13 Things Your Flight Attendant Won't Tell You

(From Readers Digest)

I found this article online titled "13 Things Your Flight Attendant Won't Tell You" and thought it was interesting. Although most people reading the NetLetter are seasoned travellers and many are retired flight attendants, it won't hurt to read these 13 items in case you see yourself doing things that drive our hard working FA's crazy.

These secrets about air travel will make flying a happier, safer experience for all. Some of them are:

The lavatory door is not rocket science.
Just in case you hadn’t noticed, there are other people on the airplane besides you.

For the full article click here or on the image below.

Vickers Viscount - Routine Flight

NetLetter reader, Jack Stephens, sent us a few pictures of the first Vickers Viscount delivered to TCA that we inserted into NL # 1349. The aircraft is now preserved at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona under registration N22SN.

Fin # 601 was delivered to TCA under registration CF-TGI in December of 1954. When I began doing research of the Viscount fleet I was pleasantly surprised to find a short film produced by the National Film Board of Canada on YouTube. “Routine Flight” was part of the “On the Spot” series that aired on the CBC in 1953 and 1954.

In this very informative documentary, narrator, Liston Mcllhagga, interviews TCA personnel at the Winnipeg Maintenance Base shortly after delivery of CF-TGI while it is being prepared to enter scheduled service. He is treated to a test flight on the aircraft to end the film.

The introduction of the turboprop powered Vickers Viscount would significantly change the Canadian airline industry and I find it fascinating that it was covered so well in the early days of the Canadian television industry. Thankfully, both the aircraft and the film have been preserved.

Click the image below to enjoy the film.

Related links:

TC-TGI at vickersviscount.net
TC-THG (Fin # 625) preserved at British Columbia Aviation Museum on YouTube

Alan Way has sent us these circa 1931 photographs. He thought someone would appreciate a copy of these old photos taken by his uncle Donald M. Way (old friend of Herb Seagram-VP Operations Air Canada) when he was with the Winnipeg Flying Club at Stevenson's Field.


CF-APY outside Canadian Airways Hangar - 1931 - Stevenson's Field, Winnipeg. (History of CF-APY - Laird LC-B200 c/n196 Canadian AW Ltd > K Johannesson /Winnipeg > JT Dart /Wilton Grove Ont 14 March 1931 at the Reynolds Museum, Wetaskiwin Regional Airport (CEX3), Alberta. – eds)
CF-AQI? and Wings CF-AWX Fairchild 71C Unknown Aircraft - 1931 - Stevenson's Field – Winnipeg. (The aircraft CF-AQI? is a Junkers F13 or its cargo version the W33. There are three Junkers W33 in that sequence: CF-AQB, AQV and AQW. The registration appearing on top of the starboard wing appears to be CF-AQV. CF-AQV Junkers W33/34 c/n2710 Oaks AW >Canadian AW Ltd 12 June 1931 (Destroyed beyond repair after hitting trees low flying in poor weather 5m SW Gold Pines Ont 1 Sept 1939 – eds) (CF-AWX Fairchild 71C c/n33 Wings Ltd >Canadian Pacific AL 04.03.35. Floats collapsed on landing after engine failure Deschambault Lake Sask 4 July 1943 eds)
Unknown aircraft - Stevenson's Field - 1931 – Winnipeg.
CF-AOP aircraft - Stevenson's Field - 1931 – Winnipeg. (Believed to be CF-AOP Fairchild 71 c/n1307 Canadian AW Ltd 6 Aug 1935 A rebuild of CF-AKY Fairchild 71 Dominion Explorers >Spence-McDonough AT >Canadian AW Ltd 28 Feb 1930 after it had ran into a towline of tug 'Nanoose' on harbour landing Vancouver BC 6 May 1935 and rebuilt as CF-AOP c/n 1307 with a new fuselage. (Destroyed beyond repair after hitting a motorboat on takeoff Beauchesne Depot Lake Onachiway, Quebec on 20 May 1941 – eds)
G-CASN outside Western Canada Airways - 1931 - Stevenson's Field, Winnipeg. (G-CASN Fokker Super Universal c/n821 Western Canada Airways Ltd >Canadian Airways Ltd 17 Dec 1928 Destroyed in a hangar fire Winnipeg 04 Mar 1931 – eds)
CF-AII unknown aircraft - Stevenson's Field - 1931 – Winnipeg. (CF-AII is a Fokker F-14 of Western Canada Airways. Registered October 1929 it was destroyed in a hangar fire at Winnipeg in March 1931, so the photo is between those dates. – eds) (The supplementary information in brackets has been supplied by Andrew Pentland of Airhistory – eds)