Air-Way 88C found and questions.

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aeoliandave

Well-known member
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
7,347
Location
Stratford Ontario Canada
Actually the Air-Way found me, in the form of an email from Anne in Bayfield Ontario.

"I have an Air-Way Sanitizor Model 88C I'd be happy to give away. The hose and cord seem in pretty good shape. The lid won't latch.
I live in Bayfield. If interested give me a call at 519-XXX-XXX.
Cheers,
Anne"

Anne sent a few pictures. I liked what I saw.
So, I called. Going to take a nice one hour scenic drive west to the shores of Lake Huron on Sunday and pick it up at noon. Supposed to be a rainy day.

No Pete, I will not be continuing on to Sarnia, this time. :-(

From googling her address it appears her house fronts on to the Lake's shoreline. :-)

4-24-2010-18-38-23--aeoliandave.jpg
 
Of course the lid won't close without a bag in it. I will take one with me. Sounds like this was not a family vacuum but she knew with a missing caster she couldn't put it in the Church Rummage Sale.
Caster-schmaster - looks good to me and clean, too.

4-24-2010-18-41-27--aeoliandave.jpg
 
Here's my question:

What year is it? The sticker label is missing and there is no PN socket and to my eye the body is painted Two-Tone Turquoise, not turquoise and white like the 88 Mark II.

4-24-2010-18-45-14--aeoliandave.jpg
 
Anne says it is marked 88C so does that make it a first generation Mark I ?
Maybe that C stands for Canada - I know some Air-Ways were made by Delta Eng Corp, Welland, On, Canada.

The back view shows something else I'm not familiar with in a swivel-top Air-Way. I know the power-switch paddle is on the opposite side.

See that protruding tab at the bottom between the wheels? What's that? I can hardly wait to give this the full examination. It will look right smart beside the Mark II I got from Pete, which has the turquoise caddy and all the tools.

Free is worth it just for the long original hose and lovely turquoise cord. And gollygeewhizz, if it is two tones of Turquoise how cool is that? That would make it a Dream Vac Found At Last - and I didn't even know I was lacking. LOL

Dave

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Hey Dave! I think that thing you're wondering about may be the blower port. I think I've seen a few Air-Ways with the blower on the side instead of the bottom. Later, Trg
 
Thanks for a second perspective, Toby. Now I look at it over and over it begins to look less like a tongue sticking out and more like a round hole with shadow from the sun. :-)

Mmm, we shall see soon enough.

Dave
 
Hey Dave:

The C did denote Canada and the Canadian Air Way's were built with the side exhaust port rather than the bottom one. If I recall correctly that is the plain AirWay 88. It was replaced by the turqoise and white 88 Mark I which was then replaced by the Mark II.

Doug
 
SURVEY SAYS!

It's all in the details...and I luvs me them details.

The hose is 7 feet long, looks just as gorgeous as the above picture and holds 95% suction.

Thanks Doug. Here's the maker's label. We know the Air-Way factory was located in Toledo OH so I surmise they had to set up a Canadian office Address and chose Windsor, Ontario.

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More details.
Bottoms. Indeed the 88C has a flat bottom with a side exhaust hole blasting down when in wheeled mode. The USA Mark II has directional vents and blasts every whichway and will blow your skirt up if you do a Marilyn.

Air-Way 88 Mark II next to 88C.

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Viewed from the top, the height difference is significant. Mr Clean Magic Eraser cleaned off the scuffs and missing label adhesive.
The cord wrap handle is more rounded than the 77 and other 88s I have and the cord is a more vivid turquoise.
Very pretty Air-Way.
Plain it may be but I definitely prefer the Pale Blue/Turquoise painted two-toning. 88C pulls 81", same as the Mark II.

4-25-2010-20-07-21--aeoliandave.jpg
 
As predicted, it rained all day, heavy at times.

Yes, Anne and her husband Rick live on a cliff looking directly out at Lake Huron; the back wall is entirely floor to ceiling picture windows. They bought the house last year for retirement from the original owner, who left this Air-Way in the basement. My lucky day that Anne googled me. :-)

4-25-2010-20-16-36--aeoliandave.jpg
 
I did manage to stop at Value Village on the way back home and found these.

An 18" dia commercial Serving Wench Bar Tray. I remember these from days long ago and far away. The rim is solid aluminum with fake mahogany Aborite top and bottom. Tough and pretty.

How could I resist an un-built Visible Woman model? I have the Invisible Man from childhood. The Visible Woman has two pregnancy pods and a pregnant torso plate, if those two ever get together. :-)

4-25-2010-20-25-35--aeoliandave.jpg
 
OMG!!The Visible man and woman-remember those from when I was a kid-also had the visible HEAD!The head was creepy-and made our maids nervous-they did not like to clean around it-finally when the head was crosseyed-and the visible man and woman started having lost parts-was time to get rid of them.also had a chest model with a beating heart-with all of those surprized I didn't become a DOCTOR-my brother was then the doctor-surprized he didn't have the "Visible" series.
 

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