MINI NEWSLETTER Volume 35.2 April 4, 1989
THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF FLIGHT AND TRANSPORTATION 13527 Crescent Road Surrey, B.C. V4A 2W1 Phone (604) 531-3744, FAX (604) 531-4293
“Mini’s” are distributed to keep members Informed on the workings of the museum. Contained in this issue are items of special concern to members, news clips, and other as- sorted bits of information. A regular multi-page newsletter Is in preparation, and should be ready for mailing about May 5.
Annual General Meeting Used Book Sale page 1 Page 2 Help Wanated Spring Dinner Air BC Tour Wings and Wheels ’89 Planning Meeting Staffing and Job Creation Senior’s Wings Report Guided Tours a Feature Again Parking Lot/Wood Chip Pile/Flower Planters Airplane Restorations and Maintenance Page 2 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 6 Page 7
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING APRIL 20
Members are urged to attend this all-important meeting to elect a new board of directors. Please mark this date on your calendar. Meetings are held at the Elgin Centre, (formerly the Elgin Elementary School), corner of 144th Street and Crescent Road. Meeting starts at 8:00 p.m.
If you cannot attend, please send In your Proxy vote to reach us prior to the meeting date, as we must have a quorum of 40 for this Important meeting.
Bev Champniss is the Nominating Committee. Call her at 325-5489 evenings, or leave a message at CMFT (531- 3744) if you would like to become involved with the operation and direction of the museum, either as a full director, or by working on one of the committees. Ask Bev for a “Director’s Package” which details board member’s responsibilities and provides back- ground information. Only members in good standing (paid up) may stand for office or vote.
CMFT’s board is a working board. It consists of 15 members elected annually. By-laws limit the number of times a person can be elected or re-elected to three consecutive years, after which he/she must stand down for a least one
year, although he/she may continue to attend director’s meetings by chairing one of the standing committees. The 5 founding members are lifetime members of the board, and will gradually retire to become Life Governors when the mechanism to do so is in place.
If you feel you can make a contribution to the operation and direction of the CMFT, but are not sure if the job is for you, apply to sit on one of the standing committees. Committee chairmen are expected to attend Director’s meetings, to provide input and to share in the work, but do not have a vote. If you are comfortable with the way things are done, or if you are not, and would like to see change, run for full board membership the following year. The system works extremely well. Time otherwise spent in bringing new directors “up to speed” can be spent on museum business and policy making instead. .
по yes The present board is: Name Eligible to run in ’89 lan Anderson, Fireman, Richmond Bill Emerslund, Vancouver City Police, Van. yes Fred Gardham, Retired, Vancouver Doug Girling, Lab Engineer, Coquitlam yes Colin Hamilton, Retired, White Rock yes Tony Hudak, Body Shop Owner, Surrey Phil Humphrey, Retired, Coquitlam Barry Jackson, Developer, North Vancouver . Lifetime Jane Robinson, Librarian, White Rock David Smith, Job Placement Officer, Surrey yes Joe Smith, Retired, Surrey yes Ron Stunden, Simulator Technician, Richmond Lifetime Bill Thompson, Master Mariner, Garden Bay Lifetime Jerry Vernon, Executive, Burnaby Rose Zalesky, Office Manager, Surrey …yes Lifetime Ed Zalesky, Businessman, Surrey Lifetime April Zalesky, Bank Employee, White Rock yes
по . по Doug Fraser, RCMP, Delta no Earl Gerow, Retired, Vancouver
Present Committee Members
(Committee Heads shown in Capital letters):
Executive: President. Vice President. ED ZALESKY Jerry Vernon Secretary Treasurer Finance. Rose Zalesky ALAN RYDER Volunteer Co-Ordinator …… ROSE ZALESKY PETER KNOWLES Vancouver Island TOM PALMER Newsletter/P.R …APRIL ZALESKY Doug/Lisa Girling Research. JERRY VERNON Ingy Wikene Ken Danyluk Norm Leask MARK ZALESKY Restoration Mike Buckingham ….. Ken Danyluk Bill Emerslund Special Events. APRIL ZALESKY Ken Danyluk Bill Emerslund Flying. FRANK STEVENS …Bill Emerslund DOUG/LISA GIRLING Computer Services BEV CHAMPNISS Library. Susan Rowntree Mike Buckingham
Displays/Maintenance JOE SMITH Ken Danyluk Tour Guides COLIN HAMILTON Underwater Recovery.. JERRY OLSEN Ken Danyluk Entertainment…..JANE ROBINSON Meetings Recovery and Hauling.. SEAN KEATING Gift Shop
Committee. ROSE ZALESKY Committees are not listed in any order, and all are impor- tant. If you are wondering why the same names appear again and again, it’s because others did not offer.
If you can’t be at the Annual General Meeting, please mail in your proxy. It is vital that you do to ensure that a quorum exits, so please send it right away. You know how slow Canada Post service is.
USED BOOK SALE
The list of people who want a list of books that are surplus to our needs is growing, but the list of books is not yet ready. Input of information is lagging far behind expecta- tions, and the list is far from complete. Price has been set at $8. for the first list. Please send in your order by mail, please, as it may get missed if it is phoned in.
HELP WANTED: COMPUTER OPERATOR
Bev Champniss left April 2 to begin work as an aircraft mechanic with Air B.C. Our best wishes go out to her, and we are pleased that she has been able to fulfill her ambi- tion, but she will be missed. Bev is a very capable computer operator and was the person responsible for maintaining the many lists of people and things inherent in the increas- ingly complex operation of the CMFT.
Bev was a full time volunteer, and did many other things besides computer work. She will continue to volunteer time as her new job permits to do what she can and to help train someone else.
We’re looking for a dedicated, capable person with a knowledge of standard programs such as DBase, Lotus 123, Word Processing (we use Wordstar and Word Perfect). ACCPAC, Ventura Publisher, Advanced Revelation, etc., or some useful combination of some of the above, and of course a good understanding of MS DOS. (We also have some C/PM machines).
We run two AT compatibles, two XT compatibles, plus a fleet of C/PM machines which are used for word process- ing and some data base chores. We have a Laser printer, two dot matrix and two daisy wheel printers.
Work can be full time or part time depending on whether applicant has other office skills.
Pass the word, or send in your resume to the attention of Rose Zalesky and include your hourly wage expectation, how many or few days per week you can work, and if you would be willing to donate all or part of your time. Please DO NOT phone or call in to chat about the job. Rose is run off her feet, but will contact you as she can fit in the time for an interview.
“WINGS AND WHEELS ’89” PLANNING MEETING APRIL 13 (Formerly Open House)
If you would like to help in the prior preparations, please at- tend the next planning meeting, to be held Thursday, April 13th, at the Elgin Centre (old Elgin Elementary School), corner of 144th Street and Crescent Road. Directors meet- ing at 6:30, Chill at 7:00, “Wings and Wheels ’89” meeting at 7:30. Please note that this meeting was originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 12th. Phone and let us know if you’re coming so that we’ll have enough food on hand.
JUNE 17 AND 18 (SAT AND SUN)
are the dates for our 8th Annual affair. All the same good things as in the past, except that there will be a children’s program, and, depending on volunteer turnout, an extanded children’s play area.
The name had to be changed because, for the first time in history, we will be charging admission – $1 for general admission, while children under 9 are free. Donations averaged less than 34c per person last year, in spite of many P.A. requests. By charging a modest admission fee, attendance may drop, but we’ll be able to use the public address system time to promote CMFT, exhibitors, and those who donated services and prizes. Without repetitive announcements requesting donations, visitors are free to enjoy themselves even more.
The first planning meeting for “Wings and Wheels” of the year was held on March 15 and was well attended. It was combined with the Director’s meeting, and a spaghetti dinner was served up to allow more time for discussions. Many good suggestions came out of that meeting, and some of the work delegated, but we need a lot more help to make it go. While April Zalesky has done the bulk of the organizational work over the past few years, she now works full time at another job and simply cannot devote the time it takes. We need people to do phoning, work with the exhibitors, solicit door prizes, arrange for services and promotion, make up signs, put up posters, make up tickets, carry out the considerable preparatory yard work needed, and the host of other chores that make the event a success. It does not happen all by itself, and while it could not possibly run without the volunteers who turn out to work on the two days of the event itself, the bulk of the work takes place long before the gates are opened, and this is where we need people to help out.
John Hammond (Cap’n Flap’n Jack), and Dianne and Laurie Sanders are organizing a children’s program. Laila Bird will bring her pony for children’s rides again, if all goes well, and, if a committee to clean up, paint and set up the children’s steel playground equipment that has been donated to the museum can be organized, there should be plenty to keep the kids happy. We’re also looking for some- one to build a couple of simple plywood airplane “ride ’em” playground toys.
CMFT ANNUAL SPRING DINNER APRIL 29 JET CHEF RESTAURANT
5400 Airport Road, Vancouver Airport South (Drive to south side of airport by the seaplane base and turn right on Airport Road. The Jet Chef is in the compound across the street from Lindair (formerly West Coast Air Services Ltd., formerly Vancouver’s U-Fly). There will be direc tional arrows marked CMFT)
Guest Speaker ROBERT (BOB) STITT
Bob will entertain us with a slide presentation and video on the history of Conair Aviation. Door Prizes as usual Some fun events A very short speech from the Pres. Time to socialize and meet other members
BAR OPENS AT 6:00 P.M. SIT DOWN DINNER AT 7:00 P.M. $12 PER PERSON Come and enjoy, and bring a guest.
Please phone in your reservation, or mall in the enclosed form to reach us by April 24 so we know how many meals to order. You may pay in advance or at the door by cheque, cash, Visa or Master Charge, but if you reserve and don’t show up, you will be billed cost of the meal as CMFT pays if you don’t.
AIR BC TOUR
Membar Mike Gatey has arranged a tour of the Air BC facilities at Vancouver Airport for Saturday, April 29, at 4 p.m. There is still room for a few more people to join. There is no fee, but please call 531-2465 or 531-3744 to get your name on the list, and to arrange carpooling if needed.
RESTORING/FABRIC WORKSHOP
With other pressures, Mark Zalesky simply has not been able to begin the Fabric Recover workshop series. Those of you who have paid your fees fear not. It will happen, and will be a great learning experience. The end product will eventually be a restored flying aircraft for exhibit.
VOLUNTEER DATA ENTRY CLERKSNEEDED (No experience necessary)
A sophisticated computer program to track all the donations, photos, files, names and other information needed to operate our growing and increasingly complex museum and gift shop operation is now nearing completion. While there are still bugs and kinks to be ironed out, the program is now ready to start the massive job of entering the data that has been prepared for entry from manual records kept.
Previous experience is not needed, but you must be able to type at least 40 wpm and willing and able to carry out instructions exactly, as the work must be done accurately to be useful.
At the risk of offending good people who are doing their best, we must share the following observation with you:
Anyone who has lived through the writing and testing of a house generated new computer program will appreciate when we tell you that the programmers are still telling us “any time now” and it will be finished. The optimism that accompanied the promised completion early last fall is still there but becoming hard to maintain..
As has happened so many times in the past, with computers and other needed skills, and because we cannot afford to simply go out and buy what we need ready made or pay to have it done by experts, we end up being a training ground; with many months being being spent in trial and error self-education and little to show for the effort.
We think we’re over that stage now, and with luck the program that is supposed to do all things wonderful for the museum will be up and running “soon”.
EXHIBITS/GROUNDS MANAGERWANTED (For pay)
CMFT has grown to such huge proportions that one person can no longer maintain the equipment, machinery, yard, exhibits, buildings, security, storage, hauling, unloading. and carrying out other day to day tasks and still work on airplanes, too.
As a result, the restoration program has had to take second place to making the exhibits that are already in place, and the grounds look real good for visitors, which are higher priorities than another airplane to look after.
It’s time for the museum to employ a permanent exhibits and grounds maintenance person. That person must be capable and able to improvise, mechanically inclined, have pride of workmanship, be willing to work under less than perfect conditions and have a high degree of enthusiasm for the job. We’ll train, but we’re looking for someone on a long term, year round basis, so unless you want to make a career of it, do not apply. This is not a white collar job, but carries an immense amount of responsibility.
WHO DOES THE WORK AT CMFT?
Special projects are sometimes carried out with the assistance of Federal or Provincial job creation grants, and we are very grateful for them. Such grants have enabled us to re-organize and catalogue (up to the computer stage), most of the museum’s collections, and to restore at least three aircraft exhibits, some to full flying condition, others to static display status.
Of the two grants received in 1988, one ran out in mid- December, and the other on March 31. Four of the project workers have been retained on a month to month basis, with their full time salaries paid by the Zalesky family.
Applications for two job creation programs have been made, but even if either is approved, it will be at least the middle of May before they begin, and grant participants can only work on specific short term projects, and cannot participate in the daily operations of the museum.
REGULAR STAFF
Rachel Broddle, our “Girl Friday” for the past three years, and CMFT’s only paid employee ever, has just left to take a better paying job and to continue formal training towards an accounting career. She is volunteering some time but is sorely missed. Her job is still open.
Mark Zalesky puts in an average of 10 hours a day, seven days a week almost exclusively on museum work. Mark runs the shop, and is in complete charge of the maintenance and restoration program. He also has charge of the exhibits and maintaining the equipment and the yard, which has taken up most of his time lately. He is very much underpaid; salary also supplied by the Zalesky family.
A bookkeeper trainee, whose main work is CMFT related has just been hired by the Zaleskys on a co-operative Provincial Ministry of Social Services and Housing/Tourism job creation program called “Employment Plus (Corporate Sector)” and there is still a trainee “Girl Friday” opening.
Two others come and go, (2 weeks on, 3 weeks off) as the “work experience” component of a Job Entry Manpower and Immigration program operated by “Pro-Soft”, a training agency.
And then there are the volunteers!! These are the VIP’s at CMFT, and without them there would be no CMFT. Next newsletter will list the names of those who devote a lot of time to CMFT, and their area of Involvement. Thank you, volunteers!
Check your membership expiry date! See the mailing label, also the note on page 1.
TRIBUTE TO OUR VOLUNTEERS
Other volunteers come and go as and when they can spare the time, but a few are regulars and it is to these that we owe a special debt of gratitude.
Special thanks to Ingy Wikene who comes several days each week to identify and catalogue historic photos, John Wood is a new volunteer, and comes in several days a week to work on the current photos.
Donna Baxter does data entry several days a week. Dianne Edwards helps with computer work from one to four days a week, and up til April 2, Bev Champniss volunteered full time as a computer operator. Ted Vandeyk regularly works through coffee breaks to try to speed up the completion of the computer programming.
Archie Fraser spends at least three hours a day organizing and tidying up the CMFT scrapbook, and spent 18 months building a beautiful Hasegawa museum quality model of an SE5a for CMFT. His wife said that during the course of construction Archie invented new words to the English language.
Doug and Lisa Girling have been taking care of the CMFT’s excellent magazine collection for years, working from 1 to 3 days each week. They sometimes tackle other projects as well., Jane Robinson comes when she can spare the time, and gamely takes on whatever has to be done, in the office or in the shop. Doug Fraser shows up now and again and pitches In. Ed and Rose Zalesky are full time volunteers, doing whatever is most urgent.
Hank Koehler spends every Monday doing yardwork. Ken Danyluk gives a day a week to whatever needs doing, as does John Clark. This is probably the most important aotivity at the museum right now.
Fred Gardham is struggling with the Hampden restoration In downtown Vancouver, and is on the job almost every day, with John Gilmore helping as he can make it. A born organizer, Fred can be counted on to arrange pickup of playground equipment for example, round up parts or gets things fixed. Jerry Olsen spends what time he can, and it is sometimes a great deal of time, working on the Hampden and underwater recovery.
Ron Krywiak, Oly Dick and Mike Gatey have just returned from hauling three single Blackburn Shark floats which were donated by Ollie Garner, from Galiano Island to the museum, and bore all costs of the trip. Thanks also to Roy Harding who ran Ollle’s 4×4, without whose help they would still be there.
Tony Hudak is always available to tow inoperable,Immobile or hurt equipment and other assorted and cumbersome things around for CMFT with his equipment. Joe Shewala can always be counted on to re-wire or repair anything electrical; supplying needed materials either at cost or at no charge.
Then there are Bill and Wilma Thompson, when when the chips are down, drop everything to hlep out whether on land, under the water or wherever.
Vancouver Island members Peter Knowles, Bruce Jubb and Tom Knowles have put in countless hours over the years in various projects, with the more recent being the hauling of material from the Vancouver Island storage shed to Van- cover, and picking up donated items and transporting to Vancouver, not to mention spending a week at the CMFT working like slaves getting ready for Open House last summer.
Gerry Van Humbeck and Pete Devries drive thousands of miles and, with application of ingenuity and hard work bring back wrecks and relics from all over. Ron Strome, Doug Banks, Stoney Jackson, Gary Moonie and many others help out as and when they can with sleuthing, mall displays and more hard work.
There are lots of others, who help out when they can, and some of whom have put in many hours over the years. It is the dedication and support of all the volunteers who have made it possible for CMFT to grow and to prosper.
And then there are the hundreds who turn out to carry out special projects such as the tremendous job done at Expo 86, which took over 20,000 volunteer hours, and which provided world wide recognition and goodwill for CMFT. Open House (now “Wings and Wheels ’89), which requires more than 200 man days of volunteer time is another ex- ample where volunteers can help out. This fun event is and is one of our best public relations efforts.
We can’t possibly list all of you, but we SINCERELY thank each and every one of you. Volunteers are the backbone of the organization, and without you, there would be no CMFT. With your co-operation and hard work, CMFT has grown into one of Canada’s largest, and certainly best avia- tion museums. Congratulations to all of you as volunteers!
SENIOR’S WING REPORT
The Senior’s Wing is an independent entity governed by a 10-member board, and provides support to the CMFT, with the assistance of a Canada Health and Welfare “New Horizons grant. The Expo 86 on site restoration of the Stampe biplane, the Member’s Lounge, and the Gift Shop are both prior CMFT projects.
The current project is a new flatdeck hauling trailer. The basic frame has just been delivered, and it now needs a plywood deck, lights, etc. and to finish it ready for work.
Can anyone arrange for a place to work on it, preferably in- door, with access to tools and equipment to complete it? Remember, it is 39 feet long and 8 1/2 feet wide.
A future project planned is the provision of a badly needed portable gift shop.
Retirees are especially encouraged to join in this program to keep productive and busy, but membership is open to anyone over 50, and anyone can help, regardless of age. There are no membership fees.
GUIDED TOURS TO BE A REGULAR FEATURE AGAIN
When CMFT first opened the grounds to visitors in 1984, all visitors had to be accompanied by a guide. There were complaints from people who didn’t want a guide or felt that they knew more than the tour guide about airplanes. In 1986 we roped off the airplanes, and put up lots of signs, and visitors did their own walking tours. Then there were complaints because there were no tour guides.
This year, and provided we can roust up the needed man- power, we will offer regular tours again as an option. Ten- tative times will be 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm daily. There will be no extra charge, unless a tour is re- quested at other than scheduled times.
PARKING SUPERVISORS, TOUR GUIDES, SECURITY PEOPLE NEEDED
This summer will be very busy and we will need tour guides, parking supervisors and security people. Please volunteer your help. You’ll meet people from all over the world, and it enough people turn out shifts will be short. Information given out must be accurate, so be prepared to memorize some facts. A new guidebook will be ready by opening date.
PARKING LOT TO BE ENLARGED
We’ve asked Surrey to pave an enlarged parking area. In the meantime, there is fencing and shrubs to be moved, and it will have to be done soon, so if you can help, please phone.
WOOD CHIP PILE PROJECT
The “beauty” wood chip pile needs re-organizing. Some of the chips have to be moved to the area in front of the Senior’s Lounge to save having to mow that miserable space. A low retaining wall/seat has to be built around the wood chip pile and the flower beds taken up. Any offers?
FLOWER PLANTERS
The small flower beds built for Open House last year looked great, but turned out to too much work. This year we plan to have lots of flowers all right, but in planters spotted around the grounds. Perfect containers would be wooden half barrels. Can anyone provide us with 6 or so half-bar- rels for free? Or advise where some can be purchased at a low price? Can anyone take on the task of setting them up and filling them with a mixture of peat moss and the soil taken from the flower beds? Can anyone arrange for a small load of peat moss to be dropped off for free?
GRASS CUTTING
Did you know that it takes 12 hours minimum on a commercial golf course type mower to cut the grass properly for our aircraft display area? Anyone want to be our official mower?
MEMBERSHIP DUES
Please check that your membership is up to date. Notices are not mailed out, but your membership number is always listed on your address sticker. A rubber stamp “MEMBER- SHIP LAPSED, PLEASE RENEW”, or “RENEW SOON”, whichever is appropriate is stamped on the envelope, so don’t throw it away.
AIRPLANE GROOMERS
Keeping the airplanes clean and polished is a huge job that can be made a lot easier if a number of people share the work. We’ve come up with the “adopt an airplane” program, whereby members are encouraged to choose one of the exhibit aircraft as their “own” and agree to keep it clean.
There are two ways to participate in the program. The easy way is to make a donation to the fund to help care for the airplane of your choice, so that we can hire someone to do the work. Or, you can agree to do the physical work of keep- ing the airplane spiffed up yourself.
The program was instigated in 1987. A few donations came in, and a few souls chose an airplane to care for. The problem came up when it came time for the second wash job two or three weeks later. Nobody turned up, with the result that the second and third and fourth and fifth (or however many needed) washjobs were done by our over- worked mechanic, or yard person. might be because people forget that airplanes get dirty, just like your car, and don’t realize how much surface there is to even the smal- lest airplane. For example, th Harvard is equal to 6 cars.
Cleaning starts the first week in May. Pick your airplane, and make a commitment.
CARPENTERS WANTED
Desperately needed storage space could be created by roofing over a small patio off the main office. Any offers of material or labour?
PHOTO COLLECTION WORK
Colin Hamilton has been working on the museum’s slide collection a couple of days a week for years, but there is still a lot of work needed to catalogue the “current” collection. Anyone want to help?
SURPLUS USED MAGAZINES
Several volunteer members have been plugging away at the never ending job of sorting and shelving the thousands of magazines that will be offered for sale if they ever get shelved and sorted. One or two days a week, or a few hours a couple of days a week to sort and/or sell them would free up staff who are swamped with other work.
AIRPLANE WORK
Many offers of volunteer assistance are for “working on airplanes”. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as it seems. While the volunteer may indeed have skills and ability to work on airplanes, unless he or she is willing to spend at least three full or half days per week, it just doesn’t work out. So much time is spent on finding or creating short term projects that don’t require a lot of instruction and preparation, providing tools, equipment, and supervising casual helpers, and then locating those tools and pieces of equipment, materials, etc. after the helpers leave, that our poor mechanic can’t get anything done himself.
If you want to get involved in the airplane repair and restoration program, have the time and are prepared to stick with it, you are welcome, but you must also be prepared to do the needed boring and dirty work as well as the “fun” stuff. We don’t need supervisors, we need wrench twisters and “erks”.
There is work that can be done on a casual basis, and some of it is working with airplanes. Read on.
LOCKHEED LODESTAR STILL NEEDS WORK
There is work that can be done on a casual basis, but there seems to be few people offering. For example, the Lock- heed Lodestar is full of a wood product insulation material that was state of the art in the late 1930’s, but holds moisture and encourages corrosion now, and must come out. Doug and Lisa Girling, Jane Robinson, Barry Kingston, Doug Fraser and occasional volunteers have been plugging away at the job, but there is still lots to do.
All the glass needs replacing, and we have it on hand, but need someone to take on the job of cutting and installing it. Real glass, not plexi.
When the insulation is finally all out, the interior has to be cleaned and treated for corrosion, and new insulation and upholstery installed. While the upholstery work can only be done by an experienced professional upholsterer to recapture the elegance and sheer “class” of the airplane, all the other work described is not difficult and can be done on a casual basis.
SEASON’S OPENING DAY IS MAY 13th
Pass the word amongst your friends and acquaintances. Use the Two for One pass included with the last Mini to take a look at what we’ve done here.
If you can spare any time to help, all hands will be needed! to get ready for the opening as there is still much to do to get ready.
VISIT THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF FLIGHT AND TRANSPORTATION
13527 Crescent Road, Surrey, B.C. V4A 2W1 PHONE: (604) 531-3744 A unique collection of historic aircraft and artifacts in an outdoor setting. OPEN: 9:00-4:00 daily, May 13-October 15 only. Gift shop open year round. ADMISSION: $2 Adults, $1 Youths/Seniors Children under 9 Free Group rates available – please enquire.