Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse.

The Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) will increase from $20 to $25 effective January 1, 2020 for passengers travelling to destinations outside of B.C.

Following the increase, YVR’s AIF will continue to be one of the lowest among the eight major Canadian airports with only Ottawa International Airport (YOW) collecting a lower fee of $23. Additionally, YVR is the only major airport to offer a heavily discounted rate for regional travel at $5 for flights within B.C. and to the Yukon.

(Source: yvr.ca)

An abandoned airport.

Nicosia International Airport was the most important airport in Cyprus but commercial activity stopped after the Turkish invasion of July 20, 1974. Today it is a no-man’s land, a United Nations buffer zone from which both Greeks and Turks are barred.

Remains of Cyprus Airways Hawker-Siddeley Trident on the airport site. All that is left is the shell of the airplane, as the rest of the plane's key features were gutted out years ago.

(Source: skyscanner.net)

Here is an interesting museum to visit when you are next in the U.K. from the UK Pionairs 3rd quarter 2019 newsletter submitted by Jack Morath -

There is an interesting museum to visit which is in Maidenhead High Street. It's called the Heritage Centre and it's at 18 Park Street, and is open Tuesday to Saturday 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

Admission is free. Inside the museum there is a history exhibition about Maidenhead and separately upstairs is an exhibition about the Air Transport Auxiliary whose headquarters were in Maidenhead during the Second World War.

The ATA was made up of male and mainly female pilots supported by the RAF who ferried warplanes between the factories where they were made to the frontline airfields. There is a fabulous Spitfire simulator which you can fly over parts of the country from airport to airport. The simulator is suitable for anybody over 9 years of age and includes instruction.

You can book this on their phone number 01628 780555. The price for this session is around GBP20 for half an hour. You can have different routes to fly and I chose Southampton to Heathrow, but a great experience and just like the real thing, and all seen on a screen on the wall in front of you.

Canada's first Air Mail

At 10:12 June 24, 1918 Captain Brian Peck of the Royal Air Force and mechanic Corporal C. W. Mathers took off from the Bois Fane Polo Grounds in Montreal in a JN-4 Curtiss two-seat airplane.

They had with them the first bag of mail to be delivered by air in Canada. Wind and rain buffeted the small plane and forced it to make refuelling stops at Kingston and Deseronto.

Finally. at 4:55 pm Peck and Mathers landed at the Leaside Aerodrome in Toronto. The flight had been arranged by a civilian organization, the Aerial League of the British Empire, to demonstrate that aviation was the way of the future.

(Source: via Larry Milberry/CANAV Books)

John Travolta’s Boeing 707 is the gift that keeps on taking and he likely won’t be making a farewell trip to Australia in the plane this November. Travolta, who has owned the aircraft since 1998, has donated it to Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Albion Park, about 100 miles south of Sydney. The plan was for Travolta to use the 55-year-old airliner, a 138-B model, to get to a speaking tour in Australia by November 2. 

As the date draws near, Australian media is now reporting the aircraft needs about $2 million in maintenance and repair before it makes the 10,000-mile trip over the Pacific. The aircraft, which is painted in Qantas livery and was flown in promotional events by Travolta on behalf of the airline in the early 2000's, is undergoing maintenance in Georgia and the work required, along with the paperwork it will generate, will likely go beyond November.

John Dennis, the former Qantas pilot heading up the project, told the Illawarra Mercury he can’t guarantee the plane will be ready in November. He did, however, promise Travolta will be on the flight when it happens. “It’s going to happen; that aircraft is going to arrive in Australia,” he said. “And I can give you an assurance that when it does, John Travolta will be on it. I just can’t give you a date.

(Source: www.avweb.com/aviation-news/travoltas-707)

David Varnes explains why 3 L-1011's returned to service-

L-1011 fins 504, 507 & 512 were brought back from the desert when the Canadian economy started to improve after 1990 and AC found itself short of seating capacity due to unexpected passenger demand. Seat capacity was short because Airbus was having delivery problems with new airplanes to Air Canada in the mid 1990's.

Michel LeBlanc sent us his observation -

Hi, I just finished reading the latest #1421 and the New York advertising poster caught my eye. It shows the city skyline and at the bottom it says Trans-Canada Air Lines & Air Canada. Did "Air Canada” appear on marketing ads way back in 1941? I was under the impression the name "Air Canada" only started in 1965.

Terry Baker responded with -

On the poster, which did not show on the reproduction was “A TCA poster promoting travel to New York in the late 40's and early 50's.”

Originally from the UK, where I worked for TCA in the 50’s, it was common to refer to the company as Air Canada on the continent of Europe.

Our proof reader, Ken Pickford, added the following information –

Regarding the query from Michel LeBlanc re the Air Canada name, you will probably know more about this than me, but TCA began using Air Canada as the unofficial name in French ads and timetables etc. quite a while before it became the new legal name in 1965. 

However, I don't think it was used as early as the 1940's. I think that New York advertising poster used to illustrate the item re the start of NYC service in 1941 is from much later, I would guess probably the late 1950's or early 60's or so based on the design and graphics.

The Air Canada history timeline feature produced for the 80th anniversary does explain that 'Air Canada' was adopted as the official airline name in French.

moments.aircanada.com/timeline/1954-tca-becomes-air-canada-en-francais

The first public appearance of the new AC name and livery was on the DC-8 (Fin 807, CF-TJG) that flew the Queen home from YOW in October 1964 after a visit to Canada. I believe that was the first time a member of the Royal Family had flown TCA/AC. The story by one of the people who coordinated that trip and the aircraft's painting in relative secrecy, and photo of the Queen boarding the DC-8, has appeared previously in the NetLetter #1343.

Also this footage of that departure with sendoff by Prime Minister Lester Pearson and Governor General Georges Vanier (who lost his right leg in action in the First World War). Prince Philip wasn't with her on the return trip as he was continuing on his own to the Caribbean on the Royal Yacht.

Better footage of the DC-8 in this National Film Board production covering the 1964 Royal Visit. Scroll to 19:20 for the YOW departure. www.nfb.ca/film/queen_in_canada

And just for the record, her westbound departure from LHR on that trip, on a BOAC 707-420 (Rolls-Royce Conway engines like the AC DC-8-43). Not many 707's (37) or DC-8's (32) were built with the R-R Conway.

And, arriving at the then-RCAF base at Summerside, PEI (YSU) about 6 hours later where they boarded the Royal Yacht Britannia for much of the rest of the trip. (The military pulled out of Summerside in 1991 although the airport, now only general aviation, still has the longest runway in PEI (8,000 ft. vs 7,000 ft at Charlottetown).

Eastern Provincial Airways served YSU for a while in the 1960's & 70's.