Normally I’m not a fearful person. As long as I feel like I’ve prepared the best I can, there really is no reason for me be worried or scared of everything.

When it comes to flying my biggest fear is running out of fuel. There has been times when my flight instructors would question why I would get the tanks filled up when there is enough fuel for the lesson. Is there any harm in having 5 hours of fuel even though your flight is only going to be an hour? …

When I’m bored, I pop open the CFS to a random page and read up on a particular airport.

Today it happened to be Wiley Airport (CAJ2), a small strip in the Yukon.

What caught my eye was the “Caution” section in the CFS which reads:

Rwy forms part of Dempster hwy (mile 244)

So this aerodrome’s runway is actually the highway itself! According to the CFS entry, there is a little “apron” to park your plane and a windsock.

This is one airport where a precautionary style landing is definitely in order. “no cars? …

Back in August, I reported that NavCanada was making some changes to the Low Level IFR airspace on Ontario.

They have an implementation date! October 22!

The full details can be found at NavCanada.

NavCanada turned off all VOR receiver test facilities (VOT) in Canada (I believe).

This means there is no longer a way for you to test your VOR on the ground before you depart.

I’ve never used one before, and I suspect most people nowadays don’t use them either.

The full list of VOTs that are decommissioned can be found at NavCanada.

VOTs were handy in that you could determine the error rate of your VOR receiver on the ground. For example, you’d tune up the VOT frequency and turn the OBS to 180°. You …

When I originally booked my flight, using Aeroplan, the itinerary showed that my flight to Sydney would be a non-stop flight:

However every source I look at (including a friend I have who works for Jazz) says that the flight will be stopping in Vancouver.

This lead me to fully understand the different between a “direct” flight and a “non-stop” flight.

A “direct flight” is one whereby the flight is using 1 flight number, and passengers are not required to disembark between stops. For example, my flight to Sydney AC33, which stops in …

We’ve all heard the “atc jokes” that have been floating around the Internet. You know, the ones like this:

ATC: He’s at your 3 o’clock

Pilot: Sorry, we only have digital watches.

*groan*

So here some “real world” ones reported by either controllers or pilots on frequency:

Several planes were running up and waiting to take off, many Cessna’s including a 337. With all the students and several similar call signs, the controllers were getting a tad confused. The controller finally asked: “Cessna 123YZ, are you the Skymaster?”

A slightly confused voice with an indeterminate accent …

So, I will be heading off on a month long vacation to the pacific next week. Specifically, Australia, New Zealand, and Samoa.

Well, the Samoan visit is still up in the air as they suffered a large earthquake and tsunami this week. I had booked a flight on a Polynesian Airlines between the islands of Savai’i and Upolu. The flight is only 20 minutes long, but would have been a great way to see the islands from the air. To top it all off, it only cost me $15CAD and would …