We have welcomed 106 new subscribers so far in 2022.

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

Back issues of The NetLetter are available in both the original newsletter format and downloadable PDF format.

We invite you to visit our website at www.thenetletter.net/netletters to view our archives.

Restoration and posting of archive issues is an ongoing project. We hope to post every issue back to the beginning in 1995.

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: Trans-Canada Air Lines, Canadian Airlines, CP Air, Pacific Western, Maritime Central Airways, Eastern Provincial, Wardair, Nordair, Transair, Air BC, Time Air, Quebecair, Calm Air, NWT Air, Air Alliance, Air Nova, Air Ontario, Air Georgian 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!

The 2022 World Airline Road Race (WARR)

The highlights of this four-day event in Waikiki, Hawaii.

From October 13-16, 2022, are 5K and 10K run/walks for charity. All airline associates, their family and friends are welcome.

Full details and sign up at WorldAirlineRoadrace.com

Below we have this photo, undated, of some Air Canada participants from earlier years.

All Pionairs members are invited to attend the 45th Annual Pionairs Conference and Members meeting on May 4, 2022, at the Hilton Garden Inn, Ottawa Airport.

Also. The Pionairs UK and EC District will be holding their AGM on May 12, 2022 at the Best Western Ship Hotel in Weybridge.

The meeting will start at 11:00 am with tea and coffee being served from 10:30 am.

A buffet lunch will be served after the meeting.

Gerald White – Director

Not a Pionairs member yet? 

Get more information about joining the Air Canada Pionairs at:
pionairs.ca/new-registration-info

Hello!

Some feedback on Roger Cyr's (NetLetter #1432) request a year or so ago on The Velmars and Roger Kovalyk's  recent feedback (NetLetter # 1482)

My name is Bob Taylor and I was the bass player with the Velmars. Roger K and I finally met up after not seeing each other for over 50 years. I have attached a picture of the band from the late 50's to mid 60's. I am the bass player on the left while Roger is lead guitar on the right.

Also attached is a photo of Roger and I meeting in March 2022. I am currently living in Cornwall, Ontario, officially retired but still a busy artist, writer with 37 books on Amazon, and I recently bought an electronic keyboard.

Roger is still playing guitar and has a new band playing for seniors. Sadly the other three members of the original band, Roger's younger brother, Paul, next to me in the photo, Don Bilney (TCA employee and our contact for the Road Show), standing behind Roger, and our singer, Steve Major, have all gone to the great 'Roadshow' in the sky. We added an organist, Dennis Sakamoto, later and rumour has it that he is somewhere out west, in or near Vancouver.

Roger K and I are staying in touch. I expect to visit him in St. Lazare in a few weeks. I'll be taking my new keyboard with me for a jam session. His group, which entertains in seniors' homes is called 'The Rockin' Chairs'. He just turned 81 and I am 80.

Bob

John Rodger shares this memory with us regarding the Air Canada Silver Broom –

Your article in the NetLetter #1482 really brought back memories of the Silver Broom.

When I became President of the Pionairs in 2003, I went to Kelowna for The Pionairs National Curling Bonspiel, where they had the Silver Broom on display. My good friend, the late Bernie Danis, was the District Director in Kelowna and had the broom shipped from Winnipeg to Kelowna.

Below left is a photo of Bernie and myself with the trophy and in the office window behind us you can see the poster of 25 years of Silver Broom.

Bernie made some calls and, after searching, he found the artist lived in Regina. He contacted him and he found several posters in his basement. He sent them all to Bernie and we had a few laminated (below right).

(Editors' Note: The information and photos originally appeared in the 'Feedback' section of NetLetter #1007 - January 2008)

In 2005, we had the Silver Broom in Montreal. First it was at my home in St. Lazare; this photo is with my grandson Noah. 

I did a cleanup of the broom which was covered in silver polish (powder). I happened to work on a lot of trophies at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto and had very good silver polish, so I cleaned it up.

We then had it on display at the Hudson Legion Curling Club for the Pionairs National Bonspiel and later at the Air Canada Base in Dorval.

After a couple of stops on the way back to Winnipeg, Jamie Hay finally got it in the Curling Museum in Winnipeg, photo below.

I gave one of the posters to the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in Ottawa and as far as I know there is still one at the Air Canada Base at Dorval.

Take care,
John

Does anyone know what the initials on the Silver Broom stand for?

Following with this answer, from Ray Field, that appeared NetLetter #1080.

A - Air
C - Canada
S - Silver
B - Broom
P - Pond
H - Hoppers
A - And
I - International
C - Curling Buffs
J - Jet
S - Setters

The letters when, stretched out, are 'Air Canada Silver Broom Pond Hoppers And international Curling Buffs Jet Setters'.

This was the first pin of the "Pond Hoppers" club which meets at the Worlds Curling Championship.

Extracted from the 'QC District Sentinel' magazine dated 2005, here is the history of the Silver Broom -

Air Canada started to sponsor the World Curling Championship in 1968 taking place in Pointe Claire, Quebec.

Canada won with Ron Northcott and the last year of sponsorship was 1985 with Al Hackner of Canada winning.

The poster (above) depicts the 25 years of Silver, which includes the Scotch Cup, and the Air Canada Silver Broom.

The first World Championship took place in Scotland in 1959 with Canada and Scotland playing, won by the famous Richardson brothers out of Saskatchewan. It grew to 10 teams in 1985, represented by the flags on the base of the trophy.

A point of interest for employees and retirees of Air Canada was the fact that two employees actually played for the Silver Broom in Karlstad, Sweden in 1977. They were the runners-up that year: Jim Ursel, Skip and Brian Ross, Lead.

They played out of the St. Laurent Curling Club in Montreal.

Click the icon for more information on the history of the Silver Broom.

Extracted from a Winnipeg Free Press article, March 2009

Air Canada Unveils New Media Centre and Investor Relations Site Making Essential Information Easy to Find.

April 5, 2022 - Air Canada today unveiled a redesigned online 'Media Centre' creating a one-stop shop for journalists, media outlets, content creators and the public looking for the latest news and information from Air Canada.

Air Canada's Media Centre makes essential information instantly available for reporters on deadline and features easy access to multimedia assets such as photos and videos that can be downloaded for use. It also provides exclusive behind-the-scenes content and stories on Air Canada and the people who work at Canada's largest airline.

Source: media.aircanada.com

• 1972
  • April 30 - Rapidair was introduced in Toronto and Montreal to provide business travellers with regular and convenient short-haul flights between the two cities.
• 2002
  • May 13 - Inaugural service Vancouver-Anchorage.
  • June 13 - Non-stop service Toronto - Dublin introduced with B-767 equipment.
  • Non-stop service Toronto - Amsterdam introduced.

Here we have some TCA adverts.

Source Pinterest.ca

Larry Milberry has this information in his blog which he kindly shares with our readers -

On the left, Air Canada DC-9-32 C-FTLR (Fin 717) departing YYZ. Views from the underside often reveal that an airliner is overdue for a good wash. Having served the company from September 1967 to April 1997, "TLR" was sold to Philippine operator CEBU Pacific Air, where it served as RP-C1508 into 2006.

On the right,  CF-TMA (Fin 726) on approach. It also went to CEBU in December 1997 for a short second career as RP-C1535 until withdrawn from service in October 2001. 

Air Canada B-727-200 C-GAAE (Fin #405) joined Air Canada in October 1974. After almost 20 years of good service, it went to FedEx as freighter N254FE "Courtney'.

In 2010 it went into final storage at Victorville airport, California. It was scrapped, then cancelled from the US civil aircraft register in April 2013.

Found in the 'Horizons' magazine.

Issue dated December 2001 / January 2002.

Red coat agents at the ready.

A new program launched during the fall of 2001 in Toronto supports other agents and our customers with service issues, and during irregular operations.

Located at gates and check-in, they help ensure our customers receive top notch service from Air Canada.

Standing, left to right: Carl Osenenko, Anil DeSouza, Alison Edge, Derek Whalen, Phyllis Carrera, Ryan Venturina and Randy Rose.

Sitting, left to right: Nancy McKinnon, Lisa Morris, Christine Chudyk, Customer Service Manager; Diane Falcone and Julia Bernstein.

Here is our third and final image of the history of the Canadi>n fleet.

Source: Air Canada 75th anniversary booklet

Found this advertisement featuring the turboprop Bristol Britannia on Pinterest.ca

From the Air Canada 'Horizons' magazine

Issue dated February 2002 

Volunteer 'Ambassadors' work wonders in Kelowna.

Fifty-one former Air Canada and Canadian Airlines employees, along with a few non-airline volunteers, help travellers on their way in Kelowna.

Kelowna is the retirement capital of British Columbia, and it's no wonder that a lot of retired airline employees have moved there to enjoy the great year-round weather and the relaxed lifestyle.
Consequently, Kelowna International Airport sees a lot of seniors pass through.

A group of retired Air Canada and Canadian Airlines International employees called the 'Ambassadors' spend their time helping seniors and others find their way through the airport process, and help make the airport experience better for everyone.

Abby Sones, President of the Okanagan chapter of CAIRE (Canadian Airlines International Retired Employees) developed the program in 1998. In 2002, the 51 members of the 'Ambassadors' help the Airport Authority, Air Canada and its customers with everything meeting arriving passengers and answering their questions such as...

• Where is the washroom?
• Where is my baggage?
• How do I get downtown?

...to helping departing passengers get in the right lineup at Check-in, and finding the right gate.

The 'Ambassadors' also raise money for charity. For instance, often passengers use the baggage carts, which cost a dollar to rent, without returning them for a 25 cent refund.

They collect the carts, and gather the quarters for the Kelowna food bank. So far, by 2001, they have raised $5,000.

The Boeing 747 afterlife!

Another Queen of the Skies converted into a tourism site is Dive Bahrain's sunken B- 747 to attract diving enthusiasts.

The jet, which spent most of its life with Malaysia Airlines, was submerged off Bahrain's coast in 2019 by Falcon Aircraft Recycling.

The plane is part of Dive Bahrain's "underwater theme park" that will house the jet, boats, and several other structures when it is complete.

See divebahrain.com

Chinese air taxi.

The two-seat EH216-S is powered by eight electric motors driving vertical rotors. It is designed for the tourism and autonomous air taxi market.

In January, EHang announced that AirX, a Japan-based air mobility digital platform company, placed a pre-order for 50 EH216-S aircraft, terms not disclosed.

EHang said at the time, “The pre-order of the EH216 AAVs are planned to facilitate various Urban Air Mobility (UAM) projects in Japan and may provide ‘air taxi’ services for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Kansai, Japan.” 

Source: AVWeb.com

Vacant Atlantic City airport could become car lovers' dream.

The airplane made Atlantic City's Bader Field famous, but it could be the automobile that resurrects it.

Bader Field, which closed in September 2006 after 96 years of aviation use, gave the world the term “airport” when a local reporter used the word in a 1919 article.

In 1910, it was the scene of the first attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air, 17 years before Charles Lindbergh would succeed.

Walter Wellman lifted off in the dirigible 'America' only to ditch it off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, when a storm hit shortly afterward.

Additional info:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bader_Field 

apnews.com/article/technology-business-atlantic-city

Found in the 'Horizons' magazine issued April 2002.

Military Alphabet - ICAO code

The next time you are using the Speech Recognition site for travel, or simply spelling a name over the phone, there is an internationally recognized code name for each letter of the alphabet.

Many airline employees know this code by heart, but others may not. It is officially called the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) code. The code is also known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, or Military Alphabet because it was first used by the U.S. military.

The ICAO code has also been adopted by police, fire, and ambulance departments around the world. So if your name is Charlie, Juliet, Mike, Oscar, Romeo, or Victor, you hold a special place in the airline world!

A - Alpha, B - Bravo, C - Charlie, D - Delta, E - Echo, F - Foxtrot, G - Golf, H - Hotel, I - India, J - Juliet, K - Kilo, L - Lima, M - Mike, N - November, O - Oscar, P - Papa, Q - Quebec, R - Romeo, S - Sierra, T - Tango, U - Uniform, V - Victor, W - Whiskey, X - X-ray, Y - Yankee, Z - Zulu.

Vickers Vanguard 1961 - 1972

Following the introduction of the DC-8 in April 1960, Trans-Canada Air Lines became the first and only airline in North America to use the Vickers Vanguard (see poster in TCA Gallery section in this issue) on February 1, 1961.

The 96-passenger turbine propeller aircraft took to the air on TCA's middle-range routes. 

TCA sought a fast, efficient medium-range aircraft incorporating the latest developments and refinements for passenger convenience, comfort and enjoyment of flying.

The Vanguard was a roomy aircraft, wide in the beam and long. Although it is designed to carry up to 130 passengers, the TCA configuration provided for 46 First Class and 50 Tourist Class seats in four cabins, allowing for ample space and maximum comfort for every passenger. The seating configuration was later changed to 18 First Class and 90 Tourist Class.

The Vanguard has a relatively short lifespan within the TCA / AC fleet, 1961 to 1972.  A total of 23 aircraft were delivered between December 1960 and April 1964. 

Registrations and fin numbers were all alphabetically and numerically sequential beginning with CF-TKA (Fin #901) to CF-TKW (Fin #923). According to Planespotters.net and our 'Featured Video' (below), Fin #904 was the first to be put into service. 

Editor's note by Ken Pickford: 

Compared to the very successful Viscount, with almost 450 built for many airlines worldwide (include 51 for TCA), the Vanguard was a commercial failure with only 43 delivered to just two original customers - 23 to TCA and 20 to British European Airways, plus one prototype.

By the time the Vanguard finally went into service in 1961, a couple of years later than originally planned, there was little interest in a large 4-engine propeller airliner with medium range jets like the Boeing 727 only a couple of years from going into service.

Our video first appeared in the 'Alan's Space' section of NetLetter #1319. It is posted on the British Pathé YouTube channel, shows the delivery of TCA's first Vickers Vanguard at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England circa late 1960.

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

Under the banner 'Welcome to Heathrow Airport' there is this information -

Terminal Drop-Off Charge.

• There is a £5 charge for vehicles entering the drop-off areas.
• You can pay in advance, on the day you drop-off, or by midnight the next day.
• You cannot pay at an airport ticket machine or in the terminal drop-off zones.
• As of January 1, 2022, Heathrow Airport increased the passenger charge to £30.19.
• The United Kingdom is the most expensive country in the world to fly out of, thanks to the Air Passenger Duty that’s levied on flights. That doesn’t even account for individual airport taxes and passenger charges, which can also be steep.

How much is the UK Air Passenger Duty?

The UK Air Passenger Duty amount is broken down based on the distance you’re flying, and the class of service you’re flying in:

• For flights of up to 2,000 miles (short haul), the APD is £13 (~$18) in economy, and £26 (~$36) in a premium cabin.
• For flights of over 2,000 miles (long haul), the APD is £82 (~$113) in economy, and £180 (~$247) in a premium cabin.

As of April 1, 2022, the APD for long haul flights will be increasing again:

• The long haul economy APD will increase by £2, from £82 to £84.
• The long haul premium cabin APD will increase by £5, from £180 to £185

Source:
www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/terminal-drop-off-charge

Continuation of the Air Canada nee Trans-Canada Air Lines History started in NetLetter #1483.

Source: Air Canada 75 years of innovation

1947 -

The Montreal Trade Board invited 250 guests to a fancy feast to promote the exotic selection of foods that can be shipped by air.

The meal included seafood from New Orleans, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Vancouver; limes from Trinidad; potatoes from PEI; bananas from Jamaica; and oranges from Florida.

Inaugurating service to Chicago, the North Star is christened on July 1, 1947. The aircraft's increased power and passenger comfort opened the gates for Canada - U.S. routes to Cleveland, Seattle, Boston and Duluth, Minnesota,

Editors' Note: to be continued in the next NetLetter

7-night Alaska.

Vancouver, British Columbia to Whittier (Anchorage), Alaska - Majestic Princess

Earliest sailing: May 7, 2022

Ports of call: Vancouver, BC • Ketchikan, AK • Juneau, AK • Skagway, AK • Cruise Glacier Bay • Cruise College Fjord • Whittier (Anchorage), AK.

Also departures from Seattle, San Francisco and Anchorage.

Many deals and cruises throughout the world.

Please note that each supplier has their own set of eligibility requirements with which we must abide.

Please refer to product listings on web for specific requirements or contact your PERX Vacation Consultant. All resort rates listed are per person, per night based on double occupancy ($USD).

All cruise rates listed are per person ($USD). For cruises, government taxes & fees are additional.

All rates listed are for new bookings only.
Proof of employment and/or relationship to employee is required.

PERX.com brought to you by Interline Vacations
12708 Riata Vista Circle, Suite A-125, Austin, TX 78727
Tel: 512-691-4500 1-888-737-9266 

Our cartoon by Don McGibbon appeared in the 'Horizons' magazine issued May 1990.