Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Issue dated December 1983.

For the third year in a row, the St. John's Cargo group built a float for the city's annual Christmas 1983 parade and this year's entry won third prize.

In 1981, the Cargo float also took third place while last year's entry came second in the running. The project has aroused a great deal of enthusiasm from the local cargo staff, and the group is now determined to build the winning entry for 1984. Complete with clowns, the float was ready to roll.

Pictured from the left are Eugene Newton, Nick Facey, Nelson Gaudon, Jimmy Hurley, Bill Feehan, Roy Symonds and Paddy Cochrane. 

Issue dated January 1984.

Reflections of 1983.

• The airline's much-lauded Intercontinental Service on the North Atlantic was introduced February 1.
• The newest member of the fleet, the B-767 went into regular service February 14, serving Calgary to Toronto.
• February saw the official opening of a new hangar in Winnipeg for maintenance of the B-727 fleet.
• On April 23 the last scheduled passenger DC-8 departed Calgary for Toronto.
• Service resumed to Dusseldorf on April 24, after previously being served between 1952- 1966.
• The Sixth Pionairs Annual General Meeting was held in Anaheim, California and attended by 500 retirees and spouses.
• May 12, a DC-9 slid off the runway at Regina damaging the left wing and undercarriage.
• June 2, an emergency landing at Cincinnati of flight 797.
• July 23, flight 143 en route from Montreal to Edmonton via Ottawa made a forced emergency landing at Gimli.
• Billed as the "Greatest seat sale ever," the airline offered 750,000 seats at a discount of up to 75%.
• In October a wide range of discounts and service improvements for "Airvelop" and "CouriAir".
• November 8, first re-engined DC-8 freighter went into service.
• In-Flight Service held an arts & crafts sale raising $10,838; a percentage goes to dinners & gifts for the needy.
• In December Touram introduced a year round core schedule of planned charters.

Issue dated March 1984.

New "Ham" group.

On August 19, 1983, the "Air Canada Montreal Amateur Radio Group” became a reality.

Back in the spring of 1982, a number of "Hams" decided to establish a two-meter repeater facility which would be a local communications link with other airline-oriented Ham employees.

Initial radio checks were made from the top of the 747 hangar at Dorval Base. The test results were favourable, and permission was granted by the Company as well as Transport Canada to make use of this location as an antenna site. A study by Communications Canada showed that there would be no interference to other communications services.

Finally, on August 19, 2013, power was switched on, and VE2RBI repeater became available for amateur use.

(Note: Is this group still active? – eds)

February 1, 1984, was a special day for Norm Howard. Exactly 30 years before, he opened the door of the first DC-3 to serve Sudbury, Ontario.

February 1, 1954, was also Norm’s first day of work at Trans-Canada Air Lines.

At that time, the airline's staff totalled 7,991, an increase of 13% over the previous year.

With a route network of 24,016 miles, serving some 50 communities as well as operating to centres in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean, TCA became the world's ninth largest airline measured in passenger miles flown.

The fleet of 59 aircraft included 22 North Stars, 26 DC-3s, a DC-3 Cargoliner and three Bristol Freighters. The stars of the fleet were seven brand new Super Constellations touted as "among the most modern long-range transports in the world and the largest aircraft carrying Canadian registration".

In this photo, Norm Howard is shown, centre, 30 years later, with the crew of flight 382. He is flanked by, from the left, F/O E. E. Sanderson, Flight Attendants Diane Christie and Ginette Simard and Captain A. H. Lindop. On the stairs is Flight Attendant Mike More.

A proud moment for Sudbury staff standing in front of fight 303, February 1.

From the left: Walter Bradley, Brian Cresswell, Fern Lamoureux, Doug Thompson, Harry Fase, Terry Robinson, John Thivierge, Bud Chapman and Joe Lee. 

Issue dated June 2010.

Air Canada voted number one airline in North America by Skytrax.

In our photo we have -

Left to right: Stephen DeBardi, Lead Station Attendant; Captain Frédérick Bélanger; Susan Crespo, Customer Sales & Service Agent; Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer; Carole Charette, Service Director; Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer; Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Susan Welscheid, Senior Vice President, Customer Service; Luigi Principe, Stockkeeper; Deborah-Ann De Souza, Director, Premium/Concierge Service, and Stefan Brassard, Concierge.

Kids Horizons - Dress a Child.

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of Air Canada employees and special partners and the behind-the-scenes efforts of dozens of volunteers who sorted clothes, created kits, made and packed boxes.

Air Canada Kids' Horizons was able to provide our Community Investments partner Free The Children with 710 full kits of clothing (and much more!) for an orphanage in Haiti.

In our photo are some of the volunteers who sorted the clothes (left to right): Suzana Bulhoes, Lisette Noel, Kristin Bigras, Louise Normandeau, Julia Camerino, Micheline Villeneuve, Jamie King, Valerie Woods and Popi Parthenopi.

From the “Parts & Pieces” magazine issue dated July/August 1993.

As part of the “Celebrations 93” in Vancouver B.C. the short and tall of it, from a B-747 to "MOONEY" which is owned by Flight Attendant Anne Schmidt.

Issue dated October/November 1993.

Retirees of Stores and Purchasing.

A welcome view of just a few of the great people who have retired from Dorval Stores, Purchasing and Flight Operations who gather at the Dorval Legion every first Tuesday of the month.

The talk around the table was on political implications on the Federal election, golfing in the deep south and remembering colleagues they haven't seen in some time while having a social brew together.

From Left to right are: Wally Haverstock, Al Wilson, Jack Ramage, Carl Anderson, Byron Campbell, Norm Graham, Brian Donaldson, Joe Nagy, John Hashimoto, Tom Lawson and Hector Levac.