden, Windsor.

And standing:
Jock Struthers, London, Ont.; Bill Shaw, Bill Yold,New York;
Don Graham, Ottawa; Jim Lyons, New York; John McCormick, Montreal; Larry Morgan, Cleveland;
Joe O'Neil, Ottawa; Hal Paynter, Toronto; Dave Young, Toronto; Al Kicksee, Detroit; Dick Watt, Toronto; Bill Devonshire, Sault Ste. Marie; Doug Campbell, Toronto; Howard Kennedy, Hamilton; Frank Thrasher, Detroit.

TCA/IAM Parade YUL
TCA/IAM Parade YUL
In Montreal's Labor Day parade 1950 was the float of the International Association of Machinists. It featured a North Star with TCA posters:

Driver is G.Gagnonand left to right are
E.Davidson, T.A.Bosma, C.Templeton, I.Haggart

Gleanings from the "Horizons" magazine

Issue dated June 1992
A British professional strongman Dave Gauderused his strength
on the 19th May to pull an Air Canada B747-400a total of 7.5
centimeters at London's Heathrow airport LHR.

The aircraft weighed in at 200 tonnes.

On May 23rd, Air Canada inaugurated service between Berlin and
Toronto. The B747-400 was under the command of Capt. Rick Morrow.
 
Effective July 1st the middle seat on selected A-302 and B-727
aircraft in Business Class will remain empty to provide more room
for the passengers.

(And not an additional seat for the cons unfortunately - eds)
Alan's Space
Alan Rust
Alan's Space
1958 Rockies Flight to Vancouver

Ken Tazsent us a link to this vintage travel video showing a travel clip of a flight from England to Vancouver in 1958. It is in colour and good quality and shows some interesting scenes of a TCA Super Connie and various scenes of Vancouver and the surrounding area in 1958.


Flight to Vancouver 1958
Flight to Vancouver 1958

Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc. People & Events
CAIL TailsNews and articles from days gone by gleaned from various publications from C.A.I.L. and it's "ancestry" of contributing airlines.
Another Milestone
Another Milestone
In NetLetter nr 1114, a gremlin got into our information and this photo was omitted. Here is a reprint of the article with the missing photo.

Perusing the "InfoCanadi>n" magazine

Issue dated September 1996
In August 1992, Thousands of Canadian Airlines employees poured into the streets of seven cities in a unified call to arms. The rallying cry was "Save our airline". Four years later, one of the key outcomes was the
"Share Entitlement Program" (SEP) Here we have this photo marking the end of the SEP.

Perusing the "Info Canadi>n" magazine

Issue dated August 1996

June 19th- Canadian Holidays agreed to purchase the tour
operation from parent company Canadian Airlines.

Remember when?
October 1995- Club Empress launched for international business
class travel on DC-10 and B-747 aircraft.

November 1995- Canadian Shuttle service introduced in both the
 eastern and western triangles.

December 1995- Canadian introduces gateside and Empress
lounge business centres.

January 1996- All of Canadian's 37 B737 aircraft are reconfigured.

May 1996- YVR International building opened. Canadian has three
 premium Empress lounges for business passengers. Canadian to equip its entire fleet with the latest inflight telecommunications technology.

There are just three Canadian outposts in the Pacific, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.

56 employees work at these posts - 34 in Australia, 7 in Fiji and 15 in New Zealand. Here is a selection - Reservations Ann Wright, Lara Mason, Rasalie Santos.
Sydney
Sydney
CTO team at Sydney;
Melissa Rushton, Val Metherell, Estela Alvear
Sydney
Sydney
Sydney sales reps are;
Sandy Butow, Maarten Mulder

Issue dated July 1996
  • Effective July 1st, Pacific Coastal Airlines became a new partner of Canadian Airlines. Under a new agreement, Pacific Coastal Airlines will operate flights between Vancouver and Port Hardy as well as other routes.
  • Effective June 15th, British Airways began code-sharing with
    Canadian Airlines International on selected routes.
  • Effective in May, maintenance for the A320 and B737 aircraft was transferred from Calgary to Vancouver. The last "D check" was performed on fin #744 completed on May 10th.

1996 Annual run
1996 Annual run
Extracts from the "Canadia>n Flyer" magazine

Issue dated September 1997
These Edmonton employees took part in the 1996 Annual Run for the Cure held in Edmonton.
Dog Sled ride
Dog Sled ride
Its mush time! While on a layover at Yellowknife NWT, these three Canadian employees took a dog sled ride around
Cam Lake.

Left to right:Divna Frederico, Joyce Christenson, Louise Dejulius.

Extract from the "Info Canadian" magazine

Issue July 1966

Vancouver airport then and now.

THE OPENING OF Vancouver's new International Terminal
Building this May 1996 occurred almost 65 years to the day the
original airport administration building was opened by the Premier
of British Columbia in 1931.

In 1930, at the start of the great depression, the city of Vancouver
spent $300,000to build facilities including an airport
administration / terminal building, a paved runway and two concrete hangars. The original south airport terminal had an area of 500 square metres, by comparison with the new steel and concrete International Terminal Building, which has 105,000 square metres on four levels.

The first international air service began on July 1,1934, with
United Air Lines operating a 10 passenger Boeing 247 service to
Seattle. Trans-Canada Air Lines, which was formed in April 1937,
operated its first flight in September 1937 from Vancouver to
Seattle.

Canadian Pacific Air Lines started serving the airport after its
formation in March 1942.

Control of the airport has changed hands several times over the
years, with the Federal Department of Transport taking over
interest in the airport on June 1, 1962 to help finance expansions
necessary to meet the jet age.
YVR South
YVR South
The present air terminal complex opened on October 25, 1968 at cost of $32 million. Facilities were added as the demand for air
travel grew.

On July 1, 1992, the Vancouver International Airport Authority
officially assumed control of the operation and management of YVR under terms of a 60 year lease. In December of that same year, the new International Terminal Building and parallel runway were approved for design and construction.

A colorful history has given Vancouver an airport that ranks today
among the best in the world and Canadian Airlinesis proud to
have been a part of it all.
Reader's Feedback
Reader's Feedback
Gerry Paxon sends us this comment -

I  find your netletters very informative and interesting. However, as a retired 30 year C.A.I.L employee it appears to me that most nostalgic items
and photos are related to the Air Canada family, (formerly TCA).
 
C.A.I.L. employees have many incidents of interest, too,  especially classic photos. So, C.A.I.L., under the section C.A.I.L /CPAIR /PWA let's get with it,  I'm sure there are many that we would love to read and see that would recollect fond memories.

Sincerely, Gerry Paxon
(We assured Gerry there is no implied bias vis-a-vis TCA etc and CAIL etc in our "reporting" - eds)
Anniversary of the " Cabbage Patch Incident" - Part Two
6th November 1963

From the U.K. Pionairs monthly newsletter-
and the comments are still coming in.  

Archie Furzer'sson David, who is still working at Air Canada, has located the 'missing plaque mentioned in our previous articles. It was still in the Maintenance office and David has taken pictures of it and sent them to me on the computer. if anyone would like to see them, please contact me and I will try to forward on the computer. We are hoping to bring it along to the AGM in May.
Archie Furzer
Archie Furzer
This is a photo of Archie Furzer holding the plaque.
Plaque Inscription
Plaque Inscription
The inscription on the plaque reads "presented to Trans Canada Airlines by the Royal School of Military Engineers - Nov. 63."

Many thanks for that, David.

Odds & Ends
Odds & Ends
Two of the airline industry's ancillary revenue pioneers are attempting to see how far the fee-for-service concept can be pushed, with Spirit Airlines announcing that it will charge passengers up to $45 for carry-on bags and Ryanair revealing that it is continuing to pursue its pay-per-use toilet idea.
(We assume that Ryanair staff will have free access to the toilets as part of an employee perk).

Paying to use public conveniences was first introduced in the U.K. during the mid 19th century, when payment was required on railway stations. The cost was one penny hence the saying "spending a penny". (This saying is now replaced by more cruder sayings - eds)
 
Jazz Air and Thomas Cook Canadasigned a flight service agreement, expected to generate approximately C$100 million ($99 million) in annual revenue, under which Jazz will operate "no less than" six 757-200s to "various sun destinations" from Canada November-April.
 
Manchester UKwill become the most northerly point on the
world's A380 network after Emirates revealed its latest plans for
the super jumbo. A 517-seat version of the giant aircraft will serve
Manchester from 1st September - as the airline marks a double
decade of service to the city.

Star Alliance News
TAM Airlines joins the Star Alliance on 13 May 2010
Star Alliance is the world's largest commercial airline alliance with a current membership of 26 airlines
Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips
Terry Baker
Terry Baker
New Duty Free Rules Benefit Passengers With an onward European Connection
Since February 19, 2010 passengers traveling to an EU airport with an onward connection can carry duty-free purchases of liquids, aerosols and gels of any quantity. Previous regulations restricted the volume of liquids that could be carried on board. YVR is the first airport in Canada to take advantage of the new security regulations.

Passengers now place their duty-free purchases of liquids, aerosols and gels into special secure bags available at duty free stores. These bags will be recognized as secure in the EU allowing
passengers to pass through security screening at E.U. airports without having their purchases confiscated. Travelers still need to adhere to the number of carry-on items allowed by airlines.
For more information on the new rules visit Transport Canada's
website at www.tc.gc.ca.
 
World Airline Clubs Association (WACA) Jamaica Jump Up 2010.
June 4 thru 6th. Cost us$395.00 per person double occupancy. Deadline date April 15th. Hosted by Jamaica Interline Club. Includes all activities, meals and drinks (consumed at the hotel),
transfers to/from MBJ airport. Service charge passes on Air Jamaica available.

Full details at www.WACA.orgcheck under Events.
Vancouver Island Wineries Tour due May 16th thru 21st -
has been CANCELLED.
 
(We do not promote nor endorse interline agencies, but offer information as an alternate source for your interline travels - eds)
 
Interline Allstars
Here's information regarding Interline deals from a Kelowna based company we have not run into before, www.InterlineAllstars.comA brief bio of the owner Gordon Froese is in order - Prior to being with South African Airways and Air New Zealand, I was with CP Air from 1976 to 1982.

That was when economy class came with china, silver, complimentary meals with choices of entr�es, the complimentary beverages were served in real glasses and every single employee
was proud to work for an airline. I was with Dargal from 1995 until resigning as manager with a brief stop at KVI before opening my own agency.

We continue to offer our products without booking fees and have online booking ability 24/7. In the past year we've grown to 5 independent affiliates (all experienced, industry people - otherwise we wouldn't be allstars), so our little agency is enjoying a good degree of success in our 3rd year in spite of the economic disaster last year.

Regards,

Gordon Froese
(800) 920-5411 Ext 1
(800) 432-9075 Direct
gordoninterline Skype
(775) 587-3590 Fax
Smileys
Smileys
Ron Lingwood has sent this memory, prompted by the Smile in NetLetter 1114 -

Hi Guys,
Reading the tongue in cheek (I hope) description of the exploding bomb cubicle suggested by Gretchen Airdin Netletter 1114. It reminds me of a somewhat prescient comment that I made about 3 years ago as I was going through the security check at Calgary Intl.

I approached the archway for the once over for exploding devices and what not. The person handling the wand was, how shall I put it, delicately, an indigenous person not of this country. As I approached she rattled off something incomprehensible to me. I asked the young people who were standing behind the check in desk (also of a non white nature) but fully able to speak English, what the older woman was saying. The young guy said "she said to take off your belt" OK I said and did so. As I approached again she rattled off something else. Again I asked the young guy what she said. "She wants you to take off your shoes" he said. Fine I said and removed my shoes.

Again I approached the non English speaker with another blistering round of whatever. What does she want this time I said? "She wants you to remove your hat" he said.
 
I had arrived in western gear and rather facetiously asked if I should show my saddle. "Have you got it with you" said the young guy. No I said and went through the arch.

Having satisfied this person that I was not a terrorist she waved me on. As I collected my belongings, another one of the staff apologized for the delay. No sweat, I said to the rather vivacious well formed young black woman. If it were up to me I would have everyone board naked, that would fix it. "That's a good idea" she said. I gave her a wink and said OK I am on your flight!!

Every one laughed out loud thus relieving a bit of tension. I did call the security people later complaining that the security employee did not seem to speak intelligible English or French. Of course nothing happened in the way of a solution!!

Cheers
Ron Lingwood
We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!
 
Sincerely,

Your NetLetter Team