Memo
From: Chairman
To: ‘RA-85123 Fan Club’ Members: OldDog, Kelly.
Hi, Gentlemen,
Check this out, please, - isn’t it a perfect proof that we have made a right choice of our ‘club’s hero’?!
From the very beginning of her operational flying career, Ra-85123 was a ‘person’ of a conspicuous popularity. See this line of people waiting for an opportunity to have a look at the plane that has just arrived to its home base in Krasnodar city, Russia. June, 2006 (should verify with folks in Krasnodar what was the exact date when the Tupolev came, - for the Club Records! 
Kelly, perhaps you remember what a ‘BIG DEAL’ the arrival of the very first 737-700 to WestJet was. So, what you see on this picture is an occasion of the same ‘caliber’. The plane was long awaited, and certainly, there was a big turnout of the company’s employees on the day when it came..
All my buddies, former colleagues - and the would-be a pilot workforce to fly the RA-85123 showed up too. We used to fly together charters to the Middle East destinations when the company was leasing the one 154 (’B’ model) from another airline. And now they’ve got a BRAND NEW ‘M’ - ‘Emka’!
Doesn’t it make you think: ‘Seems Clash wanted to be by his buddies on that day!’
Well, who knows..
(to be continued…)
July 4th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Did you recognize any of your old friends here?
All my flying has been in the passenger seat except for one or two demonstration flights in a Cessna. I still remember one day sometime in 1958 when I and a whole bunch of other people went to McCall Field (as Calgary International used to be known) to watch the first Boeing 707 come in. At that time the terminal was at the south end of the runway across from the postal plant.
And when the new terminal was first opened, we were treated to a flyby of the Concorde.
So yes, our idols (for those of us bitten by the aviation bug) call us and we answer.
July 4th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
OldDogNewTricks,
Sure, in that group photo I know every one, and I used to fly with almost all of them.
Give us please a link to your Flickr photos, if you have any, showing that Concorde overfly.
I’ll find some pictures of the first 737NG arrival to WJ. By the way, we saw THAT PLANE (Tail # 001, C-FIWS) today. When I fly it next time, I’ll check its logbook to find out how many hours she has accumulated since that day.
And of course, we’ll inquire our guys in Russia about our ‘baby’ as well - how she’s doing,
Cheers,
Clash