We have welcomed 197 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.

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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!

The 8th Annual Girls in Aviation Day

September 24, 2022

Plans are already underway for another exciting #GIAD22 event! You can join the fun and get involved by contacting your local WAI chapter. More details will follow about all the Girls in Aviation Day events worldwide!

For full details see:

www.wai.org/events/girls-in-aviation-day-2022

From subscriber Paul Stenner regarding NetLetter #1492

I always look forward every second Saturday for the new edition of 'The NetLetter'.

This week I enjoyed the story on the ill-fated de Haviland Comet. 

I wish to point out the the spelling of de Havilland has a lowercase 'd'. This is a common error and I hope that you accept this in a friendly and not critical way.

Keep up the good work and keep the editions running.

All the best,

F/O Paul Stenner (AC Retired.)

Ken Pickford responds:

Mr. Stenner is correct! The small 'd' is historically correct in "de Havilland", but since the upper case 'D' is common, I used that format. Note the current De Havilland Canada (formerly Viking Air) uses upper case 'D' consistently in the company name and other references.

See: dehavilland.com/en

The lower case 'd' was correct for the British company, which ceased to exist in 1963 after being absorbed by Hawker Siddeley, which later became part of British Aerospace.

The lower case 'd' is also correct in a person's name, e.g. founder Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, and other names of French origin that include "de". Note the BAE history website has quite a few upper case D references.

See: www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/de-havilland-aircraft-co-ltd

Also noted this excerpt:

Over the years De Havilland (the company) and de Havilland (the family) faced many setbacks.

Greetings from Germany!

I was contacted by a former LH colleague who would like to know where this picture was taken. I told him that I think it is YUL, but that I will contact you to be sure my statement is correct.

Appreciate your help and thanks for the great work you are doing, keeping the memories alive.

Best regards

Hans W. Schütt 

Ken Pickford agrees:

Definitely Montreal (YUL), Lufthansa B-707 on left, AC Vanguard on right. Around mid-1960's based on LH livery.

Roy Novell has submitted these photos from the late 1970's and early 1980's of the crew at the London Heathrow (LHR) Maintenance group.

Thanks Roy!

R. Cosier, Mark Burridge, Andy Bradford, Dave Hartley, Gorden Kempson, John Young, Mark Gale, Fred Warwick, George Rowe and Peter Hall.

Kneeling:  Steve Girling.

Henry Sewall, Clive Hawkins, Roy Novell, Gio Forte, unidentified, Steve Lacey, Chris Shephard and Rod Marsh.

Mark Gale, Dave Higgins and Chris Shephard.

Vaughan Jones and Gio Forte.

Middle row: Vaughan Jones, Roy Novell, Clive Hawkins, Keith Merr.

Far right: Tommy Callaghan (PIK).

Front row: Steve Girling, Karl Nigeljeen (FRA), Marie Earley.

Len Kay, Judy ???, George Rowe, Bill Cameron, Brian Hemmings, Jimmy Crook, Steve Lacey, Roy Novell, unidentified, Dave Piper and Pete Hall.

Steve Girling, Steve Lacey, Roy Novell, Len Kay, Clive Hawkins, Bernie Greaves, unidentified and Pete Hall.

Front row: Jimmy Crook.

Pierre Jeanniot, Chris Clegg, Clive Hawkins, Mark Gale, Fred Warwick, Henry Sewall and Dave Piper.

Jimmy Boyle, Maintenance Manager/General Foreman ex PIK.

Roy notes that Jimmy employed him in 1969. The District Maintenance Manager at that time was Scott McFadden (not pictured).

Honoring Bessie Coleman, American Crews A Flight With All Black Women

Recently American Airlines operated a flight out of Dallas crewed entirely by Black women, including pilots, flight attendants, cargo handlers and maintenance technicians.

The flight was in honor of the 100th anniversary (plus one year due to COVID) of aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman receiving her pilot’s certificate, the first, ever, for a Black woman. Coleman’s great niece Gigi Coleman was on board the flight, hosted by the airline.

According to American, Black women currently represent less than 1 percent of personnel at all levels of the commercial airline industry, a disparity the airline hopes to alleviate. 

Born in Atlanta, Texas, in 1892, Coleman left the cotton fields of Oklahoma at age 23 to join her two older brothers in Chicago where one of them, a World War I combat veteran, goaded her with tales of French women who had learned to fly airplanes. She took French lessons and traveled to Europe, where she earned her international pilot’s license in June 1921, awarded by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

She used her influence in the following years to encourage other Black Americans to fly — boycotting airshows at locations that would not admit African Americans. 

Gigi Coleman told the airline, “I am grateful for American Airlines to give us this opportunity to highlight my great aunt’s accomplishments in the field of aviation.”

Source: AVWeb.com

Additional info:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Coleman

Father-Daughter Military Pilots Celebrate 'First' Flight. 

Parent and child pilots on airliners are relatively common but the Indian air force may have scored a first with a father-daughter formation flight. Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma and his 24-year-old daughter Ananya achieved the distinction on May 30, 2022.

"The father-daughter duo created history on May 30, 2022, when they flew in the same formation of Hawk-132 aircraft at Air Force Station Bidar, where Flying Officer Ananya Sharma is undergoing her training before she graduates onto faster and more superior fighter aircraft of the IAF," an air force news release said.

The air force is claiming a first for the flight but the Air Commodore called it years ago according to his daughter. "As a child, I would often ask my father why there were no women fighter pilots.

He would tell me in his characteristic style - Don't worry, you will be one," she told the Times of India. The Indian air force now has 15 female fighter pilots flying MiG-21s, Sukhoi-30MKIs and Rafales.

Source: AVWeb.com

• 1984 - November 26
  • Launch of Calgary - Edmonton (Municipal) service.
• 2022 - October 29
  • Set to launch Toronto/London/Mumbai daily October 2022 using the B-787 Dreamliner.

Found in 'Horizons' magazine 

Issue dated November 1984

Cowed into submission.

There are some things that the manual does not cover and other things that the computer does not know as Moncton Station Attendant Bill Allain learns.

It was definitely a case where 'push had come to shove' during a loading operation.

The 'passengers' were 245 purebred Holstein dairy calves being boarded on a cargo flight bound for Nicaragua. Although the service was first class, the normal cushioned seats were replaced by wooden crates with air holes.

Yarmouth is hard to match.

Employees in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (YQI) continue to pledge full support of the Annual Campaign for Funds.

For the past three years the station has received a plaque in recognition of 100 per cent employee participation. 

Shown admiring the 1981, 1982 and 1983 awards are, from the left: Jim Greig, Acting Manager and coordinator of the campaign; Rick Atkinson, Station Agent; Jim Kirby, Manager, Yarmouth; Station Agents Ev Kenney and Bob Moulton and Station Attendants Wayne d'Entremount and Bill Pothier, another coordinator.

Western Region Sales Conference.

During a three-day period early in November 1984, Air Canada's Western Canada management teams got together to share ideas and experiences at a Western Region Sales conference held in Vancouver.

Group task exercises run during the conference were designed to analyze the Passenger Sales Effectiveness (PSE) program being used by sales, reservations and airport personnel, and to then develop strategies for future improvement and expansion.

The conference was chaired by John Jeffrey, General Manager Northern Alberta and Jack Wallis, Passenger Sales Manager, Edmonton. 

Senior cyclists on the move.

Those who know John MacLean, former Regional Passenger Sales Product Manager, Vancouver, be surprised to learn how he is spending his retirement.

He has joined the Cross-Canada Cycle Tour Society which is planning a four-month bicycle tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Some 94 cyclists, all over 50 years of age, from across Canada, will participate in the excursion beginning on August 26, 1985. Before they return on December 22, they will have cycled close to 4,000 miles. 

In all, 55 men, 39 women and 16 couples will make the trip. The oldest man is 73 while the oldest woman is 70. 

In the photo below, John, left, is shown with members of the Cross-Canada Cycle Tour Society: Miep Dennison, Richard Lebeck and Ken Brothers. 

Andre Lizotte, former President of Nordair was appointed Chairman of the Board for Nationair, a new Canadian international charter carrier.

Andre St. Denis, formerly Air Canada's treasurer and a Nordair director, was appointed to Nationair's Board.

Source: Air Canada Horizons issue November 1984

One might say this story is long over and done, but Pacific Western Airlines Tail #732 did leave a mark in history. As Boeing advanced the B-737 Project and the aircraft certification program, an airplane with PWA was setting milestones ahead of all other B-737's.

In the early 1970's Tail #732 - CF-PWE would fly to from Edmonton to Inuvik loaded with cargo (3 pallets / 63 seats) at 22:00 each weekday and have a conversion done upon its return that would send it out the next morning across Western Canada only to be repeated again.

When re-certification was required Boeing took Tail #732 back to see what we were doing right. The aircraft returned to service and the work continued. Fin #732 was eventually sold and after wandering the world, she returned at the inception of WestJet.

Additional info from S. Gray -

Tail #732 carried Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Princess Anne in July 1970 on a tour of the Arctic. The interior was configured with Boeing's Executive Suite.

Front end crew were Captains Robin Mackie and Jimmy Lightbown; Flight Attendants S. Gray, H. McLeod, G. Moore, B. Snyder and L. Duffy.

Pursers J. Bisaillon and R. Hatch along with Flight Engineer V. Robertson.

Lifecycle as per www.PlaneLogger.com

PlaneSpotters.net shows the aircraft as being withdrawn from service in 2005 and stored at Laredo International Airport in Texas. 

It was broken up in 2013

Original source: pwareunion.net

NWT Air livery

Photo by Aero Icarus @ www.flickr.com

Taken at Yellowknife, June 1993

PWA DC-3 - CF-ONH.

Skytrain C-47A-20-DK c/n 12857 built as 42-92995 and delivered to the US Army Air Force on March 27, 1944, being assigned to the North African Wing of the US Air Transport Command on April 24, 1944.

It was returned to the USA on August 20, 1945, going to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation on June 5, 1946. As a DC-3 c/n 12857 registered as NC44587 it went to West Coast Airlines, Fleet No. 101, on November 6, 1946. 

A lease to Canada with Pacific Western Airlines as CF-ONH took place on April 17, 1962. It was back with West Coast Airlines on August 6, 1963, registered N44587, and sold back to Pacific Western Airlines again as CF-ONH on March 15, 1964.

Air West next bought this DC-3 and it became N44587. The Aerodyne Corporation of Renton, Washington, purchased the transport on January 28, 1969, and it was registered to them on April, 9 1969. Aerodyne went out of business and 12857 stood derelict at Renton from May 1974 until purchased by Salair (now defunct), which operated a fleet of DC-3 transports out of Seattle and Sacramento airports on cargo services.

Editors' Note: We looked up the current status and the aircraft is still registered N44587 and in service with a small Alaska-based cargo operator called 'DesertAir Alaska' (founded in Utah in the 1990's, thus the name). Legal name Desert Air Transport Inc. 

See: desertairalaska.com/our-fleet

Salair livery (date unknown)

DesertAir livery , May 2011

Photo by Frank Kovalchek @ commons.wikimedia.org

Posted on Nordair Facebook site by Wayne Hamidy.

Simon Griffiths, Operations planner is updating a visual planning board with additional flights contracted by Nordair's Charter Sales Department.

These boards were strategic tools which help ensure maximum utilization of the airplanes. 

Lockheed Electra L-188 Air Tanker Battles Forest Fire in Northern British Columbia

Posted by Paul Bach on YouTube

See 'Wayne's Wings' below for more. 

Spirit of Harbour Grace

Douglas DC-3 -  c/n 6179 - registration CF-QBI manufactured in 1943 by Douglas Aircraft Corporation in Santa Monica, California as a C-47 for the United States Military.

The C-47 Skytrain model was a modified version of the very successful and reliable DC-3, first flown in 1935. The United States Army Air Forces used it in North Africa in 1943-1945.

The DC-3 revolutionized passenger air travel and is universally recognized as one of the most significant aircraft ever made! Pilots of DC-3's - and aviation buffs worldwide comment, "The only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3."

Flying in Newfoundland and Labrador

This plane was modified as a passenger DC-3 in 1951 for a Canadian company. Roger W. Pike purchased the aircraft in 1977 and used CF-QBI to transport food products from Stephenville to
Goose Bay.

In 1983 Pike acquired Labrador Airways Limited and based CF-QBI in Goose Bay to transport mail and cargo. Pilots who flew CF-QBI many hours in our provincial skies included Captain Don Beavers.

See also:

www.flickr.com photo by Reinhard Zinabold

www.airport-data.com/aircraft/CF-QBI.html

Photos below posted on Facebook by John Gilchrist, June 17, 2022

Lockheed L-188 Electra

In our last issue (NetLetter #1492) we had a piece about aircraft in the 'Nordair ice patrol' leased by the federal government back in the 1970's.

I got curious to see if any of these aircraft were still in service. I found that there are still 23 Lockheed L-188's registered in Canada.

Air Spray of Red Deer, Alberta operates 14, Buffalo Airways of Yellowknife, NWT - 8 and Conair of Abbotsford, B.C. - 1.

One of which, C-FIJX (now with Buffalo Airways), was with Nordair between 1972 and 1976 registered as CF-NAX.

This aircraft appears at the beginning of the video linked below by videographer, Alex Praglowski, who describes how these versatile aircraft have found a niche in providing valuable service fighting forest fires in Canada's northwest as well as carrying cargo, including fuel, to remote areas. 

Click the image below to view Alex's video.

List of L-188's at the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register

Why Do Lockheed L-188 Electras Still Fly in Canada?

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

Bill Norberg of Winnipeg sent us this in January 2001.

I wonder how many people remember the year TCA purchased 3 Bristol freighter aircraft. The year was 1953 and CPA had applied to the Government to operate a transcontinental air freight service. At this time they were still limited as to the number of passenger flights they could operate.

TCA did not have any freighter type aircraft at the time and any airfreight was carried in the belly compartments. As I remember it, there was to be a hearing to decide this issue. TCA immediately set about to acquire a true airfreight capability. They elected to purchase 3 Bristol freighters from the UK and modify them for Canadian operating conditions. The aircraft were ferried from the UK by TCA pilots.

In order to have the necessary communication systems for these flights a set of radio equipment was sent over from Canada and temporarily installed for the flight. When the first aircraft arrived in Canada the radio equipment was removed and sent to the UK for the next flight, etc.

These aircraft arrived in Dorval in the fall of 1953 to have the necessary modifications carried out. The modifications were extensive and included a complete radio communications system, a completely new flight instrument panel, heating and ventilating system, interior modifications to permit the proper loading of heavy loads and a propeller auto coarsening system.

There was a tight schedule for this modification program as the aircraft had to be available for operations by January 1, 1954. These modifications were barely underway when it was determined the aircraft wiring system did not meet TCA standards.

As a result every piece of wiring in the total aircraft was removed and replaced by AN standard wiring. This action required a complete set of engineering wiring drawings which had to be developed as the wiring was being replaced. We could not afford to await completion of the drawings. The schedule was very tight and this wiring replacement decision placed the whole program in jeopardy. The sight of literally armloads of new wiring, all with small white tags on their many ends hanging out of the cockpit windows is something I will never forget. It looked hopeless.

The final electrical wiring diagrams were delivered to us at midnight of the day before the first ground run was scheduled to occur. Every able bodied person in the Dorval Base who knew anything about electrical wiring was pressed into service. Many of us worked 16 hour days for weeks and on one occasion I worked 24 hours to complete the task.

The aircraft were completed for the January 1, 1954 deadline although they did not see service until sometime later. The aircraft was without a doubt one of the ugliest I have ever seen. The bulbous nose with its big doors with the cockpit perched on top.

A large fixed undercarriage, and a very severe design concept made it unusual to say the least. There is one still available to see in the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg. It had Bristol sleeve valve power plants built in true British design. Why use 4 bolts when 8 will do? They were however successful power plants as they never had an in-flight failure as long as they were in TCA operation.

Editors' Note: The 3 Bristol freighters, CF-TFX/TFY/TFZ, were found unsuitable for TCA routes and were sold in 1955. CF-TFX went to Wardair and remained in service until 1968. It was donated to the city of Yellowknife and has been mounted on a pylon near Yellowknife airport (YZF) for many years. It was the first wheeled aircraft to land at the North Pole.

Related information and 2001 photo at:

spectacularnwt.com/attraction/bristol-freighter

www.airliners.net/photo/Wardair-Canada 

CF-TFY went to Winnipeg-based Transair and CF-TFZ to Pacific Western Airlines. Both were written off in non-injury accidents 3 weeks apart in May and June 1956. Transair was acquired by PWA in 1979.

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

Started in NetLetter #1483.

Source: Air Canada 75 years of innovation 2004.

• 2004
  • Air Canada Rapidair pass for Latitude customers was an industry first in April 2004. It's a self-managed, prepaid flight pass for frequent Toronto-Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa Rapidair flyers. The airline offers flight passes in six categories today.
  • Stephen Harper and Jack Layton use Air Canada Jetz for Conservative and NDP charter flights during their 2004 campaigns.
• 2005
  • On September 5, 2005, Air Canada was the first foreign carrier to arrive in New Orleans after the floods to help evacuate the area and airlift relief supplies.
  • Air Canada launched personal seatback entertainment systems, meaning hours of movies, TV shows, audio programming and games on demand for every passenger. Time never flew by so fast.
• 2006
  • A former Air Canada Lockheed L-1011, renamed Stargazer became part of a NASA experiment on March 22, 2006. It helped to launch three microsatellites into space over the Pacific Ocean. When the aircraft hits 39,000 feet rockets drop from its belly, firing up engines and ferrying the satellites into orbit.
  • Sleep tight! During October 2006, Air Canada made history by becoming the first North American airline to introduce lie-flat beds in all business class cabins across its international fleet.

More next NetLetter.

Editors' note: If any readers have any memories about any of the events to share, they would be welcomed.

"Old age comes at a bad time." – San Banducci “

This cartoon appeared in the 'Horizons' magazine issue June 1988 by Passingham.

Caption reads "Madam, there are other window seats, this one is occupied!".