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NetLetter #1340 | April 14, 2016 |
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Air Canada 747-400
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Dear Reader,
Welcome to the NetLetter, an Aviation based newsletter for Air Canada, TCA, CPAir, Canadian Airlines and all other Canadian based airlines that once graced the Canadian skies.
The NetLetter was created in 1995 by Vesta Stevenson (RIP) and Terry Baker and is published on the second and fourth weekend of each month. If you are interested in Canadian Aviation History, and vintage aviation photos, especially as it relates to Trans-Canada Air Lines, Air Canada, Canadian Airlines International and their constituent airlines, then we're sure you'll enjoy this newsletter. Our website is located at www.thenetletter.net
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Air Canada News
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March 21, 2016 - Gogo announced that they are expanding our connectivity partnership with Air Canada to include their international fleet, including the Boeing 787.
Air Canada is the only Canadian carrier offering customers in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity across its entire fleet of narrow-body aircraft in North America. Under the new agreement, their 2Ku connectivity technology will be installed on Air Canada’s wide-body international aircraft, starting with the Boeing 777 this fall.
(source SpeedNews) |
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Reader Submitted Photos
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Ken Starnes has sent us a group of photos of the Aircraft Maintenance Retirement Party held at the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club in Dorval in 1983 which appeared in NetLetter nr 1338 and 1339, here are three more.
 Here we have Mrs. Dolkjar, Andy Vanderbanck (retiree ex Aircraft Maintenance Foreman), Mrs. Vanderbanck, John Doljar.
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This is Ron Sinclair (retiree ex-General Appearance Foreman), Mrs.Whittingstall, Mrs. Sinclair, Phil Whittingstall.
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This is Ross Watson (retiree ex Paint Shop Foreman) Micheline Poupart, Mrs. Watson, Jim Riddoch
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Jack Stephens had sent us an e-mail he received from Don Heron regarding Don's father. He had also forwarded us some photos which appeared in NetLetter nr 1339.
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 When George Heron moved to Winnipeg, he took these photos. CF-TCA was the first aircraft (a Lockheed 10A Fin# 23) at Winnipeg.
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 "Oops" this photo is of CF-TCA which, prior to stationary run-up, a mechanic retracted the landing gear instead of the flaps.
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 Some of the new fleet inside the YWG hangar circa 1939.
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TCA/AC People Gallery
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 1940 - February 15th - Scheduled service between Moncton and Montreal commenced.
1950 - April 1st - Service inaugurated between Montreal - New York and on  April 2nd - Service inaugurated between Montreal - Tampa. (top photo)
2008 – December 14th - Launch of daily B-777 daily non-stop service between Canada and Sydney, Australia.Â
Â
2013- (August 20) - Air Canada August 20th 2013 opens state-of-the-art Global Operations Centre in Brampton Ontario.
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AirBC timetable from the collection of David Zekria.
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Extracted from the "Between Ourselves" magazine issued July/August 1960.
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Daily return Viscount service inaugurated between Yarmouth, NS and Boston during June 1960.
Toronto - Chicago Viscount service operated in both O'Hare and Midway airports.
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 TCA flight 303 on June 15th,1960 was the first flight to operate out of Ottawa's $55 million new airport terminal. The Toronto bound Viscount, shown in the photo is in front of the new building, arriving were the first 40 passengers from the new facilities at Uplands Airport. This was the TCA's 7,747th day of operation out of Uplands Airport. Ottawa has been included on the Company's route map since April 1st., 1939.
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From the Presidents column -
On May 27th., 1960, DC-8 fin 803 CF-TJC piloted by Captain Robert M. Smith and Captain G.B.Lothian to establish a record crossing on a pre-inaugural flight from Montreal to London, England. In doing so, they covered the distance of 3,247.3 statute miles in five hours forty-four minutes, forty-two seconds.
At an average speed of 909.75 kilometers or 565.3 stature MPH. Part of the record covered the Ottawa to London, England segment at 3,344.1 miles in five hours fifty-five minutes and twenty-two seconds averaging 905.9 kilometers or 562.9 statute MPH.
Airlines other than TCA have found that revenue passengers do not enjoy taking part in a flight attempting to break a record. Having paid their money, the passengers feel the airline is not entitled to indulge in anything associated with the word "Sportif". Therefore that is why it is extremely unlikely that any scheduled revenue flight will ever establish an "official record".
This difficulty does not apply to pre-inaugurals, as the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (F.A.I.) is contacted in advance, and FAI observers are included on such flights. Any records thus established under authorized supervision, will be officially observed and recorded.
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 MISS TCARA for 1960, Barbara Blake of General Sales is shown with the four other beauties who competed for the title at the Montreal Picnic during June 1960.
On the left: Linda McIvor, who was first runner-up and next to her is Marlese Solga of Purchasing & Supply.
On the extreme right is Jane Ellis of Reservations Records who was chosen second runner-up, and, on her right is Natalle Hermanchuk, also of Purchasing & Supply. |
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Located in the "Horizons" magazine issued February 2008 (used with permission)
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Humanitarian mission in Peru.
 In cooperation with the Quebec Breakfast Club – Project Sismik, two Air Canada and one Jazz employee went with the group of young people to lend a hand and make a difference in the Peruvian community. Air Canada offered them paid leave with benefits as per their regular working hours, without affecting their annual vacation – a great opportunity. During their stay in Peru, their transportation costs (including the return flight from Canada to Peru), accommodation, food, and other miscellaneous costs incurred in the journey were all paid by Air Canada Kids’ Horizons and the program organizers – The Quebec Breakfast Club.
In our photo we have (L-R) Karine Lacerte, Operational Research Analyst in Dorval; Patrick Gardiner, Lead Station Attendant in Whitehorse, and Dany Robitaille, Air Canada Jazz Pilot.
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Go Raptors Go!
In January, a group of Customer Service employees enjoyed a night out at a Toronto Raptors basketball game.
 Pictured (L-R): Eileen Fontaine, Customer Service Manager;Andrew Wong, Customer Sales and Service Agent; Francis Dookeran, Customer Sales and Service Agent; LaWanda Smith-Blackwood, Customer Service Manager; Sue Lupson, Customer Service Manager; Sam Alsamarrai, Customer Sales and Service Agent; Keith Dias, Customer Service Manager; Karen Lewis, Customer Sales and Service Agent; Lisa Cabral, Customer Sales and Service Agent
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Alan's Space
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 The Real Reason Why There's a Tiny Hole in Airplane Windows
If you look closely at a typical passenger cabin window, you’ll see three panes, typically made of acrylic materials. The purpose of the innermost pane—sometimes called the scratch pane, but I like to call it the smudge pane - is merely to protect the next one.
The middle pane (with the breather hole in it) and the outer pane are more important. Generally speaking, as an aircraft climbs, the air pressure drops in both the cabin and the outside air—but it drops much more outside, as the aircraft’s pressurization system keeps the cabin pressure at a comfortable and safe level. This means that the pressure inside the aircraft during flight is typically much greater than the pressure outside.
It turns out that itsy bitsy hole in the bottom of your airplane window is actually a very important safety feature. It's all-too-easy to let your mind wander when you're confined to a tiny box of space while hurtling 40,000 feet in the air at hundreds of miles per hour, but rest assured: every single window on the airplane has the same hole. More officially, it's called a breather hole and it's used to regulate the amount of pressure that passes between the window's inner and outer panes. In short, the system ensures that the outer pane bears the most pressure so that if there were a situation that caused added strain on the window, it's the outside panel that gives out (meaning you can still breathe).
The breather hole also keeps the window fog-free by wicking moisture that gets stuck between the panes. After all, half the fun of an airplane ride is the in-flight scenery shots. Mystery solved.
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CPAir, Canadi>n People Gallery
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 1963 - October
Eastern Provincial Airways timetable.
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Pulled out of the "Info Cargo" Magazine issue dated July 1991.
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 In February 1989, employees in St. John's (YYT) worked in a 4000 sq. ft. blue and white striped tent. Because daylight penetrates The Norseman's tent translucent sides and walls, it was surprisingly bright inside. Keeping warm during one of Newfoundland's famous 'noreasters was never a problem, except for fuel costs.
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In our photos, at the left: Hudson Kane, Ruby Moores and Pam McGrory. And here we have their accommodations.
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 Honolulu cargo employees, from the left: Jeffrey Lum, Felix Tabisola and Ken Hirai load Sanyo VHS cameras bound for Canada.
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 In order to accommodate extra freight, Air Cargo employed this addition to its fleet. |
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Betty Draper has sent us this from "The Leader-Post" newspaper dated September 2, 1943
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| RECORD MADE.
 Arrival of this crew at the Regina airport, Tuesday night marked the completion of 100 percent efficiency record for the pilots and planes of the Saskatchewan division of C/P/Airlines. In the picture.
From the left: Captain. P.D.Iverson, First Officer H.E.Thorn; W.T.Dunn, flying assistant superintendent and H.T.Bancroft, supervisor of maintenance.
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Perfect Efficiency Mark For August.
When Capt. P.D.Iverson taxied the southbound Barkley Grow airliner to a stop at the Regina airport ramp and switched off the engines shortly before 8:10 pm Tuesday his actions signaled the completion of a record by the Saskatchewan division of  Canadian Pacific Airlines. With this trip the pilots and planes of the prairie airline and office staffs made a new efficiency record.
Two Beechcraft and one Barkley-Grow type airliners, the former carrying six passengers and the latter eight, fly the route. Two-way radio communication is maintained in the air, planes are equipped with radio compasses. One flight originates daily in the morning from Regina and terminates at North Battleford with stops at Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and Price Albert, with a return flight in the evening. Another flight originates at Saskatoon, calls at Moose Jaw and ends at Regina, with a return flight the same day.
For the month of August, they had flown 31,636 miles, or roughly, the equivalent of one and a quarter times around the world at the equator. Not one scheduled mile had been lost. Six hundred and ninety-one passengers had been carried.
Since the formation five years ago personnel has grown from 23 to 38, included are three captains, three first officers. Air distance between Regina and North Battleford is 366 miles. It is flown in two hours and 50 minutes.
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 Wayne's Wings
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 Boeing 747- 400Â
I’ve been tracking down the current status of the seven Boeing 747-400 series that flew between 1990 and 2003 with Canadian registrations. Four of the aircraft (in all passenger configuration) entered the C.A.I.L. fleet beginning in 1990. Air Canada originally ordered seven but only took delivery of three (in combi configuration) in 1991 and then placed them in storage until 1993 when Air Canada was granted rights to fly Asian routes. Both airlines utilized the aircraft on the fast growing Asian market.Â
Following is a list of the aircraft with their original registrations and delivery dates.Â
C-GMWW – C.A.I.L. Fin # 881 – December 11, 1990
Last flew in the Aerolineas Argentinas fleet under registration LV-BBU until June 2012 when it was returned off lease to Ansett Worldwide. It has been stored at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona under registration N278AW since June 14, 2012. 
C-FCRA - C.A.I.L. Fin # 882 – February 15, 1991 (Pictured)
Last flew in the Aerolineas Argentinas fleet under registration LV-AXF while leased from Pegasus. It has been stored since January 2012. No location available.
C-GAGL – AC Fin # 341 – June 4, 1991
Converted to all cargo configuration by Air China in 2006. Still in service with MyCargo Airlines of Turkey under registration TC-ACH.
C-GAGM - AC Fin # 342 – July 16, 1991
Last flew for Dubai Air Wing in VIP configuration under registration A6-COM. According to Planefinders.net its last flight on June 8, 2014. No information given for where it is stored.
C-GAGN- AC Fin # 343 – August 30, 1991
Converted to all cargo configuration by Air China in 2006. Still in service with Saudi Arabian Airlines on a lease from MyCargo Airlines under registration TC-ACJ.
C-FBCA - C.A.I.L. Fin # 884 – April 22, 1992
Last flew in the Aerolineas Argentinas fleet under registration LV-ALI until April 2012 when it was leased to AeroSur of Bolivia. The lease was not taken up and it was returned to Sky Holding Company. It has been stored at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona under registration N971PG October, 2012.
C-FGHZ - C.A.I.L. Fin #885 - April 3, 1995
Originally assigned to Philippine Airlines, it was not taken up at the time and flew for C.A.I.L. until March of 2001 when it was then returned to GECAS. Philippine Airlines then leased the aircraft under registration C-FGHZ from December 2002 until August 2013. It is presently stored at Greenwood-LaFlore Airport in Mississippi.
Sources: Planespotters.net and Airfleets.net
Note: Captain Dennis Giguere sent along this clarification concerning the circumstances of the entry of the fleet -
The Air Canada 747-400 combis were delivered to Air Canada from storage in the Mojave Desert by newly trained Air Canada pilots in the April 1992 and entered service shortly thereafter flying to CDG / LHR and FRA. Hollis Harris had just taken over as CEO and he wanted them in service ASAP.
 I was one of the newly trained captains. Half of us were trained at Boeing and the rest at NATCO in MSP. Service to Asia began in 1994 to Seoul then Osaka and finally Hong Kong as I remember.
Dennis Giguere
We thank Captain Giguere for sharing his personal experience. |
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Reader's Feedback
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Ken Pickford refers to the article sent us by Diane and David Bellemy under "Terry's trivia and travel tips" in NetLetter nr 1337.
You've been including some links recently to the "RoadWarriorVoices.com" site. While the articles are of moderate interest, it's obvious the writer wasn't born until long after the periods he's writing about.
For example, the "1950s" link mentions that the 707 had "round windows". Not correct. They were rectangular, just like the original Comet, but smaller. Part of the Comet's early structural issues weren't just the windows but the use of fuselage skin that was too thin. They did replace the rectangular windows with round windows on the heavily modified Comet 4 that went into service in 1958 but Boeing and Douglas didn't follow.
In his 1940s link, he mentions that "all" Stratocruisers had seats that converted into beds. Those seats were options, not standard equipment. He also includes the following sentence:Â "Cabins, from the rear of the plane all the way up to the first class seats up front, were constructed to allow passengers the utmost comfort."
As anyone who flew in the propeller era will recall, first class on aircraft with more than one class of service was at the rear, not the front. Unlike jets, the rear of propeller aircraft was the quietest part, as far from the engines as possible. First class moved to the front with the arrival of the jets, for the same reason.
Regards Ken
In NetLetter nr 1318 we had an article regarding “The aviation race is on”.
Norman Hogwood, in New Zealand, refers to one of the items and sends this comment -
The Emirates non-stop flight between Dubai and Auckland commenced on March 01. Because AKL has been so kind to them they popped an A380 on the first service, replacing the scheduled B777-200LR which has operated it since. My wife’s sister from Holland used it and arrived here last Saturday. Blocks time was 15hrs 01min. Her suitcase arrived 48hrs later!!
Qatar Airways has now announced that it will commence a non-stop Doha-Auckland service in December. 18hrs! The cheap fuel is driving airlines crazy.
Cheers. Norm
George Wallace wants to set the records straight in NetLetter nr 1339 -
 Ref the DC8 acceptance picture at Tulsa Oklahoma in this issue 1339,
The Douglas representative is Jim Pintus (spelling error) and the unknown maintenance representative Tulsa is George Wallace. I was the maintenance representative the McDonnell Douglas facility in Tulsa in 1980/81/82.
George Wallace. |
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Odds and Ends
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1981 - March - Timetable for AirBC.Â
 AirBC was formed December 1, 1980 on the merger of Airwest, Gulf-Air Aviation, Haida Airlines, Island Airlines and West Coast Air Services. Air BC was a division of the Jim Pattison Group of Companies.
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Air New Zealand to 3D print its own aircraft interior parts.
The airline has been working with Auckland University of Technology to manufacture the fold down cocktail trays that form part of its Business Premier seat using innovative 3D printing - also known as additive layer manufacturing technology.
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For a very short period of time, billionaire Donald Trump -Â the Republican front-runner in the race to the White House - also tried to become an airline entrepreneur.
 Trump bought the venerable Eastern Air Shuttle in 1988. The Shuttle flew hourly flights between Washington DCA, New York LGA and Boston for 27 years. But the Shuttle was a victim in the Eastern Air Lines labor disputes under the leadership of Frank Lorenzo, and Trump moved on it.
Trump bought 17 Boeing 727s and changed the whole character of the very basic Shuttle, attempting to make the service a luxury experience, adding wood veneer floors and gold-colored bathroom fixtures. Shuttle fliers were not impressed. They loved the ease and simplicity of the original Shuttle. Passengers could show up at the airport a half-hour before their flight and hop on the no-reservation Shuttle and arrive at their destination an hour later.
Lack of interest in the Trump Shuttle plus high fuel prices caused Trump to default on his $360 million-plus loan and the airline closed in 1992.
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Terry's Trivia and Travel Tips
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UK finance minister George Osborne has signaled a further rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) in his annual budget speech. APD is charged on most passengers on flight departing from UK airports.
It is one of the highest rates of passenger taxes in the world and can add as much as ÂŁ146 ($206) to the price of a ticket, depending on the class of cabin chosen and the distance flown by the passenger.
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David Reynolds had this photo printed in "Horizons" February 2008 (with permission).
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 The Interline Club of Portugal will host the 29th Passarola Golf Cup at Vilamoura on Portugal's Algarve region. October 25th thru 29th 2016. The Golf Event has no deadline date posted at this time, but this is a popular event so book early. €492. Full details at www.waca.org
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The Jordan Adventure 2016 a WACA International event being hosted by the Jordan Interline Club from May 29th thru June 3rd 2016. Deadline April 28th 2016 cost $900 USD. Full details at www.waca.org.
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Airline Club Bahamas present their first annual "Island Dreamz" in Treasure Cay, Abaco from July 14th - 18th, 2016. Deadline April 15th 2016 cost $700 USD. Full details at www.waca.org
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The Interline Club of Israel is pleased to invite all Interline club members to visit Israel in spring time and enjoy their "Spring Holy Land Tour" from June 3rd thru 9th 2016. Stay in Jerusalem & Tel Aviv. Visit Jerusalem Old & New city, Masada, Dead Sea, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee & many other sites. Full details www.waca.org
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Smileys
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 This cartoon by Dave Mathias appeared in the "Between Ourselves" magazine issued July/August 1960.
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Terry Baker | Alan Rust | Wayne Albertson
NetLetter Staff for 2016
(you can read our bios at www.thenetletter.net/history)
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E&OE - (errors and omissions excepted) - The historical information as well as any other information provided in the "NetLetter" is subject to correction and may have changed over time. We do publish corrections (and correct the original article) when this is brought to our attention.
Disclaimer: Please note that neither the NetLetter or the ACFamily Network necessarily endorse any airline related or other "deals" that we provide for our readers. We would be interested in any feedback (good or bad) when using these companies though and will report the results here. We do not (normally) receive any compensation from any companies that we post in our newsletters. If we do receive a donation or other compensation, it will be indicated as a sponsored article or link.
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