 Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse. |
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A few last flight updates.
Air Canada said good-bye to the B-767-200 on November 2, 2008 with flight 156, the red-eye from Vancouver to Toronto, our last commercial flight operated with this aircraft.
Air Canada's Rapidair flight AC439 from Montreal to Toronto on June 2, 2020 marked the end of an era as the airline retired the last aircraft from its mainline Boeing 767-300 fleet.
Air Canada took delivery of C-GAUB (fin #601), the first of our B-767-200's, in October 1983 and had a total of 23 aircraft in this fleet. Throughout its lifetime, C-GAUB logged more than 82,200 hours of flying. That's the equivalent of flying around the world approximately 1,745 times. It was broken up in March 2009. The company continues to operate 8 B-767-300's in cargo configuration.
Flight 865 from London-Heathrow to Montreal on November 20, 2008 marked Air Canada's last "four-engine" commercial flight operated with the A340.
Air Canada took delivery of the first of 12 A340-313's, C-FTNQ (fin #981), on June 5, 1995. One A340-312 previously with Air Mauritius and Air Jamaica was also operated from 2005 to 2007, as well as two very long range A340-541's.
Of the 15 A340's operated by AC, only one appears to remain in service, a VIP aircraft with the Government of Iran after at least five other operators since being returned to the lessor by AC in 2002 after only three years in AC service, then registered C-GDVV. The others have almost all been scrapped, with a couple shown as stored or withdrawn from service.
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From the NetLetter archives -
The first flight of the Canadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS) roared eastward over the ocean on July 22, 1943 with its Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) crew. Twelve hours and 26 minutes after taking the air with official passengers and a load of mail for the Canadian Armed Forces Overseas, it had landed on the other side, a new record for a non-stop trans-Atlantic flight from Montreal to Britain, bettering the old mark by 25 minutes.
The first return flight was on July 24, 1943.
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Imagine in 1946 - This posted notice -
Plusses please note space east of Montreal is very, very poor at present. However, if you get this far, we can usually put you in the Dorval Inn at the airport, for a night or two at $1.00 per night.
This comes as a pleasant surprise these days, when $4.00 and $5.00 a day is not an uncommon charge for a hotel room.
Editors' Note: At the time, 'Plusses' was a term used for contingent passengers. After loading the full revenue passengers, 'Plusses' (or Standbys) could be loaded.
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