The NetLetter

For Air Canada Retirees
(Part of the ACFamily Network)

 

October 7, 2012 - Issue 1224
First Issue published in October 1995!
(over 5,400 subscribers)
In This Issue
Our First 75 Years
Star Alliance News
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery
Reader Submitted...Photos
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery
Alan's Space
Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc
Reader's Feedback
Odds and Ends
Terry's Trivia
Smileys
NetLetter Past Issues

Past Issues
Web Site Information

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Greetings!
Terry Baker

Welcome to the NetLetter!

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, Wardair, etal, and share your experiences with us!

Terry Baker and the NetLetter Team

Our First 75 years - Compiled by Terry Baker


Image Blank 200px 1945 - Dec 1st - Timetable issue number 22.
Image Blank 200px 1945 route map.

 

1950 - April 2nd - inaugural service to Tampa.

1958
- April 2nd - Inaugural service to Brussels.
Image Blank 200px From the collector's edition and souvenir copy of "enRoute" magazine.
 Image Blank 200pxFront covers of "Between Ourselves" magazine issue nr 1 Nov 1941  through #12, Dec. 1943.






 

Star Alliance News
Star AllianceEthiopian Airlines (ET) took delivery of its first Boeing 777 freighter, becoming the first 777F to be operated by an African carrier. The aircraft is being leased from GECAS.
Image Blank 200px







United Airlines
(UA), the North American launch customer for the Boeing 787, has taken delivery of its first of 50 Dreamliners.

Air Canada News
Air CanadaAnnounced a plan to hire 900 new employees over the next 12 months, plus 200 new pilots and
flight attendants for planned new LCC that is expected to be launched in 2013 (SPNWS; September 21).
Reader Submitted Photos - Compiled by Terry Baker

Readers PhotosReader Submitted Photos -  The photos and information below have been submitted to us by our faithful readers.  


 

Image Blank 200px John Rodger sent two more old photos from YUL Maintenance. I was able to name a few of them with some help. The DC-8 endorsement course that is numbered 9 means it was the ninth course for the endorsement license on the DC8.  
Left to Right back row: Ted Cordwin,
Instructor; Larry Blandfield, ___? , Rocky Rockford, Jimmy Mitchel, Rollie Bustelli & Albert Siegmann.
Sitting: Stan Maslin, Pit Lepine, ___? , Johnny Lassard, ____?,Eddy Drea,____? Front kneeling:  ____?, Robert Schmidt, Shorty Evans & Mike Burke

Image Blank 200pxBack row: ____?, Instructor; ____ ?, ____ ?, Doug Bruce, _____ ?, Albert Siegmann, Tony Eeg, Don Scholl, _____?, _____?. Seated: ____?, ____?, Harry Cowen, Howie Noel, _____?. Front: George Antony, Bill Buckley, Paul Papion, Alfie Tenant.



Image Blank 200px Here we have another photo from the Martin Betts family. Target for '53, from an article in "Between Ourselves" issued January 1953. This was probably the meeting held at the General Brock Hotel, Niagara Falls, Ontario, 1953.
No identifications.

Image Blank 200px And this photo of the interior of the TCA Lockheed aircraft.
TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker
 
TCA/Air Canada  LogoBelow we have musings from the "Between Ourselves" and "Horizons" magazine, Air Canada publications from years gone by, as well as various in-house publications.

The NetLetter has been fortunate enough to have our readers donate vintage Trans-Canada Air Lines and Air Canada publications from as far back as 1941 to share with you. These have been scanned and are being prepared for presenting in a special area of the ACFamily Network for archival and genealogy research.

Glen Powell sent us this url giving a short bio about Peter G. Powell, his father, and who was, at one time, a navigator for Trans-Canada Air Lines. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/eppp-archive/100/200/301/ic/can_digital_collections/aviation/m132.htm


Image Blank 200px Jack Stephens alerted us to this web site and sends this information and photo:
Caption: "Garland Airplane", Posted 12/31/2010 by Bob George on www.ebrandon.ca.

No photo date, but possibly, spring/summer of 2010. It was in February of that year that I last talked to the owner, Don Fyk.
He mentioned the following: The cockpit was gutted in Teulon Manitoba, having been moved for dismantling at this small town north of Winnipeg. August 2009, vandals entered the aircraft, did some damage. Don purchased the aircraft, minus the engines and had it moved to Garland Manitoba as a wedding present for his sister. That is another story I will leave as a mystery! So there she sits in a small village, slowly aging, and all that seems to happen is that the grass is cut regularly.

Jim Bruce comments:
That is such a sad sight to look at given the history of this wonderful aircraft. I recall hearing that AC and TCA had a policy of going ASAP to their aircraft that suffered mishaps, crashes, and the like, and painting out the airline name. Thus, the news media wouldn't be offering up bad publicity for the company by displaying the corporate name. Obviously, this is the case here. I imagine every airline in the world does the same. Needs another coat of white, though. Poor 620.

Issue dated - January 1944
Located in the "Between Ourselves" magazine -
Image Blank 200px The staff of the St. John's Ticket Office left to right front: Walter Bennett, Dorothy Bishop, Margaret Pike, Reginald Beck. Second row: Leonard Earle, Lucy Noonan, Phyllis Rowsell, Patricia MacKLenzie, Clarence Houlton.

Missing Angus Crane.
Issue dated - April 1976
Found in the "Horizons" magazine -

The first system bowling event took place in Montreal on May 22nd, 1976 at the Laurentian Lanes. The mixed teams from across the system was a one-day event.

Image Blank 200px Looking pleased with themselves are these top suggestors. Shown with Senior VP Ralph Vaughan during a luncheon in their honor. From the left are: Bill Braidwood, Dorval; John Whiffin, Vancouver; Eugene Van Der Oord, Calgary; Ralph Vaughan; Ziya Ertug, Dorval; Glen Sheriff, Windsor; Clarke Peterman, Winnipeg; and Leo Cunningham, Montreal.

Image Blank 200px On January 16th 1944, the Moncton City Traffic office became a fully fledged CTO in the Brunswick Hotel. From left: Ruby McMurdo, Margaret Atkinson, Margaret Carroll, Kay Brown.




Alan's Space - by Alan Rust
Alan's SpaceAlan is still on vacation!
Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc. People & Events
- Compiled by Terry Baker
CAIL TailsNews and articles from days gone by gleaned from various publications from C.A.I.L. and its "ancestry" of contributing airlines.
Robert Arnold has sent us this information from his collection:
The items in the case are from my Canadian Pacific Collection. The small envelope on the left is from Western Canada Airways Ltd. with a route map on the front. The other, as you can see, is from Canadian Airways. Unfortunately, there is no date on it. On the back is a map showing routes, radio stations, and main bases of the day like Winnipeg, Lac du Bonnet, Favourable Lake, Ilford, Gods Lake, Sachigo, Pickle Lake, Casummit Lake, Uchi Lake, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout and Kenora. The ashtray has been in my collection since the 1980's.

Image Blank 200px Image Blank 200px
Issue dated - December 1983
Found in the "CP Air News" magazine -
Image Blank 200px The CP Air Pegasus system was built by Doug Caldbeck, Barry Thomas and Dennis Nickel. About a years work went into its development.
Reader's Feedback - Compiled by Terry Baker
Reader's Feedback
Every week we ask our readers for their stories or feedback on what they have read here in previous issues. Below is the feedback we have received recently.




Ken Pickford refers to NetLetter nr 1219 in this comment:
Interestingly, I also noted that the aircraft steps in that photo include the "Speedbird" symbol in the TCA logo, which was mentioned in a recent issue. They had to delete that after BOAC objected. Although those photos were taken 4 years before I was born, as a native Edmontonian, they were of interest as my very first flight about 13 years later at age 8 or 9, began from that old YXD terminal building, on a TCA Viscount to Calgary, soon after Viscount service began from Edmonton (probably 1956 if not 1955). My second flight a couple of years later was on a TCA Super Constellation from YXD to YVR, the last leg of the "Edmonton Mercury" (YYZ-YXD-YVR). After several thousand flights on dozens of airlines all over the world since then, those first two flights are still very clear in my memory.
Regards, Ken


Image Blank 200px Bob Ayotte sends us this information and photo: You and your team are doing a great job. I always enjoy your publication.
Regarding your #1220 NetLetter, I have further information regarding CPAir's charter flight's from Vancouver to Whitehorse in April 1985.

Whitehorse Greets its First Jumbo
The DC-10 (C-GCPE) was on both Shriner charter flights to Whitehorse in April 1985. On the first flight, the attached photo was taken just at touchdown (see smoke from main gear) by one of the CPAir airport agents.

I was the Captain on both flights and unfortunately I have misplaced my log book and cannot remember the names of my crew members. Many of the Whitehorse residents were at the airport to see this flights arrive and depart.

There were some who thought that the runway might be short in length for an aircraft of this size. It was decided to show them how much runway was needed for a light weight DC-10 with no passengers and minimum fuel. On takeoff, using full power before releasing the brakes,  the aircraft accelerated and became airborne in a very short order.
Unfortunately for the photographers who had gone down to the end of the runway to get a close-up of the DC-10 as it became airborne... we crossed the end of the runway at a great height. They adjusted their photo location for the next takeoff three days later and were able to get a better picture.
Fond memories... Bob Ayotte

Image Blank 200px  Image Blank 200px







Norman Randall has sent us some photographs of afgans covering the
ex CPA DC-3 at Whitehorse. CF-CPY - these are pictures of old CPY as a weather vane in Whitehorse after it had been covered with many afghans by local ladies of Whitehorse. We have these.

Image Blank 200px Attending the 1983 Open House at the Vancouver Ops Centre held on November 5th, 1983 were this group: Phil Dibranou, supervisor, ground equipment maintenance, Ontario; and mechanics Frank VanderGlesen, Dave Moyle, Maris Smilga, Peter Curtis and Frank Black.

Image Blank 200px We have been trying to get identifications for those in this photo originally in NetLetter nr 1219 and then 1222, now
Bill Sansom has come up with some more id's: I have been able to have two of the flight crew recognized. At the top of the stairs is Capt. Gus Bennett. Below him are two unknowns (at this time), then Norm Donnelly, followed by 3 unknowns (1 Captain and two pursers) and last on the stairs is Capt. Al Ashcroft beside the two in suits. As to the flight attendants standing below the stairs, the 5th from the left is Suzanne McKenna. Will let you know when I have more.
Bill Sansom

However, Hans Marchand, who was a member of the crew, sends us this list: Re crew on airstairs, NetLetter nr 1219.
Picture was taken at LHR on June 25, 1973, which was the start of the Royal flights for Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to Ontario, Prince Edward Island, YQR and YYC from June 25, 1973 to July 6, 1973.

Top of stairs to bottom: Capt. R.N. Bennett; 2nd Officer, Capt. D. Lamont; Standby Crew, Air Commodore, Archie Winskill; Capt. of Queen's flights, Norman Donnelly; Director of Operations, Capt. Jim Foy; Commander, Jean Rousseau; Flight Service Director, Hans Marchand; Flight Service Director, Capt. A.L. Quickfall; 1st Officer, two Air Canada reps, Flight Attendants left to right: Linda May Meckling, Lillian Stack, Heather Tregaskis, Elisabeth Burns, Susan Mckenna, and Dorothea Smith.
''Happy memories '' from Hans Marchand.

(Hans has confirmed that the name given as A.L. Ashcroft by Bill Sansom was actually A.L. Quickfall - eds)


In NetLetter nr 1222 we had a photo of the Viscount front office with a caption "for those pilots who sat behind the instruments". Len Kruller suggests, perhaps, a more appropriate caption:
Correction, Re; article; Robert Arnold collection; For those pilots who sat in front, instead of "behind" the instruments. Len Kruller

Odds and Ends.

Image Blank 200pxSometimes we receive articles and information that just doesn't fit in our other areas. This is where it goes!

Gord Croucher sends us this story:
A mid-air collision on February 1, 1943, between a B-17 and a German fighter over the Tunis dock area, became the subject of one of the most famous photographs of World War II. An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out of control, probably with a wounded pilot then continued its crashing descent into the rear of the fuselage of a Fortress named All American, piloted by Lt. Kendrick R. Bragg, of the 414th Bomb Squadron. When it struck, the fighter broke apart, but left some pieces in the B-17. The left horizontal stabilizer of the Fortress and left elevator were completely torn away. The two right engines were out and one on the left had a serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and the rudder had been damaged, the fuselage had been cut almost completely through connected only at two small parts of the frame and the radios, electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also a hole in the top that was over 16 feet long and 4 feet wide at its widest and the split in the fuselage went all the way to the top gunner's turret. 

 

Image Blank 200px Although the tail actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted when the plane turned and all the control cables were severed, except one single elevator cable still worked, and the aircraft still flew - miraculously! The tail gunner was trapped because there was no floor connecting the tail to the rest of the plane. The waist and tail gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute harnesses in an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off and the two sides of the fuselage from splitting apart. While the crew was trying to keep the bomber from coming apart, the pilot continued on his bomb run and released his bombs over the target.

When the bomb bay doors were opened, the wind turbulence was so great that it blew one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section. It took several minutes and four crew members to pass him ropes from parachutes and haul him back into the forward part of the plane. When they tried to do the same for the tail gunner, the tail began flapping so hard that it began to break off. The weight of the gunner was adding some stability to the tail section, so he went back to his position.


(We will conclude this saga in NetLetter nr 1225, with photos. - eds)  

 

Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker

Terry BakerThe 75 Year contest which makes a daily selection and awards a pair of positive passes is for active employees, does not appear to include retirees, despite information passed to us and included in NetLetter nr 1223. The subject is becoming quite controversial. Any contact regarding this contest should be directed to the company and NOT the NetLetter. You may wish to utilize the Forum in www.acfamily.net to voice your opinions.


Andre emailed us to tell us that he contacted HR and they assigned case  #1-1336945568. The outcome was to advise Andre that Air Canada has, for some obscure reasons, and after reconsidering, denied  the retired employees to participate in the 75 Years Anniversary contest.
 


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Laszlo Bastyovanszky has come across this interesting information:  

Tag your own bag 

This summer Alaska Airlines became the first US airline to install machines that allow passengers to tag their own bags. After a successful trial at Redmond Airport in Oregon, the machines were put into use at the airline's hub, Seattle-Tacoma International, in Washington.
While the machines are standard practice outside of the US, automated baggage checking is a new process for Americans. Passengers use an airport kiosk to print out a bag tag, put the tag on the luggage and then hand the bag to an agent to put on the conveyor belt. While technically giving the traveler more work, the automated procedure gives frequent fliers a chance to avoid becoming mired in queues behind inexperienced travelers while checking luggage.


Alaska Airlines plans to add the machines this year to airports in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Monterey and San Diego, California. Other airlines are also investigating the technology. American Airlines is debuting the self-tagging kiosks slowly over the next two years, with airport devices already operational in Austin, Texas, and being added to New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. 


Norman Hogwood in New Zealand sends us this trip report you may find interesting: I've just returned from a 3-week whiz tour of Europe. An organization I belong to asked me to represent them at a meeting in Toulouse hosted by Airbus and the UK magazine Ground Handling International to discuss ways and means of tackling the major problem of aircraft ground damage. The meeting focused on aircraft and ground equipment design/compatibility, and staff training. I think we may have achieved something, but the fruits will be some time developing.

I took the opportunity to spend a few days with my nephew and his wife and their two daughters and grand-kids in Rudgwick in West Sussex. From there I took easyJet to Toulouse for three days, after which I flew up to Amsterdam via Barcelona.


KLM/Air France have a direct flight from TLS to AMS, but the cheapest fare was over $NZ1300 - and in an old Fokker 70 to boot! By taking Vueling, the Spanish LCC, and popping over the Pyrenees to Barcelona, I found a fare of about $230 - a much better prospect! And they're a neat airline with good service although the leg room on their A319/320's is a bit tight!


In Holland I spent a few days with my wife's sister, her offspring and theirs - this took my score of grand-kids to 10. From AMS I flew up to Copenhagen to spend a few days with a good friend who is still gainfully employed by SAS. He took some leave and we got around a little. This was my third visit to CPH and the worst for weather. In fact the weather over the whole trip was, with the exception of TLS, lousy. Most places are having a diabolical summer. 


Unfortunately, I arrived home with a nasty 'flu bug that I seemed to pick up in Denmark and the journey home on Air NZ via Hong Kong (same route as the outward one) was not comfortable, especially as there was no space in wither of the forward cabins. I purchased upgrades all round but none eventuated. I could have opted for the via LAX route, but chances were even slimmer in both directions. 


Pleased to say I'm now recovered but it sure knocked me about for a few days. During my visit to TLS, we were given a tour of the A380 assembly line - most impressive. To see the massive individual sections being mated is quite awesome. This was my second such visit, the first was in 1982 when the A300 was in full swing - some change.
Cheers. Norman     

   

Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker
Smileys
As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.

Image Blank 200px Alan Evans in South Africa sends us this:


The NetLetter is an email newsletter published (usually) once a week 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, which is free, 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 is today. Thanks for joining us!

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!  
Sincerely,
Your NetLetter Team

Disclaimer: Please note, that neither the NetLetter or the ACFamily Network necessarily endorse any of the airline related or other "deals" that we provide for our readers. We would be interested in any feedback (good or bad) when using these companies though and will report the results here. 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.

 

E&OE - (errors and omissions excepted) - The historical information as well as any other information provided here is subject to correction and may have changed over time. We do publish corrections when they are brought to our attention.
First published in October, 1995
  • Chief Pilot - Terry Baker, Nanaimo, B.C.
  • Co-pilot - Alan Rust, Surrey, B.C.
  • Flight Engineer - Bill Rowsell, Londesboro, Ontario 
  • Stewardess - Lisa Ruck, Brooklin, Ontario 
To contact us, send an email to [email protected]