Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPA) was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. The company was formed as a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and was initially established to provide air services for remote communities along CPR’s rail lines.
CPA’s early years were marked by rapid expansion, as the airline rapidly expanded its route network to include major cities across Canada. The airline’s primary focus was on passenger service, but it also operated a significant air freight business, carrying goods to and from remote communities.
In the 1950s and 1960s, CPA faced increasing competition from other Canadian airlines, as well as from international carriers. Despite this, the airline continued to grow, adding new routes and modernizing its fleet with the introduction of jet aircraft.
In the 1970s, however, CPA began to experience financial difficulties, as rising fuel costs and increased competition took their toll. In 1987, the airline was acquired by Canadian Airlines International, and CPA was eventually merged into the larger airline.
Despite its relatively short lifespan, CPA played an important role in the development of Canada’s aviation industry, helping to connect remote communities and expand air travel across the country. The airline’s legacy lives on through its successor, Canadian Airlines International, which continued to operate until 2001, when it was merged into Air Canada.
In 1969, a young Cuban man named Rafael Trujillo made a daring escape from Cuba in search of freedom. His journey began in Havana, where he managed to sneak into the airport and hide himself in the undercarriage of a Spanish jet bound for Madrid.
The flight was over 5,000 miles and was expected to take around 10 hours, but Trujillo was determined to reach his destination. He huddled in the cramped and freezing space, enduring turbulence and the deafening noise of the engine. Despite the conditions, he managed to cling on to the aircraft for the entire journey.
When the Spanish jet finally touched down in Madrid, Trujillo emerged from his hiding place and was immediately arrested by airport security. Despite being taken into custody, Trujillo refused to give up on his quest for freedom.
He was eventually able to secure a ride on an Air Canada DC-8 that was traveling to Toronto, and with the help of a group of sympathetic technicians, he was able to hide himself in the undercarriage of the aircraft once again.
The journey from Madrid to Toronto was even longer than the first leg of his journey, but Trujillo was able to endure the harsh conditions once again. When the Air Canada jet finally touched down in Toronto, Trujillo emerged from his hiding place and was finally free.
Trujillo’s incredible story of determination and perseverance captured the attention of the world, and he became an inspiration to others who were seeking freedom from oppressive regimes. His bravery and resourcefulness serve as a testament to the human spirit and the lengths that people will go to in order to achieve their dreams.
Today, Trujillo’s story is remembered as a true example of the power of the human spirit, and it continues to inspire people around the world to pursue their own dreams and fight for their own freedoms.
It was a typical day at the Toronto International Airport for Jim Harrison, an Air Canada employee, when he was asked to oversee the unloading of a special shipment from London. The shipment, from the Waterloo Zoological Research Association, was a box containing one of two crocodiles that were to be housed at the local zoo.
Jim approached the box with caution, knowing that live crocodiles can be dangerous and unpredictable creatures. He gingerly opened the box and peered inside, admiring the powerful and magnificent animal before him. The crocodile was approximately six feet long and had a distinctive armored skin, making it a formidable opponent in the wild.
Despite its intimidating appearance, Jim was fascinated by the creature and couldn’t help but be impressed by its raw strength and primal instincts. He had always been interested in exotic animals, and he felt grateful to be a part of this exciting shipment.
As Jim took a closer look at the box, he noticed that it had been labeled with the words “Handle with care”. This was a clear indication that the contents of the box were valuable and fragile, and Jim took this responsibility seriously. He carefully placed the box onto a trolley and wheeled it towards the waiting truck that would take the crocodile to its new home at the zoo.
The journey was uneventful, and Jim arrived at the zoo without incident. He carefully transferred the crocodile into its new enclosure and watched as it adjusted to its new surroundings. The other crocodile had already arrived, and the two of them were soon basking in the sun and exploring their new home.
Jim felt a sense of pride as he watched the crocodiles settle into their new home. He knew that he had played a small but important role in bringing these magnificent creatures to Canada, and he felt lucky to have been a part of it.
Years later, Jim would look back on that day with fondness, remembering the thrill of working with live crocodiles and the excitement of being a part of such a unique and special shipment.
On July 31, 1971, an Air Canada DC-8 passenger jet was hijacked by a lone male passenger who threatened to blow up the plane if his demands were not met. The flight, originating in Montreal and bound for London, England, was forced to divert to Havana, Cuba, where it remained for several hours while negotiations took place between the hijacker and Canadian authorities.
The hijacker, a 23-year-old man named Pierre Richard Raymond Jolin, was a former Canadian army private who had a history of mental health issues and had recently been discharged from the military. Jolin claimed to have a bomb in his briefcase and threatened to detonate it if his demands were not met. He demanded the release of several political prisoners and a ransom of $500,000 in exchange for the release of the passengers and crew.
During the negotiations, Jolin released several passengers and crew members, but held the remaining hostages on board the aircraft. Cuban authorities, who had initially granted permission for the plane to land in Havana, became increasingly concerned about the situation and were prepared to use force if necessary.
After several hours of negotiations, Canadian authorities agreed to meet Jolin’s demands, and he released the remaining hostages and surrendered to Cuban authorities. The hijacker was later handed over to Canadian authorities and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.
The incident was a major turning point in the history of air travel and had significant impacts on aviation security and crisis management. It led to the introduction of new security measures and protocols, including the creation of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and the establishment of a dedicated air marshal program. The Air Canada DC-8 hijacking also served as a wake-up call for the aviation industry, which had been largely complacent about the threat of hijackings up until that point.
Once upon a time, in 1976, there was a young pilot named Ryan Dyer who worked for Air Canada. He was proud to be a part of the airline and loved flying in the clear blue skies of Canada. However, there was a growing concern among the pilots, including Ryan, about the language used by the air traffic control (ATC) towers.
In those days, the Canadian government required that all commercial air traffic control towers have bilingual capabilities, meaning that they must be able to communicate with pilots in both English and French. This posed a problem for many of the pilots, who felt that it was unnecessary and added an unnecessary layer of complexity to their already challenging jobs.
Ryan and his fellow pilots decided to take a stand and voted to support their executive in the fight against this bilingual requirement. They felt that it was unnecessary and only added confusion and delay to their flights. They argued that the majority of their communication with the ATC towers was done in English, and that the French requirement was redundant and added little value.
Their efforts paid off and the government eventually relented, allowing Air Canada and other airlines to use English as the primary language for communication with the ATC towers. Ryan and the other pilots were relieved, as this change made their jobs much easier and allowed them to focus on their primary task of safely flying their passengers from one destination to another.
To commemorate this victory, Ryan had a special pin made with the slogan “English in the Skies” which he proudly wore on his uniform every day. The pin became a symbol of the pilots’ hard-fought battle and their commitment to making their jobs as safe and efficient as possible.
Years went by and Ryan continued to fly the skies of Canada, always wearing his “English in the Skies” pin with pride. He never forgot the struggle that he and his fellow pilots went through, and the importance of standing up for what they believed in. To this day, the pin remains a symbol of their victory and a reminder of the importance of advocating for what is right, even in the face of opposition.
It was a sunny day in June of 1946, when history was made at Malton Airport in Canada. The first shipment of cattle ever to leave Canada by air was about to take off. This was a momentous occasion, as it marked a major milestone in the aviation industry and the livestock industry.
The cattle were carefully loaded onto the aircraft, each one accompanied by a team of experienced handlers who ensured their comfort and safety during the flight. The flight was a historic event, and the entire airport was buzzing with excitement as the engines of the plane roared to life.
As the plane took off, the cattle seemed unfazed by the sudden change in surroundings. They calmly stood in their stalls, munching on hay as they were transported to their new home. The flight was smooth, and the cattle arrived at their destination in perfect condition.
This first shipment of cattle by air was a game-changer for the livestock industry. It allowed for the quick and efficient transportation of livestock, reducing the stress and discomfort that was previously associated with long ground journeys. The new method of transportation also allowed for the expansion of the industry, as cattle could now be quickly and easily transported to new markets and customers.
The success of this first shipment paved the way for further advancements in air transportation for livestock. Airlines began to specialize in transporting cattle, and new technologies were developed to make the process even safer and more efficient.
Today, air transportation of livestock is an important and commonplace part of the industry. It has revolutionized the way that cattle are transported, and has allowed for the expansion and growth of the livestock industry. The first shipment of cattle ever to leave Canada by air will always be remembered as a historic event that changed the course of the industry.
From the back seat of a rental car, a concerned 2-year-old boy repeatedly asked his parents the same question: “Where’s Buzz?”
Ashley Davis frantically sifted through the family’s luggage in search of her son Hagen’s beloved Buzz Lightyear action figure. It was nowhere to be found. Hagen was distraught.
“To Hagen, it was the end of the world,” Davis, 31, said. “He wanted his Buzz. He is super-attached.”
It was Jan. 30, and the family of three had just traveled from Sacramento to Dallas, after booking a last-minute flight to attend a funeral.
“My husband’s uncle passed away very suddenly. It was all very fast,” said Davis, who was seven months pregnant at the time.
She calmly explained to her son that Buzz was on a “special mission” and would return to him shortly. In other words, she was planning to purchase a replacement toy at a nearby Target store.
Little did Davis know, though, that Buzz was, in fact, on a special mission, and would soon be back.
Jason William Hamm, a Southwest Airlines ramp agent at the Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Ark., spearheaded an elaborate effort to return Buzz to his rightful owner.
He commenced the reunion mission after Beth Buchanan, an operations agent at Southwest Airlines, discovered the toy in the aircraft, which had landed in Little Rock after departing from Dallas.
“It was the last flight of the night, and we always have to go through and make sure people don’t leave anything,” Buchanan, 56, said. “They always do.”
While sweeping through the cabin, she spotted the action figure and noticed the name “Hagen” inscribed on the bottom of Buzz’s boot in permanent marker – a nod to “Toy Story,” since Andy writes his own name on the sole of his toys’ shoes. Rather than tossing the stranded doll in the airline’s lost-and-found bin, she decided to look through the passenger list.
“I was thinking about how this little boy is missing his little buddy,” Buchanan said.
Hamm, 47, got involved in the search when he saw the toy sitting on his colleague’s desk. After cross-referencing the passenger list with the name on the boot, they confirmed Buzz belonged to a 2-year-old boy from Elk Grove, Calif.
“Once we realized there was somebody connected to this toy, I thought, I got to get it back to him somehow,” said Hamm.
Once they tracked down Hagen’s information, Hamm sent an email to the family to let them know he located Buzz and wanted to return him, asking for the best address to ship the toy to.
While waiting for a response, Hamm, who has worked at Southwest Airlines for 10 years, got creative. He enjoys aviation photography and decided if he was going to convince this little boy that Buzz was truly on a mission, he would need photo evidence.
He took the action figure to the tarmac to snap some pictures in various locations. He positioned Buzz in front of an airplane, an engine and, obviously, a cockpit.
And he didn’t stop there.
“I thought it would be kind of cool to add a little letter to make it look like Buzz was on a mission,” Hamm said. “I thought it would be a cute keepsake.”
In a space ranger-esque font, Hamm hand-wrote a letter to Hagen, complete with a Buzz Lightyear logo.
“To Commander Hagen,” the letter reads. “I am very excited to return to you upon completing my mission. I was able to explore the airport and spaceport in Little Rock, Arkansas while I was away, and I have included photos of my adventure. My journey has taught me a lot but I am so thankful to return to my buddy.”
He signed the note: “To infinity and beyond! Your buddy, Buzz Lightyear.”
Once Hamm heard back from the Davis family – who said they were stunned to receive the initial email that Buzz had been located – he put together a special package for Hagen.
Hamm printed out the photos he took, bubble-wrapped Buzz, and tucked in the handwritten letter. Then he decorated the exterior of the cardboard box with a drawing of Buzz Lightyear, stars and planets, as well as classic “Toy Story” sayings, like “Not today, Zurg!” and, of course, “To infinity and beyond!”
“I wanted it to be a beautiful experience when he opened it up,” Hamm said. “I just thought he would love it. I had no idea who he was, but I knew somebody was missing Buzz, and was probably really sad.”
Plus, “it was such a boring box. Why not make it cool looking?” he added. “I was smiling the whole time I was drawing. I had a blast.”
For Hamm, his own parenting experiences propelled him to “go the extra mile,” he said.
“I have an autistic son, and he gets attached to toys. If he loses a toy, I know how hard it is for him,” said Hamm, who has two children, ages 15 and 12.
“It’s the dad in me, I guess you could say,” he added.
Hamm sent the package at his own expense and tracked the parcel until it finally arrived on Hagen’s doorstep at the end of February.
Upon opening the package, Davis was speechless, she said. While she was relieved that Buzz was back, she did not anticipate he would return in a decorated box, complete with a handwritten note and printed photos.
“I cried when I opened it,” she said. “You could see all the love he put into it.”
Once the tears subsided, Davis smiled, she said, thinking of all the people who got a kick out of the Buzz-themed package.
“I wonder how many people chuckled when they saw the box with Buzz on it, as it made its way to infinity and beyond, from Arkansas all the way to California,” she said.
Hagen was thrilled, too. His excitement was caught on camera, and the couple sent a video of his reaction to Hamm.
“Thank you, Jason,” Hagen said, clinging eagerly to his newly returned toy.
Seeing the boy’s smile, Hamm said, made it all worth it.
“When they sent the video, that made me tear up. How can you not love that?” he said.
Davis said she plans to keep the box, the card and photos in a special place for Hagen, so he can always remember the kindness a stranger showed him.
“For Jason to go above and beyond for someone he did not know, and to take that much time and effort, it’s just incredible,” she said.
Carson Daly can finally add a new day job to his résumé: baggage handler.
The 42-year-old TV host spent a freezing winter day as Delta Air Lines’ ramp agent at JFK for a five-minute segment on the “Today” show, which aired on Wednesday as part of the morning program’s “Up for the Job” series.
Daly joined the carrier’s ground crew to show what work life’s like for the roughly 37,000 employees at the international airport.
It didn’t take Daly long to realize the tough haul ahead of him. Wearing an orange windbreaker, neon earmuffs and kneepads — and sporting an athletic cup — the “Today” anchor hauled heavy bags, schlepped more than 3,000 pounds of cargo, and towed an aircraft from one place to another.
One of the covert selfies Carson Daly took while spending the day working at JFK.Carson Daly
His favorite part of the job? Marshaling incoming planes to the gate using lightsaber-esque batons.
But it’s not all fun and games below the airplane wing. Handlers are prohibited from using cellphones (no selfies!) or playing music on their luggage carts.
As Delta spells out on its Web site, ground agents are expected to be able to lift up to 70 pounds of luggage, work in extreme weather conditions, and labor in confined spaces.
While Daly experienced the fun parts of the job, some former airline workers weren’t as lucky. Handlers have complained about injuries incurred from transporting luggage, and one ramp agent even shared his horror story on Salon when a vindictive supervisor rammed a luggage cart into his. Yikes!
I used to work at Kansas City International Airport. These are my stories and stories I’ve heard. Ramp agents basically do all ground services for the planes. In my case the only thing we didn’t do is fueling. This is a long post my stories are at the end.
When you first start you have to be escorted everywhere until you get a badge. You can only escort a max of 2 people. The guys next to us had 7 people working for a 3 man job with only one person with a badge. I’m surprised they never got caught cause TSA does random badge checks down the airport.
United was the source of a lot of horror stories. One time they managed to back their plane into a delta plane costing millions of dollars and two planes full of pissed off people. Also, somehow they managed to get an entire crew of people using fake names. While they were in the middle of a turn, they had the FBI come and take their entire crew away. I have no clue how they handled that one.
One of our jobs was pumping all of the shit out of the lavs. It just so happens that the lav port on the planes we saw the most were not top notch. You have to triple check every time to make sure the hose is on correctly. One of our guys failed to secure it and took a shit shower. He almost got in trouble for running across the ramp stripping all of his cloths off where everyone inside could see. When we stole the contract from that group of 7 we kept one person and he was some ex-army dickhead. You know that blue stuff in the toilets? We fill that while dumping the shit and Mr Armydick didn’t clamp that hose down turning him into a member of the blue man group. His face was stained blue for three days.
The wind at 4 in the morning in a flat area is freezing during the winter. I would move just outside the blast zone of the engines when they were on for warmth.
Now my turn. I have two stories that I was directly involved in. Both involve pushing back the plane.
When you push back a plane you have two people behind the plane watching the sides and back and stopping traffic. The left engine gets turned on before you even leave the gate. One time with the plane half way out of the envelope a truck decided he didn’t want to wait and drove behind the plane forcing me to slam the brakes, rocking the entire fucking plane. Before I can get shit from the captain I tell him some idiot decided to drive behind him and he was damn near speechless and told me to continue the push.
Another time I forgot to put the pin in the tow bar that connects the tractor to the plane. I got all the way through the push without the bar falling off until it was time to stop. I hit the brakes and the plane kept rolling. I panicked and couldnt get the words out to tell the captain to brake. The plane stopped on it’s own and started rolling back towards me. He noticed the moment I finally said it and braked just before we made contact. The plane was delayed four hours because that airline pulled all of its mechanics and we had to wait for someone who was authorized to look at it for five seconds and say “yup, your good”.
Side note: The wind at 4 in the morning in a flat area is freezing during the winter. I would move just outside the blast zone of the engines when they were on for warmth. Dangerous, but feels amazing.
Canadian Air Force Colonel Clegg Forbes lands at a military hospital to check on his co-pilot and friend Major William Gart. The two recently flew an experimental spaceplane, the X-20, but it disappeared from radar for a day before crash landing in the desert with Gart sustaining a broken leg. Forbes questions Gart about the number of people on the mission and is confused when Gart says only the two of them were aboard. Forbes insists that their best friend and fellow pilot, Colonel Ed Harrington, was also present.
A flashback shows Harrington and Forbes leaving the hospital after passing their physical exams and visiting a bar. Suddenly, Harrington feels like he doesn’t belong in the world and vanishes after a strange phone call with his parents who deny his existence. Despite searching, Forbes can’t find any trace of Harrington.
Back in the present, Forbes finishes his story to Gart but is distressed by Gart’s claim of not knowing Harrington. When Forbes looks in a mirror and sees no reflection, he runs out of the room in fear. Gart tries to follow but Forbes disappears. The duty nurse confirms that no one named Forbes was ever in the hospital, causing Gart to also vanish in terror.
An officer arrives at the hospital and asks the duty nurse for a spare room. The nurse takes him to the now empty room where the three astronauts were and tells him it’s available. The hangar that housed the X-20 is now empty with only the sheet that covered the craft lying on the ground, leaving no trace of the plane.
