Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

We received the following request from Ross Lunan - 

Wonder if there is any way to search the content all the newsletters for any references to my father, who served in TCA/AC from August 1938 to February 1974?

His full name is William Alan Lunan , goes by Alan Lunan, and has younger brother Malcolm Lunan, who also worked at the base.

Are you aware of any information about the company in its early days 1938-41 in Winnipeg, when my father worked there, one of the original 1500 first  employees, as a Radio Technician. As I discovered he was involved in checking out the onboard radio and navigation instruments during the development of the original L10a service from Montreal - Vancouver. 

He transferred to St. Hubert, Quebec  to work in the TCA Ferry Command Contract, then to Dorval during the war/post war era, then to the new Dorval Maintenance Base through to his retirement.

Terry Baker searched through our library of 'Between Ourselves' and 'Horizons' magazines and provided the following response -

I checked the earliest issues of magazines (1941 - 1943) but no reference to your father. During the war years, there was very little information in the magazines about the staff transfers to St. Hubert.

However in Horizons magazine issued February 1974 is this entry under 'Retirements'.

Quote - "W. A. Lunan, Technician, Dorval, joined the company on August 23, 1938" - Unquote

Regards,

Terry 

Editors' Note: Do we have any readers who may have been colleagues of either Alan or Malcolm Lunan? 

CP Air Empress of Santiago -
Douglas DC-8-55CF 'Jet Trader'

My article in our previous issue (NetLetter #1518) featured an aircraft that carried several liveries while remaining in the Air Canada / Canadian Airlines family.

This issue features an aircraft that has carried multiple liveries for a variety of operators around the world for over half a century.

Line #274, a Douglas DC-8-55CF, was built in July 1966 at the Long Beach plant. It was registered as N1509U and initially leased by the Douglas Corporation to Pan American-Grace Airways (September 1966), Braniff Airways (February 1967) and then leased by Braniff to Seaboard World Airlines (May 1967).

It was acquired by Canadian Pacific Airlines in November 1967, re-registered as CF-CPT (Fin #608) and christened the 'Empress of Santiago' (classic livery below). It was leased to air cargo operator Flying Tiger Line, re-registered as N789FT, from September 14, 1977 to January 31, 1978.

I asked Ken Pickford if he had any memories of this aircraft while it was with Canadian Pacific:

"At CP  Fin #608 was used almost exclusively in all-passenger service, except for a couple of years (1972/73 or thereabouts) when it did operate in combi configuration with 69 economy seats at the rear.

'Jet Trader' was the Douglas marketing name for the combi/convertible model with main deck cargo door that could be used as all-passenger, all-cargo, or mixed passenger/cargo.

I remember that period quite clearly. It operated 5 days a week (except Thursday and Friday) YVR-YEG-YYZ-YUL as CP82. Overnighted YUL and returned on same route the next morning as CP83 (except Friday and Saturday).

On Thursday the incoming aircraft on CP83 continued as CP405 YVR-TYO-HKG arriving HKG Friday night. Overnighted HKG and returned Saturday HKG-TYO-YVR as CP406 arriving YVR Saturday morning (same day due Date Line) and continued as CP82 to YEG-YYZ-YUL.

CP405 / 406 had a restriction due to the bilaterals with Japan and Hong Kong that it could only carry passengers going all the way YVR-HKG. No local traffic on that flight YVR-TYO or TYO-HKG. It was probably for that reason that for one schedule period in 1973 they stopped selling the passenger seats on CP405/406 although I'm pretty sure they remained on the aircraft as it still operated CP82/83 on the other 5 days Y class only.

In mid-December 1973, the first 2 B-747-200's went into service on the YVR-TYO-HKG route, replacing DC-8-63's. By late 1974 or so the aircraft returned to all-passenger configuration and remained that way until it was sold to a British cargo carrier in 1978 and its passenger-carrying days ended."

As Ken says, the aircraft was acquired by IAS Cargo Airlines (United Kingdom) and re-registered as G-BSKY in February 1978, to be followed by a list of cargo operators:

Aerolineas Nacionales del Ecuador (1982), African International Airways (1985), Flash Airlines (Nigeria, 1985), Liberia World Airlines (1993) (photo below), Air Cargo Plus (Liberia, 2001) and finally Kinshasa Airways (Congo, 2002), which ceased operations in 2006. 

Planespotters.net shows that aircraft being bought by Hewa Bora Airways (Congo) in September 2007 and currently in storage, presumably somewhere in the Congo.  

I could not find a photo of the aircraft in its current state, the most recent photo I could find is from January 2003 at Sharjah International Airport, United Arab Republic.

It can be seen at:
 www.jetphotos.com/photo/45849  

Glasgow - Prestwick
September 1975

Photo courtesy of David A. Montgomery

Registration EL-AJQ - Liberia World Airlines 

Ostend / Bruges International (OST), Belgium
May 8, 1997

Photo courtesy of Marco Dotti

Our cartoon is from the 'Between Ourselves' magazine issued October 1964.

The caption reads "According to the 'Management Consultants' report we have to make some changes in our organization around here, Finchley.

Can you operate a fork lift?"

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

On May 6, 2023, a party from the Vancouver Interline Club members boarded the 'Crown Princess' and enjoyed a 7 night Alaska cruise.

This is the first time that the VIC had planned a cruise since the they hosted the WACA AGA in 1996.

Here are some of the photos:

Those Fabulous TCA Super Connies.

Trans-Canada Air Lines’ future equipment was on the agenda of its board of directors in August 1951. The alternatives were either the Douglas DC-6B or the Lockheed 1049.

The first Super Constellation arrived in Montréal on February 26, 1954. Captain George Lothian was in command of the flight. The first airplane was registered CF-TGA and assigned Fleet Number 401.

On May 14, 1954, CF-TGA inaugurated TCA’s new Super Constellation service across the North Atlantic. The routing was Toronto–Montréal–Prestwick–London. 

The flights from Toronto to London were scheduled for a flying time of 14:05 (16:05 total) eastbound and 15:10 (18:10 total) westbound.

By August 1954, after the fleet had built up to five Super Constellations, Paris and Düsseldorf were added to the European network as a continuation of the London flight. One included Shannon, Ireland, two stopped at Gander, one at Goose Bay and four at Prestwick. Later Vienna became another European destination.

In the spring of 1958, two new destinations were added: Brussels (en route to Düsseldorf) and Zurich (an extension of the Paris flights). With the arrival of Super G models, Montréal–London nonstop flights became possible with the flight time from Montréal to London scheduled for 10:35 (12:50 westbound).

The same year, flights from Vancouver via Winnipeg to London were added. These flights were called the 'Hudson Bay Route.'

We suggest that you view YouTube video from British Pathé (click the icon) featuring what was probably the arrival at YVR of the inaugural westbound flight on that route, plus highlights of a visit to Vancouver as it was in 1958.

That flight operated once a week (originally Wednesday westbound, Friday eastbound) with stops at Gander and Winnipeg.

In the Super Constellation’s heyday, trans-Atlantic flights originated in Cleveland and Halifax, in addition to Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montréal. But the era of the big piston-engine airliners on the North Atlantic was coming to an end. By late 1960, the aircraft were rapidly being replaced with TCA’s new Douglas DC-8 jets.

On December 26, 1960, the last Super Constellation flight departed Vienna.

On December 29, the last flight left Düsseldorf and, on December 31, 1960, the very last transatlantic Super Constellation flight flew Zurich–Paris–London–Montréal–Toronto, arriving in Canada on January 1, 1961. From that point on, all transatlantic flights were jet.

The TCA Super Constellation fleet eventually consisted of 14 aircraft of four basic models:

• Five 1049C's: CF-TGA to CF-TGE.
• Three 1049E's: CF-TGF to CF-TGH.
• Four 1049G's: CF-TEU to CF-TEX.
• Two 1049H's: CF-TEY and CF-TEZ (galley aft of rear entry door and all seating forward).

The 1049C and 1049E models were later upgraded to 1049G standard.

Source: Originally posted by Peter F. Marshall to CAHS archives May 22, 2010.