Airlines in Canada 1960s Coast to Coast Documentary
Details
THIS IS THE FULL 69 MINUTE SHOW: You can also watch in shorter segments (PART 1) (PART 2) (PART 3)
This show is the continuation of our airlines in Canada 1940s and 1950s show that was released onto JetFlix TV a few years ago. In this program, we use archival footage from Air Canada archives (via Archives Canada), the NFB, and BAe Systems (via Scott Henderson) to tell the fascinating story of the airline industry in Canada during the exciting decade of the 1960s.
The two major airlines of the day were Montreal based TCA / Air Canada and Canadian Pacific Airlines, based in Vancouver. They were arch rivals through and through, and nipping at their buds were the smaller carriers like Pacific Western Airlines and Nordair, Quebecair and competition from US based airlines. In this mostly colour film produced by JetFlix TV founder Henry Tenby over an 8 year period of research and film sourcing, we tell the story of how both of these airlines and the industry and aircraft evolved from the early 1960s, to the late 1960s, as well as into the early 1970s with the delivery of the first 747s jumbo jets.
All the fabulous airliners are the day are presented including Douglas DC-8s, Vickers Viscounts and Vanguards, the DoulasDC-9, and aircraft operated by Nordair, BC Air Lines, and Pacific Western Airlines. The story is told at Canada’s three largest airports, namely Montreal Dorval, Toronto and Vancouver. And the Vancouver footage (in glorious colour) was shot before the opening of the new terminal building in 1968, meaning it was taken at the old South Terminal when it was the main airport for Vancouver.
Previous Video
Airlines in Canada 1960s Coast to Coast Documentary - Part 1
9 Responses to “Airlines in Canada 1960s Coast to Coast Documentary”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Absolutely amazing footage. And thank you for your excellent running commentary, Henry. Being a child of the 50s and 60s I feel very fortunate to remember every single moment of those exciting trips. My first ride on a DC8 was in 1962 on CPA from AMS to YVR. I was so excited to be travelling on a jet! I remember well when the DC8-61 was introduced. One of our neighbours had travelled on one, and was so surprised that the aircraft was so long that it had to be boarded by row number!
My favourite part of the flight was the startup of those amazing sounding RR engines. There is absolutely no sound, no music, that can compare! And the big picture windows and comfortable Palomar seats. I could go on and on. And everyone dressed – and acted appropriately. Thanks for the memories!
Carl
Hi Carl, I am thrilled you enjoyed this show. It took me so long put to the time and effort into to it and getting it completed. I am younger than you but also have fabulous memories of my flights in the 1960s. For me it was Air Canada Viscounts from Toronto to Ottawa in the late 60s and early 1970s during our regular family visits to my mum’s family. We would typically fly on an Air Canada DC-8 trans-con from YVR. But I also remembers CP Air short and stretch DC-8 rides between YVR and HNL. One return flight from HNL back to YVR on a stretch CP Air DC-8 circa 1979 or 1980 was through/during a lightening storm, and the turbulence was spectacular. I remember looking forward up the aisle from the rear of the aircraft and you could see the flex and warping of the fuselage in the turbulence. That was kind of neat. You are right about the fabulous sounds of a DC-8 engine start.
I’ve watched a lot of what you have to offer here on Jetflix TV. This video has become my all time favorite on here. I’ve watched it 3 or 4 times now and it’s just a great video history of those times. Your narration on this one is top notch, Henry. Excellent footage of those really great airplanes from back then. I grew up in the 60’s. My Dad would take me to the airport and we would watch planes and if I was lucky we would get to go into the airport to the snack bar and get a Coca Cola or a milkshake for a treat.
Hi James, I am thrilled you enjoyed this video and it brought back good memories of the 1960s airport visits for you. That’s what we like to hear! We were lucky to get access to this amazing footage.
Thank you James, glad to hear this film has become a favourite, that is great to hear. I tried my best with the narration, I did script it of course, and did my best to record it properly. At least it gets the message across, as I am just as passionate over this stuff as you are …I wish we had unlimited volumes of this type of footage. This is some of the highest quality footage as it was professionally shot with 16mm cameras instead of the usual 8mm consumer cameras. And the guys who shot this film knew what they were doing, used tripods etc. So their skill in filming complements the wonderful subject matter, which makes it all that much more special. I am lucky I was able to get access to this footage so it could be shared and appreciated here for everyone’s enjoyment. Thank you again for the kind comments.
Watching this again after I don’t know how many times. It just brings back all the memories of how thrilling it was for me to travel on the DC8. Like you say, the startup of the Conway engines was a symphony to my ears. The video certainly reminds me of how fortunate I am to be a child of the 50s and 60s. Experiences like this are just impossible for someone who has not had the privilege of flying on one of these planes to comprehend. If I never travel on an airplane again, I will always be grateful for the experience, and can always relive the memories in this wonderful video!
Cheers,
Carl
Hi Carl, thank you so much for sharing your appreciation of how special the footage is of the DC-8 Conways, and the fabulous live sounds of the engine start. It is extremely rare this audio, because I know of no other straight pipe DC-8 engine sound in live recordings that exist on the planet, other than the Human Fly video, which has a few second of engine start footage from the mid 1970s filmed at Mojave airport. Although I was born in 1964, my memories of flying on stove pipe short DC-8s are very distant as I was too young and it was so long ago. I have memories of the stretch DC-8s of both Air Canada trans-con, and CP Air between YVR and Hawaii. But short DC-8 memories are too far back for me unfortunately. I wonder of more amazing footage like this will emerge in the future, with the live engine sounds. Of course there is loads of films with dubbed engine sounds, and that is not in the same league as vintage films with live, actual engine sounds of the day.
What a wonderful presentation. Enjoyed all this very rare film footage.
Thank you Henry for bringing so much enjoyment to this long time aviation enthusiast.
Cheers…Herman
PS….being associated with several Flight Simulator sites such as Historic Jetliner Group and Historic Airline Group I have made them aware of your web site and jetflicks.
Hi Herman, thank you so much for the appreciation of the footage preservation that we as Canadians hold so dear and important to us. This particular film was a massive undertaking for me, working with the NFB to access their amazing footage in their vaults, that never sees the light of day if not for these sorts of efforts. Thank you very much for helping get the word out about JetFlix TV amongst the Flight Sim community, that is very much appreciated.