37th Annual Interline Regatta - October 8 to 17, 2019

The Moorings is proud to present the 37th Annual Interline Regatta in the British Virgin Islands in October of 2019. Open to members of the airline industry, their families and friends.

The Interline Regatta features a variety of events for both sailors and spectators alike. In addition to numerous boat races throughout the islands, the regatta hosts a variety of nightly theme parties, making it perfect for anyone looking for non-stop celebration in a beautiful island setting.

More information at stage.moorings.com

Canadian Aviation Historical Society.

Registration is now open for the 2019 CAHS Convention and AGM.

The convention will take place May 22 - 25, at the John Abbott College in the village of Sainte Anne de Bellevue, west of Montreal, Quebec.

More information at www.cahs.ca

In NetLetter # 1409 under "Coming Events -  Women in Aviation", we gave information regarding the "The Sky's No Limits - Girls Fly Too", we have received this update -

Vancouver, British Columbia, February 24, 2019,

It is with deep regret that due to unforeseen circumstances outside of our control we must postpone "The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too!" 2019 event until after the BC wildfire season.

Despite heroic efforts on the part of many, we were unable to secure replacement resources in time to meet the planned dates of March 9 – 10, 2019.

The good news is that the new date coincides with the week of International Day of the Girl, a Canadian-driven UN observance, on October 5 – 6, 2019.

The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots promotes advancement of aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support while honoring our unique history and sharing our passion for flight. 

East Canada Spring Section Meeting

Where: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When: Friday, May 24, 2019 through Saturday, May 25, 2019

Established in 1929 by 99 women pilots, the members of The Ninety-Nines, Inc., International Organization of Women Pilots, are represented in all areas of aviation today.

And, to quote Amelia, fly "for the fun of it!"

More information at www.ninety-nines.org

Udo Engelledger has sent us this photo of the Air Canada Tech Ops, Vancouver Heavy Maintenance Team and America West Airlines Tech Reps with B737-200 fin #178.

Note: This photo was probably taken in the YVR Ops Centre Line 4. Canadian Airlines International had the maintenance contract with America West which was inherited during the merger by Air Canada. 

Notice the mixture of CAIL and AC uniforms within the group.

Wayne

Issue February 1985.

Paper launched.

Stores (Purchasing & Supply) has gone into the communications business.

Just over a year ago, several stockkeepers and a manager at Dorval Main Stores decided to put together a local newspaper. The idea took hold and their literary venture, 'Parts & Pieces', now goes to some 600 Stores employees across the system.

New service begins.

Air Canada's inaugural flight to Bombay and Singapore via London, England. departed Toronto on schedule at 22:25 hrs EST on January 15, 1985 under the command of Captain F. Richards and his crew of First Officer R. Ashleigh and Second Officer J. Rentjes. Flight Service Director Gilles Lacaille, In Charge Jeanette Forbes, and Flight Attendants Linda Harris, Willa Davidson, Joyce Farnell, John Sales, Gerry Oosterman, Theo Kalse, Ian MacIver and Glen Jones.

Flight 858, utilizing L-1011-500 equipment landed at LHR on January 16 and added additional crew. Taking over was Captain A. Shaw, First Officer Larry O'Brien, Second Officer M. Emmett and Flight Service Director Martin Fleet,  arriving in Singapore at 11:00 hrs on January 17.

The aircraft, fin #553, C-GAGG, turned around to operate the first return flight 59 which departed Singapore's Changi Airport that evening on schedule. A new crew took over.

Up front Captains Sherman Everard and Les Hems, Second Officer Bill Donaldson prepare for takeoff, which occurs at 03:45 hrs. Flight Service Director Ruth Zurcher marshal’s her crew: Purser W. Patterson and Flight Attendants Leslie Yake, J. Felde, M. O'Connor, M. Lunt, V. Gaser, J. Morin, Giselle Pahocsa and S. Ridabouk. The flight arrived in Toronto ahead of schedule.

Edwin McManus has sent us this information -

Not sure how much trivia you want, but the L-1011 initially not having the most reliable motors (Rolls Royce RB211), needed a spare in Singapore. AC had to charter another freight carrier as the motor was too big for our 747 combis. The 747 had an extra pylon mount to ferry motors, but this one was too big.

Meet "Team Canada".

The newly appointed Sales and Service - Canada group gathered in Toronto.

The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the challenges facing the airline in the Canadian marketplace and to reflect on strategic priorities as they saw them.

In the photo are, seated, from the left: Ron Lofthouse, Manager, Windsor; Doug Port, General Manager, Airport Services, Toronto; Mark Alexander, Manager, Marketing and Organizational Development, Montreal; Bill Rowe, Vice President; Roger Linder, Group V.P.; John McMurtry, Vice President, Ontario; Jack Maloney, General Manager, Southern Alberta and John Jeffrey, General Manager, Northern Alberta.

Standing, from the left: Al Thompson, General Passenger Sales Manager, Toronto; Bruno Fragasso, General Manager, Province of Quebec; Keith Hoover, Manager, Southern Saskatchewan; Mike Lezama, General Passenger Sales Manager, Halifax; Louis Daigle, General Manager, Airport Services, Montreal; Barry MacInnes, General Manager, Manitoba; Ralph Bouchard, Regional Passenger Sales and Service Manager, Vancouver; Zachary Clark, General Manager, B.C. and Pacific Northwest; Remi Lafreniere, General Manager, Ottawa; Marc Rosenberg, Agency and Interline Sales Director, Montreal and Joe Turkel, Regional Marketing and Planning Director, Toronto.

Issue dated January 1985.

Staff Awareness Week took place last fall at Toronto's Terminal II and employees from a wide range of airport functions had an opportunity to promote their workplaces. Airport Passenger Agents greeted guests with a smile.

They are, from the left: Sam MacDonald, Elly Lilly, Anna Urena, Joan Findlay and Shelly Fleet.

New York becomes reservations hub.

The consolidated U.S. reservations sales office was opened in New York. The facility, equipped with the latest in communications technology, at the time, handled all reservations calls placed to the airline from anywhere in the U.S. 

Roger Linder, former Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service, was the guest of honor at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new sales office.

He is shown, centre, assisted by Customer Service Agents Joan Fink, left, and Laurie Cassaro.

Looking on, from the left, are: Jennifer Miller, Customer Service Agent; Pat Conlan, Reservations Service Supervisor; Kathy Baltz, Manager, U.S. Reservations Sales Office; Diane Jennings, Customer Service Agent; Guy Chiasson, former Vice President, U.S. and Southern Region and Michael De Wilde, General Manager, Northeast U.S. Peeking from behind are several customer service agents.

Issue dated June 1985.

Maple Wings show community spirit.

The association capped another busy year of community activities with its fifth annual general meeting being held in May 1985.

The gathering was a practice run for next year's special flight crew reunion in honor of the airline's 50th anniversary. Consisting of former TCA and Air Canada flight attendants, each of the 12 Maple Wings' chapters across Canada enjoyed an active year making donations to charitable causes of their choice.

In our photo are, from the left: Marga Van den Hogen, Sharon Russell of the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children receiving a donation from past Treasurer, Olga Deakon, and Gretchen Marsh, CMWA President.

A first for Canada.

Air Canada Cargo and Cougar Helicopters Inc. of Halifax entered into a contract that provides pick-up and delivery service for the company's guaranteed same-day express product.

Issue dated February 2012. (With permission)

"Horizons" magazine launched a new semi-permanent 75th anniversary column in this edition. Called “Time Capsule,” starts with a look at the 1930's and 40's (our very earliest days) to give you a taste of what aviation was like.

Of course, Air Canada had more significant “firsts,” innovations, and noteworthy moments in those years than could ever fit on one page, so the purpose of Time Capsule (our back cover) is to convey the experience of flight and the essence of an era.

Issue dated May 2011. (Used with permission)

Business people will find it easier to attend meetings in Toronto after Air Canada resumed service May 1, 2011 to the downtown Billy Bishop City Airport.

Here we have a photo of the airport and the brochure that was issued.

Here we have a copy of the timetable for United Air Service effective May 1, 1941.

(Source: Bjorn Larsson collection)

Extract from the "Flight" magazine issue August 26, 1955.

Canadian Pacific Airlines recently became the first Commonwealth airline to use the new Arctic route and the first company to provide direct service between Europe and Canada's west coast.

Inaugurated in June, initially on a weekly frequency, the service operates between Vancouver and Amsterdam Schiphol via Greenland (westbound) and Manitoba (eastbound). Since it represented an expansion of C.P.A.'s existing route from Vancouver to Sydney, the introduction of this service enabled C.P A. to claim yet another "first": some of the passengers on the inaugural flight were "the first to have flown in one journey over the International Date Line, the Equator and the Arctic Circle."

Among those aboard was C.P.A.'s president, Mr. Grant McConachie, who showed interest in both Comet 4 and Britannia as potential replacements for the DC-6Bs, which serve Latin America, Hong Kong and Tokyo as well as the points named above.

The company also operates medium and short stages in Canada using Convairs, DC-3s and a number of smaller aircraft, D.H. Otters being among the latest additions.

Airlines swap executives

As part of an executive exchange program, CP Air and Eastern Provincial Airways have swapped executives. Captain Bob Weatherly, who joined CP Air in 1965 and has been Director, Safety and Training since September, 1984, will become Vice President, Flight Operations for EPA, replacing Rod Mackay.

Mackay, who joined EPA in 1966, will become CP Air's Director, Flight Technical Services.

(Source: AC Horizons" magazine issue February 1985)

DC-10 Air Tanker

The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 series has certainly had a long and sometimes unfortunate history. I came across some articles and videos of four of these classic aircraft that are still in service fighting forest fires for 10 Tanker Air Carrier based in California.

All are converted DC-10-30 series and began their careers as passenger aircraft. They have an average age of 35 years. See the table below.

For additional information please visit the links below:

Planespotters.net - aircraft details
10 Tanker Air Carrier - Company Profile
Wikipedia.org - Program Development History
YouTube Videos - Fire Fighting in Action

John Bell refers to the article in "Terry’s Trivia and Travel Tips" in NetLetter #1408 regarding seating -

There were some (??) DC-3's that flew the Vancouver-Victoria run that had 28 seats.

John Bell.

In NetLetter #1312 issued December 7, 2014 under "First flights to the Pacific", James Ewen sends us this information -

I believe you have the names of Bud Potter and North Sawle mixed up. I worked for CP Air in Flight Crew Scheduling 1967 to 1968. I was on Captain Bud Potter's retirement flight.

(We, at the NetLetter, checked the original magazine and the names in the text differ from the names we added to the photo, so it appears as if James is correct.

Here we have a corrected photo - eds).

Graham Morley sent us this enquiry -

In 1957/58 a 1049 Connie' overshot the runway in Malton airport (YYZ) and ended up in the grass by the fence to the road we used to the ramp. We spent a day or so getting it out and into the hanger where it sat for ages!

It was finally fixed and sold but I don't know to whom. I recall that it crashed again I believe in California on its first flight! There appears to be no record of this incident in Connie' files.

Could you find the aircraft registration? It’s probably a C-FTG something and the dates of both incidents?

Graham.

Ken Pickford responded with this information -

The TCA Super Connie overrun event you mention at YYZ was a little later than your 1957/58 recollection. It was February 10, 1960 and involved CF-TEZ, the last Super Connie delivered to TCA. It was one of two 1049H models built with main deck cargo doors and convertible to either passenger or cargo service.

More on that event here including several photos. (Note the first 2 photos are not of that aircraft but of CF-TGE which was restored more recently after being derelict for many years and is now on display at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle).

Reference: canavbooks.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/more-cf-tge-nostalgia

The crash you mention that wrote off that aircraft was this event at San Francisco on February 3, 1963. Four of the eight aboard were killed. It was then operated by U.S. cargo carrier Slick Airways and was registered N9740Z.

Reference: aviation-safety.net/database

One photo here of the aftermath of that crash.

Reference: i.pinimg.com/originals

It's mentioned towards the bottom (6th last paragraph) in this history of Slick Airways.

Reference: airwaysmag.com/best-of-airways/ship-air-slick-way-air

Here is the official accident report. Some of the pages are cut off a bit at the right edge.

Reference: rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33688

Slick Airways was acquired by another U.S. cargo operator, Airlift International, in 1966. They ceased operations in 1991.

Ken Pickford.

Aspiring Canadian start-up Jetlines, advancing its new strategy of building a route network that seeks to avoid WestJet ULCC subsidiary Swoop, plans to include Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) in its network, the airline and airport announced February 13.

(Source: ATW Daily News -  February 3, 2019)

Abandoned airport.

In 2010, the UK Department of International Development pumped $347 million into building an ill-advised clifftop airport on the island of Saint Helena, a remote British territory in the middle of the Atlantic, with a view to boosting the island's accessibility and untapped tourism industry.

Doomed from the get-go, the UK authorities failed to take into account the dangerous wind conditions that plague Saint Helena. The shear is so severe, large planes can't take off or land safely and the airport, which was due to open last year, is effectively unusable.

(Source: MSN News February 16, 2019)

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

Memorable BNB units.

It doesn’t get more memorable than snoozing in a converted sheep wagon in the heart of rural Wyoming.

(Source:MSN News.com) 

A flight attendant was on the red-eye to Manila when a water leak developed in the galley, which eventually soaked the carpet throughout the aft cabin of the 747.

A very sleepy woman who had become aware of the dampness tugged at my skirt as the attendant passed by. 'Has it been raining?' she asked the flight attendant.

Keeping a straight face, she replied, 'Yes, but we put the top up'. With a sigh of relief, the woman went back to sleep.

Source: Parts & Pieces magazine issue July /August /September 1999