We have welcomed 182 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!

53rd WACA Annual General Assembly (AGA)

October 16-21, 2022

Location: Bali 'Island of the Gods'

The rich and diverse culture of Bali plays out at all levels of life, from the exquisite flower-petal offerings placed everywhere, to the processions of joyfully garbed locals shutting down major roads as they march to one of the myriad temple ceremonies, to the otherworldly traditional music and dance performed island-wide.

For detailed itineraries and registration click the image at left.

Pre-AGA Tour: Java Grand Tour

October 9–16, 2022

Java is a volcanic island of Indonesia between Sumatra and Bali and home to more than half of its population.

For detailed itineraries and registration click the image at left.

The Interline Club of Portugal is hosting the 32th Passarola Golf Cup and the 30th Passarola Tennis Cup

October 27 -  31, 2022 at Vilamoura Algarve, Portugal.

Golf Cup Package:

• 800 EUR per person, twin / double sharing
• 920 EUR per person, single room

Click here for itinerary and details

Tennis Cup package:

• 470 EUR per person, twin /double sharing
• 620 EUR per person, single room

Click here for itinerary and details

Both Golf & Tennis packages include:

• 4 nights double / twin accommodation with buffet breakfast, dinner (wines included).
• 1 get-together party with 1 cocktail. Prizes and a farewell dinner (wines included).

Package does not include:

• Expenses of personal nature, transfers.

Subscriber Johanna Scher sent in the following:

The article 'The Whispering Giants', in NetLetter  #1491, brought back many memories.

In 1959 my husband Eric Scher was an agent 'grade 1' in Vancouver when the CP Air trans Canada route opened. He applied for and got the position of agent grade 2 in Montreal.

Getting to YUL was not that easy, as airline personnel were not allowed to travel across Canada directly, but we had to go to Mexico, stay there overnight and then take the flight to Montreal.

Our daughter was 1 year old at the time and a handful, but we had a wonderful time as the CP crew had an overnight stay in Mexico as well and included us in their activities.

It was wonderful to have so many friends take care of our daughter. Once in Montreal we stayed there until 1974 when we were transferred to Lima, Peru.

Subscriber Erik Zuyderduyn sent in this comment to Ken Pickford's attention: 

Hi Ken,

Regarding the article on the RCAF Comet in NetLetter #1491, could you also add a piece on the Canadian Pacific Air Lines purchase of the Comets, which never saw service.

The first one met its demise in Karachi. I have the full story somewhere, but can't find it. I'm sure that you do. Stay well and keep up the good work.

Erik

Ken's response:

Canadian Pacific Air Lines ordered two De Havilland Comet 1 aircraft in 1949 for intended use on the Honolulu-Nadi (Fiji)-Sydney portion of the Vancouver-Sydney route, some flights with a stop at Auckland. All flights would also include a fuel stop at Canton Island, a remote atoll between Honolulu and Nadi. Due to the Comet's insufficient range, the Vancouver-Honolulu sector would be operated by Douglas DC-6B propeller aircraft.

The first CPA Comet (actually the second built), named Empress of Hawaii and registered CF-CUN, was lost March 3, 1953 in a takeoff accident at Karachi, Pakistan, a fuel stop on its delivery flight from London Heathrow to Sydney. All 5 CPA crew and 6 passengers were killed. The passengers were De Havilland employees. That was the first fatal accident involving a commercial jet. The circumstances were very similar to a BOAC Comet lost on takeoff from Rome about 5 months earlier, fortunately with no fatalities.

The cause of both accidents, where the aircraft failed to become airborne, was determined to be a problem with the design of the wing which lost lift if the aircraft was rotated beyond a certain angle on takeoff. The wing was subsequently modified to correct that problem which was unrelated to the subsequent catastrophic Comet crashes due to structural failure that resulted in the grounding of the early Comets in April 1954.

After the Karachi accident, CPA cancelled the Comet order and the other CPA Comet, CF-CUM, named Empress of Vancouver, not yet delivered, was sold to BOAC. That aircraft had been displayed in CPA livery at the Farnborough Airshow in 1952. After the Comet grounding, it was used by the British government for structural testing. The nose section survives at the De Havilland Aircraft Museum in Hertfordshire about 30 km north of London, not far from the site of the former De Havilland factory at Hatfield where all Comets were built.

Editors' Note: Due to copyright we cannot show thumbnails of the following images, however, we can provide links to the original websites.

Additional photos links:

CF-CUM at Farnborough, September 1952

www.AirTeamImages.com

CF-CUN at Hatfield factory 1952

www.AirTeamImages.com

Two photos of same aircraft in BOAC livery, registered G-ANAV, while chartered to South African Airways for several months prior to the April 1954 grounding. Note dual BOAC/SAA markings.

www.dehavilland.co.za

Neil Burton has sent us this information -

Looking back at 'Subscriber Feedback', NetLetter #1488, and contributions of James Fraser and Dave Shore on CP Air.

'Last Flight Out' with CP Air pilot Nick Atamanchuk.

The clipping at left, sent in by Neil, appeared in the Kamloops Daily Sentinel – April 28, 1969, the day the flight service ended. The cutting was given to me (Neil) by Nick Atamanchuk’s mother.

The article reads:

Last flight out.

“At the controls of CPA's last flight out of Kamloops with the change-over to PWA service, was pilot Nick Atamanchuk.

It was all the more fitting since Mr. Atamanachuk was born and raised in Kamloops. He was educated in Kamloops schools and graduated from Kamloops Secondary school.

He started flying commercially three years ago and flew various overseas flights before being assigned to the Interior run. Mr Atamanchuk lives in Prince George.”

Neil Burton

It was with great interest that I read the 'Above and Beyond' story capturing employee smiles in NetLetter #1491.

On a sunny August morning, on duty at our check in position Vancouver Airport, a photographer approached me while I was sitting at the counter and asked if he may take a photo of my biggest smile.

There was no other communication with him. Some time later an AC manager mentioned he saw a calendar with my photo in it. This was a BIG surprise to me; here it is.

Regards,

Eddi Palsgraaf,
Retired AC CSSA VRA 

Subscriber Shirlee Schacter sent us in an update on  American Airlines flight attendant Bette Nash who will celebrate 65 years of service this Fall.

Editors' Note:

We have previously published stories on Ms. Nash in two previous NetLetter editions

• NetLetter #1345, submitted by Betty Draper
• NetLetter #1381, submitted by Gretchen Dawson 

Shirlee writes:

I thought my sister, Gayle, had a record-setting career staying with Air Canada for 50 years and 6 months but this lady has her beat!

Eighty-six year-old woman is longest-serving flight attendant, Guinness says. Bette Nash will celebrate 65 years in-flight this fall. 

Excerpt from a story by Sam Sweeney of ABC News. 

At 86 years old, American Airlines flight attendant Bette Nash is the oldest and longest-serving flight attendant in the world, according to Guinness World Records.

Nash started flying back in 1957 and will celebrate 65 years in-flight this fall. She can choose any route she wants and for most of her career she has been loyal to the New York-Washington-Boston Shuttle.

Nash prefers this route because she says it allows her to be home every night with her handicapped son who she continues to care for to this day.

When she first started flying, she says passengers bought life insurance from a vending machine before boarding and the airline would check on her at home to ensure she wasn’t living with a man because flight attendants had to be single. The airline also weighed her before shifts and could suspend her if she gained too much weight, she said.

“You had to be a certain height, you had to be a certain weight. It used to be horrible. You put on a few pounds and you had to keep weighing yourself, and then if you stayed that way, they would take you off the payroll,” Nash said during a flight in 2017 with ABC affiliate WJLA cameras onboard. (Click the image below to view the video)

Nash started flying with Eastern Airlines and through a number of mergers, including with Donald Trump’s airline in the late 1980’s, ended up at American Airlines.

In the early days, passengers paid the flight attendant when they boarded; Nash says her early flights cost $12 between New York and Washington.

“We used to pass out cigarettes and matches...on the flight, after the meal service, I would go around with Kent’s and Marlboros,” she told WJLA on her 60th anniversary.

Nash still attends regular flight attendant training per Federal Aviation Administration rules.

Fresh from the paint shop, Air Canada brings Cargo’s new livery to life for its freighter fleet.

Air Canada’s freighter fleet is getting a fresh new look.

The first newly painted Boeing 767 freighter has rolled out of the paint shop, featuring an Air Canada Cargo design that reflects Air Canada’s distinctive and timeless black, white and red livery introduced in 2017.

The aircraft, registration C-GXHM, is one of the two factory-built freighters delivered to Air Canada earlier this summer that will enter service in 2023. These are in addition to the eight converted 767 freighters that Air Canada Cargo will have in its fleet, two of which are already in service between North American, Europe and Latin America.

The airline also recently announced the acquisition of two factory-built Boeing 777 freighters, which will enter service in 2024. This robust and diversified fleet of 12 wide-body freighters solidifies Air Canada’s position as North America’s premier combination carrier.

Full article at: mraircanada.mediaroom.com

Click the photo below to view a video of the painting process.

Also, You can view a timelapse video showing the conversion of a Boeing 767 passenger aircraft to a freighter here.

Found in 'Horizons' magazine

Issue dated July 18, 1988 - Supplement

Lookin' good...by design

This summer Canadians and people around the world will notice a subtle change in the public face of Air Canada. An Air Canada which will still look reassuringly familiar, but which will have that extra touch of class and freshness.

Below, it looks like an exotic insect, but it's actually our Boeing 767-200ER, Fin #613 (C-GDSP), sporting a coat of base paint. Once the job is complete, Boeing will have applied about 500 lbs. of paint.

After the white and gray areas were painted, Boeing applied the red and burgundy markings.

The finished product complete with new signature and new burgundy stripe.

Checking out the new look firsthand are two of the designers, Jim Donaldson, Director, Facilities Design & Chief Architect, left, and Bob Reid, a design consultant.

Found in 'Above and Beyond' magazine

Issue dated August 1990

Here are some of our Heathrow-based colleagues who have been rewarded for going the extra mile in delivering topnotch customer service:

Aircraft Services Supervisor Bill Anderson ensured that several passengers arriving off one of our customer airlines - Thai International - were rushed over to the domestic terminal to catch the last flight to Edinburgh.

Station Attendant Henry Harris (left) who along with Kim Ray helped save three dogs, receives a shopping voucher from Tony Coleman, Aircraft Services Manager, while Lead Station Attendant Bill Harding, (right) who went beyond his normal duties to assist a passenger and her children board an aircraft, is congratulated by Peter Baldry, Airport Services Manager, UK and Ireland.

Passenger Agent Jorge Rebocho (left) was rewarded for spending a lot of personal time sorting out the correct documentation for a Portuguese passenger, while fellow Passenger Agent
Caroline Stanley (centre) took two unaccompanied children to her home while their visa problems were being sorted out.

And when an irregular operation at Manchester Airport diverted passengers to Heathrow, Passenger Agent Katie MacDonald (right) made ground transportation arrangements for them. On hand to present them with their awards are lan Thornton, Passenger Service Supervisor (second from left) and Peter Baldry.

Information Services -

At its 1990 semi-annual meeting, Information Services presented nine outstanding employees with their awards, as part of the branch's 'PROS' program which began in January.

The Information Services 'PROS' winners are (back row, left to right):

Phil Walker, Art Shibuya, Steve Charlton, Hamed Haeri, Wendy Williams and Anne-Lise Simond.

And in front (same order): are: Cliff Pearen, Serge Villeneuve and Joe Richard.

Posted by Peter Christian on July 5, 2022, who tells us "While reorganizing my toolbox I found my old stickers from YUL.”

Posted by Don Buck on June 13, 2022 - a 1974 newspaper article

Nordair ice patrol.

The 1974 Ice Patrol sponsored by Environment Canada is now in full swing with a four engine Lockheed Electra aircraft owned by Nordair operating out of Gander.

The aircraft, which is equipped with the latest in navigational equipment, will conduct patrols off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador to plot the movement of ice from the Arctic areas into the major shipping lanes.

The ice patrol program is a service to shipping that utilizes the major sea routes of the north west Atlantic during the winter and spring seasons.

The aircraft took up its station several weeks ago, and will be operating out of Gander until the month of May. While in Gander, Nordair will utilize the services of Eastern Aviation Limited.

Photo courtesy of Pierre Langlois

Lockheed L-188C(IR) Electra - C-GNDZ at YUL June 1979.

QUICKET – Self-Serve Kiosks. Calgary-Edmonton Airbus.- G. Hickey

This article from a Quicket promo literature gifted by
G. Caron of Airdrie, Alberta

During the 1980’s the ongoing popularity of the Airbus service was resulting in lengthy line-ups each day creating the need to find a solution. The Company looked at various options, one of which was to study how self-service might help.

American Airlines had been pioneering the development of 'self-serve' ticketing in the U.S. and following a series of meetings with them and with their major supplier, NCR we decided that the technology they were using and their approach was not suitable for the Airbus product and so we elected to design our own system from scratch.

The software component was designed in conjunction with Air Canada computer services to Pacific Western PWA specifications and in order for it work with the AC Reservec System.

Development took some months throughout 1986 and was not without its challenges and not all were technical. Labour Relations issues, Transport Canada security issues and accounting issues, particularly the credit card industry requirement for signature authorization.

All were addressed and all were firsts in the industry in Canada. The physical kiosk design came from a local Calgary design company. The Quicket name and graphic design came from our Advertising Agency and two kiosks were installed in each of the Calgary and Edmonton Municipal Airbus counter areas.

Credit card-driven, passengers made their choices through a keypad and could choose either window or aisle and smoking or non-smoking and were issued with a printed ticket/boarding pass.

Branded as “Quicket” the service was launched successfully and while the uptake was quite slow, as expected, (with the exception of Japanese business men who took to it readily) the expectation was that the usage would grow in similar fashion to the experience the banking industry first saw when they introduced ATM’s.

Sadly, we would not find out as the subsequent purchase and merger with Canadian Pacific Airlines in 1987 meant the kiosks, designed to work with the AC system now could not function with the CP system.

It is testament to PWA thinking of the time however, that airports not just in Canada, utilize similar technologies extensively in order to assist passenger processing today, however, the first development and live trial of this type of technology by any airline in Canada was by Pacific Western Airlines.

Source: www.pwareunion.com

Our 'Featured Video' has been published on YouTube by Ernest Gutschik Aviation on his visit to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Air Force Air Force Day 2022 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Confirmed performers included Royal Canadian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, CH-147 Chinook, C-130J Hercules, Waterloo Warbirds' T-33 Mako Shark and Vampire, Great War Flying Museum and the Oshawa based private P-51 Mustang flown by Hannu Halminen.

Last March, 2022, the Boeing 737-229C registered C-GNRD of Nolinor came in for maintenance at Montreal Saint-Hubert (YHU).

Ordinarily, this B-737 equipped with a cargo door, is operated from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

The photo below left is before leaving Saint-Hubert on March 20, 2022 at the end of maintenance work.

On the right, the same Boeing 737-229C in its original Sabena livery (registration OO-SDR) photographed at Geneva, Switzerland on July 26, 1979. 

It's been more than 43 years that this valiant B-737 has provided good and loyal service!

Photos by Pierre Gillard. 

Source: Quebec Aerospace Museum April Newsletter

Additional Info: www.PlaneSpotters.net

CRJ is 30 years old!

It was on May 10, 1991 at 9.45 a.m. that the first 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) took off from Montreal's Dorval Airport four days after the official rollout before 1,800 employees and guests.

Test pilots Doug Adkins and Don Stephen flew the aircraft (serial #7001, C-FCRJ) to an altitude of 12,000 feet and a top speed of 220 knots. The 1 hour 25 minutes flight ended when the aircraft landed at Canadair’s long-term home at Cartierville Airport, not at Dorval where a new CRJ factory had been constructed.

Source: Quebec Aerospace Museum

It's about the people!

We are a different breed, us aviation people.

Whenever I get together with past colleagues and new friends, I am amazed at what characters they are, myself included (of course)! Everyone has stories to tell, usually with a wry sense of humour.

 At a recent Pionairs' Coffee Club meeting, I was asked what The NetLetter is all about. The question actually caught me off guard because I have never really thought about it.

However, my response came to me very quickly.

It's about the people!

In the moment, I think that what came to mind was a Stores (aka Purchasing & Supply) print newsletter, originating in YUL, titled 'Parts & Pieces' with the slogan:

'A Newsletter for Stores People - by Stores People'.  

It fascinates me that there are people I have known for 40 years (or more) but have never actually met in person. Acquaintance was always by telephone or email (at one time, teletype) messages. 

For twenty years, Parts & Pieces put faces to the names and helped stockkeepers, communicators, expediters as well as managers and clerks feel familiar with each other and part of a larger family.

For most of its life cycle Frank Pedder was the chief editor. Frank encouraged contributions from other Stores points including YYZ (Earle Coffin, Les Stevenson & Ken Biggers) YWG (Linus Endicott) and YVR (Ann Senko, Ted White & Julian Ireland).  Apologies to those not mentioned, the list is very, very long.

As time passed and Frank was approaching his retirement in December 2003, he sent out a heartfelt issue thanking everyone for their participation over the years. He had hoped that a new editor would assume the job of editor but it did not happen. 

I contacted Frank and, happily, he is enjoying an active retirement as he explains below:

"Our camping season is coming to an end with our 35 foot motorhome. Great retirement so far since 2004. I am still working part time driving a minibus for a 50 + club in Lachine Non Profit (THE TEAPOT) and Chartwell, which is a seniors retirement home so I am keeping busy at 80."

The NetLetter wishes to say thank you to Frank and all the other contributors to Parts & Pieces. We plan to include several excerpts in our upcoming issues.

At left, a caricature of Frank upon his retirement by Ken Biggers. 

Below, Frank receiving best wishes from a few notables.  

Click the icon to view Frank' 'thank you' edition.

Click the Icon to view one of the original copies of 'Parts & Pieces (bilingual edition) from December 1983.

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

One of Canada’s most historic aviation industry sites was officially de-commissioned with a family-style event.

De Havilland Canada said good-bye to its Downsview factory for good. Aircraft have been manufactured there for almost 100 years, first by the original De Havilland company, then Boeing and Bombardier and most recently by the most recent iteration of the famous brand revived by Longview Aviation Capital, which is the parent company of Viking Air.

The revived company built Dash-8 Q400 turboprops there until earlier this year. It bought the type certificate from Bombardier shortly after Bombardier announced it was selling Downsview to developers three years ago.

The lease on the aircraft facilities is up in 2023 and De Havilland Canada hasn’t yet announced where the Q400 will be made or even if production will resume. The company has announced it will start production of the DHC-515 Firefighter, an updated version of he CL-415, in Calgary in coming years and it continues to make Twin Otters in Victoria and Calgary.

Source: CanadianAviator.com - June 11, 2022

See also: www.AINonline.com

Continuation of the Air Canada nee Trans-Canada Air Lines History.

Started in NetLetter #1483.

Source: Air Canada 75 years of innovation

• 1995
  • The electronic ticket makes its debut in Canada on December 7, 1995, when Air Canada begins testing the service on select Canadian routes.
• 1997
  • On February 22, 1997, travellers' pockets get a little deeper. Air Canada is the first airline in Canada to introduce e-mail specials and discounts with the launch of GO Air Canada webSaver.
  • Air Canada becomes a founding member of Star Alliance, the first global airline alliance.
• 1999
  • Why wait in line? Air Canada introduces Self-service Check-in kiosks to Canada in 1999.
• 2000
  • Air Canada is Tokyo bound! The year 2000 introduces the airline's first non-stop flights to the Japanese capital.
  • As a direct result of the collaborative spirit of Star Alliance, Air Canada and United Airlines introduce the world's first interline electronic ticket on June 14, 2000. Passengers can book itineraries on multiple airlines with the simple click of a mouse.
• 2001
  • Air Canada and Canadian Airlines International Limited officially merge on January 1, 2001.

More in the next NetLetter.

"We must recognize that, as we grow older, we become like old cars – replacements are necessary." - C.S. Lewis

For more quotes from C. S. Lewis click:

www.brainyquote.com/authors/c-s-lewis-quotes

Parts & Pieces - November 1987 by Ken Biggers.