AIC 36/08 outlines NavCanadas latest decommissioning project.

NAV CANADA, the country’s provider of civil air navigation services, recently evaluated the requirement for very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) receiver test facilities (VOT) in Canada.

The review concluded that VOT sites are underutilized and no longer required. This fact is partly because of the increased use of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) for primary navigation and partly because many VOR receivers are equipped with an internal self-test function.

Accordingly, VOT sites will be decommissioned, starting in November 2008. It is expected that decommissioning all …

I was driving by the airport the other day and noticed that some obstruction lighting on telephone poles near the approach of 33 were burnt out (and have been for months).

Does anyone know who I should contact to get that fixed? It’s off airport property, so I don’t think it would be the Airports responsibility. Transport Canada? Nav Canada? The local utility company?

Title: So You Want To Be A Pilot, Eh?

Author: James Ball

ISBN: 9780978130916

Size: 216 Pages

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Although I’m already a pilot, I thought it would be interesting to read this book — just to see if I would learn anything new. Guess what, I did!

The book covers all the topics and frequently asked questions people have about being a pilot, specifically for Canadians. It goes over, in detail, things like getting your medical, the PPL exam, and all the other ratings you can get.

There is a perfect balance of …

There was a recent fire in the Toronto area that was being fed from propane. There was some discussion about the incident at YYZ, on the ground frequency.

It’s interesting to note that there was no hotel on fire and the military was never called in. Clip provided by liveatc.net.

More information about the incident can be found at CBC News.

This is a really cool video!

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone. My day job is keeping me busy with the Olympics, plus some events in my personal life have also kept me away from flying.

That said, I do plan on having a few updates in the next week or so. So stay tuned for those!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

We’ve all heard of CRM. But what about Single Pilot Resource Management?

The University of Western Ontario has a course on Single Pilot Resource Management. The course is only $50, and totally online.

This would be an excellent course to take for GA pilots as its focus is on cockpit resource management for single pilot operations. Resource management is different when you are alone and there isn’t someone else to share the load.

This course goes beyond the “aviate, navigate, communicate” method of resource management.

For a full review of the course and what …

I discovered an air route by accident the other day while taking a close look at my Toronto VNC.

I had never heard of an air route before until I dug a little deeper.

Air routes differ over airways in that they are in uncontrolled airspace. That is, air routes are not controlled by ATC, unlike airways.

They may pass through controlled airspace, but the space on either side of the route is not class E, like an airway is. “Pygmie” on avcanada.ca explains it this way:

The designators AR and BR (there might …

I was looking at the Designated Airspace Handbook tonight and noticed something peculiar.

The DAH is the legal document that describes Canada’s airspace. It defines all airspace from control zones, special use areas, classes A through F as well as low level airways.

I noticed this oddity for LF/MF airway A-2 and A-15:

A2

Calgary, AB NDB \ to

Red Deer, AB NDB \ to

Edmonton, AB NDB \ to

Whitecourt, AB NDB \ to

Grande Prairie, AB NDB \ to

Dawson Creek, BC NDB \ to

Fort St. John, BC NDB \ to

Fort Nelson, BC NDB \ to

Liard River, …