Something I’ve been working on for almost two years is about to come true in the new year! I’m just in the final stages of getting things set up technically and in about a weeks time I will let you guys know what’s going on.

Don’t get too excited (I am, and I get excited over the littlest things)

A liveatc.net user kindly posted a clip of the last departure of the British Airways Concorde flight from New York to London.

Lots of thanks flying back and forth as well as having both the original approach and tower controllers who greeted the first Concorde landing in ’77 was there to handle the last departure.

It’s a shame this aircraft isn’t flying anymore. I wonder when supersonic flight will return to commercial airlines.

I got a satellite personal tracker for Christmas called Spot. The idea behind the device it threefold:

1. Use it to track your progress (whether it be flying, hiking, sailing, etc…) and display it in near real time on the internet for your “team” to keep an eye on you.

2. Use it to call for help from your “team”.

3. Use it in an emergency to initiate search and rescue efforts.

The system works the same way satellite phones do. The satellite system it uses is called Globalstar and a coverage map is …

I can’t imagine doing an approach in winds like this. According to the clip, the winds were as follows:

7000′: 215° at 91knots

2500′: 203° at 82 knots

2000′: 192° at 69 knots

500′ AGL : 147° at 53 knots

Clip courtesy of liveatc.net.

The weather was too crappy on Saturday to fly the Seminole, so my lesson just comprised of a ground briefing.

We went over such things as asymmetric thrust, constant speed props, and various systems on the Seminole. Some new things I am going to have to deal with:

- Combustion heater

- Retractable gear

- Constant speed prop

- Lots more V speeds to memorize!

My FI made it clear that understanding the Seminole systems is very important for the flight test.

I have a copy of the checklists and procedures that I need to study. I’m …

An AIP Supplement was released that describes a potentially dangerous error on the latest version of the Toronto VNC.

Great care is taken to ensure accurate geographical representation of aeronautical information on these charts. The 25th edition of AIR5000 Toronto VNC (dated June 2007) encountered a registration issue during printing. Although not all charts are affected, there is a potential that all aeronautical features on the north side of the chart shifted during the printing process and pilots should be reminded to use this specific chart with caution.

When the new VNCs …

A while back I asked anyone if they knew of some good resources for learning about multi-engine concepts. Since then I’ve been slowly collecting and finding the necessary information.

I hope this list will help future pilots who want to get their multi rating.

Books

Multi-Engine Textbook by Jeppesen. ISBN: 0-88487-335-8

Multi-Engine Syllabus by Jeppesen. ISBN: ? (Jeppesen Part No. JS344527)

The Complete Multi Engine Pilot by Bob Gardner. ISBN: 1-56027-448-4

Seminole POH (of course)

Online Resources

Wikipedia: P-Factor

Asymmetric Thrust Explained

Transport Canada: Instructor Guide: Multi-Engine Rating (TP 11575)

Transport Canada: Flight Test Guide: Multi-Engine Rating (TP 219)

Aerodynamics of Power …

The TSB has released an update to the Air France investigation. Some of the new findings that were presented in the report are:

- A lightning strike damaged the wind direction and speed recording system for runway 24L (the one air france was to land on)

- Wind shifted at the moment of touchdown causing a tailwind for the landing aircraft

- The heavy rains diluted the foam the fire fighters were using to put out the flames.

Be sure to check out the current report and its appendices

The report indicates that a final …

Buttonville’s airspace is class D during hours of operation (They close at 11pm at night). Outside of those hours it’s class E.

I’ve always wondered what would happen when someone needs to land just as the tower was closing. Well, someone did just that in St. Petersburg in Florida.

Sounds like the Flight Service guy wasn’t really prepared to give the airport advisory.

Clip courtesy of liveatc.net.

I have been keeping a close eye on the forecast all day Saturday. I can see the sun shining through the window, however the TAF was telling me something different. Today’s flight might be scrubbed, I thought.

I took care of some other things I needed to do that day. A new TAF was supposed to come out an hour before my flight.

I looked outside and saw cirrus clouds… I gotta be able to go, this storm isn’t coming today. The latest TAF agreed with me! I packed my things and …