 The NetLetter
For Air Canada Retirees
July 31, 2010 - Issue 1131
5456 Subscribers
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| About us |
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Vesta Stevenson R.I.P.
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The NetLetter Web Site
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| Sponsors |
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| ACFamily Links |
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| ACFamily Obituaries |
Obituaries
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| Greetings! |
Terry Baker
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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!
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, 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!
Terry & your NetLetter Team
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| Women in Aviation - Compiled by Terry Baker |
Patti DeLuna
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Alan Rust, our NetLetter Flight Engineer found this article interesting. Flight attendant helps pilot land plane - June 15, 2010
A flight attendant who has a pilot's license replaced an ill first officer during a landing at O'Hare International Airport, officials said today.
The co-pilot of an American Airlines plane that departed San Francisco on Monday fell sick en route to Chicago, said American spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan. "He was unable to continue his duties and he moved to the passenger cabin," Fagan said, adding that the flight's captain checked to see whether any off-duty airline pilots were on board the flight.
Patti DeLuna a 61 year old female flight attendant advised the captain that she was a commercial pilot and the captain asked her to sit in the right-hand seat in the cockpit, Fagan said. DeLuna got her commercial pilot's license in the 1970s, but it had been two decades since she had flown a plane and even then it was just a small Cessna. Her license wasn't even active.
"The flight attendant became the first officer on landing," Fagan said. "The cockpit crew did an outstanding job handling the situation."
The flight attendant helped the captain by reading off check list of procedures and she handled other tasks, in addition to providing a second set of eyes in the cockpit, Fagan said.
The plane, a Boeing 767 with 225 passengers and seven crew members on board, arrived at O'Hare at 4:24 p.m. Monday. The landing was normal, officials said.
The condition of the ill first officer was not serious, officials said. He was met on the ground at O'Hare by paramedics and transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.
The first officer was based in Chicago. He was resting on Tuesday, officials said.
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| TCA/Air Canada People Gallery - Compiled by Terry Baker |
 Musings from the "Between Ourselves" magazine an Air Canada publication from years gone by.
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May 1950 - Summer Schedule
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Extracted from the Canadian edition of the Summer Schedule time table issued May 1st 1950 -
This was the only Trans-Atlantic Service offered by the company.
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Issue dated - October 1961 donated by Bob Belding
Extracts from the "Between Ourselves" magazine
"Short Snorters" were dollar bills signed by the flight crews to show that the owner had crossed the 'Pond'. If ever challenged for his Short Snorter and unable to produce it, a man was obliged to 'pay the round. (Anyone got one of these bills? - eds)
Tail winds of up to 200 miles an hour, equivalent to a ground speed of near 750 mph, sped a company DC-8 across the North Atlantic in record time during September. Montreal to Shannon in 4 hours 56 minutes average speed was 582 mph. Captain Eric Jokinen, F/O W.C.Clarke, S/O B.W.Johnson, N/O D.J.Perry completed the front end crew.
The second flight Winnipeg to London, England in 6 hours 46 minutes with an average speed of 579 mph. crewed by Captain Don Lawson, F/O R.B.Lank., S/O G.L.Elliott, N.O J.E.Ayres. The flight was aided by a 105 mph tail wind.
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Issue dated - November 1954
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Super C Sextette
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Here are the Winnipeg Super Constellation Sextette, posing to emphasize the main passenger features of the companies Super Constellation at a "Sales Blitz" held in the Assiniboine Hotel in Winnipeg orchestrated by Laurie Adams.
The girls, left to right are: Jackie Harper, Joyce Meadows, Grace Humphreys, Gwen Curry, Rita Convey, Lenore Desbrisay.
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YWG Reservations - 1954
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A look at the original reservations - pre RESERVEC!
Hard at work over new desks in Winnipeg Reservations are,
from left foreground: M. Millan, G. Zakala, H. Purkess, J. Pagan, E. McGuire.
In the background are P. Lowry, 0. Brynelson and R. Convey at rotary table.
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Windsor - 1954
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An informal atmosphere is created for this picture in Windsor where from the left foreground - sees E. Lefebvre, John Spencer, A. Giroux, Mrs. P. Tustonoff, Mrs. C. Jarison, Mi. Ferris and M. Thompson. Supervisory staff, standing in the background, are H C. Paillefer, W. D. Hind, and D. Gale.
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Reservations YYC - 1954
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Reservations Service Supervisor Jim Barber, standing left rear, is overseer in this picture which shows the new Reservations Department in Calgary. Also standing are Phyllis Friend, foreground, and Mrs. Mary Kneeshaw, right.
Seated from the left are S. M. Caron, Fred Wyers, Ida Roundell, George Thomson, Patricia McAndrews, Dorothy Conville, Mrs. Glen Krasnow, Helen Steeves, Jean McNally, Katherine Williams, Shirley Jornison, Shirley Perkinson, Marlene Garrod, Gene Lambert, William Rowe, John Jeffrey, Constance Rennie and Julian Chikinda.
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Reservations YHZ - 1954
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A brand new change also has taken place in Halifax Reservations and seen manning telephone answering positions from the left are H. Robertson, N. Fitzgerald, P. Lawson, I. Kay, J. Diachuk. From the left on right hand side of table are A. Dooks, P. Malloy, F. Muir and G. Corbett.
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| Alan's Space - by Alan Rust |
Alan Rust
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More about Vesta
It was very comforting to see the many comments posted in response to the announcement of Vesta's passing in our last NetLetter. In our special NetLetter last week in honour of Vesta, we noted that she didn't have any immediate family in Victoria, but Terry mentioned to me a few days ago that she had a much bigger family than we fist thought, her Air Canada and NetLetter family. Vesta has received over 50 comments from her "fans" on the ACFamily Network, including many who had worked with her many years ago.
I'n sure if she could see all of these messages (and the ones that end up in cyberspace), that she would be glowing with pride to know that she made a difference in your lives. It's a legacy she can be proud of.
As long time readers know, we don't usually post obits and it was one of Vesta's rules adopted by us to no longer post obits in the NetLetter. But rules are made to be broken and on occassion, we have posted obits for those that we knew were well known to many of us, including Gord Dalziel, Ross Smyth and some others. Readers of the NetLetter can always visit the ACFamily Obit section by clicking on the image in the left hand column above to either view or submit an obituary.
Many readers have commented that they hope the NetLetter will continue without Vesta. We can confirm that we will be continuing on without her as long as we have interesting content to bring to you. The NetLetter has been quite a success and our readership is gradually increasing as more retirees become aware of our little newsletter.
We are also planning to add more features to the web site and to our content here as well.
Since I will be away for a few weeks, we are taking a four week (four issue) break and the Netletter will resume publication again on September 4, 2010. This will also give us a chance to re-group and let Terry and Bill enjoy the rest of the summer as well.
Thanks for your continued support,
Sincerely,
Alan
If you'd like to read some of the comments that were posted to Vesta's ACFamily Obituary, please click on the image below.
Vesta's Page
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Canadi>n/CP Air/PWA, Wardair, etc. People & Events
- Compiled by Terry Baker |
 News and articles from days gone by gleaned from various publications from C.A.I.L. and it's "ancestry" of contributing airlines. |
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Issue dated - May 1999
Extracts from the "Canadia>n Flyer" magazine
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- On September 1st 1949, Canadian Pacific Airlines commences operations into Tokyo Japan.
- September 19th 1949, The first north American flight from Vancouver landed at Haneda Airport before going onto Hong Kong. The total flying time was 33 hours 30 minutes.
- August 14th 1950, CP starts military airlift from Vancouver to Tokyo carrying US soldiers for the Korean War. the airlift was completed March 30th 1955.
- March 10th 1953, CP service Vancouver to Haneda with DC6B equipment and Britannia aircraft on August 23rd 1958.
- October 8th 1961, DC-8 service commences between Vancouver to Hong Kong via Anchorage and Haneda.
- December 16th 1973, B-747 service between Vancouver and Haneda
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Stewardesses - 1948
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The company's policy was for Stewardesses to be recruited from the countries the airline served. Enlistment began in December 1948. with three Australians - Pamela Hookham, Shirley Burgis, Margaret Lineham.
Later, Dulse Hall, Lorraine Heu, Joyce Lam, Gloria Woo were from Hong Kong.
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| Reader's Feedback - Compiled by Terry Baker |
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.
Bill Davidson sends this comment after reading the Pinocchio article in Alan's Space in NetLetter nr 1129 -
I flew all three of the NASARR Daks at Cold Lake (plus a number of other aircraft on the base, F86, C45, C47, T33). The part about the crash is not correct. We often flew them with just one pilot and a mechanic. When the a/c went down it was a Flying Officer pilot and Corporal mechanic. For privacy reasons I won't mention their names.
The date was in the summer, July 9, 1963 and it went into Cold Lake itself. They were doing a test flight after maintenance and stalled the a/c. Both were killed. The pilot & family shared a house with my family in Bonnyville a few months before I moved into PMQs on the base.
There was some controversy since some thought the large power unit bolted down in the cabin may have put the a/c out of balance. CEPE did test on one of the remaining a/c and said that was not the case and it was left as a stall from which they did not recover (this was one of the maintenance tests). It went straight in and when recovered the wing was crumpled to about 1 to 2 feet across the root.
We would fly at about 200' and because we were so slow the students would have more time to get used to the radar at low level (and not use up all that fuel if the did the training in a dual 104). The terrain avoidance with the autopilot was very good at low level. It was usually a goose or engine problem which caused all the crashes. Bill, Toronto
PS, I left the RCAF in 1964 & joined CP, retired January 1996.
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Recently, we printed some photos of earlier TCA uniforms. This prompted the following from Marion Hykle -
Quite enjoyed the articles, pictures of stewardesses in latest NetLetter Nr. 1127 - brought to mind an article written up in MacLean's magazine back approx. l947. I believe it was entitled "She walked the Atlantic", referring to the work of a stewardess on Trans-Atlantic routes. (North Stars) It mentioned the names of the crew, etc. including my husband Gord Hykle, who was Radio Operator on that particular trip. Can no longer locate it - he may have passed it on to the Archives. It would bring back memories for TCA crews of that era!
Much appreciate the NetLetter. Marion Hykle |
Nancy Gordon-Haas sent us this email -
Thank-you for the article on EAL. I started my airline career with Eastern in 1962. Eddie Rickenbacker was President. At that time the colours had changed to a blue and gold, but I probably worked on that very acrft. I left after 9 yrs and various jobs. I then returned to work with AC in 1978 at delightful Terminal 2 and retired in 2001. Thank-you for the memories.
Sincerely, Nancy Gordon-Haas |
Following up on the recent articles regarding the "Cabbage Patch" incident in LHR, we received this email from Paul Cooper -
The cabbage patch aircraft was flying as a combi, configured to carry main deck freight pallets forward and passengers aft so the aircraft did have passengers and flight attendants on board the flight.
Paul Cooper |
| In the Netletter nr 1129, Doug Fulton asked for memories of the Copenhagen/Moscow service.
John Baker from LHR sent us this memory -
Flight Dispatchers would take a familiarization flight on the routes that they dispatched flights. Shortly after the Moscow service started two LHR Dispatcher, Ken Peacock and myself, went on the CPH/SVO/CPH service. Before we left London we contacted the Russian Embassy for visas and explained our routing and that we would only be at Moscow airport for a few hours and then return on the flight to CPH.
They said we would not need a visa as we would be considered in-transit. We arrived at CPH, still apprehensive about no visa and asked the Station Manager, Dave Mathias, to check with the Russian Embassy there. They agreed with London so we boarded the flight to Moscow. Arriving at Moscow we were told we needed visas as we were considered not to be in-transit as that implied a continuation of a journey eastward. Our Moscow Manager, Rudy Hucl, explained we only wanted to see the airport services, Met, ATC, etc, and with the help of an Aeroflot official we were eventually allowed to land and visit the places we wished to see, but we had to surrender our passports and had an armed guard escort us around..
Eventually we went back to the departure lounge and had an ice cream and bought a few souvenirs. When the flight was called we were escorted back to the aircraft and had our passports returned. The Russians were very civil whilst we were there but it was comforting to know we were heading back to CPH.
Enjoy the Netletters very much.
Regards, John Baker |
| You can send your feedback to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or if you have photos or attachments, you can use our FeedBack Form at: www.thenetletter.org/feedback-form.html |
Odds & Ends - Compiled by Terry Baker
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 Manchester UK airport's terminal 2 has become the first in Europe to replace the hand searching with body scanning after it was agreed by the E.U. The airport is aiming to demonstrate to passengers that they can keep their coats, jackets and shoes on, thus improving their journey through the security process. Did "The Last Time" get the last word on a huge formation flight of DC-3s over Air Oshkosh? About 20 DC-3s flew over the grounds, apparently above the 2,500-foot ceiling of the restricted airspace over Witt Regional Airport Monday. The Last Time attracted more than 30 DC-3s to Rock Falls, Ill., about an hour south of Oshkosh.
Happy DC3
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The original plan was for a mass arrival of the aircraft and display at Air Venture but the two groups couldn't agree on the form and structure of such an event. Check this web site for more details. |
Mystery Photo -circa 1950
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We have come across this photo showing a group of people next to a TCA DC-3 CF-TDM.
We have no idea of the date, but assume circa 1950 and taken at Vancouver as the reverse is stamped "Imperial Arts & Crafts Studio, 4451 West 10th Ave, CA. 4,3933, Vancouver 8, B.C."
Help!
Not only do we not know when it was taken, we do not have a clue as to the identities either - eds. |
Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips - by Terry Baker
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Terry Baker
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Europe continues to be very busy for Employee stand-by travel! During the current peak summer travel period, employees should be aware of the very high flight loads departing all our European stations. As our colleagues in Europe are very busy with our customers, they may be unable to assist employees in obtaining back-up ZED tickets on other airlines - these tickets must be purchased prior to your departure from home. Please also remember that some stations including Madrid and Zurich do not have Employee Ticketing facilities.
We expect Europe flights to be busy for the next few weeks. Other Airlines are experiencing similar loads, so don't be caught waiting for days, be prepared! When traveling, all employees are expected to check-in on the web or at the kiosks. (source The Daily)
Many of us pass riders are on the lookout for inexpensive accommodations.
Here is a terrific site that has listings of very reasonable lodging all over the world.
www.airbnb.com
Cheers, Brian Walsh, Victoria |
Smileys - Compiled by Terry Baker
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As we surf the internet and back issues of airline magazines we regularly find airline related jokes and cartoons. Below is our latest discovery.
We found an extract from a Braniff magazine, and here are some suggestions, unfortunately the first 7 were missing -
8. Keep your damned feet off the seats.
9. Don't ask embarrassing questions of the crew, such as: "Who made that damned landing?" "Where are we?" "What time will we land?"
10. If you don't like the food it's just too bad.
11. Be thankful if you arrive anywhere.
12. Keep your damned feet off the seats.
13. Don't bother the stewardess. She is along for the ride also. Besides, who is to entertain the crew? Not you with your stupid questions.
14. Save your gum after each landing for the next one. If it falls off your ear, stick it under the seat.
15. Always let the crew leave first-the damned thing might catch fire.
16. Don't be so inconsiderate as to ask for magazines, papers or playing cards until the crew is finished with them.
17. Shut up and keep your damned feet off the seats.
18. By all means don't be so stupid as to get airsick. At least wait until you are off the plane.
19. Don't expect the coffee to be hot. It never is.
20. And-keep your damned big feet off the seats, please.
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First published in October, 1995
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Chief Pilot - In memory of Vesta Stevenson, Victoria, B.C.
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Co-pilot - Terry Baker, Nanaimo, B.C.
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Flight Engineer - Alan Rust, Surrey, B.C.
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Ground Technician - Bill Rowsell, Londesboro, Ontario
To contact us, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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We hope you have enjoyed this issue of the NetLetter, see you next week!
Sincerely,
Your NetLetter Team
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