We have welcomed 159 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!

Dreams Take Flight hopes to resume the good work of bringing happiness to children soon. 

Unfortunately due to COVID-19 "Dreams Take Flight" will not be having any flights in 2022. However we are looking forward to resuming 'Making Magical Memories for Special Kids' a reality in 2023.

Planning and fundraising is under way for the 2023 flights. Please check with your local 'DTF' affiliate for more information and how to get involved!

From the Winnipeg team:

Please join us for our fundraising event – Come Fly With Us – Thursday, October 20, 2022 at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.

French Way Café will be providing hors d'oeuvres and bubbly, which will be presented by Air Canada Flight Attendants.

The night will be hosted by John Sauder and he will be accompanied by a Jazz duo providing music throughout the evening. An in-depth tour of the magnificent new museum will be provided to all in attendance.

Editors' Note: Please see 'Remember When' below for a personal recollection of volunteering for 'Dreams Take Flight'.

Airline Sports and Cultural Association.

Planned Events

• Annual Golf Tournament
  • Start Date: September 5, 2022
  • Place: Helsinki, Finland
  • Hosted by: Finnair
  • Details: data.asca.cc
• Alpine Skiing
  • Start Date: January 15, 2023
  • Place: Madonna di Campiglio, Italy
  • Hosted by: Air Dolomiti
  • Details:data.asca.cc

Retired Captain Rob Giguere advises the following:

With regard to the 1987 picture of CF-TCC in NetLetter #1488 submitted by Marg Bonham, the pilots in the photo are Captain John Racey (Vancouver Base) and Captain Joe Prime (Winnipeg Base).

They are 2 of the 4 Air Canada captains that flew TCC on its 50th Anniversary tour.

Neil Burton sends us this information and thought it might be of interest to our readers.-

A newspaper report excerpt from Kamloops Daily Sentinel, April 17, 1962 (page 2), with some background to the operation of PWA between Stewart and the Granduc airstrip using the Super - 46 (Curtiss C-46) aircraft, relating to the video which appeared in NetLetter #1476 under 'Featured Video(s)' an article by Ken Pickford.

Planes Carry Heavy Gear To Mountain

VANCOUVER (CP) — Pacific Western Airlines has completed a 2,700 ton freight haul from Stewart to the top of Granduc Glacier in northern British Columbia.

General Manager, R. H. Laidman, told the company's annual meeting Monday that two aircraft carried out the project for a mining company.

The mining company cleared a 5,600 foot airstrip at Stewart on the coast at the southern tip of the Alaskan panhandle.

On the glacier, 55 miles from Stewart and 3000 feet above sea level, a 4,500 foot landing strip was built by compacting the snow as it fell to a thickness of about 12 feet. The area gets 60 feet annually.

In a two-month period that began in February, PWA used two twin-engine wheeled 'Super - 46' aircraft on 290 trips to carry the freight, which included everything required to support the mining operation.

Prefabricated steel tanks, of 17,000 gallon capacity, were flown in and, after erection, 250,000 gallons of fuel oil was flown up in a 1,500 gallon rubber bladder inserted in one of the aircraft.

Cheers, Neil Burton

Editor’s Note: Neil is also a frequent contributor to PWA Reunion website  @ www.pwareunion.com

From the 'New Horizons' magazine - Issue dated October 2003.

This is a personal story about volunteering for the 'Dreams Take Flight' by Catherine O'Neill.

After a restless night worrying that I'd not hear my alarm go off, in the wee hours of October 1, 2003 I started my day a bit earlier than usual.

At 3:45 a.m., I crawled out of bed, stepped gingerly over my bewildered dogs, and proceeded to get dressed. Why was I up before the birds? I had volunteered to help out at the Montreal chapter's 'Dreams Take Flight' set to depart that morning.

When I arrived at Dorval base at 4:30, the place was already a hive of activity. Volunteers, feeling the first nip of fall's arrival, guided arriving cars to their parking spaces and showed sleepy-eyed families the way to the hangar. However, once they stepped inside, all thoughts of sleep vanished. 

Meet the newest, and youngest, commercial pilot at True North Airways in Ontario.

Isabel Fredette was barely a teenager when she decided she wanted to become a pilot. Just two years later, Fredette earned a private pilot's license.

Now 18, she's working for True North Airways, a private charter airline based on Whitewater Lake in Azilda.

Fredette is a new high school graduate who plans to get into biology studies at Laurentian University in Sudbury this fall. But this summer, she'll focus on her work at True North Airlines.

Source: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury

It’s possible you’ve never heard of the legendary pilot, Ann Dearing Holtgren Pellegreno; but you should have.

Ann learned to fly in 1960. Since then, she’s flown all around the world - literally. In 1967 Ann, with a crew of three, successfully completed Amelia Earhart’s incomplete 1937 circumnavigation of the planet.

Ann was the first to fly a 1937 twin-engine Lockheed 10 Electra on the Earhart Trail. She dropped a wreath on Howland Island, exactly 30 years after Earhart reportedly vanished there; interesting to note that Ms. Pellegreno was born in 1937. 

Ann landed back in Oakland, California where her trip began, and her newfound fame had just begun. Her book, World Flight, The Earhart Trail, should be mandatory reading for any pilot who ventures out of sight of land. 

Source: AVWeb.com 

More info @ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Pellegreno

Air Canada has acquired two newly-built B-767-300F freighters

Research by Ken Pickford

Although not officially announced as yet by Air Canada, both of the new B-767-300F freighters, announced at the AC annual meeting in late March, were delivered June 23 and June 30.

First one, C-GXHI (pictured below), flew as AC2354 June 23 from the Boeing assembly plant at Paine Field (PAE) to Kansas City (MCI) where AC often sends new aircraft for pre-service modifications.

The second new freighter, C-GXHM, was delivered June 30. It also flew as AC2354 but to VQQ, a general aviation airport (Cecil Airport) in Jacksonville, Florida. Possibly going there for painting in the new livery as an aircraft painting facility is there.

Both aircraft are among 5 already built for a Chinese cargo carrier (Central China Longhao Airlines), based Guangzhou, but which can't be delivered, reportedly because China hasn't certified the factory-built B-767 freighter yet as it's never been operated by a Chinese carrier. 

Air Canada B-767 C-GXHI at KPAE Paine Field June 16, 2022 

Air New Zealand will be offering its version of hot racking for economy passengers on its ultra-long-haul routes by renting bunks to allow them to unfold. If the authorities approve, one of the airline’s Boeing 787-9's will have six 'Skynest' bunks that those sharing their seat rows with eight others will be able to stretch out in for a fee.

The airline hasn’t released how it plans to distribute access to the pods, which are 80 inches long and stacked three deep on one side of the plane but Runway Girl Network is suggesting a four-hour rental would be reasonable for the butt-numbing 18-hour nonstops from Auckland to JFK.

The plane will actually have seven different survival options for the trans-Pacific and transcontinental marathon.

For the well-heeled, eight “luxe” business class seats with doors and the option for two-person dining will be joined by 42 business premiere seats that don’t have the doors. They will be followed by 52 premium economy and finally 125 economy seats. The starting price for the Auckland-New York service will be about $2250 return.

Source: AVWeb.com

Lufthansa is bringing back the A380 superjumbo.

The A380 superjumbo is beloved among aviation fans, thanks to its spacious interior, mighty size and quiet inflight experience, but its days have been numbered since Airbus announced in 2019 it was ceasing production of the airliner.

Costly to run, the world's largest passenger aircraft's demise was apparently accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic travel slump, but now German airline Lufthansa -- which had been selling off its grounded A380s and was understood to be retiring the aircraft from its fleet -- has announced plans to redeploy the huge plane from summer 2023.

In a statement released on Monday, Lufthansa said the aircraft was returning "in response to the steep rise in customer demand and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft," noting the A380 remains popular with its crew, as well as passengers.

Source: CNN Travel

Scandinavian airline SAS has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States to help cut debt, piling pressure on striking pilots it blames for deepening its financial woes and sending its shares down 10%.

Wage talks between SAS and its pilots collapsed on Monday, July 4, triggering a strike that adds to travel chaos across Europe as the peak summer travel season shifts into full gear.

Source: Reuters.com

2003 - October 18 - Non-stop service between Toronto and Delhi, India launched with A340 equipment.

 
Found in 'Horizons' magazine

Issue dated January 1985

Joint effort gets relief flying

Christmas gifts, some 450,000 pounds of them, took to the skies over Christmas, 1984, headed for famine-ravaged Ethiopia.

Five DC-8-73F aircraft were provided at cost to the Canadian Emergency Coordinator, African Relief. They left Mirabel and Halifax airports fully loaded, each with some 90,000 pounds of blankets, food and medical supplies. 

Cargo flight A092, loaded and ready to set out for Addis Ababa 

Extracted from the 'Above and Beyond' magazine

Issue dated August 1990

We went looking for your smiles and you certainly sent us some terrific ones!

Here is the prize-winning photo of Winnipeg-based mechanic Bob Miller, taken by lead mechanic Bob Rolfe.

Jack and Bryan made up for lost time.

The delayed arrival of a flight can have a far-reaching and very negative effect on our operation and when it involves a courier network freighter, a lot can be at stake.

Back on May 1, 1990, freighter flight 560 was forecast to arrive in Halifax more than five hours late, just as staff would be building up and staging cargo for a wide body flight to Toronto and Edmonton.

After answering early morning calls from the duty supervisor, Cargo Station Attendants Jack and Bryan Flinn made it to the airport moments before the freighter flight arrived and immediately set to work unloading the five upper deck pallets and the loose cargo contained in the DC-8's lower hold.

Jack and Bryan single-handedly emptied the entire freighter (carrying 15,692 lbs. of cargo) in less than one hour, enabling customers to retrieve their shipments (including mail) without a further delay. 

Employees develop ideas for improvement.

At one of the customer care workshops held during 1990 in Tampa are, standing left to right: Sharon Tillman, Cathy Salvage and Charlotte Clayton of Tampa; Fairie Kraft of Nassau;
Doris De La Rosa, Sandra Garcia, Ken Jefferson, Kaye Love and Lise Johnson of Tampa; Wilshire Bethel of Nassau and Pennie Jefferson, Agathe Pacquette and Helen Pizzutto of Tampa.

Kneeling in front are Mel Long and Gloria Sterling of Tampa.

Customer Relations team at Place Air Canada.

Members of the Customer Relations team at Place Air Canada include, standing left to right: Muriel Duncan, Micheline Brunette, Margarida Aguiar-Eid, James Coote, Patricia Campbell, Marie Karaïvan, Paul Lavigne, Adelle Russell and Patrick Lappas.

Seated in front is Réjeanne Malfara and behind her, Huguette Parent. Missing from the photo is Evelyn Corcoran.

Doing it in style.

When it comes to promoting Air Canada, the Swiss do it in grand style.

During 1990, at a Twenties-style launch of our 'Flexmeal' product, Zurich Sales Coordinator Rita Bulic and Manager Rolf Weinmann came decked out for the occasion. 

Found in 'Horizons' magazine

Issue dated June 2003

By Rick Sloboda, Employee Communications Specialist, Air Canada, Technical Services.

Vancouver crews generated more than 3.4 million USD in revenue with the recent lease-return of a B-767-300.

Just a few months earlier, a similar lease-return of a B-747 cost Air Canada major dollars because Technical Services couldn't meet return conditions on time.

In this case, Technical Services had to meet 100 pages of legal and technical requirements to satisfy its contract with the aircraft's lessor, General Electric, so it could re-lease the aircraft to another airline — in this case, Air Madagascar.

The three-year contract allowed Air Canada to be reimbursed in the event Technical Services returned the aircraft in better condition than it was received. Several Air Canada aircraft lease contracts contain the same clause.

"Air Madagascar was extremely impressed with the quality of our maintenance and ultimately the aircraft," said Kevin Pereira, the liaison between the various departments and the new lessee, and one of the main players who invested extended days into the project.  "Mostly what they said during the inspections as 'ooh', 'ah', 'very nice' and 'very clean'."

In this photo are some of the key players in the successful lease-return.

From the left, Ian Simpson, Manager, Aircraft Programs; Darlene Swanson, Maintenance Airworthiness Requirement Controller; James Clark, Aircraft Maintenance Planner and Kevin Pereira, Technician, Heavy Maintenance.

We first mentioned the induction of former Canadian Airlines CEO, Rhys Eyton to Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in NetLetter #1473

Thanks to Pionairs member Maureen Worrall for this photo of Peter Wallis and Lynn Eyton and the notice below from Mr. Eyton's induction. 

For his outstanding contribution to Canada's aviation industry, Rhys Eyton was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame at the 47th Induction Ceremony on June 23, 2022 at the Marriott Calgary Airport Hotel. Mr. Eyton was joined by five other inductees, who were also honoured at the Ceremony for their advancement of aviation in Canada.

In his letter nominating Rhys Eyton as a member, Calin Rovinescu, former CEO of Air Canada, noted that "becoming a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame is one of the most significant tributes that can be bestowed on an individual in Canada's aviation community".

Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame captured Rhys Eyton's 29-year career in the following transcript from a short video presented at the ceremony as follows:

"A leader in Canada's commercial aviation sector, Rhys Eyton joined the Finance Department of Pacific Western Airlines in 1967. Over the next decade he assumed positions of increasing responsibility until, in March 1976, he was appointed President and CEO of the airline. In addition to streamlining the company, Rhys Eyton began to acquire regional carriers and then, in 1987, Canadian Pacific Air Lines.

The new company, Canadian Airlines, expanded again following the acquisition of Wardair. In 1989 Rhys was appointed Chairman, President and CEO of Canadian Airlines International and served in this capacity until retirement in 1995. During a transformative era in Canada's airline industry, which included deregulation, Rhys Eyton's vision led to the expansion of a truly competitive Canadian domestic, transborder and international carrier. His decency and leadership played a key part in his airline becoming one of the largest private sector employers in Western Canada peaking at approximately 25,000 employees in 1994.

Between 1976 and 1994, revenues rose from approximately $100 Million to $3 Billion. Having shepherded his airline through regional mergers and building it into a truly national carrier, there is little question that Rhys Eyton reshaped the nature of the airline industry in Canada"

Widely recognized by his community and aviation peers, Rhys served, amongst many other positions, as Chairman and Director of the Conference Board of Canada, the Air Transport Association of Canada, and as President of the International Air Transport Association. He was awarded an Hon Doctorate of Laws (LLD) by the University of Victoria in 1990.

Due to the onset of Alzheimer’s, Rhys’ wife, Lynn, and other family members proudly accepted the Recognition Plaque on his behalf, and acknowledged that he had led a full and accomplished life. 

More than just a memorial bench at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

Recently, YVR discovered that some of the memorial benches that live along the south side of the airport by the river dyke were showing signs of age.

As our maintenance team began reaching out to the families with memorial benches, the team quickly learned that these were more than just benches. It was a reminder that the Sea Island community we serve is more than our valued passengers and employees. It is about our whole community. And this is a big reason YVR exists to serve our community and the economy that supports it.

This is a story about YVR’s amazing maintenance team and how they went above and beyond for families who have lost loved ones. Prior to implementing YVR’s plan to restore the memorial benches, YVR contacted the families to discuss our proposal. From these conversations, we learned about the story of a retired Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPA) pilot, Captain John Rennie. 

More than just a memorial bench at Vancouver International Airport (YVR)

Jack began his career as an airplane mechanic in 1938 before becoming a bush pilot and found himself stranded in the extreme north with his crew on a couple occasions. Their plane once caught on fire while flying to the Eldorado Mine in the Northwest Territories. Thankfully, Jack and his crew managed to escape before the ammunition they were transporting set off. They survived for nine days in brutal weather conditions of -40°C to -50°C before a bush plane finally rescued them.

Jack later flew for CPA when Grant McConachie formed the airline in 1942 and retired in 1975. His son, John, now tells his story and recalls with fondness the memories his father shared with him. Our previous development projects from 50 years ago were still fresh in John’s mind and we were once again reminded of the long-lasting impact YVR has on individuals and communities.

When YVR invited John to come and fasten the last piece of Jack’s bench, he joined us wearing his father’s old flight suit and with all the memorabilia to go along with the stories he had shared.
This was a magical moment and made us remember what our community needs and expects from us. It was a reminder that we are more than just an airport.

YVR’s memorial bench program is not currently accepting new applications.

Source: www.yvr.ca

From the 'CP Air Blue Skies' magazine.

Issue dated 1978

The CP Air Communications Advisory Group met at the Airport Inn last month to review forthcoming advertising and employee communication programs that are being developed for the future..

In this photo we have:

Back row, left to right: Stan Sierpina; Larry Lehna; Jerry Kielmann; Jim Thirsk; Mike Gray, Observer; Tony Craig; Wayne Irving; Peter Partridge, Guest Speaker; Lorne Paterson.

Front row, left to right: Val Tearle; Nina Morrison; Georgia MacFadyen; Tom Laurie; George McRobbie; Sherann Broder, Secretary; Al Bingham; Frank Healy and Jack Webb, Golfer Extraordinaire cum Founder.

Missing from photo is Peter Golding, CP Air News Editor.  

A tour of Britain for CP Air Employees and Parents.

This super tour began at Manchester Airport on the morning of Monday, September 17, 1978 and finished at Manchester Airport on the morning of Thursday, October 4 1978.

It included visits to Lancashire, Lake District, The Trossachs, Highlands, Edinburgh (3 nights), Yorkshire, Stratford, Warwick, Oxford, Welsh Border country, Wales and lots more (18 days/17 nights included, dinner, bed and breakfast in Superior Hotels with bath (per person sharing)).

Travel in deluxe club coach. 34 seats only. Porterage of one bag per person. Services of an expert courier throughout: Alan Drummond in Scotland and Mike Dixon in England and Wales.

Reservations were held with a deposit to Dixon and CP Air Travel. Getting to and from Manchester was on CP Air Holidays Charter Flight.

Editors' Note: Does anyone have any memories of this trip to share? 

We recently came across a YouTube channel dedicated to Top Ten lists. 

Top Ten Aviation posts videos based on trivia and little known facts about aviation. 

Video topics include 'Stop doing this on the plane' (linked below), 10 Insane Boeing 747 facts, 10 Ugliest Aircraft Liveries and 10 Weirdest Airlines in the World.

Editors' Note: Presented material is for entertainment and should not be considered as a source of accurate information.

Winnipeg's Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada opens doors at new location

It was a takeoff nearly four years in the making.

On Saturday May 21, 2022,  the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada opened the doors of its new location to the public for the first time.

Construction on the Wellington Avenue museum began two years ago, after it was forced to leave its previous location in a converted hangar on Ferry Road after its lease expired in 2018.

Source CBC.ca

Vickers Viscount CF-THS

Gate guard at Pitt Meadows, B.C. (YPK)

Chris Georgas is a pilot and instructor who’s been flying since he was 16 years old, clocking thousands of flight hours. Chris lives in Sechelt, British Columbia, which is 50 nautical miles from YPK, a general aviation airport about a 45 minute drive east of downtown Vancouver. He commutes to YPK almost daily in his Cessna 152, where he owns 50,000 square feet of hangar space that he rents to other pilots.

He describes himself as a supporter of General Aviation in every way imaginable. He wasn’t a Glasair fan before he bought the kit, but he’d heard about the company and their product through some of the Glasair builders at Pitt Meadows, such as Ted Bain.

Chris feels he probably could’ve sold some of the parts, but from the moment he saw the kit he knew exactly what he wanted to do with it. 

This image appeared in my inbox and I wondered how I might feel driving past it. This is a Glasair II FT that was recently mounted to serve as a “gate guardian” at Pitt Meadows (YPK) in British Columbia, Canada. I imagine I’d be ecstatic to stumble upon it. These little composite planes make my heart happy. I’d love to be welcomed by something I’ve dubbed friendly and familiar. To many, this airplane means nothing.

But for a lot of us it’s symbolic. We see the smooth cowl out of the corner of our eye and a wave of pride and familiarly washes over us.

Source: AVWeb.com 

Honeywell Boeing 757 Turns 40

Honeywell announced that its Boeing 757 test-bed aircraft is turning 40 years old. The company acquired the 757, which rolled off of the production line in June 1982 and entered service with Eastern Airlines the following year, in 2005 for use in research and development. It has been used to test technologies including Honeywell’s next-generation flight management systems (NGFMS).

“For the past 17 years, we have made so many technological modifications to our beloved 757 test aircraft that the only thing turning 40 years old is likely the fuselage itself,” said Joe Duval, Honeywell Aerospace director of flight test operations. “We’re among a select few pilots in the industry who have the responsibility to push an aircraft close to its limits. We’ve intentionally flown into nasty storms to test our radars, and we’ve flown toward more mountains than I can count to test our ground proximity warning systems.

Our 757 has been the dependable workhorse that allows us to test a whole slew of technologies, including the engines we produce for business jets and smaller aircraft.”

Honeywell’s 757 is outfitted with 25 seats and “a wide variety of flight test engineering stations.” The company reports that its 757 has conducted more than 800 flight tests and logged over 3,000 flight test hours during its service as a test bed. According to Honeywell, the aircraft has traveled to more than 30 countries across five continents.

Source: AVWeb.com

DC-9-32 C-FTLL - Fin # 711

I have always had an affinity for the DC-9's. To me, they looked and felt (in flight) the way an aircraft should feel.

Back in the nineties, after a fun (and tiring) weekend visiting family in Halifax, I remember sitting in a window seat and, resting my head against the wall, fell asleep to the vibration of the engines, despite the noise. They did not have an entertainment system installed, probably could not have heard it anyway. 

At the airport, when a DC-9 was taking off, you knew it was a DC-9. The Pratt & Whitney JT8D's were not quiet engines. As residential areas around airports grew, the DC-9 was quite a noise problem and its days were numbered. 

In my early years with Air Canada, while meeting an incoming flight with an AOG part on board, it would seem to take forever to unload the baggage and cargo before the small box I was waiting for would appear. With a capacity of just over 100 passengers, it sure could carry a payload underneath the cabin. 

Knowing how I feel about the aircraft, Terry sent me the following link on the Canada Aviation and Space Museum website: 

CASM-Aircrafthistories-McDonnellDouglasDC-9-32.pdf

This 15 page documents details the history and lifecycle of the DC-9 in the Air Canada fleet. The last few pages are dedicated to registration C-FTLL (Fin #711), the only DC-9 preserved in Canada. 

Excerpt from the CASM article:

"Acquired by Air Canada in 1968, Fin #711 was the fourth in the DC-9-32 Series. CF-TLL led the Air Canada DC-9 fleet with the highest airframe time, including a total of 81,558 hours and 72,464 landings. The aircraft was donated to the Museum in 2002 after a successful landing on the runway near the Museum at the Rockcliffe Flying Club."

I remember this aircraft very well, I'm sure that I have flown on it and definitely met it inbound to pick up AOG's. A trip to Ottawa for a visit is likely in the future. 

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

If you fall asleep on a flight which then got diverted and don't know where you are when you wake up? This information may help!

Source: The Standby Travel Playbook (Travel 101) published on the AC Employee Travel site.

Editors' Note: Have you noticed an error on the chart above? 

The city of 'Auckland' (AKL) is misspelled and is certainly not in Australia. However, it is within the region referred to as 'Australasia' or 'Oceania'.

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

Source: Air Canada 75 years of innovation

• 1976
  • This year was is abuzz! Millions of live bees - 40,000 pounds worth - were flown from Mexico to Edmonton to fill a dwindling supply in Canada. Bees become an odd area of expertise for the airline.
• 1978
  • Judy Cameron became the company's first female pilot on April 10, 1978. In 1997 she was still with Air Canada as a captain on the Boeing 777.
  • Editors' Note: Ms. Cameron retired in May 2015 with 23,000 flying hours.
• 1982
  • Air Canada employees sponsor Laurie Skreslet and Pat Morrow, explorers attempting to be the first two Canadians to reach Mount Everest's summit. At 9:30 a.m. on October 5, 1982, Skreslet breaks a record when he completes the final climb from Camp 4 to the very top in five and one half hours.
• 1983
  • This is the year of deals. Air Canada launched the most successful seat sale in it’s history, generating $11 million by filling empty seats on scheduled flights.
• 1984
  • In December, 450,000 pounds of Christmas gifts, including blankets, food and medical sent to Ethiopia. The airlift which used the entire cargo fleet, it was the largest of its kind for the airline. Many cargo fleet members give up their Christmas vacations to help the shipments take flight. 

More in our next NetLetter

Source of our cartoon is the Vancouver Sun issued July 5, 2022.