Henry Tenby - Background
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I was born in 1964, and raised in Vancouver, Canada. In 1982, I graduated from Grade 12 at St. George's School in Vancouver, and enrolled in
first year science at UBC that Fall. My initial career aspirations were to become an aircraft engineer.
A very keen interest in commercial aviation dates back to my pre-school years, as I can recall my grandmother
taking me to watch airliners from the observation deck at the old Vancouver International Airport in 1967 and
1968 (age 3-4). At this age, I was also an avid builder of plastic aircraft models, even though I was not old
enough to read the instructions!
In the early 1980s (while in grade 11), I met Glen Etchells, a fellow aviation enthusiast living in Vancouver.
And through Glen I was introduced to John Kimberley, Gary Vincent, Andrew Brattkus, Erik Johannesson, Ken Swartz,
and Tony Hickey, all of whom being avid photographers of commercial aircraft. It was this Vancouver group that got me "hooked" on shooting airliner slides (always using kodachrome slide film). In the mid-1980s I started specializing in photographing aircraft air-to-air (from one aircraft to another), which I consider the ultimate form of aircraft photography!
In the early 1980s while in high-school, I remember how frustrating it was to find a summer job in the airline
industry. It was a very different world than today, as back in the early 80s Canada was in a deep recession
with the unemployment rate in the low teens and it was near impossible to find work in those days, even for an
airline industry enthusiast like myself! I was young and mega-keen, and was quite persistent in sending job
application letters to airlines. What did I have to lose!
Every summer I tried to find a job at the airport, doing anything, as long as it would put me in close proximity to
commercial airliners. Year after year I would send letters to the local airlines, and year after year I got the
same results! At least I tried! My teenage summers were spent scraping, power-washing and painting houses.
But in 1981, I did get a very special "no thanks" letter from none other than Max Ward, Founder and President
of Wardair. Much to my surprise, this was not the usual form letter used for rejecting every-day job
applicants, instead it was a real letter dictated by Max Ward himself, in which he explained his company's
hiring practices. His letter is actually quite entertaining to read more than twenty years after it was
written! Max Ward's letter is presented right here!
In the mid-1980s, Ken Swartz introduced me to the world famous Canadian aviation historian and book Publisher Larry
Milberry. Motivated and inspired by Ken Swartz and Larry Milberry, I started writing commercial aviation related
articles and submitting my work to various aviation magazines. Over the past twenty years, I have written many articles that have
been published in leading international aviation publications.
After high-school graduation, I decided to pursue a business career in the airline industry. As such, I graduated with a BBA in Aviation
Management from the University of North Dakota in 1986, and then completed an MBA (minor in accounting) from UC-Irvine
in December, 1989.
My first job started in January, 1991, with a small aircraft leasing company called Corsair, Inc. in Bellevue, Washington, jointly owned by ex-Boeing salesman Les Hong in
partnership with Australian transportation gurus Sir Peter Ables and Rupert Murdoch. Corsair had acquired the rag-tag fleet of ex-Trans Brazil Boeing 727-100s in the
late 1980s, and was leasing them to a small group of shoe-string Peruvian airlines that were notorious for not paying their bills! After several months with Corsair,
I moved to Yellowknife, NWT, and started working with NWT Air.
I had met the management team at Air Canada Connector NWT Air in Yellowknife earlier in 1991, having visited the company to
prepare an article about the phase out of the airline's last Lockheed Electra (which appeared in Airliners Magazine). So I
called NWT Air Director of Flight Operations Larry Pinto and asked if they had any work. I was invited to come up to Yellowknife to
discuss my abilities with General Manager Dan Murphy. NWT Air had recently lost its financial officer (who retired) and as the position was vacant,
we came to each other's rescue with perfect timing! I was lucky and ended up working for NWT Air for six years as Manager of Corporate Planning, under the
guidance and training of Dan Murphy. At NWT Air I was responsible for the airline's budgets, aircraft leases,
business planning, fleet planning, and general oversight of the company's monthly income statement preparation.
My NWT Air days were good fun, and I enjoyed working for the airline, and I am grateful for the opportunity Dan Murphy gave me to cut my
teeth in the airline industry. The aviation life in Yellowknife kept me motivated as did the travel industry benefits
and ramp access perks. The airline industry is not known for stability, and NWT Air was sold by Air Canada to First Air
in July, 1997, and I was made redundant along with a number of other office employees.
After a brief stint with Air Canada in Montreal, I moved back to Vancouver in early 1998, and worked for Western
Express Airlines (Westex), a small Vancouver-based courier airline.
I was hired to help update the airline's antiquated accounting systems and assist in the day-to-day management
of the company.
My employment with Westex ended on June 30, 1999, and I decided then and there, on that very day,
from that day forward I would never rely on another human being for a paycheck.
Using the internet
as a springboard and outlet for my aviation passion, I become a self-employed
entrepreneur. Being self-employed requires terrific patience and perseverance.
My internet ventures took several years to take root and develop.
The challenge continues to this day. I've found that the single most important ingredient for
long term self-employment stability is to have unbelievable passion in what one is doing.
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All articles are copyright
and protected property of Henry Tenby. Reproduction prohibited without permission.
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