Bryon Mask Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Today there was a get together in Ottawa at the Riverside pub to honour Captain Don Cameron. Don has Parkinson's disease and is in a wheelchair. He has been a faithful RAPCAN luncheon attendee but the Gloucester Mess in Ottawa is a challenge for someone in a wheelchair. Through the efforts of retired Capt. Bill Tate it was decided to throw a surprise beer call for Don. What transpired as far as I was concerned was a piece of aviation history related to Air Canada. For those of you who don't know or remember Don was the Captain of the ill fated DC-9 accident in Cincinnati many years ago. That in itself was a part of history but there is more. Air Canada over the years has had an enviable safety record. However there has been a few notable events over the years. Don's was certainly one of them. What made this event special was a few of the attendees. Capt. Bob Pearson of the Gimil glider accident was in attendance, the patrons of the bar were certainly intrigued to see him there once it was pointed out to them who he was. Some of you may remember the B-767 hi-jacking that occurred in SFO with Capt. Dave Robinson in command. Dave is almost 80 years old and was there, healthy and happy. It was nice to speak to him. Other pilots that have given many years of service above and beyond were there. a few names, Capt. Heb Russell, and his daughter who flew with Don in his Aztec which he flew upon retirement. Capt. Steve Crutcher, Capt. Fred Deveau, Capt. Lyle Gainsford, Capt. Jim Strang. just to name a few.As an aside a friend of mine and to borrow an old cliché, an officer and a gentleman, Capt .Don McKay has written a book entitled " My Dream and Beyond, A Pilots Journey" For the ex-military types a few nostalgic moments, for the Air Canada group some great stories about his career. For any of you who have flown with Don you will know that he is a true gentleman. His book is available at major bookstores and is published by General Store Publishing House www.gsph.comAn interesting tidbit; Don flew a Piper Aztec for his own company upon retirement carrying small cargo. His first trip back to Cincinnati since his diversion years ago he was flying the aircraft and on descent was handed over to Cincinnati approach control. According to the pilot with him when he checked in with the controller Don had a "deja vu" moment. When the co-pilot asked Don if he was okay and was this a moment in time? it was determined that the controller was the same controller that he spoke with on that night many moons ago.All this to say that this afternoon there was more than 1000 years of aviation experience gathered in one place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Hudson Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Wow.Thanks, Bryon, well told; some very familiar names there - some good memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 "... it was determined that the controller was the same controller that he spoke with on that night many moons ago."Wow! THAT is freaky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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