Chinese woman joins handbag in X-ray machine
(Source: www.bbc.com) - February 15, 2018
Worried about your bags being stolen at security? One Chinese woman joined her handbag through an X-ray machine to prevent just that.
Staff at Dongguan Railway Station in southern China were shocked to find the silhouette of the train commuter on their X-ray monitors. An online video showed the bizarre incident took place on Sunday during the Lunar New Year travel rush. After climbing off the conveyor belt, the woman checked her bags and left. Extraordinary X-ray images show the woman kneeling on all fours behind her luggage, still wearing high-heeled shoes.
It is unclear why the woman was so anxious about her handbag, but many people in China carry large amounts of cash when travelling home for Chinese New Year.
See: www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43057574 for full article.
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On the back of this photo of the pilot, Miss Brenda Moffatt writes “my first air jaunt – taken after we landed at Esquimalt, Aug. 1/36”. May the pilot, in the photo, be F. Maurice McGregor, (involved in the later start-up of Trans-Canada Air Lines in 1937)? On 21 August 1936, McGregor, was probably making his last run on the Vancouver – Victoria schedule, as he was next scheduled to fly the Vancouver-Seattle Canadian Airways service with E.P. (Billy) Wells, operating a Lockheed Electra |
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Jack Morath has sent us this photo of the eight people involved in organizing the UK – EC Pionairs Christmas 2017 lunch. Held, to a full house, in the UK at the Ship Hotel in Weybridge, Surrey on December 3rd 2017. Nam What a year this has been! Ninety-eight Pionairs, including Sally De Mendonça, President of ACRA in the UK, and her husband, Paul, met at the Ship Hotel in Weybridge, where we were greeted with a welcome drink to celebrate our Christmas lunch. However, this year, it was much more than just a lunch as we were also celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the UK Pionairs with four of the original founding members being present. Jack and Aureen Morath as well as Archie and Jill Furzer were with us and it was a shame that John and Ellen Baker could not join us as well this year. It was also the 40th Anniversary of the Air Canada Pionairs, then Air Canada’s 80th Birthday and to top it all it was also Canada’s 150th Birthday! No – not finished yet – Archie Furzer celebrated his 90th Birthday and he and Jill celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary having also received a card from the Queen! I really think it will be very difficult to top this another year! We were very fortunate that colleagues from Devon, the South Coast, Oxfordshire and Somerset joined us and this all added to the very festive atmosphere. A very generous £500 donation from Ken Page, and £100 from ACRA was used to make the event a really special occasion. |
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Neil Burton shares this information and these photos - The photo below is of G-CASQ, a Fokker Super Universal, being operated by Canadian Airways Ltd., from Sea Island Airport (Vancouver), on August 1, 1936. One of the passengers on board was Brenda Moffatt, travelling to Victoria, to attend Normal School, for studies to become a school teacher. This aircraft was manufactured in 1928, by Atlantic, and was first registered to Western Canada Airways, Winnipeg, 16 January 1929. On 25 November 1930, the Fokker was registered to Canadian Airways, Winnipeg (by company name change). On 30 June 1937, the aircraft was registered to T.H. Jones, Vancouver, B.C. G-CASQ, was damaged beyond repair at Disappointment Inlet (Vancouver Island) during a forced landing in bad weather, 17 November 1938. Both pilot and passenger escaping injury. (source: Canadian Civil Aircraft Register by John R. Ellis (1920-1928). It just so happened, that Miss Brenda Moffatt was flying on G-CASQ, to Victoria, the same day as the Junior Board of Trade, of the Vancouver Board of Trade, sponsored Western Canada’s Annual Air Show (Fifth), on Sea Island Airport. (Source as to Air Show – Vancouver Sun). |
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Flying on Friday the 13th
I do not consider myself to be a superstitious person, but I do take notice of Friday the 13th whenever it occurs. There is really no way to avoid it since it is bound to be mentioned in the media or by someone we interact with through the day.
One of our primary reasons for creating and distributing this newsletter is because everyone who has ever worked in the aviation industry has had at least one very memorable day (and probably more).
My most memorable day just happened to fall on Friday, July 13th, 2001.
I was assigned to the Vancouver “Stores” pickup truck that day delivering parts to aircraft maintenance and picking up incoming parts from other stations when I received a call on my two-way radio.
It was my Lead Hand instructing me to drive directly to a gate, park the vehicle and go up the stairs where a gate agent was waiting for me with a boarding pass for the flight to Calgary which was being held for my arrival. They would send someone out to retrieve my vehicle.
The situation was that an aircraft scheduled to overnight in YVR Line Maintenance required a part that was only available in Calgary and happened to be classified as Dangerous Goods. I don’t recall the specific item, but I think it was used in the fuel system and contained trace amounts of aircraft fuel. If the part was not available on our station, there was a risk that the aircraft would be grounded.
Dangerous Goods can be carried in the cargo hold provided that they are packed properly, and the required legal declaration is prepared to accompany the shipment.
Stock keepers receive recurrent training to ship Dangerous Goods and must be certified every two years (if I remember correctly). The stock keeper in YYC was qualified to ship the piece, however, his certification was expired so he could not sign the declaration. All I needed to do was inspect the shipment and sign the declaration.
Remember, that in the summer of 2001, Air Canada and C.A.I.L. were in the process of merging but still operating separately. So up the stairs I went where the gate agent opened the gate door and handed me my boarding pass; a seat in the very last row of a C.A.I.L B-737. I walked the full length of the aircraft in my dusty Air Canada uniform coveralls feeling the eyes of every passenger on me. I could easily read their thoughts; “we’re waiting for him”! 
I settled into my seat and, as I was catching my breath, remembered that it was Friday the 13th. The oddity of the situation seemed now to make sense.
The flight was completely uneventful, and I landed in Calgary, met by my colleague and accompanied him to the shipping department where I inspected the package and signed the Dangerous Goods declaration. I returned to Vancouver on the same flight as the shipment; this time in Business Class.
No bad luck involved, I got a fun story to tell; and four hours overtime.
Do you ever wake up, kiss the person sleeping beside you, and feel glad you are alive?
I just did and apparently will not be allowed to fly on this airline again…
Feeling flush
An icy object that fell from the sky was thought by some villagers in India's Haryana state to be a "priceless celestial object'' - some even kept pieces of it in the fridge.
The truth was less heavenly. The mysterious 12kg ball was...er... frozen airliner waste.
(Source: Flight International February 13, 2018
If you enjoyed the ACRA Badminton in Liverpool UK in 2017, why not join the crowd in Prague.
For more fun and games from Thursday, October 11 through 13, 2018.