Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

• 1953
  • April 16 - North Star service introduced to Regina and Lethbridge.
  • November 1 - North Star service introduced to Cleveland.
• 1954
  • January 16 - Scheduled service to Mexico City via Tampa. Pre-inaugural was October 1953 and scheduled service was planned for November 1,1953 but was denied by US CAB.

From the Larry Milberry blog

Here's one of the most glorious views of any TCA DC-3.

It's from an original 4 x 5 Kodachrome transparency made by Canadair circa 1946. CF-TEC had been RAF KG485. It joined the TCA fleet in May 1946, served into 1958, then became CF-DTB with Canada's Department of Transport. After more than 35 years with the DOT, it moved on in 1998 to Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife.

About 2016 "DTB" left Buffalo to become N856KB with Basler Turbo Conversions of Oshkosh. As recently as August 2020 it's been photographed there out in the weather and still in its (fading) red-and-white DOT colours.

Source: via Larry Milberry www.canavbooks.wordpress.com

Here is the aircraft lifecycle as posted at www.PlaneLogger.com

• 42-92761 United States Army Air Force February 25, 1944.
• KG485 Royal Canadian Air Force March 10, 1944.
• CF-TEC Trans-Canada Air Lines May 16, 1946.
• CF-DTB Government of Canada-Department of Transport March 19, 1958.
• CF-DTB Buffalo Airways February 9, 1995.
• CF-DTB Hay River Air Services April 22, 2016.
• N856KB Basler Turbo Conversions LLC September 18, 2018.

From the early days of Trans-Canada Air Lines.

We go back in time in case some readers are interested in genealogy information on their families. We peruse the early additions of the 'Between Ourselves' magazine.

Extracted from 'Between Ourselves' issued mid-summer 1948.

For two weeks during June, 1948, Canada played host to 150 aviation technical experts from 23 airlines and 17 countries at Ste. Agathe, Quebec.

They had convened for the annual technical conference of the International Air Transport Association. Among TCA's delegates to the important international aviation conference were

Director of Maintenance and Engineering, J. T. Bain; Director of Engineering, J. T. Dyment; Director of Flight Development, B. A. Rawson; Director of Communications, S. S. Stevens; Assistant Director of Engineering, D. C. Tennant; Trans-Atlantic Flight Operations Superintendent, Lindy Rood; Supervisor of Flight Dispatch, N. Humphrys; Supervisor of Airways Engineering, C. F. Proudfoot; Communications Technical Assistant, H. A. Ferris; Senior Engineer, K. H. Fritsch.

Clerical staff from TCA offices assisted in recording the aeronautical discussions. Included in the group were Marg Ronnander (Winnipeg), Phyllis Allen (Winnipeg), Gwyneth McGowan (Toronto), June Ferguson (Ottawa), Shirley Robinson (Montreal), Joan Paul (Montreal), Peggy Gillard (Winnipeg), Phyllis Harding, Flight Service Supervisor, (Toronto) and Evelyn Kay, Sales Representative, (Montreal).

Pictured below is part of the group of TCA'ers who were at the Ste. Agathe conference.

Back row, left to right: C. A. Proudfoot, Margaret Ronnander, Noel J. Humphrys, Gwyneth McGowan, S. S. Stevens and Lindy Rood.

Middle row, left to right: Shirley Robinson, Evelyn Kay, J. T. Dyment, G. R. McGregor and B. A. Rawson.

Front row, left to right: Peggy Gillard, Phyllis Harding, Phyllis Allen and June Ferguson.

Issue dated November 1948.

One of the first employees to join TCA at Moncton, Leah Rayworth, Secretary to Eastern Region Operations Manager, T. F. K. Edmison, is presented with her five-year pin by Captain W. E. Barnes.

Watching the ceremony are, left to right: Captain Edmison, Dorothy Parkes, W. Weldon, Jean Nickerson, Miriam Russell, Bette Fletcher, N. W. Burris, Katherine Cranston, R. Sellors, District Traffic and Sales Manager; Peggy Cornelius and T. Butler.

Issue dated February 1950.

Regina Christmas party.

Standing, left to right: Jack McIver, George Pike, Gray Gillespie, George Wilson, John McCormick, Norman MacDonald, Don Cranna, Hal Marks, Jack MacLean and Jim McLeod (Moores Limousine) (partly).

Sitting, left to right: Ken Birch, Pam Hodgkinson, Betty McIver, Betty Gillespie, Pat Birch, Wynn Pike, Sheila MacDonald, Sue Marks, Edith McCormick, Gladys MacLean, Eileen Cranna and Dave Hodgkinson (his knee only!).

Editors' Note: Unfortunately,the original photo was clipped on the right.