We have added 333 new subscribers in 2020 and 9 new subscribers so far in 2021.

We wish to thank everyone for your support of our efforts.

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.

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

Thanks!

From Carole Davies -

Wow! Many thanks for the vivid explanation of Captain Foster’s encounter with his Viscount and to the keen and attentive perception of Mary. I started my career on the Viscounts and so this was a most interesting recount.

I enjoy your NetLetter very much, many thanks, stay safe in this troubling virus time.

From Kerry Collins -

Hi Team,

Is it possible in Norm Foster's story about Mary on the Viscount that her last name began with the letter D? Happy to protect her name.

Editors' Note: Mary's last name is not known to The NetLetter.

From Doug Seagrim regarding the Wong Brothers story -

Most enjoyed the article by Roger Slauenwhite in the last NetLetter. I was a student there in 1964/65 and following my qualification as a commercial pilot worked for Bob and Tommy as an instructor, aerial photographer and charter pilot.

I often did the night flying instruction and when there were no students, Tony Wong (nephew of Bob & Tommy) and I would do some circuits in a Cessna 140 and try to outdo each other by landing the airplane without using the control wheel.

We did this by using trim only and got pretty good at it. I flew all the airplanes they had including the Fleet 80 Canuck and ended up as their chief charter pilot flying the Beech Baron on charters all over the northern USA as well as most of the Canadian airports between Windsor and Montreal.

As well, because I had a float rating I did several trips with fishing parties to private camps on northern lakes including one to Michipicoten Island in Lake Superior.

Roger may not remember me but I did meet him once when he was well known in sales for Air Canada where I ended up as a pilot for over 38 years. I did know and respect Pete Gutowski as I finished my career on the B747-400 as well.

In NetLetter #1430 issued under "Submitted Photos" we had an article by Gerald Archambeau with a mention of his book "A Struggle to Walk with Dignity" which is available from Amazon at $19.95 or the Kindle edition at $7.19.

We recently received this information from Gerald -

It has been a long while since I made contact with your NetLetter. I have information that I feel will be of some interest to your readers.

My most recent and last book , as I enter my 88th year of life in our country Canada, is titled “A Story not Forgotten - Hidden Mixed Family Lives", published by Austin Macauley Publishers in the UK. They wanted to know what my life was like in British Jamaica where I was born.

The facts in this book are mainly about my Jamaican born grandfather Herbert T. Thomas, and his contribution to Jamaica. Sadly his life’s history, was erased after Jamaica got its independence in the 1960’s. The book is available at amazon.ca at $10.12 in paperback.

Sincerely, Gerald.

Peter Moodie sent us in this additional info and photo relating to 'Subscriber Feedback' in NetLetter #1453 -

My good neighbour forwarded your last copy to me and I would like to respond to Roger Slauenwhite. I am very fortunate to be the present caretaker of CF-EOH, one of the Fleet 80 Canucks from Central Airways.

We bought EOH in 1986 from the Edmonton Flying Club. Over the years I have met about 35 people in person or through correspondence who learned to fly in EOH or instructed in her. One of the earliest was Russ Brown who retired from CPAir off the 747. He had soloed EOH in 1952 and sent me a copy of his log book pages. Many of the pilots I flew with had time in EOH and of course there were a few stories.

EOH was the first Canuck converted to the O-200 engine. Transport Canada required a test program as it was considered a large increase from 85 to 100 Hp. On the thirteenth test flight an instructor demonstrated a short field and obstacle clearance take-off to his passenger, another instructor. A now retired Air Canada pilot witnessed the result. At somewhere between about thirty and a hundred feet the too steep climb angle slowed the plane until the wing stalled. He managed to keep the wings level to impact and the written off airframe was rebuilt over the slower winter period by the Flying Club maintenance department.

EOH now has about 22,500 hours on her, more than any other Canuck I know of and is in semi-retirement at a grass airfield near Winnipeg. In winter we operate on skis and visit various lakes and fields in southern Manitoba.

Happy landings,
Peter

Roger Slauenwhite sent in the two photos below relating to the arrival of the first TCA Viscount and, years later, an ad for sale.

"See for sale ad in Canadian Aviation Magazine dated September 1976. Price looks pretty good for a 48 seat aircraft with 5000 hours remaining to next overhaul. Wonder what price Air Canada sold them for"

Roger

Editor's Note from Ken Pickford:

I believe almost none of the Viscounts mentioned in that 1976 ad were sold and they remained parked at YWG and were later scrapped. The same applied for many Viscounts that were retired earlier. If you look at fleet lists, of all 51 Viscounts operated by TCA/AC, not very many found buyers that returned them to service. Some went to museums etc. Half a dozen or so went to an operator in then-Zaire fairly briefly.

You will probably have better info but I recall photos of many Viscounts parked derelict at YWG long after being withdrawn from service.

Additional info from Bob Sheppard:

When I worked in Winnipeg, from 1980-1987, I remember seeing Viscounts parked at the south end of the airport. Also there was one parked on Inkster Blvd. that I passed on my route to work.

It was purchased for what I think was a private recreational area with the engines removed. The area had previously closed down so I never had a close look at it. 

From Terry Baker:

Found in Horizons #411 from May 1974. 

Era ends with Viscount sale

Signatories to the Viscount sale were, from the left: Robert Pierson, United Aviation Services; Russel Scrim, Executive VP, Beaver Enterprises and President Ralph Vaughn.

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

The total package being sold to United Aviation Services Ltd., and Beaver Enterprises Ltd., also includes 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 mainstay of the fleet in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

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

And from Wayne Albertson:

Registration CF-TGI was featured in a National Film Board documentary entitled 'Routine Flight' that was the subject of my article from NetLetter #1361.

CF-THS is preserved at Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada and its restoration was the subject of my article for NetLetter #1380.

CF-THG is preserved at the British Columbia Aviation Museum and is featured in this YouTube video. 

Air Canada signs up for converted freighters as it targets air cargo.

Air Canada will sell two passenger Boeing 767s to be converted into freighters before leasing them back as it targets growth in air cargo.

The Montreal-headquartered company will sell two of its B767-300ER aircraft to ATSG-owned lessor Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM).

The first aircraft will be inducted for conversion in March 2021. Both are expected to be redelivered to Air Canada by the end of 2021.

Read the full article at www.aircargonews.net

1996 -

• August 1 - Inaugural code sharing service between Vancouver and Osaka with A340 equipment.
• August 5 - Inaugural service between Toronto and Kansas City.
• September 1 - Code sharing service with Lufthansa between Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Athens.
• September 8 - Air Ontario began service between Toronto - Harrisburg (MDT) and Allentown (ABE) with Dash 8-100.

AC joins in the 50th anniversary celebration at Heathrow (LHR).

by Jane Whigham, Public Relations — London, England.

Air Canada was one of seven major international airlines participating in a spectacular fly-past at London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) on June 2, 1996 to celebrate the airport's 50th anniversary.

The fly-past of 34 aircraft was the largest selection of civil aircraft ever assembled and the first ever fly-past at the world’s busiest airport which was closed for 17 minutes.

A Lancaster bomber led the fly-past. It represented the Lancastrian which was the first civil aircraft to take off from Heathrow. The Lancastrian was also the first long-haul aircraft flown by Air Canada (CGTAS) across the Atlantic to Prestwick in 1943 and to Heathrow three years later.

Captains André Rodrigue and Al MacLeod were at the controls of an Air Canada B-767-300 during the fly-past. A great job was done by the operations and cleaning teams at Heathrow who managed to turn the aircraft in less than 30 minutes.

The aircraft flew at 500 feet past a group of 500 VIP's. The event was watched by thousands of enthusiasts in and around the Heathrow (LHR) area, as well as 150 million worldwide viewers on live BBC Television. On September 18, 1996, Air Canada celebrated its own 50th anniversary at Heathrow (LHR).

In our photo, below, we have Derek Buckell, Customer Service Manager, London (left) pictured at the 50th anniversary fly-past with Josephine and Ian Verner. Dereck coordinated arrangements for the participation of the B-767 in the fly-past and Josephine was Air Canada's (or TCA's) first employee at Heathrow Airport.

Terry Fox Run.

Air Canada Hong Kong participated in the Terry Fox Run on November 7, 2015.

Joe Ng, General Manager - Hong Kong and offline Asia, formed an Air Canada team of 30 participants, including travel agency partners and Star Alliance member airline managers, who ran different distances of 3 km, 5 km and 10 km.

"All completed the run, including myself," says Joe. "It's a great event for volunteering for a great cause and networking with industry partners. Also at the event were many of our corporate clients like the CEO of Manulife, the Consul General of Canada in Hong Kong and the Canadian Chamber of commerce team. It was a fun day for everyone and the event raised one million Hong Kong dollars in total."

The Daily Run.

The AC Running Club meets every day at 11:50 a.m. at Montreal headquarters. The original 10-member group has expanded to over 50 and all are active members of the ACRA gym. The daily runs vary from 5 km to 10 km.

Air Canada JETZ.

When it comes to blockbuster free-agent acquisitions, in 2015, Air Canada made headlines for its most recent multiple six-year contracts —

Air Canada JETZ is the official carrier of all seven Canadian hockey teams, as well as Canada's only baseball team. It's fair to say that now Air Canada Jetz will be carrying the nation's hopes and dreams for a Stanley Cup or a World Series trophy. JETZ is a charter service that is a special operation unto itself. The fleet is comprised of three Airbus A319 aircraft.

Here we have the crew:

Left to right: Service Director Tania Simpson, Lead Station Attendant Ante (Tony) Kovic, Flight Attendant Kenza Sheehy, Licensed Aircraft Technician William Langstaff and Flight Attendant Ariane Deschenes-Foucher.

Tampa staff.

Fifteen year celebration for Michel Vaillancourt at Tampa Airport seen here:

Left to right: Customer Sales Agents (CSA) Brian Biggs, Zalra Wheatley, Diego Rivero and Simone Charles; Lead Customer Service Agents Kristen Anzalone and Joseph Salazar; Manager, Customer Service, Florida; Michel Vaillancourt, (CSA); Gilbert Hernandez, Aircraft Services Coordinator; Dawn Kremer; Lead Customer Service Agent; Roberta Freeman, (CSA) and Doug Devaux, Airport Services Coordinator.

A passenger service agent waits for passengers to disembark from British Airways Concorde at the Vancouver Ops Centre in order to escort them to Customs and Immigration.

The red carpet is for British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Nordair acquired

CPAL became a major aviation participant in Quebec on July 31, 1986 when the provincial government sold Quebecair's 35 per cent interest in Nordair to CPAL, which already held 65 per cent, and then sold Quebecair itself to CPAL commuter carrier Nordair Metro.

The transactions paved the way for CPAL and Nordair to merge, thus making CPAL a powerful force in domestic aviation. Full details were distributed to employees on August 1, 1986 in a News Alert bulletin.

Below is a photo taken at YVR on October 31, 1985 of an unusual hybrid livery of a B737-200 that CP Air operated on a short term lease from Britannia Airways in 1985 under registration C-GXCP.

In 1987, Canadian Airlines leased the same aircraft under registration C-GCAU.  It was registered as G-BJCV while flying for Britannia Airways.

Photo courtesy of Mike Head at JetPhotos.com. 

Here is the same aircraft while flying for Ryanair painted to advertise Hertz Rent-a- Car in 1994.

A full list of of this aircraft's career can be found at PlaneSpotters.net. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Fielding at Wiki Commons.

Retired pilot nominated for heritage award.

James McInnis spent more than 34,000 hours in the air during his career in aviation.

If you went to Disneyland in the 1980s, he may have flown you there as a pilot on the Vancouver-to-Los Angeles route for more than a decade. But the highlight of his 50-year career was flying the Queen across B.C. during her 1971 royal tour.

McInnis, 86, has been nominated for a City of Richmond heritage award by his friend, Helen Healey, a former flight attendant. The annual awards recognize the accomplishments of individuals and organizations for conservation as well as education and awareness about the city’s diverse heritage.

“He was a sharp pilot,” Healey said recently. “You had to be sharp on the B.C. district, with the rain and snow and ice.”

McInnis was born and raised in Vancouver. In 1951, at age 17, he became the youngest person to hold a private pilot’s licence in Canada. He joined the air force and flew fighter planes out of Vancouver after training in Manitoba. He also worked as a flight instructor.

In 1962, he began his career as a commercial pilot with CP Air in a propeller plane “just as jets were coming in,” he said. McInnis flew local flights, then moved on to North American routes, flying a Boeing 737 for 22 years as CP Air became Canadian Airlines. His work took him to many airports in Canada and the United States, most often Montreal and L.A. “I took my kids to Disneyland six times,” he said.

He later flew international routes, mostly to Europe, before ending his aviation career flying to Hong Kong, Bangkok and Tokyo.

Trips to Asia often lasted four days, he said, as he flew first to Hong Kong, spending a night there before flying to Bangkok, then back to Hong Kong, and finally returning to Vancouver.

“It was tiring,” he said. “I always did a lot of walking when I got to the ground. That really helped me.” 

McInnis recalled the 1971 royal visit when he was tasked with flying the Queen, Prince Philip and Princess Anne to several cities over two weeks. Prince Philip spent time in the cockpit, and at the end of the tour, the pilot shook hands with the Queen. “It was a great thrill,” he said.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he has missed spending time with his “airline cronies,” who would often have lunch at YVR on Sundays. He will also miss the Air Canada Pionairs Christmas party.

When he retired in 1994, he fulfilled a lifelong dream to fly a helicopter. He sold his private plane and took a few trips to Hawaii and Florida with his wife. But he thinks about flying often. “I miss it every day,” he said.

Source: The Vancouver Sun

Our 'Featured Video' incorporates a silent film clip taken at Malton in the early spring of 1939. A new Lockheed Electra 14H-2 landing at Malton Field near Toronto on a familiarization flight from Montréal prior to the start of TCA trans-continental service on 1 April 1939.

 Click Here or the the TCA crest to view the video on YouTube.

Editors' Note: Watch for former NetLetter editor, Alan Rust, listed in the ending credits.

Below are a couple of still photos extracted from the video.

Editor's note from Ken Pickford: 

CF-AZY, on the left in the photo, is a Lockheed 10A, one of two delivered to Winnipeg-based Canadian Airways in 1936 and later acquired by TCA, possibly at the time of TCA's founding in 1937. Canadian Airways was one of the ten smaller airlines acquired and merged to create Canadian Pacific Air Lines in 1942. 

Ontario to get second restored Lancaster.

A Lancaster Bomber that spent 50 years in static display in Edmundston, New Brunswick is now at the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario where crews are working to restore it.

Plans call for the aircraft to be available for display on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 2024; but the pandemic cost the project five months. Still, volunteers are confident they can make the anniversary deadline and they are working feverishly, albeit under COVID distancing conditions.

Source: The Bay Observer

Avro Lancaster KB 882 was built in November 1944 by Victory Aircraft Ltd in Malton, Ontario, one of 430 Mk. 10 Lancasters built under license in Canada.

Ferried to England in March 1945, it was taken on strength by 428 “Ghost” Squadron, 6 Bomber Group and based at Middleton St. George, Yorkshire. Wearing the Squadron code NA-R, it flew 11 combat missions prior to the end of hostilities in Europe. KB 882 returned to Canada in June 1945 as it was destined to become part of “Tiger Force”, Canada’s contribution to the air war in the Pacific.

The war ended prior to deployment and KB 882 was placed in storage at Fort Macleod, Alberta.

Source: airforcemuseum.ca

Ciudad Real Central Airport, Ciudad Real, Spain, cost: $1.4 billion (gbp1.1bln)

Located far from Spain's tourist destinations, this is one airport that should never have seen the light of day.

Investors were sucked in by wildly overoptimistic passenger forecasts. The airport can handle up to 10 million travellers a year but only several thousand passed through during its first year of operation.

Airlines ended up pulling out, the owner went bankrupt, and the airport ceased operations in 2012.

In July 2015, it was reported that the billion-dollar airport had been sold to a group of British and Asian investors for just €10,000 ($11.2k/gbp9k). Yet the airport remains abandoned and derelict, with little known about any further development of the site.

Source: MSN.COM - Bloated Projects article

 Fin #264 - C-FZUH - Retirement

I first wrote about my appreciation for the classic livery applied to Fin #264 back in NetLetter #1341 in April 2016. I have always thought that it is the coolest paint job that I have ever seen on an aircraft.

I was very surprised when I noticed that Montreal based videographer Mark Brandon had posted a YouTube video as a tribute to the aircraft. It does seem that this is an early retirement after its 23 year career. If it does return to service someday, I hope that it is not repainted. However, it may be a very good candidate to be leased to another airline.

Fin # 264, registration C-FZUH, was delivered in August 1997 painted in TCA livery to commemorate the company's 60th anniversary. A plaque with an image of the aircraft (see issue header) was sent to all employees as a keepsake. Fin # 264 spent its entire 23 year career in the Air Canada fleet sporting this beautiful livery.

 Click the image below to view the video.

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

Pacific Coastal Airlines, a British Columbia based regional airline, launched its new Penticton - Vancouver non-stop service on Monday January 11, 2021, after Air Canada abandoned the small South Okanagan airport.

Pacific Coastal Airlines, which says it's the sixth-largest airline operating at YVR, now offers flights from Vancouver International Airport South Terminal (YVR) to Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) four days a week.

Source: www.msn.com