We always welcome feedback about Air Canada (including Jazz and Rouge) from our subscribers who wish to share current events, memories and photographs.

Particularly if you have stories to share from one of the legacy airlines: Canadian Airlines, CP Air, Pacific Western, Eastern Provincial, Wardair, Nordair, Transair, Air BC, Time Air, Quebecair, Calm Air, NWT Air, Air Alliance, Air Nova, Air Ontario, Air Georgian, First Air/Canadian North and all other Canadian based airlines that once graced the Canadian skies.

Please feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We will try to post your comments in the next issue but, if not, we will publish it as soon as we can.

Thanks!

Back issues of The NetLetter in both newsletter and downloadable PDF formats are available at:

www.thenetletter.net/netletters

Please note: External links in back issues may no longer work; we have no control over this.

Roger Slauenwhite shares this information -

A follow up to the NetLetter #1450.

The aircraft picture from Whitehorse Flying School is definitely a Fleet Canuck.

At Central Airways Flying School in Toronto, we operated 6 Canuck airplanes. I have flown them all many times when working as a Flight Instructor at Central Airways, sometimes called the “Chinese Airforce”.

(Editors' Note: See Wayne's Wings for more on the "Chinese Airforce" reference.)

Many TCA/Air Canada pilots took their first flying instruction on this aircraft. We processed over 100 student pilots for the airline. The Canuck was a good aircraft for training and could take a “hard landing” that you could walk away from.

I have flown the aircraft on many photography flights with the passenger door removed. The control stick on the right hand side was also removed to provide more room for camera equipment.

'WINDY - COLD - NOISY'.

With the door removed, your “fastened seatbelt” was your first priority, especially in a tight turn! You would not want to exit the aircraft before your passenger at 500 feet, because your seatbelt wasn’t securely fastened.

Photography flights taken for the Toronto Star and Telegram newspapers were:

• TCA Viscount crash in Malton, Ontario years ago.
• Jail break at Kingston Penitentiary.
• Cattle train wreck in Scarborough, Ontario - cows running all over the place.
• Several major fires.

A newspapers reporter always wanted you to fly at least 500 feet below DOT minimums to get a better picture. A tricky situation to say the least.

Roger Slauenwhite,
Ex-Flight Instructor and AC Pionair.

Submitted by Stephen Girling -

I have enclosed 3 pictures taken from various Hadj assignments undertaken by AC staff at LHR.

The top one shows the AC 747 at Casablanca airport in 1983 with the ground staff.

Names:

Top row left to right: A Royal Air Maroc mechanic; Malcolm Wadman, Ramp Service Supervisor; Roy Novell, Certified Aircraft Technician; (first name unknown) Geffrion, YUL Maintenance Foreman.

Front row left to right: Jimmy Crook, Air Canada mechanic, Steve Girling, Avionics mechanic and Tony (last name unknown), LHR load agent.

The other 2 pictures show Evergreen and Nordair DC-8's in 1979 at Tripoli airport Libya which we provided maintenance cover for.

Thought these might provoke some memories.

Regards,
Steve

Norm Foster shares another of his memories -

Her name was Mary.

I have a special affinity for the name Mary. My dear Mother’s name was Mary and she gave me life. This girl’s name was Mary and she may have saved my life…..along with many others.

Mary was a Flight Attendant back when Air Canada was known as Trans-Canada Air Lines and Flight Attendants were known as Stewardesses. It was also a time when TCA was small enough that air crew knew each other by name as well as by personality. All TCA crews were well trained and performed their duties to a high standard. Some were exceptional. That described Mary.

The Jet Age was just beginning and the backbone of TCA’s domestic fleet were the Vickers Viscount and her larger sister, the Vickers Vanguard. Both were 4 engine turbo-props in this transitional era, and I was a Captain on the Viscount.

One morning, on perusing the Aircraft log book during our pre-flight preparations for our flight to Timmins, I noted previous Captains' complaints about pressurization fluctuations, going back for several flights. Various component had been changed in an attempt to rectify these “snags”. None having proved successful, a request for further information was requested……Mary was about to provide it for them!

We were nicely into our cruise at 15,000 ft., when Mary entered the Flight Deck. She calmly explained that there was an unusually loud noise of rushing air at the rear of the aircraft. She was visibly shaken.

Familiar with Mary’s professional approach to the job, I was very tactful in starting to suggest that the rubber seals around the rear door were notorious for leaking air, when she abruptly cut me off with “Norm, the air noise is coming from the cloakroom at the very rear of the aircraft, well beyond the rear door!!!”

Mary was the first and only one to note the abnormality of the location of the escaping air noise, and was insistent that we investigate. Resisting any temptation to point out the improbability of her assessment, I asked the First Officer to follow Mary back to the area in question. In all too short a time he returned, almost ashen, and insisted that I go back and see for myself. He repeated Mary’s conclusion that the escaping air noise was from beyond the rear door, and from an area that it should be impossible to come from. Wasting no time I made my way to the rear and following the noise with my flashlight, I was suddenly frozen in disbelief and horror. The rear pressure bulkhead, an integral part of the structure of the aircraft, and behind which the flight controls cables ran, was physically pushed back towards the tail.

With a crack starting down towards the floor, and gradually increasing, the bulkhead was displaced near the ceiling by 8 to 10 inches!!!!

My return to the flight deck was a sprint. A brief P.A. announcement to the passengers explained that we were making an unplanned descent and landing in North Bay located just ahead, and that it would be a rapid descent and they would feel it in their ears. With that, we performed a rapid depressurization and descent, landing safely in North Bay.

I was soon on a conference call which quickly expanded to include Maintenance Central, the Chief Pilot, the Flight Operations Manager and perhaps others when the local TCA mechanic joined the call and interrupted to say that he had inspected the area in question, and that I must be mistaken.

The rear pressure bulkhead was in its proper position,…..the only place it could be!……Silence!!!!!

In short order, ignoring the rapidly growing heated directives, I refused to fly the aircraft any further, requested a replacement aircraft for the passengers, and abandoned the phone call.

Borrowing the mechanic’s oversized 18” screwdriver, I proceeded to the aircraft. The wall of the rear cloakroom and beyond to the tail, was protected by a padded fabric. This acted as noise and heat insulation as well as for cosmetics purposes. Using the screwdriver with both hands, and with an angry desperation, I tore all the fabric and padding from the outer extremity of the bulkhead. Laid bare, it revealed a crack in the bulkhead, starting from somewhere below my waist, running from the left side of the fuselage completely around the perimeter of the bulkhead, to the right side of the fuselage.

The top portion of the rear pressure bulkhead had been cycling in and out…. “tin-canning,”……waiting to fail at any moment!

Epilogue:
Mary received praise and commendation in the Incident Report that followed. I was exonerated. It will never be known for sure if Mary’s actions saved our flight or that of a subsequent flight.

Norm Foster.

The U.S. Air Force graduates its largest class of female test pilots and engineers in its 76-year history.

They are the small cadre of flight test pilots who graduate from the US Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) at Edwards Air Force Base in California; and this year they include a group of five women, a record number. 

Known by their call signs, Hulk, Tumble, Booster, PsiPhi and Shade,  Captains Casey Horgan, Rachel Williams, Sarah Vorgert, Kalyn Tung and civilian Raina Duncan are the newest female flight test pilots and engineers to graduate from TPS.

Source: www.cnn.com

Simple Flying has published the following article honouring the career of Calin Rovinescu -

A Look Back At The Legacy Of Calin Rovinescu – Air Canada’s CEO.

After leading Air Canada for just under 12 years, Calin Rovinescu will step down as president and chief executive officer of the airline next month. He helped the flag carrier of Canada through significant challenges before taking it to new levels. Let’s take a look at his journey with the company.

Click Here for the full article.

• 1996
  • June 1 - All scheduled flights moved from Edmonton Municipal Airport (YXD) to Edmonton International Airport (YEG).
  • Skyriders - Air Canada's young flyers program launched.
• 2020
  • December 15 - First non-stop flights from Toronto Pearson to Doha, Qatar with B-787-9.
  • December 18 - First non-stop flights from Doha, Qatar to Toronto Pearson with 787-9.   

Each Christmas, for the past several years, some 32 retirees from the C & SS department in Dorval have been exchanging e-mail greetings for the Christmas season.

This year all were concerned that the Covid-19 has interrupted their retirement plans to varying degrees, but look forward to better times during 2021, including the hopes that a ZOOM session will be arranged.

TCA Alumni Reunion.

The 25th Reunion of the Trans-Canada Air Lines Alumni was held November 25-29, 1996 at the Tradewinds Resort, St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. Information about the reunion was mailed to active alumni members. All former TCA employees were invited to join the alumni and attend the 1996 reunion. Membership dues were $8 (single/couple) per year. TCA Alumni President was Courtney Greene, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Era ends with Viscount sale.

The last 24 of the Company's Viscounts have been sold to two Montreal firms in an agreement signed during April 1974.

The total package being sold to United Aviation Services Ltd., and Beaver Enterprises Ltd., also included one simulator, spare parts including engines and propellers, and all applicable ground equipment. The aircraft will be delivered to their new owners in phases to last over a one-year period. 

The sale of the British-built aircraft marks the end of an era in North American aviation. The Company, then Trans-Canada Air Lines, put Viscounts into service on April 1 1955 on the
Montreal - Fort William - Winnipeg route. It was the first North American carrier to operate turbine-powered aircraft, thus setting the stage for the dawn of the jet age.

In all, the Company purchased a total of 51 of the 48-passenger aircraft which became the mainstay of the fleet in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

The last Viscount flights took place on schedule April 27, 1974, on the Sault Ste. Marie - Toronto - Montreal - Ottawa-Val d'Or return, and the Montreal - Quebec City - Fredericton - Saint John - Moncton - Halifax return routes.

AirBC staff.

July 29, 1995 marked five years since the the AirBC Reservations team joined forces with Air Canada at Vancouver.

Shown here after receiving their 5-year Air Canada pin are, front row, kneeling: Joyce Chow, Kim Floritto, Aletta McLaffery, Mona Raouf, Betty Staughton.

Standing: Lisa Walkley, Karen Newberry, Kathy Waters, Suzie Ong, Caro Clark, Linda Daigle, Connie Rock, Pat Van Dyke and Nancy Goudy.

Back row: Janine Crocock.

Missing from the photo: Tracey Bushell, Judy Bylander, Jaydee Colins, Maria Nicol, Marc Gagnon, Annie Hiekel, Sharon Mason, Kyle Nowroski, Brian Stuski and Kathi Szaabo.

In 1996, Moncton Customer Sales and Service Agent George Surette (centre) receives congratulations on his 30th anniversary.

From left to right: Terry Murphy, Customer Sales and Service Agent; Marcel Guilbert, Manager, Customer Service and Customer Sales and Service Agents Marie-Reine Gaudet and Earl Nickerson.

The Delhi Sales, Accounts and Reservations team gathered to celebrate "The Festival of Lights".

Back row, from left to right: Rakesh Bhambri, Ratindra Jan, Henry Moses, Saurabh Karnik, Vishesh Knanna, Ramesh Marwah, Paul Dhillon.

Third row, left to right: Amrita Sihota, Mona Choudhuri, Shilpa Sharma, Sarabjot Gill, Ruchi Banerjee, Ritu Khanna, Althea Mackrodt, Rachna Kohli and Anita Malhotra.

Second Row, left to right: Shahjan Paul, Sonica Baijal, Mukat Kaur, Ramesh Singh, Akhil Anand, Ramesh Kumar, Ranbir and Marietta Fernandes.

Front row, left to right: Punit Trikha, Naresh Misra and Thomas George. 

The Operations office at Indira Gandhi International Airport was opened with an Indian "Pooja" ceremony during a station visit by Zachary Clark, General Manager - Passenger Sales International.

From left to right: Customer Service Officers Ash Handa and Joe D'Cunha; B.N. Joshi, Airport Service Manager; Madhusudan Pawar, Customer Service Officer; Paul Dhillon, General Manager - India; Customer Service Officers S. Venkatraman, Anil Marwah and Zachary Clark.

At Mirabel (YMX), Customer Sales and Service Agent Murielle Saint-Germain celebrated her 35th anniversary with her friends and colleagues.

From left to right: Customer Sales and Service Agents Lise Legault-Dafoe, Claire Gagnon, Liette Parent, Anna Lemay and Gérard Chalifoux; Guy Comtois, Manager, Customer Service; Customer Sales and Service Agents Robert Bentley, Héléne Haanpaa and Micheline Tremblay.

Air Canada Turned One in Israel.

Air Canada's dynamic team in Tel Aviv celebrated the airline's first anniversary of nonstop service at a reception at the Canadian Ambassador’s residence. Starting with two flights per week in June 1995, passenger demand for the service led Air Canada to boost its flights to four per week in the spring of 1996.

In this photo, from left to right: Sara Dor, Noemi Stein, Motty Klar, Iris Lewit, Avivit Erlichman, Simi Seidenman, Ambassador David Berger, Robert Boulert, Zachary Clark, Meetra Ansari, Shirley Greenberg-Tsadok, Allison Liberman and Hai Malachi.

Los Angeles Cargo Customer Service Agent Bill Johnston celebrates his 30th service anniversary with his colleagues.

Back row, left to right: Howard Wargo, Warehouseman; Barbara Emerson, Cargo Agent; Bob Mawhinney, Lead Cargo Agent; Bill Johnston; Bob Lane, Cargo Agent and David Burke, Manager, Customer Service.

Kneeling, left to right: Richie Meier, Warehouseman; Linda Shipke, Cargo Agent and Bob Fuhrmann, Customer Service Manager.

Pionairs hold AGM 1996.

In the spring of 1996, Air Canada's Pionairs held their annual convention in Ottawa. Pionair President Fraser Muir announced that the retiree group would assist the company in updating and developing Air Canada's valuable archival material.

Air Canada Chairman Hollis Harris, Geoffrey Elliot, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Government Relations and Irene Vazalinskas, Manager, Industry Travel addressed close to 600 participants at the closing banquet. Bernice Paul, Pensions & Estates Administration Manager, was also on hand to answer questions and offer advice to retirees.

In our photo, from left to right: Fraser Muir, President; Laurent Dagenais, Marylin Goulet, Evelyn Cryans, National Secretary; Leo McIntyre, Vice President; Joan Muir, Hollis Harris, Beth Vezina, Wilse Jessee, Past President; Margot L'Espérance, First Vice President; Mary Jessee, Ben Vezina, Treasurer and Leo Goulet, Pension Representative.

From Charlie Burtch -

Thought this photo might be of interest to folks.

Editors' Note:

This image originally appeared in CP Air News Volume 11 No. 7 in July 1980 with the caption below:

Projected Traffic patterns and development of CP Air's winter 1980-81 and summer 1981 schedules for Western Canada Services were the main topics of discussion at the airline's semi-annual regional managers' meeting held June 18-19 in Whitehorse.

From left, on the wing of a restored CPA DC-3 at Whitehorse Airport, are Dan Burton, Grande Prairie manager; Wolf Wiedemann, Vancouver, assistant vice-president, sales and service; Norm Dawkin, Fort Nelson manager; Vic Cheropita, Watson Lake manager; Ralph Sharp, Prince George manager; and Norm Dartnell, Fort St. John manager.

From left on ground, Hammy Smillie, Vancouver, senior reservations controller; Chris Ketchum, Vancouver, route planning and development manager for domestic routes; Warwick Beadle, Whitehorse manager; Paul Kirkpatrick, Vancouver, route analyst; Al Vance, Vancouver, sales planning manager for Western Canada Services; Tom Laurie, Terrace/Kitimat manager; George McBurnle, Vancouver, public relations representative; and Bill Shilvock, Vancouver, director of Western Canada Services.

Additional note from Ken Pickford -

The retired DC-3 in the photo is the one that was later mounted on a pedestal and rotates with the wind like a weathervane. It's at the Yukon Transportation Museum adjacent to Whitehorse airport.

Related item on the DC-3, with YouTube video (from 2012, posted by author of the article). 

www.explorenorth.com/library/aviation/cf-cpy.html

More recent video from August 2019:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyGjX0cZCQw

Halina Scharich posted this photo on CP Air Employees Facebook page of the YVR Flight Attendants class of 1968, with the question: "Does anyone recognize the new flight attendants?"

Dorinka Williams responded with this information -

Let's see if my memory serves me well. ln the front left to right: Peter Herbold, Halina Scharich, Reia Kayamori, Margo Stockwell, Judy Tenant, Jane Pedlar, Dorinka Williams, Dorinka Belos, and then, Kay Horigani, Kit Nicholson (Hallaran), Eve Hagi, Van Aarp.

Back row: Ron Chisholm, Johnny Cheung, Jerry Guinard, Gerry Rotherham, Linda Favell, Linda Davies, Fred Hoffer, Ron Cook, Robert Mullineau and Dave Sheppard.

Edda Wagner posted this photo on Facebook on November 9, 2020.

Found this picture today, some of you might remember working this for the Klondike days; taken in either 1981 or 82. 

When Roger Shergold saw the post, it jogged his memory and he responded with -

She was originally the Empress of Edmonton, apologies to aircraft 710. Built to take part in Klondike Days in Edmonton, and she was the brainchild of George Foster.

A local truck owner helped us out by hauling her to the river for the raft race. We parked her on a grassy slope with all the other rafts and many of us spent the night on her. Many barbeques and beer. Next day the crowd helped us get her into the river and away we went. We won first prize!

The next year we got her to Kamloops thanks to the same trucker and CN Rail who let us use a gondola car to get her there. We came second, and hauled her back to Edmonton by rail and truck. Later that year we entered Klondike Days again. After the race, we tied her up by the river bank, and since the weather was getting wet and windy, we left her there.

Next day the weather was still nasty, so we didn’t go back until the following day. She was gone. Slipped her mooring either on her own or with help, we didn’t know. She was never seen again. I like to believe she made it all the way to Hudson Bay and then into the Atlantic, and then stuck in the ice. She'll be found hundreds of years from now and be the subject of songs, like the Edmond Fitzgerald. Or History students will study her and get degrees!

Anyway God bless her and all who sailed on her.

Our 'Featured Video' was suggested by subscriber Michael De Wilde and can be found on both the National Film Board website and YouTube channel with the following description:

This short wartime documentary describes Canada’s airmail service in 1944. Every night, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 6 crossed Canada from Vancouver to Montreal with its load of blue and yellow airmail bags, playing an important role in Canadian life and business.

Three times a week, cargoes bound eventually for London, Moscow, Lisbon and Paris were flown to Scotland. Letters and parcels for prisoners of war, diplomats, business executives and soldiers went into a thirty-ton Lancaster. When decisions were vital and information had to travel quickly, Canada's air service proved its value.

English country pile with a set of wings.

The amazing estate comes with a third of an acre of manicured gardens, so there's plenty of outside space to enjoy, but that's not all.

One of three properties inside the private 70-acre Upper Harford Estate, Pooh Corner also shares access to a private landing strip and hangar, making weekend getaways a breeze.

Source: msn.com/en-ca/money

Canada’s OWG launches with initial flight to Cuba.

The inaugural revenue flight of new Canadian airline OWG has taken off from Toronto’s Pearson International airport, headed to Santa Clara Abel Santamaria airport in Cuba.

The airline is a project of Canadian passenger and freight charter carrier Nolinor Aviation, which announced plans to launch the new brand in July, in the middle of the coronavirus crisis.

According to flight tracking website Flightaware.com, flight N5730 left Montreal’s Trudeau International airport at 11:11 local time, arriving in Toronto at 12:08 local time. It then left Toronto at 13:23 local time, and is due to land in Cuba about three hours later. It was unclear if the flight from Montreal to Toronto was also a revenue flight or if the aircraft had been repositioned.

Editor's Note from Bob Sheppard: My curiosity prompted me to find out that OWG means -  Off We Go.

Source: flightglobal.com

The Wong Brothers

While converting the content for this edition into HTML format, I was concerned about the use of the phrase "The Chinese Airforce" in the submission we received from Roger Slauenwhite about the Central Airways Flying School.

We are very careful to avoid any offensive terminology as many phrases in common use in the past are just not acceptable today. Cartoons for the 'Smileys' section are frequently a problem.

I considered omitting the phrase because it did not seem to be critical to the story but I decided to look into it further; it led me to a wonderful story.

Alan Rust used to say "we don't know what we don't know" in reference to the constant learning curve of life. I was surprised that I had never heard of the story of the Wong brothers and their place in Canadian aviation but I am always excited to increase my knowledge.

In June 2015, the Toronto Star published an article by Angus Skene entitled "When the Wong brothers soared over Toronto" about Chinese Canadian aviation pioneer Robert Shun Wong.

Born in Nanaimo, British Columbia in 1917, Robert Wong was unfairly denied Canadian citizenship due to the Chinese Exclusion Act and not allowed to join the RCAF during wartime. However, he rose above the discrimination and more than did his duty (as a civilian) by training many of the pilots who did serve. 

After the war, Robert and his younger brother, Thomas Shun Wong, opened the Central Airways Flying School at the Toronto Island Airport and continued to train pilots for many years.

Treat yourself to an uplifting read by clinking the link below. 

When the Wong brothers soared over Toronto

I contacted Mr. Slauenwhite to ask for his personal experiences with the Wong brothers; he graciously replied with the following:

"I know quite a bit about their flying school. I learned to fly there and went on to be a part time Flying Instructor and Charter Pilot for Bob and Tommy Wong. I worked for Air Canada during the week in Sales and Central Airways on weekends. 

At Central Airways I was known as Roger White because Tommy found my name too difficult to spell, and he was the one who did the pay envelopes. My pay was $1.25 an hour when I flew, and after what seemed to be an eternity, my pay increased to $1.75. If you did not fly on a given day your pay was zero! 

The best flight I had, (which seems like yesterday) was a charter with Bob Wong in our Aztec to Idlewild Airport in New York (IDL) now John F. Kennedy Airport. It was a night flight. The passengers were the comedians, the Smothers Brothers, and two ladies, who had done a ton of shopping in Toronto. 

We lifted off runway 06 at Pearson Airport at the stroke of midnight, gut loaded and I do mean loaded. There were four passengers, two pilots, the baggage holds were full as well as the full tanks. 

We left in such a hurry we had to file our flight plan when we were airborne. I’m sure we were well over upper New York State before it was activated. 

This event all started at 21:30 at the Air Canada Reservation Office on Bloor Street where I was working that night.

We received a call requesting an Air Canada Viscount charter to New York that night from the Smothers Brothers. A simple request but not likely to happen. I called Bob Wong at home and things really started to happen fast especially when we verified their credit card was good for the trip. 

It was a long day for me having worked a full shift at Air Canada and then doing a return trip Toronto to New York at night. 

I did the landing the next morning at Toronto Pearson at 06:30. These were pleasant memories and I would do it all over again if that was possible. 

To answer your query without drifting off too much, I could write a book on my time at Central Airways. 

For me, Bob Wong was a gentleman who really knew airplanes. He was a graduate from an Aeronautical school in the US and a pleasure to work for. His brother Tommy was a different cut, but both were excellent pilots and had the respect of all their staff. 

In my view, the best pilot trained at Central Airways was Peter Gutowski (now deceased) who finished his career as an Air Canada Check Captain on the 747-400. We had several flights together when at Central Airways and he was the very best.

The photo below is of myself from the early 1970’s. I flew this Twin Piper Apache to Pearson Airport (YYZ) from the Island Airport (YTZ) for the photo. 

A good airplane for charter work, but not as fast as the aircraft along the side of it!"

Best of the season to all of you,

Roger Slauenwhite

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

Answer for the mystery airline in Odds and End.

Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. Its head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Source: www.kenya-airways.com