Re: Canadian B762 Glider

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Gimli would have always been in the VFR Supplement (the main airport
directory in Canada at the time, now known as the Canada Flight Supplement)
however, it probably doesn't have an instrument approach so it would not
have been on the IFR charts.

I believe that the 767 was, as you mentioned, temporarily patched up and
flew gear-down to YWG where the job was finished.

The field at Gimli however, is plenty long enough to handle a 767.  The
former runway (now dragstrip) is/was 8000 ft; the remaining GA runway is
6800 ft.  LGAs runways are 7000 ft.  It would have been no problem at all to
get a lightly loaded 767 out of Gimli.

Mike Gammon

----- Original Message -----
From: "Matthew Montano" <mmontano@direct.ca>
To: "'The Airline List'" <AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>; "'Mike Gammon'"
<jmgammon@sympatico.ca>
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2002 4:27 PM
Subject: RE: Canadian B762 Glider


> C-GAUN was gone for a while, I notice it was returned to service on the
> 11th of October.
>
> There was an excellent non-fiction book written about it that was not to
> gracious to Air Canada in the aftermath. Aside from the errors, several
> of the FAs were injured and never received the equivalent of WCB or any
> other consideration. Their feedback on the emergency exit procedures
> were apparently ignored and many of them won't talk about it any more.
>
> Several other interesting points if I remember correctly:
>
> - The 767 escape chutes were redesigned and retro'ed afterwards. When
> the nose wheel collapsed, the rear chutes were hanging precipitously 10
> feet above the ground.
> - The escape lighting and proceedures were poor and if it wasn't for
> quick thinking, someone could have been killed or at least injured.
> - The fuel 'computer' was re-designed. A combination of solenoids and
> sensors was simply a bad design.
> - The fuel issues were a combination of KGs, LBs, Cubic Inches, and
> Litres.
> - Their original attempt was Winnipeg, but out of reach. I believe the
> Gimli field was not even on the charts at the time, and it was the pilot
> who knew it had to be there and had enough light to find it.
> - The pilot had to use some side-step moves to slow the beast down
> without flaps
> - The original AC dispatch of mechanics out of Winnipeg had their
> vehicle break down half way there
> - Thank god the flight only had an EXTREMELY light load.
>
> I too have ridden Fin 604. My only question is that when GAUN was
> 'fixed' at Gimli field and then FLOWN to Winnipeg where it was
> subsequently brought up to spec at AC's heavy maintenance base there,
> what condition was it in when it flew that short hop? Obviously enough
> to fly (out of a short field), but not good enough for service.
>
> There are plenty of details scattered across the web. Searching for
> "Gimli Glider" through google will bring you hours of reading.
>
> Matthew
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: The Airline List [mailto:AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU] On
> > Behalf Of Mike Gammon
> > Sent: March 22, 2002 6:56 PM
> > To: AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> > Subject: Re: Canadian B762 Glider
> >
> >
> > 1983.  Air Canada.
> >
> > Fuel gauges inop.  Not on MEL if they could dip the tanks.
> > They dipped with a stick measured in inches and goofed
> > converting to kilograms (it was AC's first "metric" bird).
> > Result was that they took off with x lbs instead of x kg.
> > Well, a lb is 1/2.2 kg.  So about half way they ran the tanks
> > dry. Aircraft was deadstick landed on a former military base.
> >  The base was still in use as a GA airport but the longer
> > airstrip (the one long enough for
> > jets) had been converted to a drag strip. They landed just at
> > the end of the Saturday evening drag races.
> >
> > Aircraft was C-GAUN/Tail 604 (still in service after a brief
> > period in storage).  Pilot was Capt. Robert Pearson (I met
> > him;  in fact I've also flown aboard GAUN).  F/O was Maurice
> > Quintal.  The good luck part:  Capt. Pearson was an
> > accomplished glider pilot and President of the Montreal
> > Soaring Council (located in Hawkesbury, Ont, about 100 km
> > from Montreal;  my home town incidentally though I moved away
> > in 1983).  F/O Quintal had trained in the Air Force at that
> > base prior to it being shut down.  The former air base/GA
> > airport/dragstrip was Gimli, Manitoba.
> >
> > This is from memory.  Perhaps one or two details I'm rusty on.
> >
> > Mike Gammon
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Chi Shing YU [QMD]" <csyu@hkpc.org>
> > To: <AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
> > Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 9:40 PM
> > Subject: Canadian B762 Glider
> >
> >
> > > Can anyone repost the details of the Canadian B767-200
> > running out of
> > > fuel
> > =
> > > in around 1986?
> > >
> > > Thanks in advance.
> > >
> > > C.S.
> >
>
>

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